CNN Reporter Throws Softballs Hardballs At Ground Zero Victory Mosque Developer

Some good questions.

FEYERICK (on-camera): Why not have a prayer space for Buddhists or Jews or Christians or- why must it be Muslim? It can't just be a business decision.

EL-GAMEL: There are Jewish community centers all over the country. There are Y-

FEYERICK: But the Jews didn't take down two towers.

EL-GAMEL: There are YMCA's all over the country-

FEYERICK: But the Christians didn't take down two towers.

EL-GAMEL: And this is- and this is a need that exists.

FEYERICK: For those who are so- still sensitive and so raw to this, their question- their overriding question is, why here? Why so close? It's two blocks, but it was close enough that landing gear ended up on the roof. Why?

EL-GAMEL: There is a need. It's supply and demand. The community wants it. The politicians are supporting it.

...

FEYERICK (on-camera): Coming out of that hearing, somebody said, 'The Japanese would never have dared to build on Pearl Harbor.' What makes this different?

EL-GAMEL: If you were at that hearing the way that I was at that hearing, you come out understanding that there is a great need for dialogue now.

One trick the media does is to ask the "hard questions," but without challenge or follow-up -- basically inviting the subject, then, to make his best rebuttal to his critics. And the media pats itself on the back for these softballs disguised as "hard questions."

I don't know if that's what this reporter is doing here, though. The interview is cut up into snippets so we don't know how she pushed him on these things.

posted by Ace at 05:53 PM

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