Cheering the code after punching the passion.(Beat the Press: The hand that rules the press ... rules the country--Judge Learned Hand )

Imagine, if you can, a major studio releasing a thriller in which the stars investigate the origins of Islam. Pursued by a murderous Muslim cleric, they uncover a series of shocking discoveries: Mohammed was no prophet! The Koran is a hoax, the work of self-serving hypocrites! Modern-day Muslims are dupes, if not deranged psychopaths!

Now imagine, in the unlikely event such a film were ever made, what sort of reception it would get in the establishment media. Given the categorical refusal of the American press to publish the Danish Mohammed cartoons, it's a safe bet that the talking heads and big newspapers would only mention the movie to denounce it.

This is telling, given the fawning, copious attention that's been lavished upon Ron Howard's adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, which began well before the movie was even in production.

Five months in advance of its opening, Newsweek touted Da Vinci in a fluffy cover piece as the "New Year's Hottest Movie." NBC's "Today" show aired clips during the Winter Olympics. Throughout the media, giddy reporters and pundits counted down the days until the big-screen debut of Dan Brown's best-selling novel, which insists that Christ was not divine, that the Gospels are a fraud, and that the Catholic Church is a wicked, murderous conspiracy out to conceal the truth of the "sacred feminine."

Clearly the decision makers in today's establishment press defer to the religious sensibilities of some folks more than others.

There are various reasons for this double standard, the first being media cowardice. Christians tend not to riot and torch buildings when they're offended. They can deal with having their convictions challenged. The Muslim world, in contrast, is much more dangerous. And media crusaders tend to go weak in the knees if there's a chance of becoming the next Salman Rushdie or Theo van Gogh.

Then there's simple economics: The Da Vinci Code, which sold 40 million copies in hardcover alone, has the potential to be a box-office hit of Harry Potter proportions. Reporters and news organizations that saw little profit in reprinting second-rate foreign cartoons want to get in on this bonanza.