Posted on 08/09/2004 6:55:10 PM PDT by Stoat
Some reporters at a recent convention of minority journalists said they were stunned and embarrassed by the partisanship displayed at two separate speeches, with cheers for Sen. John Kerry and snickers for his opponent, President Bush.
Editor and Publisher, the industry magazine, compiled comments from reporters around the country who attended last week's Unity 2004 Journalists of Color Conference in Washington, D.C., along with about 7,000 other journalists.
In a column, John Temple, editor of the Rocky Mountain News in Denver was "inspired" by the meeting but said the partisanship, evidenced by the "cheering and whistling" during Kerry's speech, was "something I had never experienced in a crowd of journalists."
Helen Ubinas noted there was snickering during Bush's speech, and the crowd immediately headed to the door at the end. Ubinas wrote in the Hartford Courant she was "in the minority, as it were" who acted like "a professional, not a partisan" in responding to Kerry.
Ubinas explained Kerry connects with the "advocacy side" of Unity journalists, but she said showing preference "is the ultimate betrayal -- to everyone."
Akilah Johnson, a reporter at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Delray Beach, Fla., told USA Today, "It was a little awkward for me. I guess a lot of people were acting like citizens, not reporters."
Those who were covering the event were among the many who did not cheer, insisted Unity President Ernest Sotomayer. The journalists who were not working are "people who vote, and they have a right to express themselves."
Editor and Publisher said other attendees pointed out that some of the people cheering Kerry were not journalists. They also noted some work for the alternative and advocacy press and others are columnists paid to express their opinions.
But Seattle Times reporter Florangelea Davila told her paper, "It was so offensive and awful, and I hated it. It was clearly inappropriate. It was ridiculous."
Houston Chronicle Suburban Editor Pete McConnell said he was "embarrassed" by the crowd reactions.
In his speech, Kerry said, "We're going to unite this country. We're going to put in place policies that will bring us together and move America forward.
''We've been told this week, again and again, that we've turned the corner," he continued. "We've been told to look at the results, ladies and gentlemen. Let's look at the record. … Have we turned the corner when 1.8 million private sector jobs have been lost? Have we turned the corner when we're told that outsourcing jobs is good for America?''
Commenting on the event, Dwight Lewis, columnist for The Tennessean, said, "On and on Kerry went to the applause of many in the audience. Kerry even posed to have his picture taken with some of the convention delegates before leaving the convention center."
Bush told the journalists, "I came here today to establish a cordial, professional relationship with people who help spread the news. You believe there ought to be diversity in the newsroom. I understand that.
''You believe there ought to be diversity on the editorial pages of America. I agree. You believe there ought to be diversity behind the managing editor's desk. I agree with that, too. I also believe there ought to be diversity in the political parties in America. That's why I'm going to work hard to tell people my message. What I believe, and I believe that government should stand side by side with people and help them gain the tools to realize the American dream, not just some people but everybody.''
Michelle Malkin, super-duper minority OR majority journalist, (what-evah, the girl is GOOOOOOD!!) said she refuses to attend this get-together anymore because it is SOOOO one sided!!
Stunned and embarrassed that the watching world got to see their bias first hand.
If I was giving advice to the Bush Campaign, I would tell them to make a point of showing Michael Moore sitting next to Jimmy Carter at the DNC Convention (IN THE PRESIDENTIAL BOX) while Slick Willy was showering himself with praise on the first night of that Charade the Dems called a Convention
The journalistic community has certainly slid downhill since then!
They practice the same version of hate that the terrorists are filled with.
I have only contempt for the liberal press.
If the same people were living during WW2 and reporting the same way, they all would be arrested and thrown in the slammer for 20 years for sedition.
Someone needs to put the journalist back in there place. They are there to report so the others can know what is going on.
Why do they treat people not in there core as not good enough? Why are they so snobby? It is ashame these dorks have access to important information before the truth gets out.
The sky is falling...
"Is the american public polarized, or is the american media polarized?"
and this is why the print media and the tv media are digging their graves....
That's funny, in a piece in the Tennessean, Frank Sutherland used almost identical phrasing and then proceeded to explain that he was there on a recruiting mission; they're all a bunch of cheerleaders and inveterate liars.
The media is definitely NOT polarized. A recent survey revealed that something like 89% of journalists describe themselves as DemocRATS while only 7% said they were Republicans.
Can you imagine John Kerry running even with President Bush if 89% of journalists were Republicans?
The "Ultimate Betrayal" really sums up what the media has done for this country. They should be the protectors of our freedom, not the vocal arm of a political party.
I realized that I butchered my point just as I clicked through "send". Allow me to try again; "Is the american media polarized compared to the american electorate at large. I posted half a thought. My bad.
And he personally waded ashore some tropical island and was heard mumbling something about how he would return.
There's rumor Kerry saved Grant and rode with Sherman. Rumors that he burned Atlanta are being denied, but he did brag about it for years.
Anyone who challenges Kerry's heroic acts is a right wing nut. The press accepts every word, every deed, every story, and refuses to look into the matter. When Kerry speaks, the press stands and cheers. When Kerry lies they look away, but keep him safe.
I have never seen the media more blatant about their bias than now. And that, I think, is a good thing.
I think I saw him in that picture of the flag raising at Iwo Jima also.....
I saw some of this on c-span last week. The camera came back a couple of times to a group in the audience that seemed to be having a particularly negative reaction to GWB.
And something they should not experience in a crowd of journalists either.
Maybe journalists are schooled differently in the US, but I would never, when working, show my personal belief in public. Maintaining impartiality is the cornerstone of a profession, of which I am still proud to be part.
Me thinks its time for a thinnin' out!
Do you remember Geraldine Ferraro's "press conference" where she was finally forced by her hubby's mob connections to take some questions about him?
Of course the press only asked the softest of softball questions. And even then she didn't answer them. (He never did release his tax returns which would have proven once and for all how mobbed up he was.)
But at the end of the "press conference" they gave her a standing ovation.
That's the media's idea of objectivity.
We live in a country that has given away its freedom of the press with both hands. It is a one party press. And it's been that way for years now. In fact, all the institutions are run by the Democrat party.
That's what they call diversity.
I may be mistaken, but I believe the now-defunct Cleveland Press also had that image in the upper left-hand corner next to the title. It might have been related to the Scripps-Howard news service.
And something they should not experience in a crowd of journalists either.
Maybe journalists are schooled differently in the US, but I would never, when working, show my personal belief in public. Maintaining impartiality is the cornerstone of a profession, of which I am still proud to be part.
Impartiality used to be the cornerstone of the media here, but something happened in the 1960's and the media has not been the same in the US since. They used to hide their preference, but it is apparent that they don't even do that any more. How can anyone believe anything these poeple write, knowing that they have such strong biases?
Thankfully, we have the internet.
Good for her. I watched part of this and couldn't believe how dead the room looked. However, our President Bush addressed them as if they were giving him a standing O. It's the difference between him and them. They sat there like bumps on a log....what a bunch of ignoramuses. It was amazing.
The internet is our only fact checker. We can't count on the media. Rush Limbaugh is compared to Michael Moore, yet Rush's facts are cross checked on a daily basis by hundreds of news organizations, with every minor discrepency trumpeted. How about Moore? Any big hooplah about all his misstatements? The internet will be the saviour of truth in fact distribution. The word "news" has nothing to do with facts any more.
Did you not read some of these jounalists lamenting that this organization was WRONG in the way they reacted? Those are the people that the President went to talk with, and the ones whose hearts and minds were touched by the President's words.
There is a shift happening in America. The dynamic is changing, and new alliances are forming for survival. This is evidence of a new beginning. Baby steps first...
LLS
Yes, some are seeing more clearly,
b/c the wrong is so very clear. I
watched this 3 times; picked up
lots of detail. Some stayed on as
it ended, got his autograph, took
pics with him, chatted, pressed
the flesh, etc.
All is not lost...
They were? I wouldn't be! It hasn't exactly been a secret for quite some time.
Funny how at a Kerry rally, they are citizens, but when it came to wearing a flag on their lapels, or acting like they cared who won the war, they were serious journalists who couldn't show sides!!!!
I'm stunned that the other reporters were stunned. Maybe witnessing the behavior of their own will open some eyes at the editorial level.
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