Friday, April 22, 2005

Sun-Times Neil Steinberg visits DePaul Palestinian art show, neglects to mention Klocek case

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg has much in common with other Chicago newspaper columnists. He has yet to write a word about the DePaul/Klocek case. But he did find time to visit the "Subject of Palestine" art show at DePaul.

In this morning's Sun-Times, Neil writes about that visit. From that column:

"I slid up to DePaul University to take in "The Subject of Palestine,'' an art exhibit put on by the college museum. Local Jewish groups have been muttering that the show is offensive, and it seemed a good idea to lay eyes on it before the ruckus starts."

(Bold emphasis added by me.)

Well, Neil there is a ruckus going on at DePaul; it's about the shameful treatment received by suspended Professor Thomas Klocek by the administration of DePaul University. The previous post, a column written by Jay Ambrose, appeared in several newspapers today--it will surely be picked up by more.

Funny, both Chicago major dailies have been suffering from stagnant readership numbers for years. Publishers (and not just here in the Chicago area) wonder out loud why younger people in particular don't seem interested in reading newspapers. But of course, it's not just about "the kids."

Could it be that the dailies seem to ignore many stories that are important to conservatives? That could be one of the answers.

Young conservatives, by the way, must be a really tough market for the major newspapers to reach!

And there is this to ponder: The big dailies all have investigative journalists on their payrolls, and they often produce excellent work. But remember, it was the bloggers and New Media Internet sites that broke the "Rathergate" and the Eason Jordan/CNN scandals. "Guys in pajamas in their living room," to paraphrase one CBS staffer who dismissed the early (and correct) skeptics who questioned the authenticity of those now-infamous Bush "CYA" Texas National Guard "documents."

To be fair to Neil Steinberg, he didn't fawn all over DePaul's Palestinian art show. That was a relief. But he's overlooking the real story--an unhappy one--going on at DePaul. And oh yes, it is a real ruckus.

My advice to Neil: Read some other posts on this blog. Or do a web search, enter "Thomas Klocek." Find out about the real story at DePaul University.

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