The Washington Post Gets It Wrong; Scott Johnson Gets It Right

You may need to sit down for this. I know it may come as a shock, but here goes. The Washington Post has a liberal bias.

Okay, so it isn't exactly a revelation. But it is still mighty irksome to see the lengths to which The Post is willing to take that bias.

Case in point? The Washington Post's Book World September 4th review by Professor David Greenberg of Jonathan Aitken's biography Charles W. Colson: A Life Redeemed.

In today's Weekly Standard Online, Scott Johnson of Powerline does a terrific job of explaining the egregious errors in Greenberg's "review." Here is an except from Johnson's article:

"Greenberg's misreading of Aitken's book seems almost willfully perverse. Aitken outlines the extraordinary measures to which Colson has gone to maintain the integrity of his ministry and to protect himself from the charge that he is 'cashing in' on his faith. On pages 299-300, for example, Aitken discusses Colson's financial arrangements with [Prison Fellowship] in detail--both his salary from and contributions to the organization. Aitken concludes the discussion:

The skeptical voices that in the post-Watergate era suggested Colson must be starting up a Christian ministry in order to feather his own nest have long ago been silenced by his impeccable track record of personal generosity and financial planning.

"It is disheartening to note that Colson's impeccable track record of personal generosity has been insufficient, even at this late date, to silence Greenberg's unfounded biases."

What troubles me most is not that one rogue reviewer got it wrong. What is most problematic is that the Post seems to be refusing to get it right. Prison Fellowship president Mark Earley sent a letter to the editor more than three weeks ago to set the record straight. But as of today, the letter has yet to be published. Apparently, the Post doesn't much care that it has besmirched Colson's thirty years of service.

But I care. And I know others will too. This is a topic the blogosphere can and must tackle. We can set the record straight.