Last week, the Washington Post gave op-ed space to Hamas strongman Mahmoud Zahar. To the paper’s credit, a staff-ed the same day explained that they were holding their noses.
But it may not be that simple. If the paper compensated Zahar for the commentary, the Post would possibly be afoul of federal laws prohibiting money transactions to designated terror organizations, says Steve Emerson (via LGF). The Post pays a minimum $200 fee for op-eds; various factors can increase the amount. According to Emerson, the Post refuses to confirm what, if anything, it paid for the commentary.
I hoped ombudsman Deborah Howell would expand on the controversy. Instead, last week‘s column addressed unrelated issues of Israel coverage raised by our colleagues at Camera. Today’s column deals with sports blogging.
