Complainers Keep The Story Alive

It inevitably happens whenever a story gets over-covered. Once the papers are printed, the broadcasts are done and the country is whipped so far past a tizzy they are tired of everything, the critics start asking why the media was covering a story in the first place.

So is the case with the Rev. Terry Jones. Obviously, the Gainesville hate-monger is no sympathetic character, and his actions were perhaps not creative enough to just the attention his canceled Quran-burning wrought. But as I see tweets and status updates roll by complaining at how much attention was paid by the media, I wonder how the tweeters could possibly know.

The reason attention was paid to Terry Jones is because America paid it. The media focus is simply an extension of that. Now Jon Stewart is saying the media paid too much attention to the minister, but last week was devoting segments of his show to the topic. Hillary Clinton says the media should have ignored it. And of course, the media itself always does plenty of naval-gazing.

But at least reporters will engage in self-reflection. The same does not seem to go for the general public, which faints and fauns on every aspect of the story, driving up hit counts, ratings and every other measure which editors use to determine the news of the day, and then blame the media for luring them in with all this sweet candy and vitriol. They were made to read this story. Also, their mother made them fat.

I have already linked to my own First Amendment soapbox on this, but I want to reiterate a couple things I believe with all my heart. Pressuring this demonstration of free speech to stop was wrong. It was wrong of Secretary Gates to call Jones and pressure him to stop. It was wrong of Barack Obama and Mitch McConnell and Alex Sink and everybody who felt the need to quiet his voice. If they wanted to do anything, they could have set the example of actively ignoring Jones as they claim to wish the media had done.

But there are reasons we pay attention. A religious leader felt the work of God was to publicly burn a sacred text. Yes, he has a small congregation, but should we only pay attention to such cultish behavior when it amasses to a real problem? This was important for us to notice. It was important for us to reject. For liberals to reject. For conservatives to reject.

And we were denied the chance by de facto censorship. That is not the American way. But now we move on to the next step, rejecting those who allowed us to pay attention in the first place.