As Amy reported on Friday, the Oregonian, along with several other newspapers, sold the right to package an anti-Islamic DVD in today’s edition. The O went ahead and distributed the DVD today, despite calls from Portland’s mayor not to do so:
I’ve just heard that in Dayton, Ohio, a mosque was reportedly attacked with a “chemical irritant” on Friday night (September 26), after the same DVD was distributed free with various papers in the state on Monday (September 21). It will be interesting to see whether Oregonian publisher Fred Stickel revisits his decision to allow the distribution of the DVD now.
I don’t like mosque attacks. I know that. But I’m trying to put myself in Stickel’s shoes: There are free speech issues, along with editorial/advertising boundaries to be respected, not to mention the fact that a DVD insert brings big money at a time when ad revenues at the Oregonian are struggling. Should the mayor of a city ever be able to dictate what kind of advertising a newspaper carries? I don’t think so, at least, not in theory. But then you have this situation, which certainly tests one’s ideals. Other papers in town won’t take advertising for certain services. Why not draw a line when the advertising is clearly designed to provoke violence? Questions questions. I wonder if Stickel will release a statement. It’s doubtful. Having gone ahead with the decision to run the DVD, I guess he’s kind of backed into a corner, now. Plus, Portlanders aren’t as reactionary as the people in Ohio. Right?
“Why not draw a line when the advertising is clearly designed to provoke violence?” Have you actually seen the DVD? I’d heard enough complaints about it that I felt compelled to see what it was all about — there’s not much value in hopping on the bandwagon to denounce something if you haven’t seen it. That’s what we accuse conservatives of doing.
That said, there’s lots to find issue with in the DVD. Questionable sources, potentially taking things out of context, a remarkably consistent narrative between everyone interviewed (which, I’ll admit, I chalked up to them being fed quotes or at least prompted with various points to make), on and on.
The one thing I didn’t get from the DVD was a sense of what to do, how to follow up if I was so moved, other than to visit the DVD’s Web site (which I didn’t, as I’d already wasted enough time).
But in no way do I think it’s fair to say this DVD was designed to provoke violence. It makes it very clear from the get-go that it’s only speaking to a limited portion of Muslims that are “radical” and militant. And it doesn’t urge anything like personal reprisal (now, on the national, military scale, that’s a different question).
I know there are stupid people out there who will do abhorrent things. But I really hate blaming stuff like that for such events.
Sadly, I don’t think lots of so-called liberals see it that way, and they forget all about how the best antidote to the misuse of free speech is more free speech, not less
The Clarion Group gets it’s money from from Pro-Israeli groups here in the US. These same Zionists also believe Obama is a secret Muslim.
If I were over 60-years-old and had a subscription, I would cancel it. I will cancel their crappy This Week delivery.
It should also be interesting to hear what the other advertisers think doing business with an anti-Islam publication. Certainly pro-diversity advertisers like Macy’s would have second thoughts about associated with The Oregonian.
I canceled my subscription this morning. I don’t need to pay to have hate literature delivered to my home.
It was a bad decision. Just because everything is going to shit does not give someone an excuse to shit all over someone(s) else.
This isn’t a free speech issue because Potter has no authority over the Oregonian and the Oregonian is owned by a private company. They can pretty much print whatever they want, right or wrong.
Perhaps CAIR or some other group should run an insert explaing why this group is full of shit.
Either way, this whole problem stems from competing sky pixie theories. Honestly, arguing over which fantasy is more legit is just retarded.
I watched the DVD and it was disgusting…. Nothing but war propaganda to insight anger and fear into the people who might be inclined to feel that way about things they don’t understand. Anyone who can think for themselves can see through such attempts to get people to support pointless wars in countries they know nothing about, I’m not afraid of cultures who don’t see eye to eye with western ideals, I’m afraid of the people who believe in this shit…..