Al Jazeera, the New York Times/CBS of Islamic fanatics, calls terrorists "resistance fighters.'' Callers on DaBuzz often say riots are a "rebellion.''

Al Jazeera in Qatar ignores Arab victims of terrorists, unless it can blame the United States or Israel. Many callers on DaBuzz ignore black-on-black drug murders, unless they can be blamed on racism or the cops.

Al Jazeera spreads high-octane conspiracies, such as the theory that the 9-11 attacks were an Israeli plot. Some callers on DaBuzz blame the CIA for "importing'' crack into the 'hoods.

Al Jazeera is an open microphone for al-Qaida. DaBuzz seems to have a hot line for protesters and boycotters.

But wait - there's a big difference.

While Al Jazeera runs back and forth dumping cans of kerosene on every stray spark of trouble in the Middle East, the top talk-show hosts on DaBuzz manned the fire hoses to help put out smoldering violence in Winton Terrace last week.

When a man shot himself and committed suicide during a police stop in Winton Terrace, rumors spread like a grass fire that he was killed by police. A mob threw rocks and set a news van on fire. Four or five shots were fired at cops and firemen.

"I talked to (Police Chief) Tom Streicher before we went on the air" the next morning, host Lincoln Ware said. "I told listeners exactly what happened - that police weapons were not fired."

DaBuzz (1230 AM) is air traffic control for ozone rumors and racism paranoia in Cincinnati. That's one of the reasons I tune it in. The other reason is morning host Lincoln Ware.

"I did everything I could do to defuse the situation,'' he said. And afternoon host Jay Love was on the same frequency. "Jay took the same stance I did, that it's just crazy to act like that on a bunch of rumors.''

Callers gave him a hard time, Ware said. "We argued all day.''

Even after police video was released showing the suicide occurred before the police left their squad car, callers insisted that the tape had been doctored, he said. "No matter what you do, people are gonna be skeptical.''

Maybe they are willing to believe almost any wild story because WDBZ broadcasts so many exaggerations and wack-job theories without even a whiff of reality smelling salts.

But Ware sees it another way. "On the air or off the air, they're gonna say what they're gonna say.'' When people ran through the crowd in Winton Terrace saying, "The cops shot him,'' he notes, many people found it easy to believe.

Blame that on Cincinnati's "culture of racism,'' or on race hustlers who exploit fear and ignorance. Either way, it was WDBZ that helped put out the bonfire.

When DaBuzz allows callers to label Councilman Sam Malone "Sambo Malone,'' that's wrong.

And when rioters are taking shots at cops, I think it's reckless to play a CD by a local rapper who says Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen "should be executed, and I can handle it.''

"It was on my show just once,'' Ware said. "It got nothing, zero reaction.'' That's no excuse.

But I was wrong. DaBuzz is not Cincinnati's Al Jazeera. The difference is that the Arab world hears just one warped record - while our free nation allows all kinds of voices.

Everything from Lincoln Ware to columns like this one.

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E-mail pbronson@enquirer.com or call 768-8301.