The unbiased purveyors of their own speech don’t seem to have the same rules for other people’s speech.
The Virginian-Pilot turned down an ad proposal by the National Rifle Association, because (this is hysterically funny) the newspaper doesn’t want to look like biased. Isn’t that a scream?
The NRA wants to advertise on bags that wrap the home-delivered newspaper. Of course, inside the wrapper, the newspaper is filled with attacks on Sarah Palin, endorsements of Democrats, and kudos for the savior of the universe and master of all that is good and liberal, Barack Obama.
But suddenly, accepting an NRA ad on the wrapper would make people think the Virginian-Pilot is secretly a subsidiary of FoxNews?
Only to people who don’t read it, I guess, which will probably be a growing number.
The right wants to jeer him. The left wants to censor him. Moderates usually want both. Brian Kirwin is a political consultant and public relations strategist in Virginia Beach with a lightning-rod flair. Brian also serves on the VB Arts & Humanities Commission and frequently appears on Hampton Roads theatrical stages, if only to prove that all actors aren’t liberals. Kirwin’s columns stir up debate and hit the political scene with no punches pulled. 
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I cancelled my Pilot subscription this morning, in spite of the largely positive McCain piece above the fold. And I feel good about it.
That’s funny, because they likely just picked up a couple new subscribers.
What a coincidence. Like Ken Perry, I also canceled my subscription to the Pilot yesterday. I never dreamed I would, because I have been a subscriber since 1974, and used to deliver the Pilot and the Ledger Star back in the late sixties. I have always been a strong supporter of the Pilot, even when others were giving them a hard time, like this…
http://hamptonroads.com/2008/06/new-and-updated-rules-story-comments#comment-639030
Now, however, what they’re doing in the bLetters section has forced me to cut off their funds.
I’ve been posting there without “prior approval” since the bLetters section began. I loved having that privilege, and took pains to keep it by not violating any of their rules. But now that it’s election time, I have been put on their “prior approval” list. I am an independent voter. My non-conservative letters are approved quickly (like the one below), but my non-liberal letters are now routinely rejected. They also wait about 20 hours to post the ones they do allow, causing them to appear six or seven letters down the list so people won’t see them. As I wait for mine to be approved, I see lib letters constantly appear above my “pink boxed” letters.
http://hamptonroads.com/2008/10/womans-choice#comment-667485
I can not in good conscience support such under-handed activities with my hard-earned, pre-redistributed money. They’ve gotten their last dollar from me.
Good tale about the Virginian-Pilot…
The Biker and the Lion, and the Virginian-Pilot.
A biker is riding by the Norfolk Zoo, when he sees a little girl leaning
into the lion’s cage.
Suddenly, the lion grabs her by the cuff of her jacket and tries to
pull her inside to slaughter her, under the eyes of her screaming
parents.
The biker jumps off his bike, runs to the cage and hits the lion
square on the nose with a powerful punch.
Whimpering from the pain the lion jumps back letting go of the girl,
and the biker brings her to her terrified parents, who thank him
endlessly.
A Virginian-Pilot reporter has watched the whole event.
The reporter says, “Sir, this was the most gallant and brave thing I
saw a man do in my whole life.”
The biker replies, “Why, it was nothing, really, the lion was behind
bars. I just saw this little kid in danger, and acted as I felt
right.”
The reporter says, “Well, I’m a journalist from the Virginian-Pilot,
and tomorrow’s paper will have this story on the front page… So,
what do you do for a living and what political affiliation do you
have?”
The biker replies, “I’m a U.S. Marine and a Republican.”
The following morning the biker buys The Virginian-Pilot to see if it
indeed brings news of his actions, and reads, on the front page:
U.S. MARINE ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT AND STEALS HIS LUNCH