Opinion> Joseph Farah> Obama S Media Intimidation Works

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Obama's Media Intimidation Works!

While Fox News seems to be reveling in the audacious attacks directed against it by the White House and Democrats, the evidence suggests those assaults are, in fact, accomplishing their objectives. Ratings for Fox may be higher, but its coverage suggests the intimidation is actually working.

Those who read World Net Daily and watch Fox News know it is not unusual for the TV network to pick up investigative reports that first appear in WND — sometimes with credit, often without.

But when WND published a shocking book earlier this month called "Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America," based in part on a daring six-month undercover operation inside the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Fox News blacked out coverage. No interviews with the authors. No interviews with the interns who penetrated the unindicted terrorist front group at great personal risk. No interest.

Fox played it safe.

When WND pointed out that a White House adviser, Dalia Mogahed, a supporter of Islamic Shariah law, was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at CAIR's annual fundraising dinner last weekend, again, Fox News took a powder.

The cable network that had grabbed attention for recycling WND's original investigative reports on the extremism of Obama's czars — from Van Jones and Kevin Jennings to John Holdren and Cass Sunstein — but spiked any coverage of the Muslim Mafia exposes, including one linking support from a White House appointee.

Mogahed is a senior analyst and executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies and serves on Obama's Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. She drew attention when she defended Shariah on a British television show hosted by a member of an extremist Muslim group, insisting the majority of women around the world associate Shariah with "gender justice."

Even when Mogahed's name disappeared from the CAIR fundraising program following WND's exclusive reports — replaced by Jesse Jackson — Fox News didn't seem to notice.

Why is Fox News AWOL?

Is it because the network is gun-shy after getting smeared by the White House and Democrats? Is it because princes from Saudi Arabia, where much of CAIR's foreign sponsorship emanates, maintain key ownership holdings at Fox's parent company? Or is it just a journalistic oversight? Time will tell.

Why am I focused on Fox when the rest of the corporate media establishment was also AWOL? Because Fox News has built its reputation with its "fair and balanced" marketing motto.

It is directly benefiting from the perception that it is a real alternative news network — one that can be trusted to be a watchdog on government, no matter which party is in power.

Fox News still has time to redeem itself, as do my colleagues at other networks and news agencies. It's not too late to tell the American people the truth about the Muslim Mafia and its tentacles in the White House and Congress. The bold investigative legwork has already been done in "Muslim Mafia."

CAIR recently held its 15th annual fundraiser. In 2007, the Justice Department named the group an unindicted terrorism co-conspirator with ties to Hamas. Last year's event was apparently supported by the Iranian government as well as by nine members of Congress. This support came more than a year after federal prosecutors had named CAIR as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land terrorism finance trial.

Is it not newsworthy that members of Congress were joined this year by a White House appointee?

Is it not newsworthy that members of Congress and a White House appointee helped raise funds for a group with ties even to al-Qaida, as "Muslim Mafia" reveals?

When do you think you'll read, hear or see any of this reported elsewhere?

Maybe it's time to let those other news agencies know what you already know. Maybe it's time for you to ask them why they are withholding the news from your neighbors. Maybe it's time to insist these so-called "watchdogs" live up to their marketing slogans.

To find out more about Joseph Farah and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.