Honor Conviction

The most troubling thing about Bridges TV isn’t that Goldie Gardner hosts a cooking show on it. The legendarily irritating WNED telethon shill is sharing her culinary abilities on a Muslim channel for some reason, but that’s not their most egregious affront to broadcasting.

More importantly, they’re not living up to their mission of providing, according to their site,

…a broad range of lifestyle oriented programming that aims to foster a greater understanding between the West and MESA (Middle Eastern/South Asian) religions, its cultures, and diverse populations.

It’s not bad enough that I think they just made up the term “MESA.” Worse, there has been no special programming devoted to the conviction of prominent Muslim Muzzammil Hassan. It’s the equivalent of Oprah not appearing on OWN.

To recap, the honor killer’s strategy of blaming a “religion of patriarchy” failed to impress jurors, who convicted him of second-degree murder in less time than it takes for your baked potato to finish in the oven. They took an hour to return a verdict, although there’s no report of what kind of sandwiches they ate for 58 minutes after the two it took to vote “Guilty.”

Juries have gotten a bad rap ever since one-time Buffalo icon and present prison bitch O.J. Simpson was found not guilty by a dozen potted plants who thought racism killed his ex-wife and her friend. But a local collection of upstanding fellow citizens showed that justice is the more likely courtroom outcome.

And yet there is no round-the-clock coverage on Bridges. Yes, Hassan coincidentally founded the network. But personal relationships shouldn’t affect objective news judgments, especially considering the relevance of the religion in question to both his actions and astoundingly pitiful defense.

In fact, the direct connection means they should confront the issue directly and frequently. Bridges should presently be offering balanced coverage: 12 hours per day about what’s happening in Egypt and 12 about the recent court proceedings near their headquarters.

So, why is there no attention being paid to the landmark conviction from programs such as Bridges Evening News, Democracy Now!, and Viewpoints with John Zogby? As for the BEN, it supposedly

…is dedicated to bringing you a balanced coverage on local and international news you care about. Join Tooba Khilji and David Prinzbach for a closer look at the news you can trust.

But they apparently can’t be trusted to devote extensive time to reporting about a the aftermath of a Religion of Peace member’s trial. We presumably also shouldn’t expect documentaries on the subject similar to the one they air objectively titled Broken Promises that asks:

When American agents in Sweden deport 2 Egyptian men, the question of how far is too far when fighting terrorism is raised.

I bet their answer is “too far,” although I admittedly didn’t see the program. Still, I’m wagering that not even episodes of Soccer Academy will deal with the conviction’s fallout.

It’s such a shame. They should be airing a barrage of shows that ask why a man who founded a 21st-century enterprise is living in a three-digit year.

After all, treating one’s wife like a 43rd-class citizen before cutting through her neck seems to be an act committed more frequently by members of this particular faith than, say, Orthodox Jews. Why not add programming about why it happens and what can be done to stop it? They should confront the issue head on instead of dodging it.

But they apparently won’t examine such issues on Hassan’s baby about why this case fails to be an exception. That’s okay, as we’ve ascertained the connection even without locating the network buried in the channel lineup next to whichever one just hired Keith Olbermann.

We don’t need Bridges to have learned something about what provoked Hassan. Actions speak louder than programming.