The Newseum plans to honor two Hamas-member journalists later this year. In response, a pro-Israel think tank that holds an annual event at the journalism museum in Washington, D.C., is considering moving that event elsewhere, BuzzFeed reported Friday:
"I'll be putting in a call to the CEO of the Newseum first thing tomorrow morning," Cliff May, the president of the hawkish Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said in an email to BuzzFeed. "I'm hoping he'll tell me there's been a misunderstanding – or a re-thinking once it became clear that these 'journalists' were members of designated terrorist organizations."
May said his position has less to do with his group's support for Israel than its opposition to terrorist tactics. [...]"But I will say this: I spent most of my adult life as a journalist – at the New York Times and other media organizations," May said. "I know the difference between a reporter and a terrorist propagandist. I'm hopeful that the folks at the Newseum also are able to make such distinctions."
The Newseum, where visitors can "watch the museum fulfill its mission of educating the public about the value of a free press in a free society and telling the stories of the world's important events in unique and engaging ways," had no immediate comment.
A spokesman for the Newseum said that he would have a response for BuzzFeed about the controversy surrounding the ceremony on Friday afternoon.