A Failure of the Press (Bennett & Dershowitz find common ground)

The Washington Post ^ | 2/23/06 | William J. Bennett & Alan M. Dershowitz

[CaptainK]

There was a time when the press was the strongest guardian of free expression in this democracy. Stories and celebrations of intrepid and courageous reporters are many within the press corps. Cases such as New York Times v. Sullivan in the 1960s were litigated so that the press could report on and examine public officials with the unfettered reporting a free people deserved. In the 1970s the Pentagon Papers case reaffirmed the proposition that issues of public importance were fully protected by the First Amendment.

[onevoter]

Let's face it - the hysterics over Vice President Cheney just go to prove, once again, that the press is primarily made up of East Coast, non-fat Latte, prissy liberals. These are the same ones to tried to convince middle America that John Kerry was a baseball playing, goose hunting he-man and a war hero to boot. Most people have just stopped listening.

[ThirstyMan]

Personally I feel as though the failure of the press media to print those offensive cartoons is just the latest manifestation of a much larger problem. This failure is evidence of willing capitulation to the Muslim extremists, yes, but the offense goes deeper.

The MSM with its liberal educational institutions has promoted the PC movement and has decided the Judeo-Christian heritage should be disdained and derided while the Islamic dictatorial voice should be helped and exalted.

I'm surprised that Dershowitz signed onto an article that so plainly strikes at the liberal institutions led by the so-called "free" press.

[Tolik]

William J. Bennett and Alan M. Dershowitz:

...What has happened? To put it simply, radical Islamists have won a war of intimidation. They have cowed the major news media from showing these cartoons. The mainstream press has capitulated to the Islamists -- their threats more than their sensibilities...

...So far as we can tell, a new, twin policy from the mainstream media has been promulgated: (a) If a group is strong enough in its reaction to a story or caricature, the press will refrain from printing that story or caricature, and (b) if the group is pandered to by the mainstream media, the media then will go through elaborate contortions and defenses to justify its abdication of duty. At bottom, this is an unacceptable form of not-so-benign bigotry, representing a higher expectation from Christians and Jews than from Muslims.

While we may disagree among ourselves about whether and when the public interest justifies the disclosure of classified wartime information, our general agreement and understanding of the First Amendment and a free press is informed by the fact -- not opinion but fact -- that without broad freedom, without responsibility for the right to know carried out by courageous writers, editors, political cartoonists and publishers, our democracy would be weaker, if not nonexistent. There should be no group or mob veto of a story that is in the public interest.

When we were attacked on Sept. 11, we knew the main reason for the attack was that Islamists hated our way of life, our virtues, our freedoms. What we never imagined was that the free press -- an institution at the heart of those virtues and freedoms -- would be among the first to surrender.

Nailed It!
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[mware]

The main stream media Jumped the Shark years ago.

[IronManBike]

There was a time when the press was the strongest guardian of free expression in this democracy. Stories and celebrations of intrepid and courageous reporters are many within the press corps

Sorry The Washington [BLEEP] your fastidious control over others' emotions and opinions is past and it's time for your day of reckoning!!

[MSSC6644]

What we never imagined was that the free press -- an institution at the heart of those virtues and freedoms -- would be among the first to surrender.

The "free" press has in the last 40 years become the "licentious" press -- they don't understand true liberty; and just like spoiled children, they risk all just to gain control and power. They are quite representative of their generation.

[Savage Beast]

"There was a time when the press was the strongest guardian of free expression..."

This was certainly the belief of the American people, and they confidently relied on the Free Press to bring them truth--truth that is vital to representative government.

However, by the late 20th century it became clear that the "Press" and its so-called "journalists" constituted a Propaganda Machine whose agenda was DEFINITELY NOT bringing truth to the people or guarding freedom of expression.

The people realized that truth could be obtained only through alternate sources of information, and the exposure of the Propaganda Machine for what it is--with all its dishonesty, disingenuousness, distortions, manipulation, voluntary censorship, falsification, groupthink, disinformation, undisclosed agendas and outright lies--made it clear to the American people that they cannot trust it and can not trust its so-called "journalists". And we do not.

The American "Press"--the "Mainstream Newsmedia"--this Propaganda Machine--has become a disgusting bad joke.

It has degenerated into a shameful, ridiculous spectacle.

It has betrayed the trust of the people.

It has utterly failed in its responsibility to serve as the guardian of freedom of expression or to bring truth to the public.

It has only the revulsion, contempt, and condemnation of history and the American people.

[libstripper]

Dershowitz is an interesting guy, essentially an old line New Deal liberal Democrat, one with whom most of us, yours truly included, would disagree most of the time. However, he actually believes in freedom of speech and academic freedom, things the current crop of academic Marxists and NYT editors are trying to destroy. Dershowitz even wrote an article for the Boston Globe, which I posted yesterday, that denounced the coup against Larry Summers by the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences in terms very similar to those used by many of us here on FR.

[Galveston Grl]

Hey lets not get carried away praising Dershowitz. How many of you remember the many times he stood up for the free speech rights of Christians in the public square? I don't remember, either.

Dershowitz will stand up for ADL positions in a never ending conflict with Muslims and Christians. If it sticks it to Muslims, he is all for it. If it sticks it to Christians, he is all for it. Free speech is only the argument the lawyer is using this time against Muslims. No one has free speech if they are Christians saying the J word in public in Dershowitz's world.

[thirst4truth]

They also told us and my teenage kids, that oral sex isn't sex and committing adultry in the oval office was a personal matter, none of our business!!

[ReleaseTheHounds]

So far as we can tell, a new, twin policy from the mainstream media has been promulgated: (a) If a group is strong enough in its reaction to a story or caricature, the press will refrain from printing that story or caricature, and (b) if the group is pandered to by the mainstream media, the media then will go through elaborate contortions and defenses to justify its abdication of duty. At bottom, this is an unacceptable form of not-so-benign bigotry, representing a higher expectation from Christians and Jews than from Muslims.

A few exceptions to these "rules": unfavored "strong groups" (conservatives, Christians, capitalists, neo-cons) can count on the Antique Media to go through elaborate contortions to mock and abuse their values, no matter how sensitive or reasonable. I assume Bennett would have included this point if this were not co-authored with Dershowitz.

[george76]

We two come from different political and philosophical perspectives, but on this we agree:

Over the past few weeks, the press has betrayed not only its duties but its responsibilities.

[bukkdems]

I suggest that everyone email the article to their hometown newspaper editors.

[Thorin]

>>>>>Dershowitz will stand up for ADL positions in a never ending conflict with Muslims and Christians.

Dershowitz is a Jewish chauvinist, pure and simple.

[Galveston Grl]

Yes he is.

[Plymouth Sentinel]

"...we knew the main reason for the attack was that Islamists hated our way of life, our virtues, our freedoms..."

Most pundits and public commentators use 'values' when referring to that which Muslims (in their entirety) despise. But of course, what we have here that the Muslims do not have, are virtues.

Very nicely done.