NO ONE CAN BE TOO RIGHT WING FOR CABLE NEWS…. | The Washington Monthly
So, what’s Geller up to lately? She’s apparently keeping busy on cable news.
Numerous mainstream media outlets have recently hosted right-wing “Atlas Shrugs” blogger Pamela Geller to discuss the controversy surrounding a proposed Islamic community center set to be built blocks away from Ground Zero. However, Geller’s history of outrageous, inflammatory and false claims, particularly when it comes to issues related to Islam, demonstrate that she cannot be expected to make accurate statements and should not be rewarded with a platform on national television.
Fox News isn’t the only culprit here. MSNBC invited Geller on earlier today, as did CNN. NBC Nightly News had her on yesterday, which followed some Fox News appearances in May.
Just to be perfectly clear, Geller has the right to use as much hateful rhetoric as she wants; it’s a free country. I might find every word on the “Atlas Shrugs” blog deeply offensive, but if I don’t like it, I don’t have to read it — she’s free to publish whatever she finds noteworthy.
But for major American media outlets to present her to the public as a credible voice, with something worthwhile to contribute to the public discourse, is a mistake. Media Matters put together some of her greatest hits — she’s called Obama “President Jihad,” out to “appease his Islamic overlords” — and the over-the-top vitriol is enough to make even a House Republican blush.
Read the whole thing. Benen hits a homer.