At Least Spare Us Your Protestations Of Bravery

Mark Shea on media cravenness:

The Mainstream Media: Bullies...

One such moment occurred during the recent fracas over the Danish cartoons. Christians, of course, have long been used to the fact that their most sacred beliefs are treated to casual contempt in the mainstream media. Any morning for the past 20 years, a Christian could expect to turn on the tube or open the paper and be regaled with the glories of a crucifix immersed in a vat of urine or an image of the Blessed Virgin covered in dung. Organs like the New York Times have been only too happy to keep us up to date on these latest cutting-edge developments in blasphemy. And naturally, Christian complaints have been simultaneously disregarded as the petty bleats of small-minded censors and as the ominous rumbles of an incipient theocratic regime that is just about to impose martial law and crush the free press. This way, journalists could not only bully voiceless Christians who do not have access to the editorial pages of the Times, but also pat themselves on the back for their raw courage as they pound on the beliefs of quiet, decent people who grieve when their crucified Lord is subjected to further abuse. All these journalists had to do was intone words about the sacredness of our free press and they were off the hook.

Cowards...

Then came the Cartoon Jihad, when real theocrats who really do want to impose Islamic law on the whole world, crush the free press, and shout (as one Islamic protester so eloquently summed up his beliefs), "Freedom go to hell!" The response of the champions of the free press in the New York Times, (and Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune) editorial rooms (among others): They would not publish the Danish cartoons because of a sudden and exquisite sensitivity to the religious sensibilities of their readers.

Uh huh.

Get real...

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