15
Aug
Washington Post: Pentagon event “could become politicized”
The Washington Post announced today that it would withdraw its sponsorship of a Pentagon-organized festival on the fourth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“As it appears that this event could become politicized, The Post has decided to honor the Washington area victims of 9/11 by making a contribution directly to the Pentagon Memorial Fund,” said Eric Grant, a Post spokesman. “It is The Post’s practice to avoid activities that might lead readers to question the objectivity of The Post’s news coverage.”
The Post has been under heavy fire since agreeing to provide free advertising for the event, not only because of the no doubt remote possibility that the event might be coopted for political purposes but because many critics object to the notion of a festival-like observation of the 911 anniversary.
Post newsroom employees are also said to have objected to participatory journalism assignments for the day, including line dancing and wearing Clint Black T-shirts. Black, who is currently best known for a platinum selling single with the not at all cheesy title of “I Raq and Roll,” will be the featured performer at the event.
Post sources declined to specify what might have inclined the paper’s management to believe that an event conceived by the Pentagon’s political appointees in the midst of an increasingly unpopular war might conceivably develop political overtones, or that donating time and advertising space to such an event might call into question the paper’s objectivity.
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So, do you think the Moonster will pick up the slack?
August 16th, 2005 at 7:39 amI dunno. It isn’t as though they haven’t already done their share, what with a few billion in in-kind contributions. I’ve noticed lately, though, that the paper hasn’t been popping up much as a source for right-wing bloggers. Maybe there’s been a schism between Moon and the Party.
August 16th, 2005 at 8:51 am