Live and Learn

Spend any time here at all and you'll notice a few things about our coverage of the media:

1. When media reports on the War on Terror are demonstrably biased, bogus, or unbalanced to the point of violating any reasonable definition of neutrality I'll point them out, state my case, and support with as many links and facts as I can.

2. In the Dawn Patrol we present a list of links to stories on the war from traditional (or "legacy" if you prefer) media and non-traditional (or "modern") media sources. We offer no editorial comment on any of those stories - and they are selected only on the basis of being the latest news on the subject. If there's a noticeable contrast in coverage from those "traditional" and modern sources (often folks actually on the front lines) we think our readers are sharp enough to notice and draw their own conclusions.

3. When I see an example of a praise-worthy stance made by a traditional media source I'll also note that. (Read on, however, and you'll find why I won't be so quick to do so again).

4. When I'm proven wrong, I'll acknowledge and correct as soon as possible. This is one of those cases.

Just a few days I noted what I thought was a bit of backbone on display from the Washington Post. In spite of complaints from "peace activists" the Post would seemingly stand their ground and sponsor the Freedom Walk - an event commemorating 9/11, a day on which the Pentagon (a large, 5-sided building generally considered to be part of "Washington") was hit by a hijacked plane.

From the Freedom Walk site:

Q1: What is the America Supports You Freedom Walk?
A1: The America Supports You ?FREEDOM WALK? is an event on September 11 that allows citizens the opportunity to remember the victims of September 11, honor our American servicemen and women past and present, and commemorate our freedom.

The America Supports You ?FREEDOM WALK? is a walk of remembrance and support. Remembrance of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Pentagon and the Twin Towers, and support of the many American men and women in uniform past and present who protect the freedom the walk is commemorating.

Q2: When is the ASY Freedom Walk being held?
A2: The Freedom Walk is being held on September 11, 2005, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Pentagon South parking lot and is free and open to anyone who registers.

Q3: What is the ASY Freedom Walk route?
A3: The America Supports You Freedom Walk is a two-mile walk that will begin near the Pentagon crash site, proceed over the Memorial Bridge, pass several National memorials, and conclude adjacent to the National Mall and Reflecting Pool. For more information, visit www.AmericaSupportsYou.com and click on the Freedom Walk icon.

Q4: What other events are associated with the ASY Freedom Walk?
A4: Prior to the FREEDOM WALK the Pentagon will be holding a private ceremony for the families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon. Immediately following the FREEDOM WALK, country superstar singer and songwriter Clint Black will hold a concert on the Pentagon Mall.

"The Pentagon has done some kind of event on 9/11 ever since it happened because we came under attack," said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for communications. "It's to commemorate the victims of 9/11. It's to honor our veterans past and present."

And here's the first decryer they quoted:

"No common person will see this as not taking sides in this war," said Adam Eidinger, a promoter of the antiwar concert being called Operation Ceasefire. "This is clearly support for the war because it's being organized by the U.S. military."

One of his passions is baseball. You can read his own words on that topic at Indymedia, where he describes his reception at a recent event celebrating the arrival of the Washington Nationals in the DC area:

What I Tried to Say to Major League Baseball
by Adam Eidinger
I was thrown out of Major League Baseball's naming of DC new baseball team today for just trying to speak (from the podium ;-) )

The $614 million give away to baseball billionaires must be stopped. There are better spending priorities like education, housing and healthcare. So when I saw a bunch of fat cats from Major League Baseball at Union Station today pat each other on the back as they do their heist of DC taxes I decided to take action and tell them what 70% of DC citizens want - No Taxes for Baseball.

Eidinger was dragged off the stage by 76-year old Charlie Brotman, as the Washington Post reported here.

"I'm a lover, not a fighter," said the 76-year-old Brotman, adding that he tried at first to "tenderly" remove Eidinger, 31, from the podium.

"He jerked his arm away and continued his remarks," PR man Brotman, former announcer for the Washington Senators, told us. "So I grabbed his elbow a little harder and said, 'You're going to have to leave so we can get our news conference going.' The third time I used both hands on his elbows and arms and started to pull him away, and that's when he started pulling very hard -- and I pulled back very hard. . . . I didn't realize how big this guy was. I'm 5-6 1/2."

Some people have the brass to stand up to publicity-seeking buffoons. Not so the Washington Post.

The Washington Post announced yesterday that it will back out of a controversial co-sponsorship of a Pentagon-organized event next month to remember the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and support the troops in Iraq.
<...>
The Post's corporate officials emphasized that distinction after its involvement was the subject of a Post story Friday. But The Post's participation was criticized by members of the antiwar movement and by journalists in the paper's own newsroom who posted messages on an internal electronic discussion board. These critics said the co-sponsorship could hurt the paper's credibility in covering the war and antiwar demonstrations.

"Post news employees are subject to disciplinary action for participating in political activities that may be perceived as revelatory of personal opinions or bias," said a resolution passed earlier yesterday by the leadership of The Post unit of the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild. "The Washington Post itself should be held to the same high standard. . . . The Guild supports The Post's stated intention of honoring the nation's veterans, including those who have served in Iraq. But the Post undermines this goal by lending its support to a political event that links the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to the war in Iraq -- a link that The Post, in its reporting, has shown to be false."

And if you're curious about what was chopped from the Guild's memo by the editors of the Post, don't fret. Via Media Blog, we find a more complete version of the text at Editor and Publisher.

"Post news employees are subject to disciplinary action for participating in political activities that may be perceived as revelatory of personal opinions or bias. The Washington Post itself should be held to the same high standard. Moreover, arguments that the Freedom Walk is anything other than a political activity -- and indeed, a political activity in support of the war in Iraq -- should be put to rest by the prominent participation of country music star Clint Black, best known of late for his war-glorifying song 'Iraq and I Roll.'

Another quote from a "Peace Activist" - this one in the Post's capitulation story:

Peace activist Bill Dobbs yesterday welcomed the Post's change of heart.

"The reason why this was the right thing to do is that the press needs to have an arm's-length relationship with the government to hold them accountable," said Dobbs, a spokesman for United for Peace and Justice, a national coalition participating in three days of antiwar activities -- also including a concert and march -- scheduled to begin Sept. 24. "This is a victory for . . . people who cherish The Post's reputation."

But at this point in time, we strongly urge you to visit fellow MilBlogger Neptunus Lex, who picks up the story from here. It's not just baseball and America these guys are opposed too. Mom's Apple Pie is probably equally outrageous to them.

Oh, by the way, Kudos to the Post for refusing to stop covering the Nationals.