Eye on the Press
February 8, 2002 

Commentary
Who's the crackpot?

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel carved deep into two much loved writers, longtime Al-Ahram columnists Anis Mansour and Salama Ahmed Salama, in a recent editorial, saying Egypt had way too many "crackpots on soap boxes".

The article spares no punches in its rage against these two writers in particular, seemingly because their opinions happened to sometimes be critical of the US and Israel. The paper boasts that the writers in question had been brought to the paper's attention by the Middle East Media and Research Institute, but doesn't mention that it is an Israeli-run operation which only translates items from the Arabic press in a way meant to negatively affect the Arab image in both the public and policy making spheres.

Salama caught flak with the Milwaukee paper for saying Bush's State of the Union address "used language no different from that used by (Osama) bin Laden in his videotapes." Considering both men vowed to destroy their "evil" sworn enemy, the observation seems sane, if not potentially popular in Milwaukee, say. But the Journal Sentinel, which should be championing press freedom rather than trying to stifle it, could not bear to have a differing opinion read by the masses.

"But it isn't just these two." the editorial continues. "The Arab press is filled with commentators like them. And when millions of ordinary people, not members of the political and intellectual elite, are subjected to lunatic fantasies on a regular basis, there is bound to be an impact on public opinion."

If you have an opinion on this particular opinion, write a letter to the editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at the following address: http://www.jsonline.com/news/editorials/submit.asp

 

UPDATE (February 10, 2002):
On nearly the same subject, this AP piece actually finds out what some of the political and intellectual elite think of the issue at hand.

 

 

Previous Eye on the Press

Soccer roundup: Gohari and Co.'s home-coming inspires the press (February 7, 2002)
"Allah versus the Almighty Dollah?": American writer Norman Mailer mixes it up on today's news links (February 6, 2002)
Symbolic strike ignored: Top Marlboro man born in Egypt, Al-Azhar sheikh in London, and more great links (January 31, 2002)
The "lion" of Egypt?: Links galore, starring Ashcroft in Saudi-mode, mosques in the spotlight, the Egyptian-American running for Congress, and cross-cultural Hobeika media. (January 30, 2002)
Osama's debut...Rapping pharaohs, smelly daddies, and Rumsfeld's Sinai wavering...Don't miss today's news links (January 23, 2002)
When common sense seems radical: Tales of media bias and radical cartoonists; plus, learn how the multiplexes took over (January 20, 2002)
The problems with big media, and an examination of bin Laden as an architecture critic... (January 3, 2002)

 

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