Finally: One Brave Newspaper Refuses to Distribute 'Islam Terror' DVD

I wrote here Saturday about the "Islam terror" scaremongering DVD Obsession that the Clarion Fund has paid dozens of newspapers across the country -- almost solely in "swing" election states -- to distribute, many of them quite large in cities such as Miami, Philadelphia, Denver and Pittsburgh. (HuffPost was one of the first to be on this.) My posting was updated yesterday when many more papers sent it around. An estimated 28 million copies have been distributed so far, also through the mails and other magazines. An article at the group's site, www.radicalislam.org, all but endorsed John McCain this past week, then was pulled down.

But at least one newspapers turned away the money and refused to distribute it, calling it "divisive."

It's the Greensboro News & Record in North Carolina, which was one of the first mainstream dailies to really plunge into blogs and other Web-related community things. The longtime editor, John Robinson, explained his reasoning in a column yesterday.

Here is an excerpt and link.

Many newspapers across the country distributed a controversial DVD today about Islam, titled "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West."....We did not distribute it. I was not involved in the decision; it was an advertising call, in keeping with advertising policies.

I asked our publisher about it. He said it was divisive and plays on people's fears and served no educational purpose. The revenue it would have brought in was not a motivator.

As I've said on other occasions about news decisions, just because you can publish doesn't mean you should.

Read It Here.

My earlier story: http://www.eandppub.com/2008/09/controversial-d.html
*
Greg Mitchell's latest book, on Iraq and the media, is titled "So Wrong for So Long."

Comments

[deliriousgod]

it has become a mutual obsession

[sdskelton03]

So the problem isn't the radical Islamic extremists that have hijacked a religion and vowed to kill Americans and destroy western liberal democracy.

The problem is the people who made a movie about it?

[milo h minderbinder]

It's not an either/or.

Just because the terrorists are a problem doesn't mean that it's OK to distribute misleading partisan fearmongering propaganda.

[sdskelton03]

I am watching the movie right now, and I don't see anything wrong with it.

It opened with the disclaimer that the majority of Muslims do not support terrorism and that the movie isn't about them.

How is this movie misleading? I would like to know because I don't see a problem.

[therealtruthteller]

News & Record puts the NYTs to shame, but expecting the big ones to show some courage is like expecting Hannity to talk sense.

[LoyalOpposition]

Name them! Name the members of the group that has paid for the making and the distribution of this DVD or CD or any other hateful material. Pull those sheets off their faces!

[NoSillyName]

Finally, an editor with some ethics. Bravo, John Robinson at the Greensboro News & Record in North Carolina! Thank you for standing up to the Dirty Tricks. There should be an award.

[MrLion]

It gets worse. There was a free screening of "Obsession" in Dearborn, Michigan, a city with a substantial Arab and Muslim population. On September 11.

http://events.detnews.com/dearborn-mi/events/show/84945561-free-movie-screening

[SensibleOne]

I received a copy in the mail and immediately tossed it where it belongs -- in the trash.

[LVDantana]

My spouse just brought this DVD home this weekend and wants me to watch it. (We dont agree politically). What is the general gist of it? I only read the cover of the case.

[RoloTomassi]

I have not seen this program, but my understanding on the movement behind it is this:

They want you to believe that all Muslims are a threat to national security, that we are in constant danger, that Islam radicals are attempting to take over the world, that only republicans can keep you safe, and more importantly, they want you to be AFRAID!!!! And while I say again that I have not seen this program, I have heard this idiotic argument before, and it is a clear distortion of facts designed to whip-up anti-Muslim/Arab sentiment.

They would have you believe that we are in serious danger of a worldwide radical Islamic movement to take over the world and force us to embrace their religious beliefs. It is the worst kind of hate-driven, fear-inspiring propaganda.

If you view that program, be sure to take all of it with a grain of salt, and do research their claims afterwards.

[zedmanna]

Well, direct mail is always an option.

[awright69]

They ARE using direct mail too. I am staring at the copy they sent me earlier this week. I went to their site and emailed them the following message:

Dear Clarion Fund:

I really appreciate the free DVD you mailed me. I couldn't afford toilet paper this week since gas is so high and my investments are down due to the greed of Wall Street; now that my taxpayer dollars are going to be used to bail out big Republican-owned businesses, socialist-style, I can use your DVD mailer to wipe my butt. Oh, and I was needing a nice shiny "O" for my "OBAMA '08" yard sign and the DVD worked PERFECTLY! Thanks so much.

By the way, I thought 501(c)(3) corporations were prohibited from being political. Why on your site did you have a pro-McCain piece?

Sorry, you're not swaying this voter. Typical nasty Republican tactics.

Now, GET OFF MY LAWN!

Allen Wright