Activist Historian Howard Zinn's Obit Causes a Firestorm (NPR Ombudsman)

[Canuckistanian]

There's a taboo not to speak ill of the dead. Or if you are going to, then at least be nuanced and even-handed about it.

And that's what hundreds said about a Jan. 28 remembrance of Howard Zinn, the activist historian who died Jan. 27.

~snip

The four-minute piece by Allison Keyes quoted three sources: two who praised Zinn and one, David Horowitz, who was harshly critical. It was the commentary by Horowitz that led Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), a left-leaning media watchdog group, to initiate a campaign that resulted in over 1,600 emails, over 100 phone calls and 108 comments on npr.org. Others complained on air.

Horowitz, 71, is a former leftist radical who morphed into a right-wing author and commentator in the early 1980s. He is also founder of Students for Academic Freedom, a national watchdog group that promotes tolerance of conservatives on college campuses.

Not surprisingly, he was no fan of Zinn's.

http://www.npr.org/ombudsman/2010/02/howard_zinns_obit.html

No kidding. I wrote a message to the Ombudsman with the title "Horowitz on Howards Zinn's death? Are you serious?"
This editorial was prompted by "hundreds" of similar messages like mine.

Well, at least they're paying attention.

[EFerrari]

1. I sent one, too, "Racist crackpot on the death of Prof. Zinn? A new low for NPR".

I think they got the message. :toast:

/oops

[Canuckistanian]

4. Cheers!

:toast:

[TomClash]

2. The AP obit was hardly more flattering

The NYT ran it and then had to do another.

[EFerrari]

5. Even the best "mainstream" outlets are thoroughly trashed. n/t

[TomClash]

9. You bet

They maimed Zinn with an old Schlesinger quote.

[Ken Burch]

3. Using Horowitz in a radio obit of Howard Zinn

Is like using "Axis Sally" or "Lord Haw Haw" in a rememberance of Anne Frank.

[Orsino]

29. ...is like using Horowitz for pretty much anything.

Unhelpful and certain to be offensive.

[rgbecker]

6. Just ordered a copy of Zinn's book....I thought I was through reading

history by 1974, but now I've got to find out what really happened. Thank God my kids got a little bit more of the real story during their schooling than I did.

[EFerrari]

12. You're in for a rare treat. His wit and humor translate perfectly

into prose. :hi:

[eppur_se_muova]

14. It shows up at Barnes&Noble a lot, on their Buy 2/Get 1 Free table.

I finally bought a copy -- I figured if I put it off any more I was never going to read it, so I started reading it.

[EFerrari]

17. I went to get my copy out and it was gone. This is like the 3rd copy

that's gone missing. So, thanks for the tip.

[G_j]

7. I wrote also, as did a number of people here

thanks everyone!

[EFerrari]

8. There must have been THOUSANDS of them because I didn't even get a reply

until a couple of days ago. Good going, everybody!

[G_j]

15. it's never a waste of time to speak up, I'm so glad people did it for Howard

It's not a small matter.
it's about the life of a greatly loved human being who contributed generously to his fellow humans because he loved them.
He was a kind and loving person, who used his remarkable intellect as a vehicle for his great compassion.
In no sense does he deserve contempt from anyone, even if they don't agree with him.


from the piece:

"Obviously the deceased has no ability to refute or discuss or explain the accusation," said Carolyn Gilbert, founder of the International Association of Obituarists. "To pick a fight in the obit is not in the guidelines. It is a little too over the top and begins to open doors that shouldn't be open in an obituary."

[EFerrari]

16. I love Howard Zinn as if he was family. For them to insert that obscene waste of space

into his passing upset me more than I thought possible. That man is not a scholar, he is a hate filled propagandist.

[G_j]

30. notice how Horowitz condemns Zinn for influencing YOU & I and contributing to

who we are today. We have strayed onto an evil path, and wasted our lives.
:shrug:

[Synnical]

10. I recall hearing that on NPR and was just appalled by Horrorwits comment

"There is absolutely nothing in Howard Zinn's intellectual output that is worthy of any kind of respect," Horowitz declared in the NPR story. "Zinn represents a fringe mentality which has unfortunately seduced millions of people at this point in time. So he did certainly alter the consciousness of millions of younger people for the worse."

However, I wasn't shocked that NPR aired it. They've been airing more and more right wing commentary.

Thanks so much for taking the time to write to them! :-)

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

Edit: missed a word, typed to fast!

[Canuckistanian]

11. Thanks

This crap has got to stop.

[Peace Patriot]

13. This is the corpo-fascist 'news' monopolies' idea of "balance"--rightwing nutballs.

National Puke Radio is just following their lead--where they promulgate the views of 2% of the population, the "tea baggers," balance that with the views of 5% of the population (the very richest) and completely and totally ignore everybody in between, most of whom are poor, getting poor, slipping from middle to lower middle class, and quite progressive in their views.

Billionaires and "tea baggers"--that's their portrait of America, and that is who they serve--7% of the population. The copycats at NPR, who are supposed to serve us all, just fall in line.

David Horowitz, for chrissake! Have they no shame?

[Orrex]

18. It's not even the fact that they used Horowitz that's so bad

It's that they had (IIRC) three Conservative acolytes practically fellating the still-warm corpse of William F. Buckley, but that's okay because it's fair and balanced. But god forbid they say something nice about an iconic liberal figure.

Horowitz is a disgusting, evil fucker.

[sendero]

19. STOP SENDING MONEY..

.... to your NPR affiliate. They have been co-opted by the wingnuts.

[RoccoR5955]

20. I was one of those "hundreds" of angry e-mails too.

I heard it on ATC, after my local affiliate ran an interview that they did with him a couple of years ago. Last week, during their fund drive, one of the premiums was a different interview with Dr. Zinn, and the president/CEO of the station. I called in and told them that they do us proud, and do Dr. Zinn proud. A lot better than the "mothership."

NPR may be paying attention, but I doubt that, with the current leadership, they will change much. It will have to be up to the local affiliates to do that, just like it is in our country.

[bertman]

21. I'm glad I didn't hear that shit while I was driving. I would probably have ripped the steering

wheel out of the column.

They did some other similar crap a few days ago, but I can't remember what it was now. I stopped giving to them because their "corporate lean" has become a full-blown corporate line.

Rec.

[gratuitous]

22. So, how will NPR un-ring the bell?

They've already shit the bed with Horowitz' odious comments, and Howard Zinn can't die twice. How will NPR fix this?

[LearnedHand]

23. This doesn't unring shit, but they did apologize

I'm pretty sick of their race to the right. And I'm a LONG-TIME listener and supporter. They are effectively driving me right out the door.

[RainDog]

24. Horowitz is not respected. why should he comment?

very few people who know of Horowitz think he has anything worthwhile to say. yet, he is trotted out like a circus freak of "dissent" simply because he is allied with a failed political group (the neocons, Cheney at the helm, little Billy Kristol trying to thrust Sarah Palin on the slobbering masses... sloppy Leo Strauss-style hatred of those they claim to represent...isn't that old?)

anyway, I heard this report also on the FAIR show and could not believe that NPR acted in such a reprehensible manner.

I'm glad others phoned and emailed. I meant to. now I will.

[MinM]

25. NPR Ombudsman: NPR should have more people like Glenn Beck

http://www.npr.org/ombudsman/2009/11/glenn_beck_and_me.html

This was no accident. It's now the standard modus operandi at NPR. :radio:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7596721&mesg_id=7600035

[Posteritatis]

26. I imagine Zinn would like hearing that he left a big argument in his wake

Getting people talking/writing/etc, in any case. Historians like hearing about retrospectives on departed members' work, and getting the public fired (or ired) up is certainly a bonus.

A whole lot of people are talking a whole lot more about Zinn's work - its qualities, its flaws, its effects, its friends, its enemies, and so on and so forth - since his death. I can't help but think he'd like launching a conversation like that on the way out.

[RainDog]

27. People's History of the United States was a best seller this week

...listed on the NYTimes best seller list, whose publicity tends to generate more sales.

If NPR wanted to have someone come on and trash someone when broadcasting their obit, they should have chosen someone who isn't considered a mouthpiece for the neocons. They have been entirely discredited over the 8 years of Bush and yet NPR trots out this stale bullshit from them?

NPR has discredited themselves.

The right wing has been trying to move NPR to represent their pov since at least 2005. This is one example of their influence and it demeans NPR. The right wingers don't care that they are discrediting NPR, since they hate public radio anyway. NPR makes themselves look like tools of the right wing by their action, which hurts their funding.

it's amazing that the U.S. has people in influential positions in non-profit organizations that they publicly hate and profess they want to destroy, but they do.

[superduperfarleft]

28. "a national watchdog group that promotes tolerance of conservatives on college campuses."

What a steaming load of bullshit. Horowitz doesn't want tolerance for conservatives, he wants any views that are to the left of Stalin silenced and those that espouse them fired. It's like saying that McCarthy wasn't engaged in anti-communist witchhunt, he just wanted "tolerance" for the views of those who were opposed to communism.

I said it then, I'll say it again. Fuck NPR. This CYA story certainly doesn't do much to change my opinion of them.

[leveymg]

31. Howard would be delighted that even in death he's creating controversy.

Political controversy is healthy. Consensus and decorum for its own sake isn't.

[freddie mertz]

32. You might have thought the pandering to fascist opinion on NPR would have ticked back a bit...

After the election.

But no, we got this insult (imagine them doing this to someone like Bill Buckley--would never happen).

And it's not just this case.

Right wing spin is all over NPR's Morning Edition, where Steve Innskeep is a reliable purveyor of this poop every weekday.