Michael Savage

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it unbelievable that the mainstream media has completely ignored one of the biggest news stories of 2009?

In May of this year, Michael Savage, host of the third most listened to talk show in America, was put on a list of persons banned from entering the United Kingdom- a supposedly free nation. His name was placed on the same list with murderers and terrorists by the former UK Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, who has since resigned over several political scandals.

His crime? Speaking his political opinion.

That’s right. The British government says that if Savage were to enter their country, he could promote “inter-community tension.” Really? Savage has never advocated violence of any kind. In fact, if the things that the Brits accuse Savage of were actually true, he would have long ago been taken off the air here in America.

Now, you would think that members of the media- regardless of their politics, would be more than happy to come to the aid of one of their own. You would think that they would be smart enough to realize that while it is Savage’s opinion that is unpopular today, it could very well be their own opinion that is unpopular tomorrow. If nothing else, they have an ethical responsibility to inform the public of issues that could ultimately end up affecting us all. After all, Savage has an audience of between eight to ten million listeners each week, many of whom agree with him on most issues – shouldn’t we all be worried that we could be banned next?

Amazingly- with the exception of a few blurbs on Fox News, CNN and a handful of newspaper articles days after the story broke, the mainstream media now seems to have all but forgotten about Michael Savage. Not one reporter has stood up at a single White House press briefing and asked Robert Gibbs why Hilary Clinton has refused to carry out her duty as Secretary of State- by acting on behalf of Savage, an American citizen who is at odds with a foreign government (WND Story). I had pretty much made up my mind that REAL journalism and reporters actually willing to ask tough questions were a thing of the past.

Taxin

Enter Adam Taxin, reporter at the Philadelphia Bulletin. During a Q&A session at a recent luncheon with Brian Tierney, publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Daily News, Taxin had the chance to ask a question. Sure, he could have tossed the kind of softball question that this guy is probably used to, but instead he chose to ask a question that no one else seems to be willing to ask- Why has the media largely ignored Michael Savage’s ban from Britain? Imagine that- A reporter asking a real question? Tierney obviously wasn’t expecting such a question- and gave an answer that was far from accurate, stating “I think our papers carried it pretty well…” (Full story and transcripts here or audio here). It turns out that neither the Inquirer nor The Daily News has ever mentioned the story. What a shock.

Honestly, I had never heard of Adam Taxin or The Philadelphia Bulletin before Thursday night, when he was featured during the opening monologue of Savage’s radio program. I still don’t know much about him, but I can tell you that I probably have more faith in his ability to do the job of a reporter than anyone currently working at CNN, MSNBC or Fox News. Now, granted it was a question asked to the publisher of a newspaper at a luncheon- and not in the White House press briefing room, but hey- it’s a start.

What is most surprising to me is that even his own colleagues in conservative talk radio, whom you would think should be on the front lines in this fight for free speech, have gone out of their way to ignore the story. Though I still listen to and appreciate them all for their contributions to the conservative movement- they have also lost some credibility with me. How can I take what they say seriously when they continue to ignore a story as important as this?

Bill O’Reilly, when you were accused of sexual harassment, Michael Savage stood up for you. Rush Limbaugh, when you were being smeared for your addiction to painkillers, Savage was there to defend you. Would it hurt either one of you to mention this story for more than fifteen seconds? Glenn? Sean? Anyone? Will you stand up for freedom of speech and do the right thing- or is doing the right thing not enough incentive for you? Maybe you’re only concerned about ratings? Well if that’s the case, I really wouldn’t worry. I happen to know of about eight to ten million people that would watch you a whole lot more if you would only do your job the way Adam Taxin did his.

Joe Seales