News Outlets Split in Describing Mosque

Photo: AP/ Seth Wenig

News Outlets Split in Describing Mosque
By Michael Calderone

There is no mosque being built on the site of Ground Zero. It's a simple fact, but one that news consumers can be forgiven for missing.

In covering the growing controversy over the proposed Islamic community center in lower Manhattan, the national media, led by the big cable networks, have by default shaped the increasingly heated debate by repeatedly referring to the project as the "Ground Zero mosque." An MSNBC spokesman said that describing the project is a "show-by-show decision," while a CNN spokesperson said the network guides anchors in written copy to refer to the project as "an Islamic center that includes a mosque that is near Ground Zero, or is two blocks from Ground Zero." Of course, political pundits may stray from the network's phrasing and inaccurately describe the location of the planned building at the center of the furor.

But Phil Corbett, the New York Times' standards editor said, "Given how politically volatile this discussion has been, we think it's important to be accurate and precise," in explaining the paper's consistent references to the planned structure being two blocks from the Ground Zero site.

The "Park51" project, as it's officially dubbed, is in fact planned for a site two blocks from where the World Trade Center towers fell, amid other lower Manhattan establishments whose names have never featured the words "Ground Zero." If built, the 13-story community center and mosque project will be one of hundreds of buildings located within blocks of Ground Zero — a densely populated area that already includes a couple of mosques, along with less "hallowed" institutions, like strip clubs, bars and Off Track Betting operations.

But Park51 is getting all the attention downtown — and now, nationwide. President Obama affirmed the constitutional right to build a mosque on private property Friday, breathing new life into an already long-raging controversy. In covering Obama's recent remarks — and the past couple months of debate — the media's played a pivotal role in framing the issues at hand. Here's a rundown of how the media covered the debate as it took shape.



Location, location, location

News organizations make conscious decisions when they describe a construction work-in-progress as either located on the site of the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history or two blocks away. The New York Times — except for one blog headline — has consistently described the mosque in headlines as not being built at Ground Zero but "near" the site.

Corbett, who oversees the Times standards on such questions, told The Upshot that he hasn't issued any formal guidelines but has discussed that particular phrasing with editors.

"To call it the Ground Zero Mosque not only would give you the impression that it's on the site of the Trade Center," he continued, "but it might even give you the further impression that it's part of the rebuilding process to that site."

The Times appears to be in the minority, judging by headlines related to Obama's remarks.

Many news organizations ran headlines this past weekend describing a "Ground Zero mosque," including the Associated Press, Huffington Post, Washington Post, Fox News, New York Daily News, Politico, and AOL's Politics Daily site. (Yahoo! News, linking to an AP story on the remarks, similarly went with "Ground Zero mosque.")

Several other news organizations routinely place "Ground Zero" in quotation marks, which is more of shorthand way of describing the debate without pinpointing the location.

Still, shorthand also plays a significant part in how the media frames debates. Anyone who's picked up a newspaper or turned on cable news has likely heard about the "Ground Zero mosque" and the controversy surrounding it. It's perhaps the simplest way to jump into a story that's now lasted more than two months.

Beginning of the "Ground Zero mosque" narrative

Salon's Justin Elliot noted Monday that the "Ground Zero mosque" controversy started to take shape in early May, with conservative Pamela Geller, of the Atlas Shrugs blog, and the New York Post leading the charge. It was only after such opposition gained steam — and in the wake of an important local community board vote — that the words "Ground Zero mosque" started appearing in headlines of national publications.

The AP, for one, didn't refer to the project as the "Ground Zero mosque" until late May, according to a Lexis-Nexis search.

On May 6, the AP ran the following headline: "Plan for mosque near 9/11-damaged site." Up until May 24, AP headlines were always clear that the project isn't going to be built at Ground Zero. That day's headline: "Landmark status could stop mosque near ground zero."

But on May 25, the AP ran the following: "Groups to present NY ground zero mosque plans." And the next day: "NYC community board OKs ground zero mosque plans."

Since late May, the AP has described the projected in headlines as the "Ground Zero mosque" on numerous, but not all, occasions. Following the president's remarks, the AP ran this headline: "Obama supports 'the right' for ground zero mosque."

Chad Roedemeier, assistant chief of AP's New York bureau, told The Upshot in an email that "the slug" — a journalistic shorthand for what an article's about—"on the story has always been Ground Zero mosque, and it has appeared that way sometimes in headlines."

"But the proposed mosque is actually two blocks away from ground zero, and our stories have always said 'a planned mosque near ground zero,' " Roedemeier continued. "We never say 'a mosque at ground zero.' "

It's true that the AP's coverage of the debate is always clear, often in the lead sentence, that construction would be two blocks away. Roedemeier noted that the AP has used "ground zero mosque" twice in the body of a story, but only "when it was described that way by mosque opponents."

AP spokesman Paul Colford told The Upshot that AP "headlines are a telescoping or a shorthanding of a text and a story." Colford said he was also unaware of any official change in policy that would explain why AP stories before May 25 didn't refer to a "Ground Zero mosque" in headlines.

The 1,500-plus newspapers and websites that run AP copy can change the headlines as they see fit. But given that many newsrooms follow AP style, it's possible they'd also go with the news organization's own usage of "Ground Zero mosque" in headlines.

There goes the neighborhood?

The phrase "Ground Zero mosque" may not only create a perception that the project would built at Ground Zero, but also that there's a section of Manhattan by that name. Nate Silver, the blogger behind FiveThirtyEight.com, pointed out to headline writers this past weekend that Ground Zero is not a neighborhood.

Unlike Manhattan's Upper East Side or Soho, no New Yorker says they live in Ground Zero. Also, two blocks can be worlds apart in Manhattan's real estate market — particularly at the narrow lower tip of the island. In an earlier life as a New York real estate reporter, I've seen firsthand how building prices rise, or dip, considerably, depending on which side of a given street they're on — that's how small a New York neighborhood can be.

The Times' Corbett also pointed out that there are probably hundreds of buildings within a two-block radius of Ground Zero. The decision to shy away from dubbing one the "Ground Zero mosque," he said, is "really a question of being accurate."

"We all fall into these forms of shorthand sometimes, when you've written a story so many times," Corbett said. "Sometimes the shorthand can really confuse people or become inaccurate and we need to be wary about that."

The Upshot has reached out to Fox News to see if it has specific policies and will update when we hear back.


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Sorry, we're too busy arguing about a mosque.

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The Anti-Social Network

Who even started this bullshit claim?
Are churches therefore celebrations of the Crusades?

Racism on Facebook (and everywhere else, really) is making me want to throw up all over my keyboard lately. I finally suspended my account after enough racist comments about Muslims surfaced to make me lose all hope in humanity--or sanity.

There is an impermeable belief that Muslim = Terrorist. For everyone who has been under a fucking rock for the last 1000 years, this is actually FALSE. But the people writing this have never studied the culture they fear or spent more than a few days in an Arab country. They get their news from Glenn Beck, so what can you expect?

I tried to ignore the racist comments--especially if they were friends of friends--not my actual FB friends--but it's too much. The two final straws?

1. Man I just met at Lolla informed me I wouldn't be able to understand the tragedy of 9/11 because I don't live in NYC and didn't know anyone who died. That was completely insulting to ANYONE outside NYC and personally extremely disturbing. How fucking arrogant.

2. A casual horse friend commented on my post that building a mosque near ground zero was equal to putting up a facility for sex-offenders next to an elementary school. That one made me physically ill.

I have friends who believe as I do--obviously in the minority--but I can't even open the front page without seeing more hate, ignorance and misinformation. Just the Obama-bashing alone is so fucking tired. Do these people have nothing better to do that promote racism and hate?

Well, I do have better things to do than read about it. Maybe it will blow over--maybe it will blow up--but I have said my peace, and that is all I can do. I can't fix the fear of millions. I can understand it--but I can't understand why they don't recognize it and educate themselves about the true nature of Islam, which has NO CONNECTION to the men who destroyed the WTC. For that, we can look to our own CIA-trained ex-agent Osama bin Laden. Wonder where he learned his tricks? Ask Reagan. We taught bin Laden and armed him during Russia's occupation of Afghanistan. People have such short memories.

So I left FB--no big deal--and opened Yahoo. And found this article and picture.

On Facebook: Israeli soldier posed with bound Arab

You do the math.

Is there any hope for peace? It sure isn't looking good from where I stand.

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Freedom from Fear and Hate

Abandoned Burlington Coat Factory two blocks from ground zero,
proposed site for new mosque and multi-cultural center. (AFP--Timothy A. Clary)

I do not enjoy living in a world filled with hate, fear, and lazy ignorance. I hope to God Obama survives supporting freedom of religion, and I respect the hell out of him for finally standing up for something. Especially something that will get him killed by some motherfucking hillbilly.

Those terrorists were no more Muslim than Timothy McVeigh was Christian. Every true Muslim and rational Christian gets this.

Peace.

Please let me be wrong about his not surviving September. I cannot bear to lose any more hope in Americans. Read more!

No Hate means more than Prop 8

All pictures are of the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo, taken by me

I have been trying to stay out of this, but the media has latched onto this as the flavor of the month, and hate-filled words, fan pages, etc., are popping up all over Facebook, making me want to leave it altogether, or unfriend friends who simply have never met anyone from the Middle East or ever visited another country. These are my posts today regarding the building of a mosque at Ground Zero:

The proposed mosque at Ground Zero is is a place of worship, of forgiveness, and a place for people to come together and understand one another, run by a man well known for doing just that. Religion didn't destroy the WTC. Individuals filled with hate did. It is exceedingly dangerous to confuse the two. Hate and ignorance heal nothing. Those who worship, worship the same God. Those who kill worship only themselves.

People of all faiths and no faiths were killed on 9/11: Christians, Jews, Muslims, Agnostics and Atheists. This further shows that the murderers did not care about religion. ANY religion. Not any more than that crazy fuck in Waco did, or the sexually-deviant former leader of the polygamist sect of Mormonism.

Muslim Victims of September 11th Attack



If we give up on every other person of faith and replace compassion with hate, then the terrorist that the CIA trained, bin Laden, has succeeded far beyong his expectations. Don't give him any more victories. He wouldn't even exist if we had stayed out of Russia's invasion of Afghanistan. The US government gave him everything he needed to do what he did, followed his every move, and then acted completely surprised.

We have nothing to fear but fear itself.

Franklin D Roosevelt

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August 8, 2010. No Words

Except these: Click for full-screen image.

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Why my head is still spinning...

Chris Cornell at The Vic in Chicago 8/05

Photos by Stephanie Munoz, fellow rail warrior!

Couple from Lollapalooza after the break. Still on the rail, but further away, obviously.

Lolla...

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If a picture is worth a 1000 words

Nancy and Laurie on the rail, Arthur and Steph 2nd row.
Lollapalooza on Sunday, waiting for Soundgarden!!

Then consider this a 1000-word post. Back at work, trying to recover and eventually put words to the experience-- if that is possible. I've never felt to alive as I did these past 5 days. Love my Cornell/Soundgarden friends!!!



Wait for it... Read more!

Jude, the Good Pig

L to R: Sayid, Busy and Jude when they first came home from the Onalaska Humane Society

It has been a crazy two weeks around here, and even the animals have seemed a little off--or in Dickens' case, a lot off--but I did not expect to come home tonight and find that the Good Pig Jude, smaller of two brothers, had passed away from unknown causes during my absence. There were still a few dandelion leaves left in the pen from when I picked them over lunch.

So at a funeral attended by thousands (of mosquitoes) I buried Jude in the back yard next to his other brother, Sayid. I rolled the biggest rock I could find over there, rolling right over somebody else's damn pet's poop. Nice memorial. I was halfway there, though, and it was fucking heavy, so I cleaned it off with grass and laid it in its place. I'm sure we'll get plenty more rain to clean that off.

Now Busy is alone in the big pen and Pickles in his smaller condo. When I return from Chicago I can build a separator wall and put them both in the large one. Since they do not know each other and are unaltered males, they would most certainly fight if I tried to introduce them now. That's the last thing we need.

You were always a little guy, Jude, but you were a Good Pig, and you will be missed not only by your brother and me, but by your many human friends.

I buried you with more fresh dandelion leaves, since you didn't get a chance to finish the ones from earlier. I love you.


Jude and Busy waiting for their new home in Columbus.
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The Luckiest Slovenian

I've already e-mailed this photographer, Ross Halfin, to see if he'll be in Chicago next week. I hope to God he is. He is the best there is.

Mind Riot

I was slipping through the cracks of a stolen jewel
I was tightrope walking in two ton shoes
Now somebody is talking about a third world war
And the police said this was normal control
And the candle was burning yesterday
Like somebody's best friend died
And I've been caught in a mind riot
I was crying from my eye teeth and bleeding from my soul
And I sharpened my wits on a dead man's skull
I built an elevator from his bones
Had to climb to the top floor just to stamp out the coals
And the candle was burning yesterday
Like somebody's best friend died
And I've been caught in a mind riot
I'm tied within
I'm luck's last match struck
In the pouring down wind

****************************


Cornell at the Showbox with SG, April 16, 2010

Something funny happened on the way to work Friday. You could say it was a 72 hour commute, because that's how long it took to get there. Tuesday, July 27 was the day that Soundgarden World (SG's official website) announced that SG would be playing an intimate show at The Vic in Chicago on the Thursday preceding their Lollapalooza appearance on August 8, effectively turning the world of every SG/Chris Cornell fan upside-down. Nearly every Slovenian within hearing range was challenged to register for this private show, and I'm fairly certain each and every one of them did. (See previous post for excruciating details.)


Ginger Ale, whom, by the way, Slash finds adorable ;)

As Friday morning approached in 2-3 hour increments (my pit bull got diarrhea--even she couldn't handle the pressure) my anxiety climbed higher and higher. I had some serious sleep meds on board, and while they did make it a little hard to navigate my tall and narrow stairs with a 75 lb dog trying to get out the front door in time, they certainly weren't keeping me asleep. All I could think about was 10 a.m.

I could have clocked in around 3 a.m., but I waited until my usual Friday time of 9 a.m. I had windows open all over my computer by then: Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, and Soundgarden World forums. Every fan with a working outlet was plugged into this event.

And so we waited. I must have gotten a dozen messages spread over all the media forms asking "Did you hear yet?" as if the first thing I wouldn't do was post it in every fucking place I could find.

We didn't hear until after 11 a.m., if I remember clearly (and I don't). Someone on SGW posted that they had just won. I immediately refreshed my e-mail and found myself looking at a message from SGW:

Dear Soundgarden Winner,

Yesssss!!! You have successfully won the drawing for a chance to purchase a pair of tickets to Soundgarden's show at the Vic Theatre on Thursday, August 5th. Please read and follow the steps below to make your ticket purchase: fine print, blah, blah, blur...

FUCK.

Checked FB to see if any friends had won. Quiet.
Checked Twitter to see if any friends had won. Quiet.
Checked SGW again--still just one, someone I didn't know.

How long was I supposed to wait to announce what might not be happening for my friends?

Then one of them saw the SGW winner and asked if ANYONE had heard anything, positive or negative. I was in shock--what if this was a mistake? Why was I the only one getting good (or any) news? I began to dread coming clean.

After a solid 5 minutes of reading and re-reading my message, I was pretty convinced it was indeed the Golden Ticket in the last Wonka Bar. I had to say it. So I said it--I even all-capped it. If you're going to win, win big.

Facebook: I FUCKING WON!!!
Twitter: I FUCKING WON!!!
E-mail: I FUCKING WON!!!

And the posts, tweets and e-mails starting pouring in. Needless to say, right about this time was when work started getting busy, so I was juggling insane joy, pressing guilt and a full on Mind Riot as I struggled to take orders without my voice breaking, or without shouting to whomever was on the other end: I FUCKING WON!!!

The e-mails brought it home. Two or three more winners popped up in the SGW forum, but no one in our circle. I began to feel sick. I faked my way through one more call and turned the ringer off. I let the tears flow--happy mixed with sad, denial mixed with acceptance. I was the one. I was the only one. It wasn't supposed to happen that way.

I rushed to Twitter and started abusing my privileges with Cornell and Toni, his mother-in-law. There must be a mistake, I typed, Laurie and Steph didn't get a message. What happened? I asked. Don't you know them as well as your own crew? How could this happen? And finally, I remembered to thank them.

I went back to SGW and there was the death knell:

All of the winners have been notified. Thank you to everyone for entering.

I posted this, and felt a quiet fall over Cyberspace. I felt everyone fall away until I was standing in a cloud of black with nothing all around me. I felt completely alone. A party of one is no party at all. If it wasn't for my sister texting me her exuberance, I felt more like I had just been kicked off the island than voted in. Solemnly, shaking, I clicked on the magic link, entered my password, and purchased two tickets for $100--for a million dollar show.

Thankfully, work ends early for me Fridays, and I had an excuse to get out of my office, away from the computer and all the disappointment I was reading in the silence there.

I am still adjusting to this new role as The Vic Spokesperson for our large group. I was instructed to videotape, photograph and write down EVERYTHING. I started to get a little worried. I can't even remember setlists once I'm leaving a venue. With good luck came tremendous responsibility--to transmit everyone's joy at the SG reunion, and to remember every single detail to share it with them afterwards.

Today I took steps to make sure I don't let them down. I found another winner, a videographer based in LA, and sent an e-mail asking if he'd be handling that part. I e-mailed famous rock photographer Ross Halfin to see if he would be there--as he had been at so many pivotal shows for them and for other enormous bands. I bought a small black notebook to write down songs and comments as they happened during the show, and immediately pictured myself dropping the damn thing just out of reach over the rail, unable to regain it until it the show was over and my brain was fried. I can picture myself now with a string tied to my shorts so I don't lose my notebook. Whatever works. I am willing to do whatever it takes to bring what I experience inside the walls of the Vic outside to my waiting friends. And I'm so thankful they'll still be waiting for me.

We have a fantastic Sunday ahead of us!!


Kim Thayil and Chris Cornell at the Showbox April 16 in Seattle

I am one lucky Slovenian.

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