Media Political Correctness
by Frank Salvato

Why would a major media outlet like CBS/Infinity Radio refuse to allow a non-partisan, private sector group to advertise an educational symposium on terrorism? I can give you their explanation--as unbelievable as it is – but first a bit of background.

Jeff Epstein, a friend I met during the 2004 election cycle, has an organization titled, The People’s Truth Forum. Its goal is, “to educate the American people on controversial topics of national security….by disseminating critical information that is not readily available, via conventional channels, to concerned citizens.”

Currently, his organization is sponsoring a symposium titled, The Radical Islamic Threat to World Peace and National Security. Given the events of the last several weeks in London and around the world since 9/11 this seems like a timely and necessary educational opportunity. At least one would think so.

He put together a knowledgeable group of speakers so I agreed to help. Harvey Kushner, a noted terrorism expert, has instructed FBI and FAA personnel. Robert Spencer has written several books on the subject of Islamic terrorism and publishes the popular website JihadWatch. Laura Mansfield, an author and counter-terrorism expert, alerted British authorities that the first bombings in London were imminent weeks before they occurred. Brigitte Gabriel is a Lebanese born journalist who has experienced the terrorism of Islamo-fascists first hand. By all accounts, these people know what they are talking about and bring a very important message--and an incredible amount of knowledge--to this public forum.

So, you can imagine my surprise when Jeff contacted me. He had been talking to a local radio station in New England--a CBS/Infinity Radio affiliate—to run some commercials publicizing the upcoming event. At first everything was wonderful. The local sales manager even complimented Jeff on how professional the ad recordings were. A sales schedule (agreement) was sent to Jeff for his approval and the commercials appeared set to run.

One day later, Jeff received a phone call from the sales manager saying that his station would not be running the ads for the symposium and that their agreement would not be honored. When the sales manager was pressed for a reason he said that the Legal Department at CBS/Infinity Radio had instructed him not to run the ads stating, "Too many people might be emotionally affected by the subject matter…It's too controversial to be aired at this time."

What? Emotionally affected? Too controversial? Why wasn’t it too controversial to run innuendo-based “news” items about Quran desecration at Guantanamo Bay? Why isn’t the opportunistic coverage of innocents being beheaded too “emotionally affected by the subject matter?” How controversial was forging a memo in an attempt to topple a sitting president?

CBS/Infinity is no stranger to controversy. In fact, it thrives on it. Given the fact that until recently its most valuable radio personality was Howard Stern I seriously doubt they give a rodent’s behind about the effects their programming has on the “emotions” of their listeners.

They didn’t mind covering Abu Ghraib ad nauseum but allowing advertising to promote knowledge on a topic that pertains directly to the safety and security of an entire nation is, “too controversial to be aired at this time.”

If this were a propaganda-fest featuring a panel of MoveOn.org endorsed rumor-mongers CBS/Infinity would likely smile upon the suggestion of coordinating a simulcast as a “public service” to their listeners. But it’s not. Instead, a panel of experts has been assembled to address a most serious issue facing the American people and CBS/Infinity is so blinded by their political correctness that they once again do a disservice to the American public.

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