from lucianne http://www.nypost.com/commentary/32771.htm

CHANNEL 12'S OLD GLORY BAN AN OUTRAGE By STEVE DUNLEAVY

September 21, 2001 -- I SUPPOSE every family has to have one - a 24-carat idiot who can't find his derriere with his hands. What was this man, Pat Dolan, the news director of Channel 12 on Long Island, thinking?

He has barred any open display of Old Glory on the air - even television anchors wearing ribbons of patriotism.

Financier Keith Fogerty of Westchester heard this and glowed like Chernobyl.

"I just find this to be an outrage," he said yesterday in Manhattan. "I immediately canceled my subscription to Cablevision, which owns Channel 12.

"I'm telling everyone I talk to to do the same. This clown is virtually saying he is striking a balance between Americans and the terrorists who killed Americans.

"It's a message that says when war breaks out, he doesn't want to look like he is endorsing the administration's action.

"He is saying there is no distinction between Americans and terrorists."

The sand hit the fan when Dolan issued a memo which stated, in part: "Our office is a news room . . . we have to avoid the impression we are leaning one way or the other."

He must not have had much to do the day the memo was circulated.

Suddenly, Cablevision went into reverse faster than Lizzie Grubman.

First, Deborah Gosselin, director of marketing, circulated a fax "clarifying" Dolan's stance.

"We love and respect the American flag and all it stands for . . . But the flag is also a powerful symbol that must be used wisely . . . We don't want anyone to get the false impression that our patriotic emotions cloud our reporting of the truth," she quoted Dolan as saying.

Dolan apologized for any pain the on-air flag ban has caused.

Then his younger brother, James Dolan, president and chief executive officer of Cablevision, started rowing backward in a statement issued by spokesman Charles Schueler.

James Dolan said: "As we see today, occasional disagreements with corporate can be a hallmark of an independent news organization.

"For our own part, Cablevision supports the use of the flag both by the company and its employees to show support for everyone affected by last week's tragedy and we are distributing flags to each of our 24,000 employees."

After issuing the statement, Schueler called me and said: "Cablevision has a corporate position on this and Pat Dolan has a position on this."

Too late, Jimmy boy, to clean up after your brother's public-relations Bay of Pigs.

Schueler said the on-air flag ban is still in effect, but added: "We would like to point out that ABC has the same policy."

Well, they are numskulls, too.

This is the sort of political-journalistic correctness you would expect from Dan Rather, who ignored the Chandra Levy tragedy because it was just another missing-person story.

By the same token, it's a wonder he's reporting on Afghanistan since it's yet another story about a missing person - Osama bin Laden.

Sometimes, my colleagues make me want to throw up.

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

Answers

You know, that's one of the most wonderful things about the freedom we enjoy here in AMERICA. It enables people to make the free choice to be a complete idiot, if they are so inclined. When that happens, it makes it so much easier for me to know who to stay away from and who not to give my money to. Wish it were always that easy.

Maybe this guy in a round-about, convoluted way did everyone a favor by making the decision that he did. He just graphically illustrated to many people just what sort of ass he is; some folks have problems figuring those things out for themselves. There is NO doubt, now.

Heh. Talk about a "Public Service Announcement". [snort]

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

Well, as far as ABC goes, they have a stupid Canadian as an anchor.

'nuff said'

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001