Oh, Grow Up! WaPo Profiles 'Youth Rights' Activist in Style Section

Update posted at bottom

Granted, the Washington Post's Style section can get away with lighter, fluffier fare than the A-section, but profiling a man who heads a $16,000-annual budget "youth rights" organization? That's exactly what staffer Linton Weeks presented Post readers with his November 27 Style section front pager, "Age Is Just a Number."

"Youth Rights Advocate Tries to Break Down Barriers to Adulthood," the subhead matter-of-factly declared of Alex Koroknay-Palicz, the 26-year-old executive director of the shoestring-budget National Youth Rights Association.

Although Weeks mentioned in passing that Koroknay-Palicz rents his office space from Common Cause, he failed to mention that organization's leftist bent.

It is notable, however, that Koroknay-Palicz may not be all that bad. He may even be something of a Media Research Center fan. In the profile picture that ran in the print edition (but sadly is not included online), the filing cabinet on which the subject is seated is seen plastered with numerous bumper stickers. While most are for left-wing causes or organizations, I spied a few for some conservative organizations, including an NRA sticker and even a 3-year-old MRC bumper sticker.

Tell the Truth!: Don't Believe the Liberal Media reads the Media Research Center bumper sticker plastered on the bottom drawer of Koroknay-Palicz's filing cabinet. That decal was part of MRC's "Tell the Truth!" 2004 campaign, and is pictured below.:

Update (14:18): In the course of an e-mail conversatio with me, Koroknay-Palicz explained his policy regarding his office filing cabinet and bumper stickers:

As you can see from the filing cabinet we have stickers from all political persuasions. I consider the filing cabinet a free speech zone and encourage people to bring in stickers from a variety of causes. You might not be able to make it out as it is at an angle, but on the side of the filing cabinet we have an NRA sticker right next to a PETA sticker and a John Kerry sticker. We are strictly non-partisan and enjoy the contrast.