Washington Post's "Polish concentration camp" gaffe

Martin Baron
Executive Editor
Patrick Pexton
Ombudsman
The Washington Post

Dear Mr. Baron and Mr. Pexton,

It's amazing that after The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press and other news organizations changed their stylebooks to ban the use of the phrase "Polish concentration camps," that the Washington Post still uses this slanderous phrase. There were no "Polish concentration camps" during World War II. The concentration camps were German, and the victims in these Nazi camps were Polish.

Last year, after President Obama used this phrase, Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin called Obama's "gaffe" a "jaw dropping error of fact." Yet, now the Washington Post has made that same "jaw dropping error of fact," and five days later, still refuses to issue a correction. On May 9, Justin Moyer, used this phrase in his Washington Post story "How Bulgaria saved its Jews".

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At least President Obama apologized. Why would the Washington Post tell its readers that this was a "gaffe" and then use the same phrase? The only obvious explanation for refusing to issue a correction is malice.

More than 300,000 people, including Holocaust survivors, members of Congress and the Chief Rabbi of Poland have signed a petition on the Kosciuszko Foundation's web site asking media outlets to stop engaging in Holocaust revisionism with the use of this phrase.

LINK TO PETITION >>>

The Washington Post should join serious media outlets and change its stylebook to avoid the use of this historically erroneous and offensive phrase.

Alex Storozynski
President & Executive Director
The Kosciuszko Foundation
15 East 65th Street
New York, NY 10065
212-734-2130
http://thekf.org/