Fox News says it will not cover burning of Quran
In a bold move that is likely to be much discussed in coming days, Fox News said today that it will not cover the burning of the Quran on Saturday if Pastor Terry Jones follows through on his plan to burn copies of Islam's sacred book
AP will not distribute 'images or audio' of burning Qurans
- 09/09/10 01:46 PM ETThe Associated Press said Thursday it will not distribute images or audio of the Quran-burning demonstration planned for Saturday evening by a Gainesville, Fla., church.
"Should the event happen on Saturday, the AP will not distribute images or audio that specifically show Qurans being burned, and will not provide detailed text descriptions of the burning," deputy managing editor Thomas Kent wrote in a memo to AP staff. "With the exception of these specific images and descriptions, we expect to cover the Gainesville event, in all media, placing the actions of this group of about 50 people in a clear and balanced context."
Roger Simon:
What’s missing is someone willing to say: “Though the burning of a Quran is evil and repulsive, so are violent acts in response to it. It is irrational and wrong to target Americans with violence because somebody burns a book. That preacher in Florida should not burn holy books. But terrorists should not hide behind religion as an excuse to commit terror.”
When American flags are burned in Afghanistan and Pakistan, it does not set off a wave of bloody reprisals in America. And it shouldn’t.
The Quran controversy reminds me of what happened in Skokie, Ill., in the late 1970s. A small group of neo-Nazis wanted to hold a rally in Chicago. Chicago refused to grant them a permit, and in retaliation the Nazis announced that instead they would rally in Skokie, a northern suburb with a large Jewish population, including thousands of Holocaust survivors.
What followed was the same kind of media orgy we are seeing now: The leader of the Nazis insisted on giving interviews only in front of a large swastika flag the same way the preacher in Gainesville stands in front of his “INTERNATIONAL BURN A KORAN DAY” trailer. The airwaves and newspapers provided wall-to-wall Nazi coverage.
Finally, after a Supreme Court ruling favorable to the Nazis, a settlement was worked out: The Nazis would be allowed to hold three rallies in Chicago in return for dropping plans to rally in Skokie. In the end, about 50 bedraggled neo-Nazis showed up at the rallies and were heartily booed. The controversy melted away, except for the inevitable books and made-for-TV movies.
Such compromises seem a thing of the past, part of a different time, a different era. Maybe Jones will get a compromise instead of conflagration, but how about trying three simple pledges whether he does or not as we face the future?
Pledge One: We all have a duty not to be unnecessarily provocative and hurtful. Building a mosque near ground zero is legal, but it is also unnecessarily provocative and hurtful. It should be moved.
Pledge Two: We all have a duty not to react violently to provocation. God does not tell people to maim and murder in the name of religion. Not anybody’s God, not anybody’s religion. If you work hard enough, there is always a nonviolent way to end controversies.
Pledge Three: The media have a duty to act with wisdom, responsibility and restraint. Always.
Tell me when you’ve stopped laughing.
In a bold move that is likely to be much discussed in coming days, Fox News said today that it will not cover the burning of the Quran on Saturday if Pastor Terry Jones follows through on his plan to burn copies of Islam's sacred book
AP will not distribute 'images or audio' of burning Qurans
- 09/09/10 01:46 PM ETThe Associated Press said Thursday it will not distribute images or audio of the Quran-burning demonstration planned for Saturday evening by a Gainesville, Fla., church.
"Should the event happen on Saturday, the AP will not distribute images or audio that specifically show Qurans being burned, and will not provide detailed text descriptions of the burning," deputy managing editor Thomas Kent wrote in a memo to AP staff. "With the exception of these specific images and descriptions, we expect to cover the Gainesville event, in all media, placing the actions of this group of about 50 people in a clear and balanced context."
Roger Simon:
What’s missing is someone willing to say: “Though the burning of a Quran is evil and repulsive, so are violent acts in response to it. It is irrational and wrong to target Americans with violence because somebody burns a book. That preacher in Florida should not burn holy books. But terrorists should not hide behind religion as an excuse to commit terror.”
When American flags are burned in Afghanistan and Pakistan, it does not set off a wave of bloody reprisals in America. And it shouldn’t.
The Quran controversy reminds me of what happened in Skokie, Ill., in the late 1970s. A small group of neo-Nazis wanted to hold a rally in Chicago. Chicago refused to grant them a permit, and in retaliation the Nazis announced that instead they would rally in Skokie, a northern suburb with a large Jewish population, including thousands of Holocaust survivors.
What followed was the same kind of media orgy we are seeing now: The leader of the Nazis insisted on giving interviews only in front of a large swastika flag the same way the preacher in Gainesville stands in front of his “INTERNATIONAL BURN A KORAN DAY” trailer. The airwaves and newspapers provided wall-to-wall Nazi coverage.
Finally, after a Supreme Court ruling favorable to the Nazis, a settlement was worked out: The Nazis would be allowed to hold three rallies in Chicago in return for dropping plans to rally in Skokie. In the end, about 50 bedraggled neo-Nazis showed up at the rallies and were heartily booed. The controversy melted away, except for the inevitable books and made-for-TV movies.
Such compromises seem a thing of the past, part of a different time, a different era. Maybe Jones will get a compromise instead of conflagration, but how about trying three simple pledges whether he does or not as we face the future?
Pledge One: We all have a duty not to be unnecessarily provocative and hurtful. Building a mosque near ground zero is legal, but it is also unnecessarily provocative and hurtful. It should be moved.
Pledge Two: We all have a duty not to react violently to provocation. God does not tell people to maim and murder in the name of religion. Not anybody’s God, not anybody’s religion. If you work hard enough, there is always a nonviolent way to end controversies.
Pledge Three: The media have a duty to act with wisdom, responsibility and restraint. Always.
Tell me when you’ve stopped laughing.
2 comments:
Good !
If I ever see on Fox the mutilated bodies of Israelis and their limbs scattered all over the place after a direct hit of a Qassam rocket,
the camera man has less then 5 minutes to disappear !
Chances are, that after this limited time, his headless body will be found floating in the KISHON !
What a hypocrisy !
What a dihmitude !
What a CHUTZPAH !
Shit on you - Fox !
huh...
they didnt have this restraint when the pictures of abu griab prison came out.
didnt that creat a fire storm too?
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