Howard Kurtz: " I wish The Washington Post were not co-sponsoring this event."

from a live Q&A session in today's Washington Post

Arlington, Va.: Why is The Washington Post sponsoring a pro-war rally? Please spare us the corporate side v. the newsroom side memo. The rally is being "officially sponsored" by the Department of Defense. And, to top it off, participants must register with their name, address and telephone number. Sounds to me like the Pentagon is trolling for bodies to send off to Iraq.

Howard Kurtz: I wouldn't call it a "pro-war rally"; that's your characterization. It is supposed to be about remembering the victims of 9/11. But I wish The Washington Post were not co-sponsoring this event. It is an operation by the Pentagon -- a place that we devote substantial resources to covering -- and therefore subject to all kinds of interpretations. It is not the same, in my view, as the corporate side of The Post handing out awards to the best teachers or other kinds of nonpartisan civic activities.