On Wednesday, I wrote a">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-young/media-matters-needs-to-la_b_44420.html">a column in the Huffington Post, picked up elsewhere, concerning an email written by Jamison Foser of Media Matters of America and sent to supporters of Media Matters for America, in which he asked people whose local newspapers carry Ann Coulter's column to contact those papers and ask them to either drop her column or explain why they chose to continue distributing her vile hate speech.
In one variation of my column that appeared at many sites, it was entitled "The Most Painful Column I've Ever Written." That was meant for two reasons. One, that I was defending the indefensible: Ann Coulter. Number two, I was taking one of my favorite, and one of the web's most important, sites to task.
In response,http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamison-foser/ann-coulter-steve-young_b_44453.html"> Foser said my column compared his email to Joseph Goebbels' work in Nazi Germany in that I wrote "Holy Goebbels, folks," which I guess he construed as a comparison to the lovelies of the Third Reich. But talk about the pot calling the kettle Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei While I only compared his email to Goebbels, Foser chose to be far more incendiary comparing me to Bill O'Reilly.
Holy hyperbole, folks, I said that I felt Media Matters was wrong, not that they should be boycotted.
What Foser didn't mention was that I also said that Media Matters does good work. Fact is, right after I check out Huffington Post, I check Media Matters. First and last thing every day.
He didn't mention that I said Media Matters "always backed up (information) with actual transcripts and sound checks." Something O'Reilly Bill refuses to admit.
You see, I love what David Brock has put together and continues to do for us.
You ever hear BillO say that?
But in likening me to BO, he did help me see the light. Not as an apology, but for the sake of specificity, I should have never written, "Holy Goebbels, folks," even as hyperbole. I should have written, "Holy O'Reilly, folks." Much more on the money. Because Forser's email did had the ring of a Factor Talking Point.
He said that he only urged [newspapers] to reconsider whether their decision to do so serves their readers and viewers. That's what BillO does with anything he doesn't like or agree with.
He said I was "...telling people to keep quiet about their belief that newspapers should not carry Coulter's irrational, hate-laden writings." No. Individual citizens can do whatever they want. I just didn't think Media Matters should leading a war against these papers.
I write a Sunday oped column every Sunday in the L.A. Daily News. So does Bill O'Reilly. Any number of times I make BO the negative object of my oh-so hysterical comments, many times on the same page as his inarticulate musings. If BO was successful getting the Folks™ to write in to have the Daily News drop my column because he felt I was unworthy of being printed there, as MM is asking their Folks to do, would MM find that appropriate?
The whole demanding any written word dropped, deleted or even burned begins to get pretty dicey. Of course, I don't mean in a Nazi way. I mean it in a... Hmm. I've got to think about that one.
Suffice it to say, one fascist's freedom might be another person's oppression. Or is it visa versa?
Still, I should have never thrown down the Nazi gauntlet. I only meant that there was no need to help an enemy when they're already busy committing suicide.
It is essential for America that until we get the truth from the media, Media Matters needs to report and watchdog misinformationbeing spouted. But when they get into Moveonish activism, they set themselves up to be discredited.
Even though I believe MM's effort against Ann Coulter is wrong-headed, because we both despise Coulter's uber-hate speech and for everything else Media Matters does, I could forgive any differences we might have.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
