Whatever happened to the "ground zero mosque"?

[proud2BlibKansan]

To be sure, Google News is a blunt instrument for measuring volume of press coverage. But the timeline nevertheless conveys a lot about the strange, still somewhat inexplicable burst of coverage surrounding what became known as the "Ground Zero Mosque."

The story began inorganically, with misleading framing pushed into the mainstream by a right-wing blog and the New York Post. It evolved into the national political obsession of the summer and, finally, into a midterm election issue. And then, just like that, it disappeared.

The course of the media coverage had little to do with the facts on the ground at 49-51 Park Place in lower Manhattan, the proposed site of the mosque. To review what happened:

News of the proposed Islamic community center first broke in a front-page New York Times piece in December 2009, but it garnered very little attention. The attention it did receive -- including from the likes of Fox News -- was positive. Then in May, when the project was facing some local bureaucratic hurdles, anti-Muslim blogger Pamela Geller stepped up her coverage of what she called the "Monster Mosque" of "Death and Destruction." The New York Post adopted Geller's perspective on the project: that it was something to fear and defeat. (See Salon's detailed timeline on the origins of the story here.)

more . . . http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2010/12/31/park_51_a_look_back&source=newsletter&utm_source=contactology&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Salon_Daily%20Newsletter%20%28Not%20Premium%29_7_30_110

[bluestateguy]

1. It was 2010's August Silly Season story

Like the town halls in 2009 and shark attacks in 2001.

[Mz Pip]

2. Now that the election is over

and it served its purpose as a way to rally the haters, I suspect it's pretty much a non issue.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Yep. That's probably it.

[ZombieHorde]

3. The election is over. nt

[baldguy]

11. +1000

[alphafemale]

4. See above. The election ended. nt

[Tesha]

5. What #2, 3, and 4 said. It served its purpose. (NT)

[The Wielding Truth]

6. Once it was common knowledge that a prayer room already existed in the WTC

on the 17th floor when it collapsed. I think it made fools out of the respect issue.

[Archae]

8. It's the focus of a bogus story the right-wing is all over.

A fake story at a satire site about Justin Bieber has set off the professional Muslim-haters, like that hard-hat bigot.

http://www.newser.com/story/108683/justin-bieber-caught-in-ground-zero-mosque-hoax.html

[mdmc]

9. bedbugs!

[Jamastiene]

19. upperclass white woman in trouble or missing! n/t

[DinahMoeHum]

10. When all is said and done, this cultural center will be built.

and years from now, when people pass by it, they will wonder - what on earth was all that fuss about?

:shrug:

[tavalon]

21. No they won't

You give people way too much credit for attention spans.

[SoCalDem]

12. No need for hyperbole now that the election is over

It is back on the shelf...to be dusted off when next election time rolls around.. along with all the other wedge (non) issues:grr:

[Warren Stupidity]

13. there is no mosque being built at 'ground zero' and there never was.

[sabrina 1]

14. It was a contrived issue, bought and paid for

to cause distractions and controversies during the election.

I don't know why we fall it every time. Or why the media helps promote these fake issues.

The election is over, so, I guess the mosque will go ahead with no further comment.

[ellenfl]

15. i imagine the ground zero community center is quietly being built. eom

[butterfly77]

16. Kicked&Recommended...

[old mark]

17. K&R - thanks. I beileve it is a work in progress...nt

[Monk06]

18. Well Justin Bieber says that muslems should be able to build a mosque anywhere they want

Really, he said that. Except he didn't......

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/Ground+Zero+mosque+remarks+doubt/4043798/story.html

I mean really picking on Dweeber Bieber in order to push this phony story
is just way too pathetic, even for 9/11 Hard Hat Pledger and professional
muslem hater, Andy Sullivan.

[Skittles]

20. it blew over, like the non-issue it was