They have already linked themselve to Islam...and, of COURSE, CAIR would say this. Bruce
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2007/05/10/publiceye/entry2785624.shtml CAIR Says Not To Link Dix Six To Islam Posted by <javascript:loadAuthor('publiceye', 500486, 'Brian_Montopoli')> Brian Montopoli (AP Photo/Andrea Shepard) I missed this yesterday, but Greg Pollowitz <http://media.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZWM1NWE1YWU5ZmExNTZhMzVlYjVjZTUwNDU zOWM5ZjM=> flags a <http://www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=2736&theType=NR> statement from The Council on American-Islamic Relations that contains a noteworthy request: that "media outlets and public officials refrain from linking [the Fort Dix] case to the faith of Islam." The men alleged to have plotted the attack are Muslim, and, <http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/08/ap/national/main2777304.shtml?sou rce=search_story> according to court papers, "several of them said they were ready to kill and die 'in the name of Allah.'" On one level I understand why CAIR would not want the case linked to the faith of Islam, as these men are clearly not representative of the majority of Muslims. But media outlets should not be in the business of selectively suppressing information. The fact that these men are Muslim may make some people more antagonistic towards all Muslims, and that's unfortunate. But it is not the role of journalists to make judgments about which facts to report and which to suppress, unless there are mitigating circumstances such as national security issues. The faith of these men is part of the story, and, whenever possible, the story should be told in full. In the age of the Internet, of course, it would be extremely difficult for reporters to keep the facts secret even if they wanted to. But if they could, and did, it would only lead frustrated news consumers to traffic in rumors that could do far more damage than the facts. Can you imagine what people might have assumed about the Virginia Tech shooter if the press corps had not identified him and discussed his motivations and background? The Asian American Journalist Association <http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2007/04/17/publiceye/entry2693705.shtml> called on media outlets to move in that direction, requesting that they "avoid using racial identifiers unless there is a compelling or germane reason" in identifying the shooter. But in situations like Virginia Tech and Fort Dix, there is always a compelling and germane reason to fully identify those involved: The obligation of a free press to put all the facts out there and let us come to our own conclusions, even if they're flawed. To do otherwise would be to engage in something approaching social control, and that's what our press corps is for. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
