The Decline & Fall of the Leftist Mainstream American Media

The most important lesson to be learned by the conservatives in the Mohammad Cartoon Affair is that the Leftist dominated mainstream media (MSM) -- and the liberal establishment they represent -- are a contemptable mob of cowards who will fall down on their knees in fear when faced with a determined opposition, so conservative fears that when faced with the loss of political power the Left in America might turn to violence will not be realized. The Left will go off into the night like a beaten dog and lick its wounds alone in dark as was done by the Communists in the former Soviet Union in 1991.

Something else positive as happened in this country because of this incident -- a New Media that is based in the Internet has risen to replace the old MSM. This New Conservative Media stayed on the story 24/7 and immediately published the "offensive" cartoons. This was a great victory for Freedom of Speech and proof positive that a new player had arrived on the block with the courage the MSM used to have to publish with accuracy and objectivity the news of the day.

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/michael/graham020906.php3?printer_friendly

In the '60s, the editor of the North Augusta Star faced economic boycotts, violent crowds and threats from the police after uncovering wrongdoing by the police chief. He never backed down, and eventually the town government reformed. And then there's the famous case of N.G. Gonzales, one of the founders of The (Columbia, SC) State newspaper, who was gunned down in broad daylight at the corner of Main Street in 1903 by Lt. Governor James Tillman. Tillman was the nephew of the most powerful politician in the state, US Sen. "Pitchfork Ben" Tillman, but Gonzales didn't care. He wrote paint-stripping editorials and merciless news stories that helped kill Jim Tillman's campaign for governor. When Tillman shot the unarmed editor, Gonzales didn't complain. He looked the Lt. Governor in the eye an offered one last editorial comment:

"Shoot me again, you coward."

TIA (The Intellectual Activist) newsletter: My summary of the necessity of re-publishing the Danish Mohammed cartoons is that we must "publish or perish." (And yes, those cartoons--all twelve of them--will appear in an upcoming print issue of TIA.) The headline below from Michael Graham is almost as good: "Print free or die," borrowed from New Hampshire's state motto, "Live free or die." "Publish or perish" means that we must defy the Muslims or they will destroy us. But it has a secondary meaning.

While the blogs have been running with this story (see, for example, the Belmont Club's excellent coverage at http://tinyurl.com/92rmr and http://tinyurl.com/83xeu), the mainstream media has not taken the issue seriously, and the big newspapers have totally wimped out. The big papers have staked their reputation on being fearless reporters and defenders of free speech. If they fail to live up to the rhetoric now, they will only hasten their own demise.