Posted on 03/22/2012 4:10:45 AM PDT by IbJensen
The New York Times, never considered a model of objective journalism, is being accused of having an editorial double-standard after it published a full-page ad aggressively critical of the Catholic Church, but refused a nearly identical one critical of Islam. The anti-Catholic ad run in mid-March by the atheist group Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), was framed as an “Open Letter to ‘liberal’ and ‘nominal’ Catholics,” declaring that “It’s Time to Consider Quitting the Catholic Church.”
The “letter,” from FFRF heads Annie Laurie Gaylor and Don Barker, is a thinly disguised canvassing drive, offering lapsed and liberal Catholic believers “a more welcoming home” in the darkness of the atheist clavern.
At heart the ad is little more than an attack on U.S. Bishops’ for their firm stand against the federal mandate forcing contraception and sterilization on Christian institutions. “Why are you aiding and abetting a church that has repeatedly engaged in a crusade to ban contraception, abortion, and sterilization, to deny the rights of all women everywhere, Catholic or not, to decide whether and when to become mothers?” the ad challenges readers. It continues: “By remaining a ‘good Catholic’ you are doing ‘bad’ to women’s rights. You are an enabler. And it’s got to stop.”
“You’re better than your church, so why stay?” the ad goads. “Why put up with an institution that discriminates against half of humanity? … Join those of us who put humanity above dogma.”
The ad made little positive impact on the FFRF’s anemic membership, but did raise the ire of more than a few faithful Catholics. Bill Donahue of the Catholic League said that he had never seen a “more vicious anti-Catholic advertisement in a prominent American newspaper.” He predicted that “not a single Catholic who reads this ad will be impelled to leave the Church. That is not the issue (Catholicism, unlike many other religions, is actually growing in the U.S., and worldwide). The issue is the increase in hate speech directed at Catholics.”
The anti-Catholic screed also prompted Pamela Geller of the “Atlas Shrugs“ blog to submit here own advertisement to the Times, challenging “moderate Muslims” that “It’s Time to Quit Islam.” The ad, meant to mimic the tone and intent of the FFRF ad, throws out a challenge to moderate Muslims: “Why are you aiding and abetting Islamic leaders who have repeatedly and publicly announced a jihad to subjugate Christians, Jews, Hindus, and all non-Muslims, and to deny the rights of all women everywhere, Muslim or not?” The ad concludes by inviting Muslims to join “those of us who put humanity above the vengeful, hateful, and violent teachings of Islam’s ‘prophet.’”
Not surprisingly, the Times passed on the ad, explaining in a letter to Geller that the “fallout from running this ad now could put U.S. troops and/or civilians in the [Afghan] region in danger.” The Times subsequently released a statement insisting that the paper had not nixed the ad completely, but had merely “ made a decision to postpone publishing it in light of recent events in Afghanistan, including the Koran burning and the alleged killings of Afghani civilians by a member of the U.S. military.”
Geller told the Daily Caller that she doubts the Times will ever publish anything critical of Islam, because “when is it ever a good time to blaspheme under the Sharia?” She added that the refusal “shows the hypocrisy of the New York Times, the ‘gold standard’ in journalism, and its willingness to kowtow to violent Islamic supremacist intimidation.”
The Catholic League’s Bill Donahue responded to the Times apparent double-standard, charging that it was the result of “either bigotry or fear.” He added that the editors of the paper have “painted themselves into that corner” with their response to Geller’s ad.
He said that “no rational person can maintain there is anything but injustice” in the Times decision to run one ad and pan the other. “It shows the disparate treatment and the duplicity of the New York Times. You can trash some religions, like Roman Catholicism, with impunity, but you cannot trash Islam?”
Thant would be because Catholics will not retaliate, whereas muzzies might do nasty stuff.
I for one would participate in an old style religious crusades war against Islam.
Its really the only way to stand up against it.
CATHOLIC=GOD’s team
islam=satan’s team
Any questions?
LLS
Somewhere in the Bible , I believe there is a line that says,”THe Meek shall inherit he earth”.
In my lifetime I have never found this to be a truism, and today more than ever we find that agression by bullies, who will soon be armed with Nuclear weapons, and by a cult armed with rocks to throw at their women are beginning to inherit this planet.
Meanwhile we crawl to these people and apologise for being on the same planet with them. By our own apologies we show our weakness.
A great man once said “ Peace through Strength”.
That man, Ronald Reagan, proved his theory.
Toady we hav an apologist, that is proving the opposite.
This is more serious than bigotry. The First Amendment says there is fredom of the press. There is no such thing. ABC, CBS, NBC, most newspapers and NPR (which we pay for) are all arms of the DemoncRAT Party. People, OUR CIVIL RIGHTS ARE BEING DENIED.
Isn’t there one Constitutional lawyer out there who can’t make this case?
Isn’t there one democrate pol who will stand up & tell it like it is? Paging Zell Miller!
Freedom of the press only means that the government can’t censor what they print or say - NOT that the press has to be objective. Thank God for the internet because now we have other avenues of getting the truth out without relying on the MSM.
Behind every double standard lies an unconfessed single standard.
I disagree about the one-way freedom of the press. Who can claim that citizens can freely speak or publish without license their grievances against public policy or conduct of public officials? How many Conservative Letters to the Editor have been squashed because they are Conservative? How many times has the media shown bias to GOP officials?
When the press acts in such a manner as to supress free speech, it is a violation of all of our civil rights. I may be shouting in a canyon; but, I still question why no lawyer can’t make a case out of this. SCOTUS has heard cases on less (The removal of God from paper money & coins).
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