One of the few remaining high-class shows on the Fox News channel, Special Report with Brit Hume, explored the sensitive topic of who ran the September 24 demonstration in Washington, D.C. First there was a report by reporter Jim Angle on how the communist Workers World Party played a key role, and how it supports dictators such as Kim Jong Il and even the Iraqi terrorists. Then Hume led a discussion about the nature of the protest.
CBS News took a different approach. Its website has been running articles from the far-left Nation magazine. It carried a Nation article by Liza Featherstone that said, “If you stayed away from Saturday’s antiwar demonstration in Washington, D.C., fearing extremist messages and pathetic numbers, you missed out. Some people did just that, disturbed that United for Peace and Justice had agreed to co-sponsor its rally with Act Now to Stop War and Racism (ANSWER), a group that attracts criticism wherever it goes, for a lack of political nuance and a bullying attitude toward other organizations. Liberal groups like MoveOn.org did little to promote the event, despite the fact that with President Bush’s approval ratings lower than ever, and more than half of Americans opposing the war, it presented a historic opportunity for a vigorous show of dissent.”
Featherstone’s story was inaccurate. The rally did feature extremist messages. And her claim that ANSWER is an organization known for bullying is bizarre. Nobody forced United for Peace and Justice to collaborate with ANSWER. What’s more, ANSWER is a communist front. She knows this because her associate, David Corn of The Nation, has documented this fact. That’s why the comment about “political nuance” is so strange. She seemed to be saying that ANSWER would be more effective if it tried to better hide its communist orientation.
Our complaint was the failure of most of the media to highlight the communist role. The media also failed to ask the rally speakers, including Cindy Sheehan, about associating with communist supporters of the North Korean dictator. Do you think we’d get an apology for that? Don’t hold your breath. She’s gone completely over the edge. What a sad spectacle. Also, shame on those in the media who have been exploiting her.
Comments
Comments are turned off for this article.