Allowing Terrorist Propaganda in the Media

There are many who have questioned the media, its veracity, its ideological leanings and, in its continuing attempts to be "objective", actually being subjective. In this piece, the Counter Terrorism blog explores the access to media (and thus, the American public) given to designated terrorist organizations and their leaders:

U.S. News Media and Terror Group Figure Editorials

n the battle against global Jihadist organizations, the challenge of how to effectively deal with Jihadist terror group propaganda remains a national issue that needs to be addressed.

Individuals who are either members of or supporters of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) (as designated by the U.S. State Department), are increasingly being represented in the U.S. news media's editorials, op-ed pieces, and other columns. FTO's Hizbullah and Hamas terrorist group figures are gaining unfettered access as columnists in major American newspapers, such as the Washington Post and the New York Times.

Hizbullah "Supporter" Column in Washington Post
The Washington Post and Newsweek today has provided an online column for Hizbullah terrorist group supporter and religious leader Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah to discuss the nature of Jihad as a "defensive" struggle. The Washington Post column clearly describes Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah as a Hezbollah "supporter", stating that he is "a controversial figure known primarily for his support of the armed Shi’ite resistance movement, Hezbollah".

Hizbullah is a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and "Shaykh Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah" is on the US Department of Treasury's Specially Designated Nationals List (SDN). As reported by Newsweek itself, "In 1983, U.S. officials accused him of issuing a religious edict, or fatwa, that condoned the devastating truck bombing of the Marine headquarters in Beirut ."

Imagine in 1943, during the height of World War II, having suffered set backs and high casualties, on the verge of turning the war, the US Media had given editorial access, full page ads or radio interviews for Hitler, Goebbels, Tojo or any other known, declared and sworn enemies of the United States? Allowing them to talk about their grievances against the US and other European nations and presenting themselves as some sort of moderate martyred victims of European and US aggression?

The world may have changed. The media may be global in its reach and feel it needs to cater to a wider audience, but there is something extraordinarily, stealthily malignant in allowing people who have sworn to kill you to propagandize your own population.

Courtesy of the "old" media.

Maybe this is the Democrats' idea of the "fairness doctrine"?