Thursday, September 9, 2010

A fringe figure takes center stage


The New York Times "Room for Debate" column recently posed an interesting question: When does a fringe figure deserve the media spotlight?

The case in point is Gainesville, FL preacher Terry Jones who had planned to hold a ceremony involving the burning of Korans as a 09/11 protest.

Did the media take notice only because esteemed figures such as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama, among others including Sarah Palin, made a point to condemn the planned event? If the media would have ignored the story, would the high level of anti-Islamic sentiment and outright religious persecution that Muslims in America face today been brought to light in such a way?

As the Times asks: How should the news media have responded to this event?

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