Over the weekend, The Salt Lake Tribune ran what they’re calling a “reader commentary” on Glenn Beck’s “Independence Through History” exhibition. The op-ed’s author, self-described “art historian and educator” Alexandra Karl, took issue with the fact that the exhibit included Nazi memorabilia. How dare Beck use symbols of oppression to remind us of the sacredness of liberty!
From Karl’s piece, subtly titled “Commentary: Glenn Beck’s Nazi Exhibit” (gee, what could she and the Tribune mean by that?):
To be sure, the above grievances do not characterize a “typical” neo-Nazi. Beck is not a skinhead who desecrates Jewish gravestones. Moreover, harboring such material and disseminating it to such a lackadaisical audience is within Beck’s constitutional rights.
Still, it reveals more about tea party sensibilities and Beck’s personal values than I dared thought possible.
So not only do items in Beck’s exhibit reveal his latent Nazi sympathies, but they are also a wider indictment of “Tea Party sensibilities.”
The Tribune, for its part, tried to defend itself from criticism:
@WorldOfStu Opinion editor Vern Anderson evaluates all reader submissions.
— The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) July 30, 2013
Oh yeah? Well he’s not very good at his job.
@MichaelSadick Commentary addressed a display that writer felt was in poor taste, and wondered about implications.
— The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) July 30, 2013
@April_MG We have corrected factual errors. The rest is opinion.
— The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) July 30, 2013
The piece’s “factual errors” included the name of the venue where the exhibit was held.
https://twitter.com/WorldOfStu/status/362320706228338688
As for “the rest” being opinion, opinion is no substitute for evidence if you’re trying to play the Nazi card.
Recommended
@KidFromThe60s no, tea party sensibilities and personal values.
— The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) July 30, 2013
@KidFromThe60s @glennbeck You'll have to ask Alexandra Karl. Thanks.
— The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) July 30, 2013
Shorter Salt Lake Tribune: Libel? Not our problem.
Beck’s executive producer Stu Burguiere wasn’t having any of it:
https://twitter.com/WorldOfStu/status/362267985920012291
https://twitter.com/WorldOfStu/status/362302841076973568
https://twitter.com/WorldOfStu/status/362406214656720899
We think the latter seems much more plausible.
Claudia Bogumil, who was at the exhibition, penned an opinion piece of her own.
https://twitter.com/cbogumil/status/362604820957368320
It’s worth noting that the Tribune’s opinion editor saw fit to change the title of Bogumil’s piece — to “Letter: Uninformed Opinion.” Bias? What bias?
https://twitter.com/cbogumil/status/362624755867713537
Here’s Bogumil’s rebuttal to the newspaper and to Karl:
Her lack of knowledge about what Beck stands for discredits her opinion. Museum tours were sold out and more tours added. What Karl describes as apathy on the faces of museum-goers was, in reality, somber amazement at the true history presented by Beck through his passionate, thoughtful collection of historical artifacts that remind us of positive and negative historical outcomes. Macabre as it may be, a few drops of Hitler’s blood reminds us to never repeat the tragedy of the Holocaust.
I dare to suggest that perhaps Karl is a liberal cultist due to her inability to understand Beck’s goal of exposing current tendencies in American politics and around the globe to repeat tragic history (Nazis, KKK, etc.). To tie the tea party ideology to Beck is to say that they stand for individual liberty, honor and courage — respectable concepts that lead to love of fellow man and justice for all.
Boom! We couldn’t’ve said it better ourselves.
The Tribune’s social media handlers don’t appear to care much for being called out on B.S.:
@paisleyswift13 @glennbeck @theblaze There's been a heavy volume of tweets to respond to. And we tweet when we can. Thus, the short replies.
— The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) July 31, 2013
Too bad. If they’re looking for sympathy, they won’t find it here:
@sltrib You should at least retract Alexandra Karl's hit piece on @glennbeck Not only is it full of inaccuracies, but it's slanderous.
— Michael Sadick (@MichaelSadick) July 30, 2013
@sltrib So if one of your readers submitted a letter calling Obama a Nazi and rehashing the Birther claims, you'd publish that too, right?
— Michael Sadick (@MichaelSadick) July 30, 2013
@sltrib So that means publishing a piece where she got 90% of the facts wrong and called someone a Nazi sympathizer?
— Michael Sadick (@MichaelSadick) July 30, 2013
@sltrib Are you kidding me? She got the VENUE wrong even! I hope @glennbeck sues you for publishing lies and slander about him.
— Michael Sadick (@MichaelSadick) July 30, 2013
@sltrib But YOU published it. Take some responsibility for your actions.
— Michael Sadick (@MichaelSadick) July 30, 2013
A journalistic outlet taking responsibility for its content. There’s an idea!
https://twitter.com/OhioCoastie/status/362638409644261378
@JonathanLKrohn @sltrib A TRIB editor made decision to post something wildly false. No getting around that.
— Dan Andros (@DanAndros) July 31, 2013
@sltrib @moodyredhead did it ever occur to you that it might have been a good idea to do that BEFORE you published it?
— Meredith (@losthousewife) July 31, 2013
Ouch!
.@sltrib if a "reader commentary" slandered a lib as a Pol Pot sympathizer, you'd never run it in a million years @RyanWrecker
— Mark C, austere BBQ scholar ?? (@UntraceableMC) July 31, 2013
@sltrib shameful that you would print such a piece that obviously wasn't journalistic, it was an agenda to smear beck. @jstephans5
— Kris Johnson (@double0kris) July 31, 2013
@sltrib I haven't researched but curious how many hatchet jobs on liberals your paper has published?
— Gail (@Tavish1111) July 31, 2013
Good question!
Twitchy CEO Michelle Malkin was also at the exhibit, and she tore into the Tribune for signing off on blatant defamation:
.@sltrib I had the privilege of seeing @glennbeck 's Independence Through History museum with my family & many others…
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) July 31, 2013
.@sltrib @glennbeck 's amazing collection was an impassioned warning/protest against tyranny, collectivism, dictatorship & racism.
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) July 31, 2013
.@sltrib You are guilty of journalistic malpractice for allowing this libel against @glennbeck to stand. Shame. pic.twitter.com/M4yhaKVg1f
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) July 31, 2013
@sltrib @jstephans5 Who wrote the headline? Who published the headline? pic.twitter.com/PpzwBhpvQz
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) July 31, 2013
@sltrib @jstephans5 It's not what's before the colon that's a problem. It's what's AFTER it. Pure smear. Pure libel.
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) July 31, 2013
Exactly.
==>MT @jason_howerton The @sltrib op "editor" who approved defamatory piece on @glennbeck is at [email protected] or 801-257-8742
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) July 31, 2013
Journalistic malpractice. RT @sltrib @michellemalkin The exhibit includes Nazi memorabilia. The headline is not inaccurate. @jstephans5
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) July 31, 2013
@sltrib @jstephans5 Headline AND op-ed both falsely insinuate that @glennbeck is a "sympathizer rather than a critic" of Nazi doctrine.
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) July 31, 2013
.@sltrib @jstephans5 Accurate headline would have been "@glennbeck 's ANTI-Nazi Exibit." I was actually at the museum. Was the oped writer?
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) July 31, 2013
FYI, I just submitted an op-ed to @sltrib on my family's 1sthand experience at @glennbeck 's ANTI-Nazi Independence Through History museum.
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) July 31, 2013
Will editor Vern Anderson see fit to publish Malkin’s piece? Time will tell.
In the meantime, it’s safe to say that The Salt Lake Tribune isn’t in too big a rush to shake its reputation as a hack outfit:
@michellemalkin @sltrib And on top of the smear/libel they are trying to score an interview with @glennbeck about it https://t.co/8SjDVAVaYB
— J.B. Harris (@JosephHarris81) July 31, 2013
@glennbeck Are you willing to speak with one of our reporters about the response to a recent op-ed about you in The Salt Lake Tribune?
— The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) July 31, 2013
Shameless.
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