UPDATE #3: SPIEGEL ONLINE is now acknowledging the angry reaction from the United States. But they add this in an English translation:
“It didn’t take long before bloggers began attacking and Matt Drudge’s
faithful army of right-wing, Red State readers began spamming our
In-Boxes and conservative political blogs resumed their attacks on the
“European left.”
So now anyone who does not agree with SPIEGEL’s view of the world is a brainwashed zombie follower of Matt Drudge’s “faithful army of right-wing, Red State readers.” Let’s make one thing very clear: You don’t have to be American or conservative or from a red-state to be deeply upset by the callous, politically motivated reaction from European media – particularly left-leaning European media just like SPIEGEL ONLINE. For example, our comments section reflects the vigorous, and, at times heated, debate on gun control. There is, however, no debate as to the shameless and irresponsible nature of media coverage throughout Europe.
The SPIEGEL ONLINE article actually catalogs the most outrageous articles (here is a link to the English version) and offers several letters to the editor from the United States. Will Europeans finally start to understand that their media has done enormous damage to transatlantic relations – in this case and for years on end? With people like Uwe Schmitt out there, however, we still have a long way to go – but one can always hope…
UPDATE: “Journalist” Uwe Schmitt, correspondent for Die Welt – concludes an article on the killings with the line: “America is reaping what it sows.” Can’t he even wait until the dead are buried? Guess he is too busy trying to prove that American leaders are liars to the brain-dead Hate America audience to care.
NOTE: Uwe Schmitt has “adjusted” his article and taken out the hateful last lines after massive complaint.
UPDATE #2: Like Schmitt, Tagesspiegel is exploiting the tragedy to bash Bush and score political points:
“Amok in America: Bush Brings No Happiness: Sadness and compassion once again overshadowed by the behavior of the US President, who reflexively expressed that everyone must continue to have the right to own a weapon. That’s called loyalty to your principles in Texas.” Commentary by Peter Becker (On top of the Tagesspiegel homepage)
Once again Tagesspiegel and other German media are reflexively exploiting a tragedy in America to peddle their pet issues like gun-control and Bush-bashing to a willing audience eager to degrade the United States at all costs. President Bush never said that everyone had the right to own a weapon – he simply defended his stance on gun control – but actually explaining the debate and Bush’s actual stance on gun control is a little too nuanced for Germany’s propaganda central.
As expected, before the victims are even buried, SPIEGEL ONLINE is already exploiting the Virginia Tech tragedy to attack President Bush and politicize the gun control issue in one of their online forums. They could care less about the American friends who just got blown away. This is all about their agenda and selling more copy. Don’t be surprised if much of the German media follows suit. Sick but true…
The forum question asks if Bush is right to defend the American right to bear arms. One SPIEGEL commenter left this entry: “Why sharpen (the gun laws)? You can’t take away the Normal American’s favorite toys as long as the Big American struts around with atomic bombs and aircraft carriers.”
Actually – the killer was South Korean. But hey, what difference do the facts make…
Not much sympathy there for the American friends and the parents of the deceased. Comments like this are quite common on SPIEGEL forums – humanity goes right out the window.
