Nathan Tabor
USA Today rejects Christian group's message to President Obama
By Nathan Tabor
For years, Accuracy in Media, the Media Research Center, and other watchdog groups offered evidence of media bias and rampant political correctness that exists in America's newsrooms.
More often than not, blatant bias extends to their coverage of Christian topics and the views of those believers who are involved in the political process. I wish I had a dollar for every time they used the term "Christian Right" to describe conservatives who voice their faith in a living God. And those references to a "Christian Right" by the denizens of our nation's newsrooms can be considered them being kind.
These are the same journalists who are careful to avoid using the terms Islam and terrorism within the same paragraph. These are the same people who, in many publications, ran a photograph of a supposed piece of artwork titled, "Piss Christ," but prided themselves for not running a Danish cartoon of Mohammed with a missile shaped headdress
So anyone keeping a list of examples of news media bias may want to add this one:
This past week I read a public notice in USA Today that their editors were allowing people to write a message to President Barack Obama that would run in that newspaper's Inauguration Day edition. The cost was $15 a line.
"Hmmmm . . . I thought. Good way to get a message to our new president."
So, after much soul searching I wrote and submitted my ad:
"Dear President Obama, 'We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, as I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give [an] account of himself to God.' (Romans 14:10-12)"
I had signed it as FFFA.us, the web site address of the Faith, Family, Freedom Alliance, a Christian-based organization I founded.
Well, the next day — just one hour before the USA Today deadline for the Obama messages — I received a call from someone at USA Today named Jennifer. She claimed that the newspaper could not run an ad signed by "a group."
"No problem. Just use my name, Nathan Tabor," I replied.
Then she claimed she had another problem with my ad: USA Today will not run any ads containing Christian, religious or Bible verses, according to Jennifer.
She asked if I had another message and I replied no and told her how that was the message I wished to send to President Obama. I told Jennifer that I respected him and the office he was about to hold.
Mind you, unlike USA Today routinely referring to President George W. Bush as Mr. Bush, I addressed Mr. Obama as President Obama. And while USA Today — in concert with other newspapers, newsmagazines and broadcast news programs — routinely bashed our 43rd President — my prose contained a positive message, especially since Obama professes to be a practicing Christian who will be sworn in as our 44th President, reciting his oath with his hand atop a Christian Bible.
In closing our telephone conversation, Jennifer promised that USA Today would send me an email explaining why my ad was rejected. After two hours I hadn't gotten it. So, I called Jennifer and she said she would have it out to me in 2 minutes.
That was 2 days ago.
© Nathan Tabor
January 19, 2009
For years, Accuracy in Media, the Media Research Center, and other watchdog groups offered evidence of media bias and rampant political correctness that exists in America's newsrooms.
More often than not, blatant bias extends to their coverage of Christian topics and the views of those believers who are involved in the political process. I wish I had a dollar for every time they used the term "Christian Right" to describe conservatives who voice their faith in a living God. And those references to a "Christian Right" by the denizens of our nation's newsrooms can be considered them being kind.
These are the same journalists who are careful to avoid using the terms Islam and terrorism within the same paragraph. These are the same people who, in many publications, ran a photograph of a supposed piece of artwork titled, "Piss Christ," but prided themselves for not running a Danish cartoon of Mohammed with a missile shaped headdress
So anyone keeping a list of examples of news media bias may want to add this one:
This past week I read a public notice in USA Today that their editors were allowing people to write a message to President Barack Obama that would run in that newspaper's Inauguration Day edition. The cost was $15 a line.
"Hmmmm . . . I thought. Good way to get a message to our new president."
So, after much soul searching I wrote and submitted my ad:
"Dear President Obama, 'We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, as I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give [an] account of himself to God.' (Romans 14:10-12)"
I had signed it as FFFA.us, the web site address of the Faith, Family, Freedom Alliance, a Christian-based organization I founded.
Well, the next day — just one hour before the USA Today deadline for the Obama messages — I received a call from someone at USA Today named Jennifer. She claimed that the newspaper could not run an ad signed by "a group."
"No problem. Just use my name, Nathan Tabor," I replied.
Then she claimed she had another problem with my ad: USA Today will not run any ads containing Christian, religious or Bible verses, according to Jennifer.
She asked if I had another message and I replied no and told her how that was the message I wished to send to President Obama. I told Jennifer that I respected him and the office he was about to hold.
Mind you, unlike USA Today routinely referring to President George W. Bush as Mr. Bush, I addressed Mr. Obama as President Obama. And while USA Today — in concert with other newspapers, newsmagazines and broadcast news programs — routinely bashed our 43rd President — my prose contained a positive message, especially since Obama professes to be a practicing Christian who will be sworn in as our 44th President, reciting his oath with his hand atop a Christian Bible.
In closing our telephone conversation, Jennifer promised that USA Today would send me an email explaining why my ad was rejected. After two hours I hadn't gotten it. So, I called Jennifer and she said she would have it out to me in 2 minutes.
That was 2 days ago.
© Nathan Tabor
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