Money Talks; So Does Extortion

I have a couple more thoughts on the latest brouhaha at PBS, regarding the moderate Muslim piece that they refuse to air, even though it cost $700,000 of taxpayer funds to create.

First, PBS is indicating that the documentary does not follow "journalism standards". What? PBS was the one that approved the creation of the piece. They would have known what the intended result of the piece was before they approved its production, and they have been in regular review with the producers about the content of the show.

Second, PBS shoved a piece of the documentary in front of representatives of the Nation of Islam, asking for their opinion. That's like asking the cat if I should leave the birdcage open when I leave the house. How's that for following "journalism standards?" On queue, Nation of Islam threatened litigation if the piece aired. Money talks; so does extortion. I get really frustrated when true news is quashed via threatened lawsuits and settlements out of court. It's all about the money, the loss of money, audience (i.e. money), and reputation (i.e. money).

Third, PBS won't air this piece for fear of offending portions of the Muslim population. Fox probably would. Why? Are their journalistic standards lower? No. Do they have chutzpah? Maybe. Do they understand the mantra of business, "Find a need, and fill it"? If you answered "yes", then you win first prize. The purpose of business is to turn a profit; the best way to do that is to offer a good or service that no one else does. And this is where liberals and the left-leaning media fall short. They refuse to recognize that news is not news, it is big business. It is an industry. It's goal is to turn a profit. Conservative shows do that very well, thank you very much. Why? Because some enterprising media moguls found a need and filled it. Fox followed the rules of the open market; CNN doesn't like it. Gee, I wonder why? Could it be because of lost market share?

So, while the word about situations like the PBS fiasco are only "outed" on conservative leaning websites and talk shows, libs complain about the veracity of Fox, blogs, and right leaning commentators. Unfortunately, the story of well-meaning, moderate Muslims is not told, but needs to be.

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In other news, did you hear the other morning that Massachusetts police shot and killed a pit bull that was fiercely attacking its owner? Word on the street is that the local dog community is planning a flash mob in front of the police station. After all, the dog didn't brandish a firearm at the policemen, and the dogs see no reason why their canine friend was shot.