How the crazy Qur'an-burning pastor became an international story

From The London Guardian-

Is the media responsible for having turned an obscure Florida pastor with a flock of no more than 50 people into an international figure by publicising his threat to burn the Qur'an?

Up to a point, Lord Copper. To blame the media for the message is easy enough. It was certainly the view of many callers from across the globe to a BBC World Service phone-in yesterday evening.

But once we see how the story emerged, bit by bit, it becomes less tenable - and much sillier – to accuse "the media" of giving Terry Jones a public stage for his absurd stunt.

Jones, who runs a church called the Dove World Outreach Centre in Gainesville (population 115,000; home of the University of Florida), originally announced his plan for "International Burn a Koran Day" back in July.

In trying to trace the story's exact origins, I came across several references on the web in late July. One example - posted on an atheist site - also referred to the setting up of a Facebook page announcing the event.

More here-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2010/sep/10/usa-islam