Talk about taking advantage of the war…


So there’s this guy I know that frequently sends me stuff that I consider spam. Anyway, here is the latest.

This “news” website NewsMax.com really seems to be taking advantage of anti-French sentiment in the U.S.

Before you continue, just take a look at their boycott France web page, then come back and read the following.

Here’s is my reaction:

  1. If NewsMax.com is “America’s news page,” how come I’ve never EVER heard of them?
  2. If I’ve never heard of them (have you?), they probably need a major publicity push if they are going to survive the fierce competition of online news.
  3. This kind of viral email marketing is a great way for them to get millions of hits to their web site and to get their name out to the public. For those who agree with the idea of boycotting French products/services, the web site may even tug at their patriotic hearts, thus deepening their connection with the web site.
  4. A basic tenet of journalism is to present all sides of a news issue to get at the unbiased truth. Now, I don’t for a minute believe that I’ve ever seen an unbiased news cast, but at least they most often make an effort.
    • If NewsMax is a news page, where is the other side of the boycotting issue?
    • Would any self-respecting news agency actually start or sponsor such a clearly one-sided political move as a boycott?
  5. I’m left to believe that the motive of NewsMax is not the pursuit of truth and real news, but rather revenue that will be generated by eyeballs on their web site. No shocker, right? The thing that gets me is that it appears they have completely abandoned all journalistic scruples in the process.

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