USA TODAY NEEDS TO HEAR FROM YOU ABOUT BUSH "OUTRAGE" ADS -- come on, make a call

dfu | 3-9-04 | dfu

[doug from upland]

USA TODAY: 703.854.3400

Gwenn Foster - political editor.
Mark Memmott - Judy Keen, writers

Here we go again, FReepers. Finally, the NY POST did the story about the funding of PEACEFUL TOMORROWS. The POST told its readers about the funding which was ultimately tied to Teresa Heinz.

I'm still waiting for the WASHINGTON POST and NY TIMES to set the record straight. Perhaps I shouldn't hold my breath.

And now, we come to USA TODAY. Are they a wholly owned subsidiary of the DemocRATic Party? No. Do they do the bidding of the DemocRATic Party? It seems so.

I spoke with Gwen Foster, the USA TODAY political editor. She is apparently satisfied that they did the story and reported the news. She has no plans to do a story on the funding connection of Teresa Heinz to PEACEFUL TOMORROWS. In fact, she denied that the story in USA TODAY even mentioned PEACEFUL TOMORROWS. She has no interest in full disclosure and correcting the record. I called back and read the paragraph to her answering machine. I told her that is sloppy journalism.

I also left a message for one of the writers, Mike Memmott, telling him of the connection and saying to him it was sloppy journalism if they don't report it.

THE ORIGINAL STORY FROM THEIR WEBSITE

Posted 3/4/2004 3:13 PM
Bush accused of exploiting 9/11

By Mark Memmott and Judy Keen, USA TODAY

EXCERPT:

Today those groups plan a press conference in New York to say that the ads' use of video shot at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, is insulting to the memories of those who died in the 2001 attacks. Of particular concern to them: a few seconds of video of firefighters carrying a flag-draped body from the rubble. (Related video: Bush recalls 9/11, defends ads)

"Our message to all politicians is, 'Keep your hands off Ground Zero,' " said David Potorti, of Cary, N.C., a member of Peaceful Tomorrows, one of the families' organizations. His brother Jim, 52, died at the World Trade Center. ---end excerpt---

Calling them "one of the families' organizations" is not good enough. The story was incomplete.

FReepers, you saw that we raised hell on the phone with the NY TIMES over the weekend. USA TODAY needs to hear from us. PLEASE be civil. Leave your name. Guide them toward the story.

Okay, raise your hands? Who will make the call?

Thanks. Your efforts may help Dubya continue the War on Terror. God help us if the RATS get back into power.

[CWOJackson]

Done. Thanks for the info.

[doug from upland]

Thanks for participating and making the call.

I wonder how Jameel Rashid's rear end feels today after a significant reaming.

[cake_crumb]

My nastygrams are quite civil. I DID ask them if it's no longer policy to vet stories before printing them and suggested they had been shamelessly manipulated into writing a story which gives credence to an arm of the Kerry campaign.

[CWOJackson]

If he ONLY gets a reaming I'll be very disappointed. Hopefully he's up on charges.

[EDINVA]

Thanks ... sent email ... and got acknowledgement that they'd be back in touch "as necessary" ... we will all be blue in the face if we hold our breath waiting. Only MAYBE if Fox, Hannity, et al give it enough coverage will USA Today ever acknowledge these connections, and then on Page D-34.

BUT ... the GOP and Bush campaign cannot continue to be blindsided this way. Time to go on offense and not let up.

[doug from upland]

Where can I report that sailor from Rialto?

[CWOJackson]

Navy type?

[doug from upland]

Yep, he claimed Navy when he signed as a supporter.

[DrDeb]

Left a detailed message on Memmott's voice mail!!

Also advised him to more critically analyze polling results from Gallup -- particularly results based on TINY subsets of likely voters with a margin of error at or above +/- 5!!!!

[CWOJackson]

I'd suggest doing a Goggle for U.S. Navy Public Affairs. You could try Navy Investigative Services but they would probably just blow it off as a pain-in-the-butt.

Now Public Affairs is more image conscious...particularly when angry taxpayers contact them.

Do you remember the jerk who used to post here who was a civilian employee at the Pentagon, claiming to have access to lots of classified documents, and was constantly trashing the President? I only got a cursory response from Army CID, but the Pentagon Public Affairs office was VERY responsive in dealing with the issue.

[EDINVA]

hahah, all they had to do was post the photo of Peter Yarrow ... worth a thousand words ;)

[auggy]

Doug, it is 3:20 CST and I just now got off of the phone with Mark Memmott. He was polite and very curious, how I heard of this. I told him I had read the article and already knew about the connection between Heinz-Kerry and Peaceful Tomorrows. I felt that the connection should definitely be printed or that the story was incomplete and leaning to the left.
He said he was, at that moment, doing research on the connection. Hopefully, he will see it through.
He also asked me ,if Rush had brought it up today, I said, he had not.
Hope this helps.

[doug from upland]

Great work, FReepers. It sounds like he has had enough calls. Let's make sure he follows through.

[DooDahhhh]

Thanks for the addy. I emailed the letter to editor!

[doug from upland]

Actually, Rush did bring it up but he didn't suggest whom to call.

[PattonReincarnated]

Here's an interesting slant on USA Today. I have a conservative buddy that used to work for USA Today (he left a while ago, but that is another story) My buddy says that the majority of USA Today's readership are, and I'll use his words, "White, gun-toting, Republican, businessmen." A good chunk of the readership are business men that are traveling. The only time I would look at a USA Today was when it was delivered to my hotel room door for free. I certainly won't pay to read it. Last year, when I was traveling extensively for work, I started asking hotels for an alternate news paper when I checked-in. Believe it or not, hotels are very accomodating to this request. If my friend's statement is true about the readership, it would only take a year or two to put USA Today under, or make it into a more conservative paper. That's if people stopped reading USA Today when they traveled, and requested other papers. Just a thought.

[doug from upland]

Interesting analysis. Yes, it is everywhere I travel.

[syriacus]

Another journalist wises up...Debra Saunders of SFGate.com [San Francisco Chronicle online]
The bodies politic

[Dante3]

bttt