Friday, May 20, 2011

SI’s Censorship by Omission: A New Low

Sharper Iron’s (SI) site publisher Aaron Blumer has authorized reports at SI on a number of news making sexual scandals within the church. Most recently Blumer’s SI has been particularly eager to highlight the case in New Hampshire (NH) aired in a recent ABC network 20/20 news special that is currently making its way through the judicial system there. On that case Blumer has uploaded three Filings at SI with the latest posted in recent days. Blumer has overseen two forum discussions. He has participated in and personally encouraged discussion in the threads.

SI is infamous for bias and playing favorites on behalf of the so-called “conservative” evangelicals and its castigation of Fundamentalism through contributors and Blogroll. In the news arena over reports of sexual abuse in the church SI under Blumer has continued their pattern of bias and censorship by omission.

Why is it that Blumer as well as most of SI’s administrators and moderators eagerly post articles on and participate in discussions of the NH case, but when it comes to published allegations of sexual predation by SI’s former and first site publisher, Pastor Jason Janz, SI’s current leadership is silent?

Sources close to SI and Pastor Janz reported that the week after ABC’s 20/20 program aired friends who had talked to Janz were saying that a soon-to-come statement would explain why and what he confessed. “Soon to come…” were Jason’s words to a friend. “Soon to come” has come and gone. Janz is clearly past that timing now.

Of course, and predictably, SI is going to ignore this. SI’s history of bias has found a new journalistic low. An alleged sexual predator (incest) is the beneficiary of SI and Blumer’s practice of censorship by omission. In the meantime, Blumer and SI eagerly publicize, encourage and participate in discussions of a (former) pastor of the NH church who is not accused of or culpable for any actual sexual abuse.

How any one could participate with or spend advertising dollars at SI with this kind of blatant, egregious, biased behavior on the part of its site publisher is difficult to understand. This latest act of censorship by omission removes any doubt that SI is political first.


Site Publisher’s Note:
While the controversy continues, which SI ignores; why does SI continue posting advertisements for Janz’s book, Alone With God? Is it possible that sorely needed advertising dollars is behind this book’s on-going presence at SI?.

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