IS IT STILL CENSORSHIP IF THEY VOLUNTEER GIDDILY?

Ever seen that photo of the earth at night, where the cities all glow–except for North Korea’s? They have electrical blackouts because they live under a system that includes news blackouts. To violate this blackout is to risk death or life in the camps, as our two journalists recently discovered.

But what’s our excuse?

There was a complete and total news blackout in the mainstream press about the raging Van Jones controversy. It smells of a de facto conspiracy. “We must avoid any harm to Leader…we will print something only when the White House gives us our talking points!”

Is it too much to ask for a column inch or two on Jones?

Here is a controversial czar, appointed without the Senate’s advice and consent. He was given $30 Billion borrowed with interest from the Chinese even though he’s never really run anything. He has a environmental portfolio in a time when the Secretary General claims the planet will spin off its axis if we don’t solve Global Warming by dinnertime. And he’s supposed to invent millions of new jobs when millions of Americans are unemployed. Did I mention he was given $30 Billion Dollars?

Sure, it’s not as important as the Paula Abdul “Who Will Fill the Fourth Chair at Idol?”-story; but, still…

Omission by Obama Omerta is just one more way modern journalists actually subtract from the sum of human knowledge.

Here’s another:

The New York Times:

Mark Steyn, a Canadian author and political commentator, speaking on the Rush Limbaugh show on Wednesday, accused Mr. Obama of trying to create a cult of personality, comparing him to Saddam Hussein and Kim Jong Il, the North Korean leader.

And The Las Vegas Sun:

The New York Times quoted Mark Steyn, filling in for conservative radio demagogue Rush Limbaugh, as saying Obama was trying to create a cult of personality like Saddam Hussein or North Korea’s Kim Jong Il.

Mark Steyn: “Quoted”, eh? Actually, if you read the Times piece – by two reporters, no less – the striking feature is that there’s no direct quote, is there? [...] For the record, here’s the only thing I actually said about Kim and Saddam on Wednesday’s Rush show:

Obviously we’re not talking about the cult of personality on the kind of Saddam Hussein/Kim Jong-Il scale.

The Times didn’t quote Steyn–it characterized his quote. Which is like letting me pick out Pinch Sulzberger’s birthday present; it will be a surprise, alright–but he’s not gonna like it.

The Times left the impression that Steyn was claiming giant murals of Obama are being hung on public buildings, when everybody knows most of them are in David Brooks’ bedroom. But such is journalism that even the word “quotes” has to put in “quotes” now.

FYI, that’s what “being taken out of context” looks like. Van Jones claims he was “taken out of context”, too–but that’s just something Democrats picked up from us, because their Pravda-pals have been taking us out of context forever.

If Jones said “I personally saw George Bush fly towards the Towers in the first aircraft, sipping a margarita made from human blood as he parachuted out at the last moment,” the COA-Media would claim it lacked context because it didn’t describe the little umbrellas in Bush’s drink. For the record, they were pink with white lace trim. Fetching, really.

Jonah Goldberg:

Oh and the conversation between Tom Brokaw and Tom Friedman about the lessons of Van Jones was a complete scandal. One of Friedman’s key take-aways from this whole affair is that too many people will self-censor themselves so they can get government jobs. What a tragedy that fewer people will support cop-killers and anti-American conspiracy groups because of poor Van Jones chilling effect on the culture.

Oh, and listening to Friedman and Brokaw disparage the internet as a useless news medium, makes them sound like cranky old monks lamenting that flash-in-the-pan printing press.

“Useless” Really? Gateway Pundit did the reporting that Friedman and Brokaw couldn’t be bothered with anymore and Glenn Beck drove it home. You remember “reporting”, don’t you, Tom? It’s the opposite of waiting to be spoon-fed press releases by the White House as if you were schoolkids waiting on Leader’s speech.

Speaking of, doesn’t asking millions of students to write a letter to themselves sound like a sneaky way to prop up a bankrupt Post Office? In any event, I know this for sure:

My fearless, independent watchdog press corps will never ask the question.

Uppity Update: The NYTimes says the problem is merely a process issue; czars should be vetted by the Senate. Nevermind that Obama aka “Mr. Transparency” specifically appoints czars in order to dodge scrutiny. The Times is therefore helping Obama dodge scrutiny for dodging scrutiny. Layers.

Tom Brokaw decries the “disinformation” on the “open sewer” internet–but fails to note NBC’s news blackout also constitues a kind of disinformation, too; its called “de-information”.

And speaking of open sewers, Brokaw’s MSNBC colleague Keith Olbermann is trolling those very sewers for personal information about Glenn Beck. Van Jones was criticized harshly, but for his public politics. When you’re through lecturing us, Tom, maybe you could go over to the set of ‘Meltdown’ and have a word with Cow College Keith the Sewer-Monger.

The Washington Post reported (finally!) that Beck went after Van Jones because of the Boycott–when in fact, the Boycott was started IN RESPONSE to Beck reporting on Jones! The Post assigns the malicious intent to the wrong party, in addition to being late to it.

A day late, a dollar short, upside down and inside out; another thoroughly disgraceful performance by the Usual Suspect Media.