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Tracking militarists’ efforts to influence U.S. foreign policy

Washington Free Beacon

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The Washington Free Beacon describes itself as “a nonprofit online newspaper.” Published by the Center for American Freedom (CAF), a right-wing advocacy group chaired by media pundit and political strategist Michael Goldfarb, the Beacon has close ties to the neoconservative flagship journal the Weekly Standard. The Standard’s contributing editor Matthew Continetti serves as the Beacon’s editor and chief, while Standard editor Bill Kristol sits on CAF's board.

Confrontational and often sensationalistic, the site is intended to serve as a conservative answer to Think Progress, a liberal-leaning blog published by the Center for American Progress. “Our models are the Center for American Progress/Think Progress, [Talking Points Memo], and Huffington Post politics," Continetti told Politico in early 2012. "These outlets have been at the cutting edge of ideological journalism for years, and it is time for the right to emulate their success.” Added Goldfarb: “It’s very impressive what they’ve done. Obviously, I think they’re misguided and they have some horrible policy views and they’ve done some things I wouldn’t do, but the premise of it is extremely impressive.”[1]

Describing the Beacon's work as "combat journalism," Continetti proclaimed, "At the Beacon, all friends of freedom will find an alternative to the hackneyed spin, routine misstatements, paranoid hyperbole, and insipid folderol of Democratic officials and the liberal gasbags on MSNBC and talk radio. At the Beacon, we follow only one commandment: Do unto them.”[2] Despite what he apparently regarded as the novelty of an online conservative publication, Continetti filled the early Beacon staff with a plethora of experienced writers from rightist publications like the Daily Caller, the Washington Times, the American Spectator, the Weekly Standard, and the National Review Online, among others.[3]

The Beacon's reporting has lived up to its combative mission. In late 2012 and early 2013, for example, the outlet ran a series of stories dedicated to bolstering the neoconservative-driven claim that then-Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel held anti-Israel or even anti-Semitic views, a campaign that was widely panned outside right-wing media. The Beacon's coverage of the Hagel nomination prompted Antiwar.com's Justin Raimondo to lambast the publication as "a tabloid-style 'news' site specializing in smear jobs against neocon hate-objects." Raimondo added, "Half Breitbart.com, half college humor magazine, the Free Beacon is a down-market version of the Weekly Standard."[4]

The Beacon also joined in on the conservative mythmaking over the Obama administration's handling of the 2012 attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Cairo, Egypt and Benghazi, Libya. The publication was the source of a rumor that the State Department had banned U.S. Marines at the Cairo embassy from carrying live ammunition. Although the Marine Corps immediately discredited the claim, it nonetheless circulated widely in conservative media.[5]

The publication has stoked controversy by passing off sensationalistic "jokes" as journalism. In February 2013, the site ran a story under the headline "Hughes Drops Jews" that suggested that the president of theNew Republic magazine was "signal[ing] the publication’s continued drift away from a staunchly pro-Israel standpoint" by dropping "at least five prominent Jewish writers from its masthead." Critics pointed out that the publication's editor was Jewish and that half of the writers dropped were not. Goldfarb told the New York Times that story was meant to be a joke. "We're true believers, but we're also troublemakers," he said, "We get up every day and say, how do we cause trouble?"[6]

A Daily Beast blogger called Goldfarb's remark "a stunning admission." Recalling the Beacon's repeated insinuations that Chuck Hagel held anti-Semitic views, the blogger mused: "Goldfarb concedes here that his group's accusations of anti-Semitism are just for laughs." Quipping that Goldfarb "represents Bill Kristol's worst instincts," the Daily Beast writer concluded, "This is what neoconservatism has become; even a critic can lament."[7]

The Beacon has also shown a propensity for launching personal attacks against its critics. In July 2012, for example, Nation journalist Lee Fang reported that the Free Beacon had published pieces advocating an increase in U.S. F-16 sales to Taiwan, a position also advocated by Orion Strategies—a lobbying firm that counts the Taiwanese government among its clients and for which Michael Goldfarb has served as vice president.[8] The Beacon responded by publishing personal photographs of Fang allegedly stolen from a private photo account, prompting Lee to file a lawsuit against the publication.[9]

Commenting on the Beacon's sensationalistic and often lowbrow journalism, Think Progress editor Judd Legum rejected any comparison between his own publication and the Washington Free Beacon. “They are not an imitation of ThinkProgress," he told the New York Times. "They are a parody.”[10]

 

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Sources

[1] Ben Smith, “How to fight liberals: Imitate them,” Politico, January 5, 2012, http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=31ADA019-4DAA-4765-9C2F-C7F74FD02CB2.

[2] Daniel Halper, “Welcome, Washington Free Beacon,” Weekly Standard blog, Feburary 7, 2012, http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/welcome-washington-free-beacon_626259.html.

[3] Ben Smith, “How to fight liberals: Imitate them,” Politico, January 5, 2012, http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=31ADA019-4DAA-4765-9C2F-C7F74FD02CB2.

[4]  Justin Raimondo, "Who Funds the War Party?" Antiwar.com, February 25, 2013, http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2013/02/24/who-funds-the-war-party/.

[5] Mark Kogan, "5 Huge Lies From the Right Wing Media That Conservatives Still Think Are True," PolicyMic, March 2, 2013, http://www.policymic.com/articles/27564/5-huge-lies-from-the-right-wing-media-that-conservatives-still-think-are-true.

[6] Jim Rutenberg, "A Conservative Provocateur, Using a Blowtorch as His Pen," New York Times, February 23, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/us/politics/michael-goldfarb-gleeful-provocateur-at-intersection-of-many-worlds.html?pagewanted=all.

[vii] Ali Gharib, "Michael Goldfarb Doesn't Care About Facts," The Daily Beast "Open Zion" blog, February 25, 2013, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/25/michael-goldfarb-doesn-t-care-about-facts.html.

[8] Lee Fang, " Conservative 'Free Beacon' Fronts for Taiwan Lobby," The Nation, July 26, 2012, http://www.thenation.com/blog/169082/conservative-free-beacon-fronts-taiwan-lobby

[9] Jim Rutenberg, "A Conservative Provocateur, Using a Blowtorch as His Pen," New York Times, February 23, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/us/politics/michael-goldfarb-gleeful-provocateur-at-intersection-of-many-worlds.html?pagewanted=all.

[10] Jim Rutenberg, "A Conservative Provocateur, Using a Blowtorch as His Pen," New York Times, February 23, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/us/politics/michael-goldfarb-gleeful-provocateur-at-intersection-of-many-worlds.html?pagewanted=all.

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Contact

Center for American Freedom
1600 K Street, NW Suite 200 
Washington, DC 20006
Phone: 202.465.8605
Email: comments@freebeacon.com


Founded

2012


Mission

"The Washington Free Beacon, a project of the 501(c)4 Center for American Freedom, is a nonprofit online newspaper that began publication on February 7, 2012. Dedicated to uncovering the stories that the professional left hopes will never see the light of day, the Free Beacon produces in-depth and investigative reporting on a wide range of issues, including public policy, government affairs, international security, and media criticism. Whether it’s exposing cronyism, dissecting the relationship between the progressive movement and the mainstream media, finding out just who is shaping our domestic and foreign policy and why, or highlighting the threats to American security and peace in a dangerous world, the Free Beacon is committed to serving the public interest by reporting news and information that currently is not being fully covered by other news organizations."

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Washington Free Beacon News Feed

The 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates as Michael Scott Quotes - Washington Free BeaconAmericans Are Having Less Sex - Washington Free BeaconLast-Minute Order Partially Blocks Enforcement of Bump-Stock Ban - Washington Free BeaconPompeo to AIPAC: Democratic Lawmakers, Politicians Mainstreaming Anti-Semitism - Washington Free BeaconAvenatti’s Co-Conspirator Mark Geragos Is a CNN Contributor, Kamala Harris Donor - Washington Free BeaconThree CNN Reporters Fumble Attempted Football Analogy - Washington Free BeaconOmar Shares Praise for Democrats Boycotting AIPAC - Washington Free BeaconMedia: Trump Was Right, There Was No Collusion - Washington Free BeaconColo. Group Hopes to Overturn National Popular Vote Bill at Ballot Box - Washington Free BeaconPalestinian Activist Who Calls Israel a ‘Terrorist Entity’ Leads Anti-AIPAC Protest - Washington Free BeaconLindsey Graham Hits NBC Reporter Over ‘Absurd’ Question: ‘You’ve Got to Be Kidding Me’ - Washington Free BeaconPence at AIPAC: Anti-Semitism Has No Place in Congress - Washington Free BeaconGoogle Downplays Searches for News of No New Indictments in Mueller Probe - Washington Free BeaconBusinesses, Residents Plan to Leave New York - Washington Free BeaconWomen’s March Leader Apologizes for Sharing Post Blaming ‘American Jewish Establishment’ for New Zealand Shootings - Washington Free BeaconSpecial Counsel Finds No Collusion - Washington Free BeaconJoy Reid on Mueller Report: It Feels Like the Seeds of a Cover-Up Are Here - Washington Free BeaconOmar Holding Secret Fundraisers With Islamic Groups Tied to Terror - Washington Free BeaconWhite House Claims ISIS Lost Last Syrian Territory - Washington Free BeaconFacebook Is a Client of Company Run by Elizabeth Warren’s Daughter - Washington Free Beacon

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Right Web tracks militarists’ efforts to influence U.S. foreign policy.

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From the Wires

President Trump’s announcement that he would recognise Israeli sovereignty over the western part of the Golan Heights destroys the negotiating basis for any future peace between Israel and Syria. It also lays the groundwork for a return to a world without territorial integrity for smaller, weaker countries.


The Senate on Wednesday passed a measure mandating the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Saudi/UAE-led war against Houthi rebels in Yemen. The vote marks the first time since the War Powers Act of 1973 became law that both chambers of Congress have directed the president to withdraw American forces from a conflict.


The Trump administration’s failed “maximum pressure” approach to Iran and North Korea begs the question what the US president’s true objectives are and what options he is left with should the policy ultimately fail.


In the United States, it’s possible to debate any and every policy, domestic and foreign, except for unquestioning support for Israel. That, apparently, is Ilhan Omar’s chief sin.


While Michael Cohen mesmerized the House of Representatives and President Trump resumed his love affair with North Korea’s Kim Jong, one of the most dangerous state-to-state confrontations, centering in Kashmir, began to spiral out of control.


The Trump administration’s irresponsible withdrawal from the landmark Iran nuclear agreement undermined Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and emboldened hardliners who accused him of having been deceived by Washington while negotiating the agreement. However, the Iranian government could use the shock of Zarif’s resignation to push back against hardliners and take charge of both the domestic and foreign affairs of the country while Iran’s foreign opponents should consider the risks of destabilizing the government under the current critical situation.


Europe can play an important role in rebuilding confidence in the non-proliferation regime in the wake of the demise of the INF treaty, including by making it clear to the Trump administration that it wants the United States to refrain from deploying INF-banned missiles in Europe and to consider a NATO-Russian joint declaration on non-first deployment.


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