Wash. Post Obama/Muslim Ties story under fire

[BeyondGeography]

==The Washington Post is accustomed to criticism of its coverage from the right and left blogospheres, but a Nov. 29 front page story about Barack Obama’s rumored Muslim ties came with a twist: Many voices within its own newsroom joined in the firestorm.

Post editorial cartoonist Tom Toles lampooned it on the editorial page last Friday, and media critic Howard Kurtz wrote Monday that he didn’t “believe the piece was well executed.” This Sunday, Deborah Howell will weigh in with her ombudsman column.

Assistant Managing Editor Bill Hamilton, who oversees political coverage and edited the article, said that he was “a little puzzled” that readers didn’t see that the paper’s intention was to call into question rumors that Obama is secretly a Muslim (rather than a Christian), and was educated in an Indonesian madrassa. “I’m sorry it was misunderstood,” Hamilton said. “It obviously makes me think about how I edited it.”

...Since Thursday, there have been angry e-mails, Hamilton said, and allegations that the Post is swift-boating the Illinois senator by discussing rumors at length, without mentioning whether they’ve been thoroughly discredited by other media. In a web piece titled “Is Perry Bacon Serious?”, Columbia Journalism Review’s Paul McLeary wrote that the Post’s A1 story “may be the single worst campaign ‘08 piece to appear in any American newspaper so far this election cycle.”

McLeary contended that the Post played up rumors about Muslim ties, including one from Insight magazine about how the young Obama was educated at an Indonesian madrassa, without mentioning that a CNN reporter jetted off to Jakarta nearly 11 months ago and debunked it...==

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7193.html

[Azathoth]

1. There have been rumors for years that Bush is drinking again and is addicted to psychotropic drugs

Strangely, I don't seem to recall ever seeing the Post run a front page story about them. :shrug:

[MidwestTransplant]

5. No need. We all witnessed it on national TV today during his presser!

[Frances]

2. It sounds to me that the editor is more at fault than the

reporter. And the editor (Hamilton) doesn't seem to "get it" at all. I don't like how Hamilton tries to discredit McLeary by saying that he sounds like an extreme blogger.

[OHdem10]

3. The Religious Bigotry in this country is appalling to me.

The Post knows and if they do not know, they had better learn.

You think the Bible Belt has problems with Mormons --you
ain't seen nothing when it comes to Muslims. Think back
to the scene that was made over the Muslim Congressman and
the Koran. Things said by House Members were eyebrowing lifting.

I am a Catholic and and therefore Christian, but I am fast
beginning we better start seriously thinking about Separation
of Church and State. There are so many different Religions.
We should each be happy to practice our religion each in our
way and our own church. The Consitutions promised us only
Freedom of Religion. Let NoN-Believers practice what they
practice or choose not to practice. Respect for ALL.

Too much time is spent on Religion in this campaign when
our Country is facing a coming Humongous Job Losses and
Dislocations. There is a tremendous need for us as a country
to come together with a new foregin policy and how we plan
to deal with terrorism. Yes, there is a great chance we
are going into recession. Education and Health Care have
been promised election after election. So we get appoplectic over Religion.

Yet we get hung up on Religious Questions that have not
been a problem in the past. When George Romney ran for
office his Religion was not even discussed. We have permitted
a certain group to develop the idea there is only one
Religion and they can keep people from participation
based on Religion. The Constitution tells us there is
no state Religion. Tell me how all this judgement can
be passed on different religions. This is not healthy
for our society, IMO.

[Pirate Smile]

4. CNN did a promo that they are doing a story on the muslim e-mail rumor

campaign tomorrow morning. They mentioned their debunking of the madrassa story earlier this year during the promo. It was on during Anderson Cooper's show.

[DCKit]

6. If the point wasn't to cast doubt about Obama, why print a story and give credence to the rumors?

This is a far subtler psychological tactic than anything KKKarl ever used, but he's had a lot of time to think lately, too. There is no doubt he's still very much plugged in to the MSM.

Simply putting this information before a large audience will cause many people to associate the name "Obama" with "Muslim" and "Madrassa," subconsciously, at least. It's brilliant, but no less dishonest or sleazy than the full-frontal attacks against Kerry or Dean.

Obama has been swiftboated, albeit with far greater tact and subtlety than most of us would ever have attributed to the GOP, RNC or MSM.