>Washington Times:
>http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/default-20011031112818.htm
>
>Personally, I don't consider the Washington Times to be a newspaper, but
>perhaps the fact that this is a UPI story means that more U.S.
>newspapers will pick it up.
>
>Chuck0
heh,
Unification Press International Will the sale of UPI mean a right-wing wire service? Just ask Rev. Moon.
By Terry Krepel http://conwebwatch.tripod.com/stories/2000/upi.html
Of all the folks who are happy that United Press International was purchased by News World Communications, owner of the Washington Times, near the top of that list you would find NewsMax. (At the bottom of that list is pretty much any self-respecting journalist.)
Not only does what's left of this wire service -- and it isn't much; as a former UPI staffer notes, little more than the trademark, a Web site and White House press credentials -- gain owners who share its ideological bent; NewsMax is probably UPI's highest-profile client right now. Which is why "Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com staff" were more than happy to write their own story about the purchase.
Since we're talking about NewsMax writing about something it agrees with, the story is, for the most part, a love letter to Arnaud de Borchgrave, UPI chief executive officer (and member of the NewsMax board of directors) who was the company's connection with News World -- de Borchgrave was editor in chief of the Washington Times from 1985 to 1991.
For good measure, the story also includes the two statements that must be included about the Washington Times or News World:
-- de Borchgrave is quoted as saying, "I've never in my 54 years in journalism enjoyed more freedom and independence than at the Washington Times," and that the owners never interfered in editorial decisions.
-- "...While some top officials of News World Communications are members of the Unification Church, led by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the church has no formal ties to News World Communications."
Neither of those statements seem to be true.
The first statement about editorial independence was debunked in 1987, when the editorial-page editor and four others resigned, accusing de Brochgrave of allowing an executive of the Unification Church to dictate editorial policy. (de Borchgrave denied the accusation.)
Regarding the second statement about the church's ties to News World Communications, we only need to go to the Unification Home Page, where speeches by Unification Church leader Sun Myung Moon and other church officials are archived to find out what his connection is with the Washington Times.
Here is Moon from a 1997 speech: "Fifteen years ago, when the world was adrift on the stormy waves of the Cold War, I established The Washington Times to fulfill God's desperate desire to save this world. Since that time, I have devoted myself to raising up The Washington Times, hoping that this blessed land of America would fulfill its world-wide mission to build a Heavenly nation."
Moon in a 1986 speech: (The unification movement) has to take preeminence in the realm of media. With the Washington Times as the core, we are establishing preeminence in the American print media. ... By doing so we can include all fields of intelligence. Today we have in this area surpassed the liberal New York Times and Washington Post, and continually gaining important confidential information not only from America but also from other governments all over the world.
Moon in a 1991 speech: "In the last nine years, the Church poured eight hundred million dollars in cold cash into The Washington Times. ... You have no idea how much money that is. If you deposited that money into a bank, the interest alone, at 10% a year, would be eight million dollars per month. ... How can we be the enemy of America spending that kind of money on this country, shedding tears for this country? ... Father (Moon) knew how precious, how painfully-gotten this money was, but Father knew that he had to safeguard the free world, the whole world against the invasion of communism, so Father fought against communism, fought against iniquity. Now we are getting results. We had to spend that money that way. It is not because Father did not know the investment value of that money.
<....> more: http://conwebwatch.tripod.com/stories/2000/upi.html
see also:
http://conwebwatch.tripod.com/stories/2001/crycensor.html http://conwebwatch.tripod.com/stories/2001/wndreal.html