| Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy called Lee Whitnum "anti-Semitic" at a press conference yesterday afternoon in Stamford. Mayor Malloy was joined at the press conference by Rabbi Marc Disick of Temple Sinai in Stamford, Rabbi David Walk of Congregation Agudafdath Sholom in Stamford and Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer of Temple Shearith Israel in Ridgefield.
According to the Greenwich Post article written by Ken Borsuk, Mayor Malloy stated:
"I've observed this campaign and I've been bothered by this campaign and the things that have been said. I thought for a moment that ignoring this woman and some of the most outlandish thing she's said would be the best policy to not give it more credence but when I saw her statement in the Advocate I found it to be most offensive and taking a full swing at those of us in this country who support the state of Israel...To claim that Israel is somehow to blame for 9-11 is deeply disturbing and quite frankly belies a disturbed sense that Ms. Whitnum has. I also have come to the conclusion that her statements are unfortunately anti-Semitic in their nature...She has crossed the line and is clearly anti-Semitic."
Also disturbing is the silence from Greenwich Time and Stamford Advocate, neither of which carried Mayor Malloy's remarks in their paper or electronic editions, nor even acknowledged that the press conference took place. Let's keep in mind that today's editions of both papers would have carried a column by progressive Democrat Sarah Littman, had she not been fired two weeks ago for calling out Lee Whitnum for her bizarre positions and her anti-Semitism in her column. As many know, GT/Advocate publisher John Dunster seized on a pretext to fire her right after that column appeared. Yet when Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy also forcefully denounces Whitnum for her anti-Semitism, Dunster's papers remain silent. Is there any doubt that GT/Advocate have been sanitizing their coverage of Whitnum, going as far as to pretend that a major statement by Stamford's mayor denouncing her never took place? Ignoring the presence of several prominent rabbis in this congressional district at that press conference?
To call GT/Advocate's sanitized coverage of Lee Whitnum disgusting and unethical somehow just doesn't come close to expressing the revulsion I feel for their commission of unethical journalism and convenient ommission of the facts from their reporting. Let's recall that GT/ADvocate had no problems insinuating that Ned Lamont was anti-Semitic, carrying a front-page article about anti-Semitic postings regarding Joe Lieberman on MoveOn.org's website in 2006, and suggesting that the Lamont camapign was somehow inmplicated. They even highlighted the article in dark gray.
With the acquisition of MediaNews Group's minority stake in a joint venture, George Irish, CEO of Hearst Newspapers, is now directly responsible for Greenwich Time and Stamford Advocate. Let's hope that he is equally dismayed by the low state of journalism at those papers. He works in Manhattan, so let's hope that he takes a special interest in those two papers that are just a few minutes' drive from his office. |
MLN is powered by