‘Wash Post’ Cuts Ties to Pentagon Event After Protests
The Washington Post announced tonight that it will cease its co-sponsorship of the Pentagon-organized Freedom Walk next month. The paper’s involvement had drawn heat from within and outside the paper, with a guild committee today calling for the link to end.
The newspaper told the Department of Defense that it was pulling back on its offer of free ads for the event–a march up the mall ending with a concert by pro-war country singer Clint Black.
“As it appears that this event could become politicized, The Post has decided to honor the Washington area victims of 9/11 by making a contribution directly to the Pentagon Memorial Fund,” said Eric Grant, a Post spokesman. “It is The Post’s practice to avoid activities that might lead readers to question the objectivity of The Post’s news coverage.”
E&P was first to report on the internal dissent at the paper on Friday.
The Pentagon expressed disappointment with the decision. It has called the event a memorial to 9/11 victims and a salute to our troops.
Good for the Wash Post for pulling out of this bullshit event. If the Pentagon wants to promote its war efforts with a “freedom Rally”, I suppose we can’t really stop them, but there’s no point in supporting this nationalist bullshit.
If the Pentagon really wanted to support our troops, they would take the cost of this event and use it to BUY SOME ARMOR FOR THE TROOPS. Politicizing this war to save face is just inane.
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