James Taranto notes, and appropriately mocks Duncan Black’s (aka “Atrios”) asinine suggestion that a letter to the editor of the Washington Post constitutes a form of censorship. Black’s point… well, Black’s point is particularly facile, even by his standards, so I’ll just let him speak for himself:
It of course isn’t strictly censorship, but any time a member of the government complains in this way, behind a government podium or on official letterhead, it does indeed get closer to official censorship.
For the benefit of Brave Sir Duncan, and in the hopes that his clue bag won’t be quite so empty henceforth, here’s what actual censorship looks like:
Following last-minute cries of protest from Muslim leaders last week, a Public Broadcasting Service affiliate in Dallas canceled the premiere of a documentary on the roots of Islamic terrorism.
“The Roots of War: The Road to Peace” was scheduled to air on KERA-TV on Sunday, January 29, but the premiere was postponed by the station’s managers after a local Muslim group alleged that the program contains inaccuracies and anti-Muslim bias. The documentary’s producers, Niki and Dennis McCuistion, have defended their work; they have refused to make changes.
Try and note the difference, would you?
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