Earlier this week I was reading through all the comments on AVN’s blog about the recent article “Mr. Cambria Goes to Washington“, By Christian Mann. In his article, Mann is critical of the Free Speech Coalition’s spin on Cambria’s testimony. Referring to the FSC’s newsletter (Free Speech X-Press) Mann said, [the article] “took a thinly veiled shot” at one of Cambria’s answers to Senator Ted Stevens. The FSC article called Cambria’s answer about the lack of a self-rating system among adult sites as “an unfortunate response in the eyes of some observers.”

Layne Winklebleck, author of the Free Speech X-Press article mentioned by Mann, posted a defensive comment saying, “The X-Press editors take no sides in the matter, in line with our policy of evenhandedness in reporting, and also in line with our acknowledged lack of sophistication when it comes to the complexities of the Internet.” He went on to say that one of the “observers” referred to in his article was Connor Young, of YNOT.com. Winklebleck explained that Conner is an Internet savvy observer that [Free Speech X-Press] frequently references when news events involve technical issues. The suggestion being that this journalist took the independent and unbiased opinions of a qualified third party. What Winklebleck glossed over is the fact that Connor Young is also an FSC Board member.

The Free Speech X-Press is many things, but evenhandedness in reporting is not one that comes to my mind. There is no shame in that. One expects an organization’s public relations tool to be wrapped in its own agenda. The X-Press is a publication of the FSC, and as such the voice of the FSC. If anyone doubts the newsletter’s agenda, just take a closer look at its authors. Layne Winklebleck is Legislative Affairs Associate for the Free Speech Coalition and co-editor with Kat Sunlove, FSC’s Director of Legislative Affairs.

I do not appreciate the FSC’s critical comments on Cambria’s performance. The FSC’s Legislative Affairs office can start pointing fingers once they, and their lobbyists, get their foot in the door. Until then, the FSC should be humbled by the fact that one man is doing their job!