Posted on 06/18/2004 4:12:28 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Newspapers are touchy about censorship - and that's a good thing. Most have rightly opposed blocking sleazy Howard Stern from the airwaves because they understand that freedom of speech is precisely that - freedom of speech.
So we were stunned last week when San Antonio Express-News Editorial Page Editor Lynnell Burkett reported she was censoring dozens of letters to the editor from Texas Republicans because she believes they were written by individuals who were "mindless" and "whipped into a frenzy." See Burkett: Why These Letters Won't See Print
Huh?
Texas Republicans were angry that the Express-News had published a news story about a young Marine who had spoken at their statewide convention on June 4. Using a tilted headline and an incomplete quote, their June 5 front-page story made it appear the Marine was against the war in Iraq and planned to vote for Democrat John Kerry for president.
After Texas Media Watch pointed out the inaccuracies last week, Express-News editor Robert Rivard admitted in his column Sunday that the headline over-reached and the Marine had not told the reporter he planned to vote for Sen. Kerry. See Rivard's June 13 column
But Burkett used her space on the editorial page to attack those who chose to write to the newspaper to express their disagreement:
"That's why you haven't seen the letters in the newspaper this week" Burkett wrote. "They are (1) based on incorrect assumptions and (2) don't reflect the original thoughts by those who wrote them.." Burkett added that the Republican letter writers had personally insulted the reporter and "whipped up their deep-seated hatred of the media."
Pontification on personal insults is hard to swallow from an editorial page that just a few months ago snidely called the Young Conservatives of Texas the "Young Zealots of Texas."
Burkett sees no connection between the outrage of the letter writers and her assertion that the conservative Republicans were not capable of writing an original letter to the editor or, perhaps, were the victims of mind-control by their leaders.
Burkett also insults the religious faith of the GOP letter-writers who she says "claim to be good Christians." Surely Burkett does not believe she should judge who is a good Christian and who is just "claiming" to be one.
Letters to the editors are one of the last outlets for public debate left to local citizens. Most newspapers welcome wide-ranging and controversial comments from their readers. They do not care if letter-writing campaigns are orchestrated as long as they produce well-written and representative samples that can be published.
Former President Bill Clinton said last week that he hopes to "live long enough to see American politics return to vigorous debates where we argue who's right and wrong not who's good and bad."
We agree. At Texas Media Watch, we think a good place to start is for editorial page editors to question their own close-mindedness before charging others.
A belated letter from the Bexar County GOP Chair regarding the Marine's profile was published on the editorial page on June 16. See GOP leader's letter
Sherry Sylvester is the Director of Texas Media Watch.
da bitch never answered my letter! not that I expected it from her "ILK" (I like that word - ILK)
Several years ago, The EN asked for letters from military brats. I responded, but decided it was a big mistake when I read the published version of the letter I had written.
They put typos in my letter which were not in my original, and deleted portions of what I had written, as well as the punctuation.
This not only changed the intent of what I had written to the exact opposite, but the addition of the typos made me sound like I had an IQ of about 63.
From: "Dorsett, Amy"
To: SwinneySwitch
Date: Mon, 7 Jun 2004
Subject: RE: Warrior Against War
The San Antonio Express-News stands behind Saturday’s story, which was a non-partisan look at how the war experience impacted one Marine.
That Marine, Eric Alva, also stands behind the story, and does not dispute any of his quotes. The Express-News re-interviewed him and printed in Sunday’s edition that Alva remains undecided about whom he’ll vote for in the November election.
Many have pointed out that Alva’s war sentiments expressed in the story were not made in his convention speech. I assure you I was there and heard his address. The story did not suggest that he made an anti-war speech. The store was based on the speech coupled with interviews with Alva in the days leading up to the convention, and that is reflected in the article.
As Brett Thacker, managing editor of the Express-News, reminds readers that the newspaper is a vehicle to express all viewpoints and not to advocate a particular one. “Some people forget that we are a nation that was built not only on the tenets of the First Amendment, but the diversity of opinion fostered by those five freedoms,” he said.
Thank you for taking the time to read and respond.
Sincerely,
Amy Dorsett
reporter
San Antonio Express-News
When I was in J-school, we regarded the San Antonio papers as a suitable substitute for toilet paper if you could stand to pick one up. This was at Texas Tech. Before recycling. Obviously nothing's changed at the Express...
(Richard said it much better than me!)
Letters to the Editor
Web Posted: 06/16/2004 12:00 AM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
Warrior victimized again
Re: "Warrior Against War: Marine sergeant who left a leg in Iraq now feels the United States isn't on a clear path there" (June 5):
As Staff Sgt. Eric Alva stood before a crowd of more than 10,000 at the Republican State Convention, he offered a stirring tribute to the men and women in our armed forces. Patriotic pride was instilled in me as I stood among these courageous men and women.
Because he is a true American hero who embodies the spirit and finest traditions of patriotism, service and sacrifice, Alva was invited to speak. He received no less than five standing ovations. But he was only there to speak as a veteran of the Iraqi conflict.
As a Republican, I am grateful to Alva for his service and enormous personal sacrifice. As a Marine, he fought to preserve our right to freely gather and to give the Iraqi people that same right. He has earned the right to express his personal views and to vote however he chooses, and I express no displeasure in his choices.
I do, however, express displeasure in the tactics writer Amy Dorsett used when she seized the opportunity to invoke political controversy. The issue is not whether the article misconstrued the issue.
By merging snippets from previous interviews with reports of his speech, Dorsett distorted the point and purpose of his appearance. At the very least, she had an ethical obligation to disclose the untimeliness of her first interview and then let the readers draw their own conclusions. Unfortunately, Dorsett left many of us with the impression that she has a political agenda.
Alva was there to represent the thousands of brave young Americans who have fought in Iraq. But Dorsett chose to spin the situation against President Bush and the GOP to obscure Alva's real message, which was to thank the American people for their support and prayers. His personal views should not have been manipulated.
Alva lost a leg during combat in Iraq. An accomplished runner, he now faces the incredible and painful task of learning to walk and run with a prosthetic leg. Alva did not deserve a debate of his political views or the tarnishing of his credibility by a journalist. The Express-News and Dorsett owe Alva an apology for making him a victim once again.
I speak for myself and the Bexar County Republican Party when I say Sgt. Eric Alva will always be welcome to come before us regardless of his choice for president.
Richard E. Langlois, chairman,
Republican Party of Bexar County
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