The Cowardice of the Main Stream Media

I've been waiting a few days to see what the MSM was going to have to say about the Victor Prize awarded to the Jyllands-Posten newspaper for it's defense of freedom of expression. I have seen NOTHING on the television or in American newspapers. It's entirely possible I've missed it. I work a lot and certainly don't have time to go prowling around looking in dark corners for obscure articles. But it seems to me, in light of the current global bru-ha-ha over the publication of these cartoons and subsequent violent reaction to them, and in light of the fact that the tiny country of Denmark has stood up to world-wide pressure to submit to the will of Islam, that this would be news worthy. But then, putting this in the news would require courage wouldn't it. That might mean that the journalists or newspapers that published this article would be subjected to the death threats, bombings, throat-slashing, torture and medieval rantings of the mobs of Muslims wallowing in mass hysteria. There has been an internet mujahedeen. Even I've had a lot of visitors from the Middle East (and Denmark) and I'm certainly no one of any importance to this issue. So, where is the American Free Press? Those defenders of freedom of speech. The great courageous investigators and guardians of the truth. Where is the Fourth Estate? Has anyone seen them? I haven't. Perhaps they've tucked tail and run to the nearest dhimmitude swearing-in ceremony. Perhaps they are all secretly French ex-pats!

Copenhagen - Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, which angered the Muslim world by publishing cartoons of Prophet Muhammad last year, has won a Danish critical journalism award for its initiative, the jury said. Denmark's largest daily was honoured with the Victor Prize for "having opened everyone's eyes by showing how easy it is to introduce cracks in freedom of expression and how so-called political correctness is infiltrating what we believe to be inalienable rights," Hans Engell, the editor of tabloid Ekstra Bladet which awards the prize, said during a prize ceremony in Copenhagen late on Thursday. The Victor Prize, named for the late editor-in-chief of Ekstra Bladet Victor Andreasen, was handed to Jyllands-Posten's editor Carsten Juste. "This prize is awarded to Jyllands-Posten for its adamant defence for months of freedom of expression, which is under threat," Engell told AFP. Freedom of expression "Jyllands-Posten only did its duty: exercise its right to freedom of expression," he added. Juste, guarded by two secret service bodyguards, noted "how fragile freedom of expression is" as he accepted the award, his newspaper reported. The 12 drawings of Muhammad, which first appeared in Jyllands-Posten last September, have sparked violent protests in Muslim countries against Denmark especially, as well as against other European countries where the cartoons have since been reprinted. Islam considers any image of the prophet blasphemous. Both the newspaper and Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen have repeatedly refused to apologize for the publication of the cartoons, insisting that freedom of expression is a fundamental right in Denmark.

source: News24.com (South African); The Daily Times (Pakistan); oddly I can't find any more articles about this other than blogger posts.

Lets do a gut-check. We have Christopher Hitchens and those who attended and spoke out at the rally he organized in support of the Danish and freedom of speech. [there are lots of links there to follow for info on that if you want.] Mark Steyn has an article in the Chicago Times about the Ilan Halimi murder in Paris and the MSM's willingness to keep it's eyes closed. There's also ordinary Americans who volunteer to go into the war zone to teach others how to be soldiers. And soldiers and here. Gary Sinise quietly serves. There is not Jimmy Carter (here) (here) or Bob Simon. So in between doing other work today, I'm going to see who I can find who has the guts. My guess is, it's going to be ordinary Americans - us in the fly-over world of Middle America that will stand and deliver. Hopefully, I'll prove myself wrong. I just don't want anyone to forget that Hollyworld, the media and the 'intellectual elite' do not represent the majority of Americans. Middle America is alive, well and will not be putting turbans on, thank you very much! And, most of us carry guns. I'll be updating this with links throughout the day. Feel free to send links you think should be included in this little spur - of - the - moment Gut Check.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

William J. Bennett and Alan M. Dershowitz write about the Failure of the Press. [h/t to 7 Deadly Sins ]

What we never imagined was that the free press -- an institution at the heart of those virtues and freedoms -- would be among the first to surrender.

The Vatican has finally spoken out. [h/t to Fausta's Blog ]

Let's drop this diplomatic silence," said the rector of the Pontifical Lateran University. "We should put pressure on international organizations to make the societies and states in majority Muslim countries face up to their responsibilities."

Blogs posting on the Victor Prize and/or the rally to support Denmark and freedom of the press and freedom of speech or other issues that the Main Stream Media is afraid to report. Lawhawk at A Blog for All; Sigmund, Carl and Alfred explains the islamization of Europe; Mark My Words has a list of what offends Muslims for those who don't want to take a chance at offending;