The Self Made Eunuch

Glenn Reynolds in TCS Daily talks about the reason for the decline of newspapers. It’s worthwhile reading the whole thing. While Glenn lists a number of reasons for the decline in readership, let me get personal. There are two reasons that I no longer read the Virginian Pilot:

First, the stories it carries are already old by the time they reach my box in the morning. To get a comprehensive overview of the important events of yesterday and today, I turn on my computer and go to a few web sites that provide that service: Drudge, Instapundit, and Free Republic to name just three. There is literally nothing of importance that happens in this world that is not covered - or linked to - by a relatively few web sites.

Second, I really resent being insulted by people I pay. As Glenn says:

…I'd stop insulting readers. As Malone notes, many newspapers lean left; they're out of touch, as numerous surveys demonstrate, with the attitudes of most Americans. Often, like George Clooney (spokesman for another declining industry), they celebrate this disconnect. They shouldn't. People don't like being preached to, or manipulated, and they are increasingly unwilling to pay for that now that they have alternatives. So stop; give them the news, with as little bias as possible.

Now, while I do not read the Virginian Pilot for the news (my wife likes it for the discount coupons) I do glance at the editorial section. It’s the part that gives me insight into what Liberals are thinking.

As an example, I happened to notice that the editors of the Pilot are siding with censors. This should not really surprise me. After all, they supported the McCain-Feingold ban on public speech just prior to an election and have given numerous reasons for deciding that their customers should not view the famous 12 cartoons of Mohammed. They, along with virtually all other members of their dying breed, decided that discretion was the better part of valor. Who knows, there could be a few dedicated jihadis residing in Tidewater Virginia, and the next thing you know, CAIR could be picketing the Pilot offices and fatwas could be issued decreeing “Death to the Pilot Staff.”

I have to admit - as the man said who saw his mother-in-law go over a cliff in his brand new car (an old and terribly incorrect joke) - that would create mixed emotions.

But I digress. The Pilot favors censors because a Rabbi was going to refer to the Hamas terrorists as having “blood stained hands” in a prayer before a session of the Virginia Senate.

The Pilot editors objected because they considered referring to terrorist as having blood stained hands controversial! Well, yes, they admit that Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization (they noted that this was merely the opinion of the State Department ) and is responsible for “its share of violence,” (I suppose that Hitler was responsible for his share in World War 2) but … to say this is to be “inflammatory” and “divisive.”

Well, yes, I suppose if you are a terrorist or side with terrorists, you may not go along with the rabbi's description. But if you are a normal person, informed of any moral sense, calling cold stone killers bloody is not controversial.

There is something so wrong, so morally repugnant about the editorial attitude that it virtually defies classification. Has moral relativism has so invaded the shriveled souls of people who write these words that they now wish to withhold judgment on groups who regularly bomb civilian buses, stores and restaurants. Who proclaim their desire to finish what Hitler started?

It is rare that one witnesses self emasculation, leaving us with moral eunuchs, but the war we are in has provided us the opportunity to see more than one example. And this one happened right here in our home town.