Media Matters Asks Top Booksellers to Review ..'Unfit for Command'

[Nambe]

U.S. Newswire

Media Matters for America Asks Top Booksellers to Review Policies on Selling 'Unfit for Command'; David Brock Calls AntiKerry Veterans Book 'the Hitler Diaries of this political season'

On the heels of the August 19, 2004 Washington Post article shining the light that a key allegation in "Unfit for Command" is false, Media Matters for America (MMFA) called on three of the nation's leading booksellers to, at the very least, inform customers about the book's false allegations and lies. David Brock, president and CEO of MMFA, today wrote a letter to Wal-Mart, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble calling on each to reassess "the responsibility of book sellers when it becomes established that prominent non-fiction books are based on false information."

"There is something fundamentally wrong when a book that is rampant with falsehoods and misinformation is published and sold as non-fiction," said David Brock. "Consumers are being misled by John O'Neill, Jerome Corsi and Regnery Publishing as they are extensions of the right-wing machine."

Salon.com's Eric Boehlert reported today that the Kerry campaign has said that Regnery, the right-wing publisher of "Unfit for Command," should consider pulling the book from bookstores, citing the widespread falsehoods throughout the book.

[beyurslf]

1. I am not sure I want it to be incumbent upon the seller of the books

to verify their veracity. The puiblisher and the authors could be sued for libel, but let's not pull in the sellers also.

[shockingelk]

11. They can chose what category to sell it under

Maybe Brock should have suggested they sell it under the category of "historical fiction" - that is what the book is: based on historical events, but a fictional story.

[librechik]

2. Kerry should sue if they don't redress his grievance

and I'd like to see this wind up in court and have these lying assholes tell their tales under oath--

[Hegemony Cricket]

3. Can't Kerry sue?

I mean, if it's libel:

1. A false publication, as in writing, print, signs, or pictures, that damages a person's reputation.
2. The act of presenting such material to the public.

I know Franken and Moore had to have their data checked and rechecked to avoid lawsuits...is this book so cleverly written that it couches its accusations in a not-technically-libelous manner?

I'm frighteningly ignorant of the rules about such things...can someone help?

[Hobarticus]

4. I agree, it's libel...

But he's got his hands full.

[diablerie]

6. Kerry is missing the boat

If the Kerry machine does not take action, legal or otherwise, many will see the lack of action as a defacto admission that the claims are true.
IMHO someone is asleep at the switch..

[Mizmoon]

5. Where is the Democratic Publishing Machine?

Who is our 'bias publisher'?

Oh, I forgot. We have academic integrity. Rats.

[kskiska]

7. How did the Bushes get "Fortunate Son" removed?

Aside from offing the author, that is.

[arikara]

8. by threatening the publisher

and Fortunate Son was true... they offed the author after another publisher picked it up.

[daa]

9. If they publish Ann Coulter

and Hannity they will publish any lies. Vote with your pocket book and don't buy it.

[LauraK]

10. "The Bush Betrayal" was removed too.

It is respected for it's accurate research. I had a hard time finding it online last week. Nambe has a link.