Al Sharpton Still Angry, Misinformed

As usual, Al Sharpton isn't letting the facts stand in the way of a righteous crusade.

The National Action Network leader made good on a promise to demonstrate against the New York Post at City Hall today, where he demanded that the Federal Communications Commission review the waiver it granted to News Corp. to exceed media ownership limits in the New York area. Sharpton's angry over a recent Post editorial cartoon that he and some others interpreted as a racially-charged dig at Barack Obama.

At this morning's rally, Sharpton told a reporter from the New York Observer that News Corp.'s ownership of multiple media outlets in New York resulted in the controversy getting less coverage than it deserved:

What we've said is the only way to protect the First Amendment is not to give all of the media ownership in the city to one person. Because, have you seen Fox News do a special on this cartoon? No, 'cause he owns it. Have you seen a Wall Street Journal article on this? No, 'cause he owns it.

In fact, the Journal did run a story on Feb. 19 headlined "New York Post Cartoon Draws Fire." As for Fox News, while it didn't air a special, per se, it did address the topic on both Hannity & Colmes and Fox News Sunday.

Sharpton is scheduled to meet with F.C.C. officials to make his case tomorrow, according to the Observer's PolitickerNY website. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting to hear back from the NAACP to see if that group is prepared to withdraw its demand that Post editor Col Allan resign in light of the personal apology Rupert Murdoch published in today's paper.

As it happens, the Post might be more prepared than usual for a change of command thanks to a round of masthead shuffling that took place, quietly, earlier this month. Jesse Angelo -- widely seen within the paper as Allan's heir apparent -- ascended from managing editor to executive editor, a post that has been vacant since Col Myler left to edit Murdoch's News of the World in 2007. Sunday editor Lauren Ramsby was named managing editor, replacing Angelo, while Margi Conklin, who was left without a job when Page Six Magazine shut down, became deputy Sunday editor. Meanwhile, the Post also got a new business editor, Jay Sherman, replacing Sean Gannon, who left the paper.