Richard Land's Trayvon Martin Comments Were Lifted From Washington Times Editorial

FILE - In this July 14, 2010 file photo, Richard Land, president, Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the House Judiciary subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law hearing on the ethical imperative for reform of our immigration system. Land condemns the response of many black leaders to the Trayvon Martin case as “shameful.” Some black pastors within the natio

By Greg Horton
Religion News Service

(RNS) Richard Land, the Southern Baptist Convention's top public policy ethicist, apologized Monday (April 16) for failing to give proper attribution for material he used on his live radio show in which he criticized President Obama and black civil rights leaders for exploiting the Trayvon Martin shooting.

Land, the president of the SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said, "On occasion I have failed to provide appropriate verbal attributions on my radio broadcast, Richard Land Live!, and for that I sincerely apologize," in a written statement.

"I regret if anyone feels they were deceived or misled. That was not my intent nor has it ever been."

In his radio show, Land described activists Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton as "racial ambulance chasers" who, along with fringe groups like the Black Panthers, are fomenting a "mob mentality" in the Trayvon Martin case that is akin to what the Ku Klux Klan used to do to blacks in the South.

"This situation is getting out of hand," Land said. "There is going to be violence. When there is violence it's going to be Jesse Jackson's fault. It's going to be Al Sharpton's fault. It's going to be Louis Farrakhan's fault, and to a certain degree it's going to be President Obama's fault."

The plagiarism came to light when Baptist blogger and Baylor University Ph.D. student Aaron Weaver posted a partial transcript from one of Land's shows on his blog, TheBigDaddyWeave.com. The unattributed remarks were made on Land's March 31 show about media, race and Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black Florida teenager who was shot and killed by a neighborhood security guard.

Weaver discovered that more than half the material for Land's short segment was quoted nearly verbatim from Jeffrey Kuhner's March 29 Washington Times Op-Ed, "Obama foments racial division."

After that discovery, Weaver listened to the third hour of the same program and discovered that Land again used unattributed material, this time from an article in "Investor's Business Daily." He discovered a third example in Land's Feb. 4 show in which Land quoted from a Washington Examiner editorial.

Land said it is his practice to post the articles he uses on his website, and the show for March 31 does include a link to the Kuhner column on the "full show notes" page. Weaver called the link insufficient.

"Land made no mention of Kuhner during the segment," Weaver said. "Listeners did not know that he was quoting Jeffrey Kuhner word for word."

In his statement, Land explained that listeners familiar with the show understand his methods.

"While I do not use a script," Land wrote, "listeners familiar with the program know that both the audio of the program and material I reference during the program are posted on the program's website during or immediately following the broadcast. During the program I encourage listeners to share these links and content among their circle of influence. This has been standard operating practice for the program since its launch in 2002."

Weaver said he suspects more examples will come to light. In an interview with The Tennessean, Weaver said "This isn't someone stealing a few lines. It's his whole commentary. He was so smooth doing it -- it has to be something he has done in the past."

Land concluded his statement by saying he is grateful the "oversight" was brought to his attention. "One can always do better, and I certainly pledge to do so," he wrote.

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Comments

[Timothy l Nelson]

11:30 AM on 04/27/2012

If I were the black leaders of the SBC I would not have accepted his apology unless it had come with a resignation letter. Thats why I wouldnt set foot in an SBC church regardless of the fact that a black man is about to become president.

[Timothy l Nelson]

11:21 AM on 04/27/2012

The statements I received from @sammisal is proof that these anti-Trayvon statements that are being made are being driven by racism.

[bran0217]

04:14 PM on 04/20/2012

I don't know who your kidding with your apologize
1) the kkk is alive and well in the south
2) why would it take you so long to apologize
3) I have sen nothing said about the NRA statments ,voiced about killing dems
4) I have no faith in you show period,you mislead .In fact your a poor leader you really shouldnt be using God's name in vaine

[Rubenillo]

07:48 PM on 04/21/2012

If i were him I would not have apologize to anyone
The KKK is alive and well, that is their problem
He was nice enough to apologize when he did not have to
I could not understand your comment about NRA
You don't have to watch this show, about a poor leader that is your personal opinion
And using the name of God in vain you have quite a few of your preachers that do it constantly

[yankhadenuf]

11:01 AM on 04/22/2012

He was not "nice enough" to apologize, the backlash against him was bigger than he was, and like most bullies, he is a coward and backed down

[iC2fools]

12:45 AM on 04/20/2012

Oh great now there is a 'Religious Rush Limbaugh'. Religious Dog Whistler, they can remove his statements but the damage is done. People believe in this 'person' believe what he says have taken those statement as words to live by and will live by them.

[Timothy l Nelson]

11:17 AM on 04/27/2012

Religious dog whistler is right.

[nemo1990]

01:41 PM on 04/19/2012

"president of the SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission"... I feel as though that explains a lot about the state of the Southern Baptist church and their politics. They have no ethics.

[yankhadenuf]

11:01 AM on 04/22/2012

He needs to be fired and excommunicated over this, if SBC has any ethics whatsoever

[nemo1990]

11:10 AM on 04/22/2012

excommunication over plagiarism? really? do you even know what that is?

[PlagTracker]

04:27 PM on 02/07/2013

Well, I really find your point of view right and true. Actually, only by his phrase about his regret if someone felt deceived or misled and that it wasn’t that his attention, it gives the impression that he is fooling us and behind his words he is hiding an ironic style and that he does not meaning it. I strongly believe that it was a fake apology just to make us justify him and give to his name the old reputation.

[Adonijah]

01:28 PM on 04/19/2012

Land = "snake oil salesman"

[Timothy l Nelson]

01:14 PM on 04/19/2012

I am a Christian who believes strongly in the gospel of Jesus Christ. But its a shame to see the repub party use religion to push its devilish agenda. These guys claim to be pro life but they are really pro death. The Trayvon Martin case is exposing these so called christians.

[Adonijah]

01:29 PM on 04/19/2012

I agree Tim!

[ttsgw]

02:32 PM on 04/19/2012

So why not compile your own gospels to a bible 2.0 that can't be used by the republicans for spreading their hate, inhumanity and intolerance (although it will then became rather thin).

[Timothy l Nelson]

03:04 PM on 04/19/2012

You dont deny biblical Truth just because you have a bunch of apostates misusing the Truth. I can take this same bible and show where the tea party and the "christian" right wing are working against the plan and will of God.

[Adonijah]

01:02 PM on 04/19/2012

Still LYING!




@That was not my intent nor has it ever been."

[Timothy l Nelson]

12:59 PM on 04/19/2012

Whats so amazing to me is that I am appalled of the fact that these right wing pro-lifers are cheering for a guy who killed A CHILD in the streets in cold blood. The boy was still in high school.Anybody who claims to love Jesus would also love justice. But thats not the case with the christian right wingers. This is the beginning of the Apostate church spoken of in the book of Revelations. Its not ok to kill a child in the womb (i agree),but its ok to kill a child in the streets.

[Rubenillo]

08:02 PM on 04/21/2012

Are you sure you are a Christian!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are more Christians Republicans than Democrats or Liberal Democrats. The child you are talking about was 6'3" & 230 lbs. was not in HS because he was expelled the week before after been suspended twice before for use of drugs, and if you are in a neighborhood and the person on watch ask you a question I don't see why he had to bad mouth the other person and get involve in a fight. In order to live in peace we all got to get along and stop this stupidities about racism and hate.

[yankhadenuf]

12:13 PM on 04/22/2012

You just described every profiling evil GZ used as an excuse to murder an innocent youth simply walking home from the store!

[Timothy l Nelson]

03:45 PM on 04/22/2012

He was in high school dude. You dont get suspended from something that you are not a part of. Whats wrong with you people? Ive been suspended at my job before, but I am still employed their. You people are sick. Forming stupid arguments to plead the case of someone who took the life of someones child. No matter how big or small he was. That was still Tracy and Sabrinas baby. And THAT CLOWN HAD NO RIGHT TO QUESTION HIM OR KILL HIM. SHEEEEEESH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nonethewyzzer]

04:41 AM on 04/19/2012

Why is anyone surprised? Has a staunchly conservative bible thumper EVER had an original thought?

Look at their track record! Pick an issue, any issue. What do they use to bolster their arguments? THE BIBLE!

DUH!

[Timothy l Nelson]

12:52 PM on 04/19/2012

Whats wrong with using the Bible? Nothing. Anyway...

[Myoho Mod]

02:02 PM on 04/19/2012

If you are picking and choosing parts to promote your own personal agenda there is plenty wrong with using the bible.

[Adonijah]

01:31 PM on 04/19/2012

People are the problem....not (the Word) Bible.

[nonethewyzzer]

05:02 PM on 04/19/2012

The people who use the bible to bolster their arguments, in fact MAKE their arguments for them, aren't using logic, reason or original ideas. They're trying to mold society into something that resembles a work of fiction.

[From the Raft]

11:55 PM on 04/18/2012

I suspect he eats other people's food too.

[ok3apples]

11:04 PM on 04/18/2012

It's everyone's fault if violence erupts over this case except of course George Zimmerman's. There is genuine grief in the country over this tragedy and it wasn't created by Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton.

[Rubenillo]

08:05 PM on 04/21/2012

No but they been putting gas on the fire !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ok3apples]

11:41 PM on 04/21/2012

as have right wing gun lovers...

[SueZbell]

10:50 PM on 04/18/2012

It certainly seems that every talking head, community "leader" wannabe that wants attention, professional whiner and most, if not all, polititions in pursuit of power have been all too willing to exploit any tragedy--this one is no exception.

[brokerthanu]

10:22 PM on 04/18/2012

"Land, the president of the SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said, "On occasion I have failed to provide appropriate verbal attributions on my radio broadcast, Richard Land Live!, and for that I sincerely apologize," in a written statement."

Which brings us back to the question, what exactly is a a Southern Baptist ethicist?

[bookeramez]

02:24 AM on 04/19/2012

I know that fairly recent in June 1995 at the 150th Anniversary of the Southern Baptist Convention, the SBC adopted a resolution officially denouncing racism in their church. In 1995 they just got around to denouncing racism.
I know that they supported slavery and the KKK back in the day.

[Vin Rohm]

07:40 AM on 04/19/2012

"Which brings us back to the question, what exactly is a a Southern Baptist ethicist?"

He's the guy responsible for ensuring that the sheets are worn properly.

[Telemachus]

06:56 PM on 04/18/2012

So he's just like every other televangelist: overbearing, false, & witless.