That sir, is indeed the main question. But the question offers an implication: responsible news media are being irresponsible.

This isn’t a rhetorical question you ask. It is one in which responsible journalists within a responsible media industry ought to fully investigate and produce an informative report.

There are a limited number of national media. And many regional and local media that subscribe to the AP often regurgitate whatever the AP has to say on a news story.

The national news media (newspapers, TV, radio and Internet) often follow suit in spreading news to the vast majority of media audiences.

An investigation into which media promote the erroneous (and irresponsible) notion of “Ground Zero” and “mosque” will also lead directly to the names of editors, whose identification could be listed in a report that places them squarely in the center of a national spotlight of scrutiny.

Until editors are held directly responsible, this sort of crap journalism will continue. We can always yell “Fox News” at the top of our criticism of media, but even that merely points an accusing finger at a brand, not a person.

No amount of finger-pointing at the Fox News brand has succeeded in degrading its value and ability to attract audiences and advertising revenue. The process of criticizing brands is futile.

The process of criticizing people and holding them accountable for the pollution they pour out into the public is the missing element in righting the wayward media vessel that has veered off course.

C’mon, folks, “ground zero” means the footprint of the towers, not all of Lower Manhattan. (And there have been mosques in Lower Manhattan for years, by the way.)

This is primarily a community center. There’s a design for a prayer room in it, which makes it a mosque like a prayer breakfast makes my local YMCA into a church.

Let’s be honest, because our non-industry readers deserve it. This controversy is a designed campaign, ginned up by certain elements within the right wing in this country (especially those broadcasting on Fox News), to stir up anti-Islam sentiment in this country. It is a campaign meant to divide, not to inform. And the use of “ground zero mosque” in mainstream news reports plays into that, for the reasons Brian describes above.

Let’s also stop being naive: the origin of this campaign, and its motivation and intent, is *far* more newsworthy than this ginned-up campaign itself.