Monday, September 15, 2008

Bumbling Incompetence: New York Times Fails to Correct Sarah Obama's "Muslim Faith" Gaffe

The New York Times is not only dishonest when it comes to reporting the news, it is also totally inept when it comes to interviewing people.

When Barack Obama accidentally referred to his "Muslim faith" last Sunday on ABC's "This Week" program, the host, George Stephanopoulos quickly corrected him and said "you mean your Christian faith", rescuing Obama from a potential blunder that undoubtedly would have provided Internet rumor-mongers with additional fodder to paint the Democratic Presidential candidate as a Muslim.

Conversely, when Barack Obama's paternal grandmother, Sarah Obama, accidentally told the New York Times in an interview last year that she was Muslim, - “I am a strong believer of the Islamic faith,” she said - the Times failed to correct her gaffe.

However, like her grandson, Sarah Obama is, by her own admission, a Christian.

In an interview with USA Today in March of 2008, Sarah Obama, affirmed her belief in Christianity, while chiding those who suggest Barack Obama is a Muslim:

From the USA Today:
"Untruths are told that don't have anything to do with what Barack is about," Sarah Obama said. "I am very against it."

Obama's grandfather had converted to Islam... and taken the name Hussein, Sarah Obama said, but... "in the world of today, children have different religions from their parents," she said. She, too, is a Christian.
So while George Stephanopoulos acted with alacrity and promptly corrected Senator Obama's gaffe when he mistakenly referred to himself as a Muslim, the bumbling New York Times Times failed to correct Sarah Obama in her interview last year when she accidentally referred to herself as a Muslim.

Ultimately, the New York Times, by failing to correct Sarah Obama's inadvertent slip of the tongue, provided additional fodder for the Internet rumor-mongers to cast both her and Barack Obama as closet Muslims.

Such ineptness from a major media outlet is simply unacceptable - even from an incompetent and disreputable news outlet like the New York Times.

No comments: