Fox News Says It Will Not Cover Burning Of Koran (UPDATE)

by Jon Bershad | 4:39 pm, September 9th, 2010

» 99 comments

While many have condemned the planned Koran burning by Pastor Terry Jones and Hillary Clinton went so far as to ask the media to stop covering it. It seems that Fox News is the only network that has decided to do just that saying it will not cover the burning of the Koran.

Michael Clemente, the network’s senior vice president, explained the decision, saying that there are “more important things” going on.

From Z on TV:

“‘We do not cover every flag burning that happens in this country. We don’t run every hostage tape,’ Michael Clemente, senior vice president at Fox News, said in a phone interview with the Sun Thursday. ‘If we tried to cover everyone who wants us to stick a camera in front of them, we’d run out of cameras pretty fast each day. But this is really about just using some judgment.’

Clemente summarized that judgment by saying: “He’s one guy in the middle of the woods with 50 people in his congregation who’s decided to try, I gather, to bring some attention to himself by saying he’s going to burn a Quran if he gets the permit. Well, you know what, there are many more important things going on in the world than that. I don’t know what they will be this weekend, but I am sure they will be more important than that.”

Clemente said there will be no live coverage, no ‘video’ or ‘still pictures.’”

Thus far the Koran burning story has not been completely absent from the cable channel, with references to it made as recently as this afternoon. However, with the help of our friends at TV Eyes, we can see that they have mentioned it far less than MSNBC, HLN, and CNN. The following chart looks at the time periods between 12 AM on September 5th and 11:59 PM last night:


Terms Mentioned	Fox News	HLN	MSNBC	CNN
“Koran+Burning”	8	39	51	54
“Terry Jones”	9	17	26	31
Total	17	56	77	85

It’s interesting to speculate on what exactly was the initial deciding factor in the decision not to spend time on this story over at Fox News. Their avoidance of the subject can be traced back to last week before the outcry in Washington and shortly after a story on The O’Reilly Factor appeared to be defending the network against claims of an anti-Muslim bias by arguing that there is no anti-Muslim bias in this country at all.

In the larger sense, this is a tough issue for all news outlets. On one hand, you have politicians and military officials warning that it will endanger troops. On the other, this is clearly something that has caught ahold of the public’s attention. There’s is no easy answer here.

UPDATE: Interestingly enough, during Pastor Terry Jones announcement earlier, both MSNBC and CNN cut in to show it live while Fox News remained with a Glenn Beck rerun. While this probably helped those networks with remote control flips, they also had the unenviable position of scrambling to figure out the veracity of Jones’ Park 51 claims. This lack of coverage is looking more and more like a brilliant move on Fox’s part who has managed to avoid the circus.

Hillary Clinton, Koran Burning

MichelleF

The leftist media will gladly cover this event, mark my words.
SpineCrusher

MichelleF said:
The leftist media will gladly cover this event, mark my words.

You mean the event of anti-muslim bias propagated by Christians, but I thought that didn’t exist in this country Michelle? That’s what FAUX says and they are my puppet-master.
felixw

The mainstream media turned this insignificant and misguided pastor into an international celebrity. And they did it in order to score points against Republicans. But now that all the leading Republicans have come out against this Koran burning, the media pundits have finally figured out that (1) they have made no political gains from this story, (2) they have created a foreign policy fiasco for the US, and (3) they have put our troops in harm’s way. Brilliant move, journalists!

The smart response is for them to stop covering this inconsequential story right now. But, honestly, the geniuses in the establishment media should have figured that out from the moment this grandstanding pastor announced the event. But they were so eager to help their fallen idol in the White House, that they couldn’t help themselves.
murf

I got a f**king novel idea how about the entire media stop covering this jackass , TODAY !

And for Christ sakes Mediaite how many stories are you going to post about this ? You people go overboard on the most irrelevant stories, Shirley Sherrod , Black Panthers , Beck , Palin etc .
AngelPeters

I am no fan of Fox, but I fully applaud this decision.
greg454

Great, now I’m gonna have to watch the burning on CNN, MSNBC or headline news. Thanks a lot, Fox. I’m only a loyal viewer and this is how you repay me?
mcf1757

“Foxnews” is has not covered this story not because of some humanitarian reasons, they haven’t covered it because it does not fit the narrative they push!
lonestar77

“There is no easy answer here”

Yeah there is, don’t give this guy any more airtime. Easy answer.
SpineCrusher

personally, I hope more and more of these people come out of the closet. It only goes to prove the larger claim that tolerance it not a principle of their religion. Their hatred and intolerance exposes their religious dogma for what it is…hateful and bigoted
Big_F-ing_Deal

Of course Fox wont cover it.

It’s a White guy.
http://gordonbloyershow.com gordonbloyershow

Once again Fox leads in doing the right thing.
SpineCrusher

murf said:
I got a f**king novel idea how about the entire media stop covering this jackass , TODAY ! And for Christ sakes Mediaite how many stories are you going to post about this ? You people go overboard on the most irrelevant stories, Shirley Sherrod , Black Panthers , Beck , Palin etc .

You’re mistaking Mediate for FAUX news there buddy, they were they ones who perpetuated those stories…Mediate is just commenting on what is being reported in the media…visit much?
SpineCrusher

mcf1757 said:
“Foxnews” is has not covered this story not because of some humanitarian reasons, they haven’t covered it because it does not fit the narrative they push!

BINGO!
Big Eddie

Ed Schultz should go down to Florida to help with the “torching “. CNN will probably give the burning it’s own show .
Michele

I am former military, married to one of our US Army’s finest and without a doubt the actions by this pastor will do more harm than good for our troops deployed overseas.

My husband will fight to the death for one’s right to free speech, the freedom to be an idiot but I saw the pain in his eyes as we talked about it. The troops give so much and do not ask for anything return, it is my hope God or some other supreme being will whisper in his ear that this is NOT a prudent idea.

But hell he has paralyzed most of the other media outlets giving him huge coverage, to the point that it doesn’t matter if he does this or not the damage has been done.

The idea that every idiot could feel that to cease their actions would warrant a phone call from the White House, State Department could have lasting consequences in the future.

A few thoughts from Ft. Leavenworth, KS.
murf

SpineCrusher- actually you’re an idiot . FNC covered the NBBP , that’s it .
Big_F-ing_Deal

felixw said:
The smart response is for them to stop covering this inconsequential story right now.

WTF difference does that make when every blog on the web is knee-deep in exploiting it as well?

You think the radicals don’t have internet? This story hit cyberspace long before the airwaves. I learned about it online.

The coverage of this story was inevitable. Don’t blame the media for this war between the fundies.
DEFENDER-90

The leftiest will say if Fox News dos not cover the burning thay are protecing the pastor,if thay do thay are(FOX NEWS) inciting violence.
Big_F-ing_Deal

gordonbloyershow said:
Once again Fox leads in doing the right thing.

Ummm…that would be the AP.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Andy-Lamb/1085325013 Andy Lamb

ObamaIsAnEconomyCrusher said:
You mean the event of anti-muslim bias propagated by Christians, but I thought that didn’t exist in this country Michelle? That’s what FAUX says and they are my puppet-master.

No, she means the event of anti-Muslim bias propagated by one nut job, something that exists in EVERY country. Saying it is propagated by Christians implies that a substantial percentage of Christians support burning religious books, which is of course a stupid thing to say. You’re not stupid, are you? Of course, the hatred of everything NON-Muslim by radical Islamists (and, sorry Rosie O’Donnell, there are more radical Islamists than there are radical Christians) is something you probably have no problem with. And, it’s FOX News, not FAUX. You know, FOX, the network that absolutely SpineCrushes the horrid puke you watch on MSNBC and CNN in ratings in every time slot, at every turn. But that’s OK, keep getting your “facts” from Keith Olbermann. Your comments will then continue to give us something to laugh at.
BR

mcf1757 said:
“Foxnews” is has not covered this story not because of some humanitarian reasons, they haven’t covered it because it does not fit the narrative they push!

Thats a lie.
mcf1757

CNN says it will be cancelled! the burning that is!!
Big_F-ing_Deal

mcf1757 said:
CNN says it will be cancelled! the burning that is!!

Yeah, Chris Matthews too.

Too bad. Now both sides will claim victory.

All 3 sides actually. The Right, the Left and the Radicals.
http://TheDividedStatesBlog.com Publius219

Stoke the fires, then run away as they burn. They should be commended for this decision, but don’t overlook that they’ve helped fan these anti-Islam sentiments in the first place.
mcf1757

Agreed Big_F-ing_Deal!
m

Wow, Fox News defends its political correctness, something which all its hosts attack all the time.
Big_F-ing_Deal

I don’t like cowtowing. even if it means sticking up for a fundie asshole.

It makes me sick when people like him talk about “praying” It exposes the whole sham.
ChuckfromTacoma

Why do these people want to burn the Koreans? Most Koreans that I know are pretty nice. The gal that cuts my hair is Korean and is just the nicest lady. $10.00 including gratuity gets a quality cut and a scalp massage.
These people need to rethink their plans for the week-end.
Big_F-ing_Deal

The Pastor says the NY Mosque will be moved in return for his cancellation of the Koran burning.

THE DAY FREEDOM DIED IN AMERICA!
Michele

Breaking on another channel the pastor has decided to cancel the event on Saturday and will fly to NY to meet with Imam about moving the center.

So will the Imam bow to this pastor instead of all the 9/11 families, unbelievable!!

Furthermore all the evil things this pastor has said about Muslims how will such a meeting turn out.

Got to love picture in picture, don’t need to listen but can read the screen.
CosmosDan

gordonbloyershow said:
Once again Fox leads in doing the right thing.

I hear they’ve decided not to drown kittens too.
I just heard it’s not going to happen anyway. Jones has canceled the Koran burning.
roxsteady

That’s because this nut job just called it off! He also claims that the Imam agreed to move the Mosque but, no one’s buying that yet! But, I don’t blame fox for not wanting to cover it. Most criminals don’t stick around the scene of their own crime!
mcf1757

Hurt feelings or burning of your holy book? I’ll take the burning of my holy book!!
roxsteady

DON’T BELIEVE THE MOSQUE WILL BE MOVED UNTIL YOU HEAR IT FROM THE IMAM!
setay

Strange, you’d expect them to cover events they practically sponsor. Stop thinking this is a noble stand though. It goes against their narrative that only Islam has radicals. Look at their website today and go to the comment section; the vast majority of Fox News viewers support the burning.
roxsteady

REUTERS IS REPORTING THAT THE IMAM SAYS THERE IS NO DEAL TO MOVE! I CAN’T BELIEVE THE PASTOR LIED!
Michele

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
The Pastor says the NY Mosque will be moved in return for his cancellation of the Koran burning.

THE DAY FREEDOM DIED IN AMERICA!

It takes this whacko to get all this media attention, from all parts of government, and now the imam who wont talk to 9/11 families about their concerns calling them bigots, his wife going further will meet with what I would call the biggest bigot to add his 2 cents. The families must be crushed, between the trial, the lack of any real progress at ground zero and this mosque how do any of them get peace.

Throwing my 2 cents from Ft Leavenworth.
Cecelia

Thank you, Bill, Clinton, for requesting the obvious!

It is ABSOLUTELY INEXPLICABLE why the media has elevated this crackpot pastor to the point of making him capable of creating an international incident!
mcf1757

MSNBC is reporting the Pastor is lying, the Cultural Center is not moving say Park51 reps! ha!
CosmosDan

Andy Lamb said:
No, she means the event of anti-Muslim bias propagated by one nut job, something that exists in EVERY country. Saying it is propagated by Christians implies that a substantial percentage of Christians support burning religious books, which is of course a stupid thing to say.

I hope you are defending this correct principle when people lump all 1.5 billion Muslims together.
Big_F-ing_Deal

Cecelia said:
It is ABSOLUTELY INEXPLICABLE why the media has elevated this crackpot pastor to the point of making him capable of creating an international incident!

Would you have preferred no coverage until the burning video went viral on youtube creating protests and riots around the world. The media might have actually helped in this situation.

Anyway, it is ABSOLUTELY INEXPLICABLE that people think a lid could be kept on this.

DON’T BLAME THE MEDIA FOR A WAR BETWEEN THE FUNDIES!!
Michele

roxsteady said:
That’s because this nut job just called it off! He also claims that the Imam agreed to move the Mosque but, no one’s buying that yet! But, I don’t blame fox for not wanting to cover it. Most criminals don’t stick around the scene of their own crime!

Agreed until you hear from at least 2 sources (journalists use to require such ethics) that the Imam has decided to move the building I will go with the notion that it is still on.

If the Imam wouldn’t negotiate (meet with) with the 9/11 families over the location how would any American believe that Imam would move it after speaking to the pastor from FL? Both have a personal interest in the outcome and I bet the Imam navigates the meeting towards his interest, and nothing changes and a new date will be set for the book burnings.

Of course who bets on how much coverage this receives on the day that most folks want to pay tribute to those lost, their families and all the first responders who continue to have to live with the event aching in their hearts.
CosmosDan

Cecelia said:
Thank you, Bill, Clinton, for requesting the obvious!

It is ABSOLUTELY INEXPLICABLE why the media has elevated this crackpot pastor to the point of making him capable of creating an international incident!

I know. It’s makes you wonder why anyone is talking about it.
Iris

Of course the fox won’t cover it then they would have to say its wrong to treat the muslims that way their muslim bashing would have to stop for a half hour and fat bastard roger ailes doesn’t want that
Cecelia

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
Yeah, Chris Matthews too.

Too bad. Now both sides will claim victory.

All 3 sides actually. The Right, the Left and the Radicals.

There’s no “victory” in this, there’s just utter absurdity!

The networks ration the footage of 9/11 because they’re afraid it will inspire some yokel to go out and kill a Muslim, but they have no problem making this pastor into a major player!

We’ve just spent a month watching the media pull its hair out over anti-Park51 “bigots” for typecasting Muslims and linking these folks to hate crimes.

Now we watch this same media breathlessly report the potential violence to our servicemen and to Christians around the ENTIRE GLOBE because some crackpot pastor with a handful of sheep, will burn the Qu’ran before their rolling cameras.

I don’t think our media and public discussion could get any more asinine!

I don’t care what FNC motives are for not covering this guy, THANK GOODNESS some outlet had the sense to stop this craziness!
Cecelia

CosmosDan said:
I know. It’s makes you wonder why anyone is talking about it.

Oh, yeah… why would anyone be talking about it…

A pastor of 50 member church has merely been elevated by the media to the status of having the Sec. of State, General Petraeus, and the WH call him out.

He’s NOW giving press conferences.

Sheesh!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Andy-Lamb/1085325013 Andy Lamb

CosmosDan said:
I hope you are defending this correct principle when people lump all 1.5 billion Muslims together.

Absolutely. I have a very good friend, who supplies parts to the company I work for, who is a Sunni Muslim. He lives in Mumbai, India and I am proud to know him. He does, however, know what happens in some predominently Muslim countries like Pakistan. Kids are recruited at 8 years old and taught at madrassas to despise everything about the west and in particular the U.S. and Israel. It’s estimated that close to 2,000,000 kids learn at these schools each year. Learn to distrust. Learn to hate. These kids do not need to see a Koran burning to hate the U.S. They are taught to do that at a very early age.
Cecelia

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
Would you have preferred no coverage until the burning video went viral on youtube creating protests and riots around the world. The media might have actually helped in this situation.

Anyway, it is ABSOLUTELY INEXPLICABLE that people think a lid could be kept on this.

DON’T BLAME THE MEDIA FOR A WAR BETWEEN THE FUNDIES!!

Absolutely. It would have been much better to have let this guy be a viral one-day wonder of Youtube, than to have all the networks and cable outlets sticking a camera in his face now.

And frankly, if you can term this the “battle of the fundies” with a straight face, you really are a victim of the worst aspects of cable news.
felixw

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
WTF difference does that make when every blog on the web is knee-deep in exploiting it as well?

You think the radicals don’t have internet? This story hit cyberspace long before the airwaves. I learned about it online.

The coverage of this story was inevitable. Don’t blame the media for this war between the fundies.

There’s a bunch of garbage on the Internet, but it doesn’t show up on TV news. Well, excepting MSNBC…..
Big_F-ing_Deal

Cecelia said:

I don’t care what FNC motives are for not covering this guy, THANK GOODNESS some outlet had the sense to stop this craziness!

WTH are you talking about? You don’t think Fox is going to tear into this after the Beck Komedy Hour (with The Judge) is over?
All Fox said is the wouldn’t broadcast the actual burning.
O’Reilly and Hannity are going to be all over this shit now that it’s about the Mosque.

“Not covering this guy” my ass. Wake up.
greg454

“The Pastor says the NY Mosque will be moved in return for his cancellation of the Koran burning.
THE DAY FREEDOM DIED IN AMERICA!”

—No, freedom didn’t die, freedom lived. Two different people with two opposing views found compromise without the government getting involved.
Big_F-ing_Deal

felixw said:
There’s a bunch of garbage on the Internet, but it doesn’t show up on TV news. Well, excepting MSNBC…..

My point was that it would show up to the radicals w/o cable news.

Concentrate.
Ted-

I think this turd (Jones) should say a prayer to Glenn Beck, and then let the chips fall where they may.
Rescuedog

I’m watching Hardball live right now. Chris Matthews is already trying to turn this around on Sarah Palin somehow. He is such a pig.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Andy-Lamb/1085325013 Andy Lamb

I agree that this “pastor” is a nut case, I agree that burning a Koran is an asinine thing to do, is insulting, and may well incite violence. However, I find it interesting that everyone is in such a panic over the possibility of the Koran burning occurring – concern about offending Muslims, concern about violence and retribution. I find it interesting that there is already unrest in the Muslim world over this, complete with threats. U.S. flags are already burning over the possibility of this book burning.

When we see or hear talk of a possible Bible burning on a television news show, it is not even given a second thought. It is so not newsworthy that is not even covered. If this “pastor” was going to burn Bibles few people would care. I wonder why that is.
Cecelia

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
WTH are you talking about? You don’t think Fox is going to tear into this after the Beck Komedy Hour (with The Judge) is over?
All Fox said is the wouldn’t broadcast the actual burning.
O’Reilly and Hannity are going to be all over this shit now that it’s about the Mosque.

“Not covering this guy” my ass. Wake up.

First you seem to argue that it’s moot to complain about national network coverage of the Koran burning because it would be on Youtube anyway, and now you’re arguing that it makes no difference when FNC doesn’t show the actual act, because it’ll be a topic on the political shows.

With your sense of perspective and logic, I suppose you’re wondering why the president refused to personally call the clown behind this mess. Afterall, this pastor is a player…
Big_F-ing_Deal

Cecelia said:
and now you’re arguing that it makes no difference when FNC doesn’t show the actual act,

I said no such thing, I just said you were wrong about Fox’s past and future intentions.

Oh hey look!! As soon as Beck is over Fox went into an extended “breaking news” segment on the Fundie Pastor.

I sure am glad they are not covering this guy!!!!! lolol
http://www.facebook.com/people/Andy-Lamb/1085325013 Andy Lamb

Rescuedog said:
I’m watching Hardball live right now. Chris Matthews is already trying to turn this around on Sarah Palin somehow. He is such a pig.

Pigs give us wonderful foods to eat like bacon and pork chops. Pig gelatine is used in some mediactions. Beauty products contain acids extracted from pig fat. Pigs also make an enormous contribution to medicine.

These things make pigs far more useful than Chris Matthews.
Big_F-ing_Deal

Rescuedog said:
I’m watching Hardball live right now. Chris Matthews is already trying to turn this around on Sarah Palin somehow. He is such a pig.

Palin was they only major public figure to equate the burning with the Mosque. Plus Boehner. Now the Pastor.

1 + 1 = 2
Cecelia

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
I sure am glad they are not covering this guy!!!!! lolol

Frankly, if you were capable of being “glad” about anything in this mess that might make it an ounce less absurd and potentially dangerous than it is, you’d take what little good news you could get.

And one less less news channel showing burning Korans is just that.
Cecelia

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
Palin was they only major public figure to equate the burning with the Mosque. Plus Boehner. Now the Pastor.

1 + 1 = 2

Oh, that’s garbage. The Park51 issue as impetus for this church’s anti-Muslim planned action has been discussed for days on MSNBC.
felixw

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
My point was that it would show up to the radicals w/o cable news.

Concentrate.

BFD, as usual you make no sense. Your argument is that if something shows up on the Internet, you might as well put it as lead story on the TV news. You could use this as a reason to put anything and everything on TV News.

Why don’t you admit the plain, honest truth. The liberal media made a mistake giving this guy so much coverage. They thought they could score points on the Republicans, and it backfired when all the Republicans came out against the book burning. So all they achieved was to give this guy international fame, create a foreign policy fiasco for the US, and put our troops in harm’s way.
Big_F-ing_Deal

felixw said:
Your argument is that if something shows up on the Internet, you might as well put it as lead story on the TV news.

Yeah, that’s my argument. *rollseyes*

MY ARGUMENT IS THAT THE NEWS MEDIA DIDN’T CREATE AN INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT LIKE YOU GUYS INSIST!!

The incident was created by fundies and our instant online access to this story made it an international incident, which the media (and the military and politicians) responded to. Chicken and the egg.

But you go ahead and blame the liberal media. It’s what you guys do best.
http://www.nukethefridge.com MartiniShark

I love how the very people who lecture about not condeming the entire Muslim faith over the acts of radicals have no problem using this doltish “reverend” and his few-dozen congregation to smear all Christians, and as Olbermann attempted to do, smear the entire conservative base in this country. This despite every rational person in this country declaring this guy is a freak-show.

All this media palaver over their concern for the troops and others overseas would be mitigated if they would simply stop giving this ass-clown air time. Curious how the more concerned they become over his actions the more we see his face and hear his words. efore he cancelled the attendance outside his church on Saturday may have outstripped the attendance in he Swamp on the same day.
Cecelia

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
But you go ahead and blame the liberal media. It’s what you guys do best.

Are you so relentlessly political that you read “media” and automatically see “liberal” in front of it?

A pastor of an obscure church of a about 50 members WAS made a worldwide public figure by the media– that’s ALL of them, including FNC.
Cecelia

MartiniShark said:
I love how the very people who lecture about not condeming the entire Muslim faith over the acts of radicals have no problem using this doltish “reverend” and his few-dozen congregation to smear all Christians, and as Olbermann attempted to do, smear the entire conservative base in this country. This despite every rational person in this country declaring this guy is a freak-show.

It makes sense to them to juxtapose the burning of a religious book (as evil as that is) with grave warnings from our own govt that the corresponding response will be bloodshed and death.
Big_F-ing_Deal

Cecelia said:
Are you so relentlessly political that you read “media” and automatically see “liberal” in front of it?

Ummm….maybe because I was directly responding to this fella…lol….

“The liberal media made a mistake giving this guy so much coverage. They thought they could score points on the Republicans, and it backfired “
Cecelia

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
Ummm….maybe because I was directly responding to this fella…lol….

“The liberal media made a mistake giving this guy so much coverage. They thought they could score points on the Republicans, and it backfired ”

Well, why have you been making the same argument to me too?
Patrick Henry

Michele said:
I am former military, married to one of our US Army’s finest and without a doubt the actions by this pastor will do more harm than good for our troops deployed overseas.

Thank you and your spouse for your service!
Big_F-ing_Deal

Cecelia said:
Well, why have you been making the same argument to me too?

Ummm…maybe THAT was because you tried to let Fox off the hook by being “glad they are not covering this guy!!!!!”
Cecelia

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
Ummm…maybe THAT was because you tried to let Fox off the hook by being “glad they are not covering this guy!!!!!”

Well, since I came into the discussion bemoaning the national media coverage of the man, why in the world wouldn’t I be glad if there was one less camera sending out footage of the actual Koran burning?
CosmosDan

Andy Lamb said:
Absolutely. I have a very good friend, who supplies parts to the company I work for, who is a Sunni Muslim. He lives in Mumbai, India and I am proud to know him. He does, however, know what happens in some predominently Muslim countries like Pakistan. Kids are recruited at 8 years old and taught at madrassas to despise everything about the west and in particular the U.S. and Israel. It’s estimated that close to 2,000,000 kids learn at these schools each year. Learn to distrust. Learn to hate. These kids do not need to see a Koran burning to hate the U.S. They are taught to do that at a very early age.

There is a serious problem in the brewing conflict between east and west. Have you ever seen Jesus camp?
I think we need to remain true to our principles. That won’t prevent some from seeing us as evil but it must help those who are encouraging moderation and live and let live. Acts like the book burning and other anti Muslim activities only help provide an example to those how are teachings others to hate.

So I hope when people start talking about Muslims as a group in a derogatory way and making the mistake of judging then as threw a biased lens , you think of your friend and correct them.
CosmosDan

Cecelia said:
Oh, yeah… why would anyone be talking about it…

A pastor of 50 member church has merely been elevated by the media to the status of having the Sec. of State, General Petraeus, and the WH call him out.

He’s NOW giving press conferences.

Sheesh!

Well, why are you and I talking about it. Maybe that will give us some insight into why others are.
Big_F-ing_Deal

Cecelia said:
I be glad if there was one less camera sending out footage of the actual Koran burning?

First of all, you didn’t say that. You said you were glad they weren’t “covering this guy’. Now you say “actual..footage” after I corrected you.

Second, they HAVE been covering the gay, just somewhat less.

And third, yeah right, I’m sure your posts FALSELY boasting about Fox not covering the guy had nothing to do with them being on the Right, and you would have given CNN kudos if their stats showed less coverage. Get real.
hotmail.commedbak17

hello everybody ! actually i’ve heard the news of that guy who is planning to burn copies of akoran as a sigh of protest about the events of september 11 and i was really shocked how could somebody dare doing such a horrible thing ! he himself said that he never read that holy book of Muslims and just for the record Alkoran includes the named os a lot of prophets and christ and saint Maria and the name of God several times ! and decribing a whole releion as evil isn’t a wise thing to do ! coz anyway we can never judge a 2 billions of Muslims all around the world based on some terrorist attack that was carried out by a minority ! if we are so careful about these things and sensitive what could we expect the feed-back of Muslims be ! the would think that christians are totally oblivious of what they pretend to be and the peace and respect they maintain ! Muslims never dared to burn the bible neither will they coz they believe it’s a holy book and that there is always a place for everybody to live in peace and happiness ! this whole thing isn’t about the threat this action will have on military forces in the middle east but also about about the way Muslims think of christians ! in all places around Africa and asia there are Mnorities in Muslim countries who are Christians and they never complained about Muslims coz they got to know what Islam is and how Muslims behave ! anyway i think that whether this person dares and does what he is planning to or not there will be always somebody new to make up things like that to gain celebruty and stuff but not doing it will make it easuer for people around the world thatthings like that should never happen and Muslims would understand the efforts America made to make that happen and appreciate that fact ! and thanx for u all guys for sharing yr points of view bravely !
redleaf

Fox News won’t be covering the event because all their employees will be at the church burning Korans. They’ll be no one there to put on a show.
felixw

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
Yeah, that’s my argument. *rollseyes*

MY ARGUMENT IS THAT THE NEWS MEDIA DIDN’T CREATE AN INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT LIKE YOU GUYS INSIST!!

The incident was created by fundies and our instant online access to this story made it an international incident, which the media (and the military and politicians) responded to. Chicken and the egg.

But you go ahead and blame the liberal media. It’s what you guys do best.

Yeah, sure, CNN covering this story didn’t give it prominence. CBS covering this story didn’t give it prominence. MSNBC covering this story didn’t give it prominence. The New York Times covering this story didn’t give it prominence. The Washington Post covering this story didn’t give it prominence. Etc.

By your logic, the local church bake sale is a huge international story because it is already on the Internet. And CNN covering it is just rounding error on the publicity.

Why don’t you think a little, BFD, before you make posts.
redleaf

We live in a 24-hour a day news world. We live in a world where the internet, and all its websites, must constantly churn out new stories. In this environment, a-holes like Terry Jones will always get their 15 minutes. It’s picked up locally in Florida, then it gets traction on some website and before you know it, people start writing about it, blogging about it, opining on it, reporting about it. Like it or not, it’s the type of hot button stories that drives page views and editors don’t pass on stories that guarantee page views.

It’s on FoxNews.com right now. It’s on CNN.com right now. It’s everywhere.

Meanwhile, if Terry Jones wasn’t such an a-hole, he’d realize he perpetrated one of the great PR stunts in modern history. I mean, this guy is a nobody from a nothing church with 50 lousy congregants. And he singlehandedly created an unbelievable international firestorm that roped in the president and prompted Robert Gates to personally contact him. That’s a seriously good PR stunt…for an insane a-hole.
http://www.nukethefridge.com MartiniShark

If the media had done their ~~jobs~~ homework and looked into this guy’s background they would see he is a loose cannon radical preacher who had been chased from a church in Germany for abuse charges. The media certainly gave this guy recognition and elevated him to this international figure. You cannot tell us there were protests in other nations and flag burnings because of bloggers writing about this desperate man and his woeful church of a few dozen cranks. If the major media outlets were not giving him a platform his bile would not be beamed across this planet with import behind it.
redleaf

The major media weren’t giving him a platform. That implies they wanted to elevate him in an effort to promote his views. The media were chasing a story they think they’re readers or viewers will be interested in. And once the genie is out of the bottle, that’s it.

Fox can decide not to cover the burning, but that’s poor news judgment. It might be the right MORAL judgment, but it’s poor news judgment. It’s now a news story, whether we like it or not. Sure, the story is about a lunatic who can drop dead as far as I’m concerned but, for a news organization, you can’t cover the week leading up the Super Bowl and then not cover the Super Bowl.
Big_F-ing_Deal

felixw said:
prominence

Prominence?

LOL…sorry, but a youtube link on a radical website is all the prominence it takes to piss off Islamic radicals these days. So prominence don’t mean shit in elevating this story and it’s dangers.

And the fact that the media reporting is partly responsible for actually helping defuse those dangers proves you wrong.

Again.
Big_F-ing_Deal

felixw said:
Yeah, sure, CNN covering this story didn’t give it prominence. CBS covering this story didn’t give it prominence. MSNBC covering this story didn’t give it prominence. The New York Times covering this story didn’t give it prominence. The Washington Post covering this story didn’t give it prominence. Etc.

Oh, and you left out… “Fox News covering this story didn’t give it prominence”

Typical.
felixw

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
Oh, and you left out… “Fox News covering this story didn’t give it prominence”

Typical.

Check out the numbers in the story, BFD. Fox gave this story the least amount of coverage. It was your fellow travelers at MSNBC, etc. that blew it all out of proportion, and created the ensuing foreign policy fiasco. But, by your own reckoning, that doesn’t matter since it was already a huge story even before it was covered. I think they should hire you at journalism school so you can teach the secret of exactly how that’s done.
Big_F-ing_Deal

felixw said:
Fox gave this story the least amount of coverage.

Thanks for admitting they covered it!!!!

“it was already a huge story even before it was covered. I think they should hire you at journalism school so you can teach the secret of exactly how that’s done.”

The internet. Us. That’s how. The radicals read the web and once they got wind of it the threats went out. That’s what made it a huge story. Not that pissant little fundie.
After all, a little comic depicting their prophet isn’t a big story either, but when the threats against civilians, soldiers and embassies come in that makes it HUUUGE!!!!
http://www.nukethefridge.com MartiniShark

redleaf said:
The major media weren’t giving him a platform. That implies they wanted to elevate him in an effort to promote his views. The media were chasing a story they think they’re readers or viewers will be interested in. And once the genie is out of the bottle, that’s it. Fox can decide not to cover the burning, but that’s poor news judgment. It might be the right MORAL judgment, but it’s poor news judgment. It’s now a news story, whether we like it or not. Sure, the story is about a lunatic who can drop dead as far as I’m concerned but, for a news organization, you can’t cover the week leading up the Super Bowl and then not cover the Super Bowl.

The story would have died in that miserable little Florida hamlet if the press had not repeatedly hyped the threat of this crank and what he intended to do. It proves in the coverage. For days I kept hearing about “A Florida church planning on burning Qurans” over and over. It was only after they had fanned the flames did it get reported that this was a tiny congregation out in the sticks of a jerkwater college town. If anyone in the press was truly “concerned” they would have looked at what a joke this group was and left it alone. This guy and his tiny group of minions would have only each other around the camp fire and said, “Why Bother? It is no different than those slugs from Westboro Baptist “Church”. They feed off of the media coverage. Ignore them and they’d shrivel like a slug under sodium.
Big_F-ing_Deal

I just don’t understand why Righty’s don’t think that Islamic Radicals threatening retaliation if an American (ANY American) carries out his constitutional rights to free speech is a huge story.

It’s like bizarro world.

This is one of the most important stories in the news to me. I don’t like intimidation from fundies.

Not for a comic strip, or a South Park episode, or a book burnin’.
Big_F-ing_Deal

WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE ASSHOLES!!!!!!

This is America!
Michele

Patrick Henry said:
Thank you and your spouse for your service!

Your words of appreciation are greatly appreciated. My husband is a commander with BCTP and while it keeps him away a great deal, it is nothing compared to his tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sometimes the sacrifices are great, my father gave the ultimate sacrifice for this country, but it was his values that instilled in me service to country. I was lucky to find my beloved, who to believes service to country is important.

While we may disagree with those that want to push the constitution to it’s limit our family will fight to the end for their right to do it.

But without a doubt his actions will have lasting effects on the way other countries view us and the morale of our troops.
TeaBagALibby

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE ASSHOLES!!!!!!

This is America!

BFD has a moment of clarity, mark the date.
http://bit.ly/bKGa13 dandmb50

This whack job (Jones) is putting ALL troops in harms way, yes. So what the USA should do, is pull the troops out of these places, or they should never have been there in the first place.
I strongly disagree with what he is planning on doing/not doing (depending on what he says) but who is putting the soldiers in more danger?

Daniel .. Toronto, CANADA
http://bit.ly/9z6bRu
Latin2

Muslims killed four Christians in Iraq because of the Liberal MSM trying to find ONE story to try to make America look like it is Islamophobic and help build the Ground Zero Mosque.

It was Liberals in the Media who found this story…pushed this story and try to connect to THEIR OWN SPIN about the Ground Zero Mosque. Now Imam Rauf has come out and THREATENED that if the Ground Zero Mosque is not built that radicals will attack the U.S…like they were already doing that.

It is Liberal Media’s fault, once again, like the phony Time magazine “Quran in the toilet”…it is the LEFTwing media, AGAIN, WHO WILL HAVE BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS…to score points and help Imam Rauf.
More Liberty

SpineCrusher said:
personally, I hope more and more of these people come out of the closet. It only goes to prove the larger claim that tolerance it not a principle of their religion. Their hatred and intolerance exposes their religious dogma for what it is…hateful and bigoted

Who are the real intolerant one? As we’ve seen, the threat of burning 3 little books by some no name Pastor has sparked numerous counts of actual bibles being burned, US flags being burned, and chants of “Death to Christians.”

Their intolerance to free expression, as well as yours, is showing. You should be ashamed.
FearMonger

CosmosDan said:
I hope you are defending this correct principle when people lump all 1.5 billion Muslims together.

Kinda like this?…..

SpineCrusher said:
personally, I hope more and more of these people come out of the closet. It only goes to prove the larger claim that tolerance it not a principle of their religion. Their hatred and intolerance exposes their religious dogma for what it is…hateful and bigoted

and this…..

setay said:
Strange, you’d expect them to cover events they practically sponsor. Stop thinking this is a noble stand though. It goes against their narrative that only Islam has radicals. Look at their website today and go to the comment section; the vast majority of Fox News viewers support the burning.

and this…..

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
Of course Fox wont cover it. It’s a White guy.

and this……

Iris said:
Of course the fox won’t cover it then they would have to say its wrong to treat the muslims that way their muslim bashing would have to stop for a half hour and fat bastard roger ailes doesn’t want that

and this….

redleaf said:
Fox News won’t be covering the event because all their employees will be at the church burning Korans. They’ll be no one there to put on a show.

Hey Dan…. are you a COMPLETE HYPOCRITE
writer

Here’s a solution. The next time a radical Islamist is burning an American flag, he could toss the Koran onto it.
FearMonger

Left off the question marks…. sorry. Here ya’ go……???

If you wanna talk about LUMPING then let’s talk about LUMPING. You wanna ‘defend correct principles’ then call out your fellow libs for their baseless smears.

Otherwise STFU.
Penguin60

SpineCrusher said:
personally, I hope more and more of these people come out of the closet. It only goes to prove the larger claim that tolerance it not a principle of their religion. Their hatred and intolerance exposes their religious dogma for what it is…hateful and bigoted

umm…which religion? All Christians painted by this clown? All Muslims painted by the murderous radicals?

Hate and intolerance? Just whom are you describing?
Penguin60

Oh and just a side thought.
If this Koran burning will inflame the radicals, where were these people when the Abu Ghraib pictures came out?
FearMonger

Penguin60 said:
Oh and just a side thought.If this Koran burning will inflame the radicals, where were these people when the Abu Ghraib pictures came out?

They were posting links and expressing their selective outrage a la John (cold-blooded) Murtha.
Penguin60

Was there as big outrage that the pictures shouldn’t be released, that it would provoke increased attacks on to our troops?
Nope, I think the lefties saw it as a gotcha moment to take down Bush, with no thought of our troops.
The hypocrisy of the left is nauseating.