Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Back By Request

The Keith Olbermann is a jackass bandwagon:


Also for any people that have cancelled their Newsweek subscriptions, but still have some old issues lying around the house, here's an idea:


I value Mr. Burns’s opinion that Isikoff should be able to keep his job and I'm tempted to agree. I certainly don't want reporters losing their job every time they make a mistake. But yet, in the end, I don't agree with Burns. I want to tear down the entire elitist media establishment (apparently unlike my Washington Post-sympathizing friend). I want a country whose citizens engage in a free-exchange of ideas bolstered (not hampered) by a fact-gathering truthful free press.

And I see no better way than those citizens 1) canceling subscriptions/turning the channel/clogging up toilets with subversive anti-American rhetoric passing as weekly news; and 2)demanding severe consequences for reporters who fail to excise even minimal due diligence when the a particular story fits an "editorial premise", the so called to-good-to-check stories.

Isikoff's 20+ years of service and previous good work only further damn him on these charges, namely: He knew the rules (i.e. do not report anonymous sources that claim that an item will appear in a future document without corroboration) and willfully broke them.

This was not an article about the annual May Day Parade. This was a news item that leveled serious and unfounded allegations against the United States Military during a time of war. Worse, it served to add fuel to the fire (think: Cubs bullpen) of our sworn enemies on-going propaganda campaign. If Isikoff knew the charges to be false (which he clearly did not, his mistake was in good faith), he would be hung for treason. That is the seriousness of the misdeed!

People lost their lives. That has got to be worse than Rather-gate by any standard of measure. While not excusing the monsters that did the killing, their actions were reasonably foreseeable and therefore Newsweek cannot be absolved from blame.

Sorry Burnsy, I know where you're coming from. I've always hated Rather and was glad to see him exposed (again). And I've never really had anything against Isikoff. But based on the gravity of the crime, losing his job is the proper punishment.

But in other, more concilitory, Rather-hating news: 60 Minutes II was cancelled!! Heh!

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