Posted on 12/17/2005 12:50:03 PM PST by Nasty McPhilthy
Whoever is detected in a shameful fraud is ever after not believed even if they speak the truth. - Phaedrus
Most newspapers expect the readers to believe a news story will be an honest and unbiased presentation of an event factually written by a reporter and honestly reviewed by a news editor. Readers expect the news section will be bias free.
An editorial or an op-ed piece in a newspaper represents the “official view” of the news by that particular newspaper or the opinion of an interested reader. And of course newspapers have the right to express their “official view” in editorials or on their op-ed pages.
Newspapers also have the right to change the opinion of the general public using their editorial or op-ed pages. However, it is dishonest and unethical for a newspaper to engage in slanting news reports – a process referred to as yellow journalism – by presenting “editorials or op-ed” pieces under the guise of a news story.
The Boston Globe labels this distinction, “the separation of church and state.” The Globe claims that this “separation of church and state” is a cherished tradition that helps protect the integrity of both the news section and the editorial/op-ed section.
Forked Tongues
The Boston Globe, similar to most newspapers, expects the readers to believe that their “news stories” contain no “editorials or op-ed” influences. The Globe wants the readers to believe that the news-operation, led by editor Marty Baron, is absolutely and entirely separate from the editorial (opinion) pages of the ideological feminist editorial-page editor Renee Loth. An ideological feminist is a feminist who is more concerned about women’s rights than he or she is victim or civil rights.
The following are quotes from a December 15, 2005 Associated Press release
A lesbian couple who entered into the nation’s first same-sex civil union are splitting up amid allegations of violent behavior [italics added.]
Conrad also obtained a restraining order [italics added] Wednesday against her partner saying Peterson punched a hole in the wall during an argument and threatened to harm a friend.
The AP story makes it crystal clear that Conrad not only knew why the relationship ended and the AP story also makes it obvious that Conrad is not only asking the court to dissolve the union, she is also asking the court for a domestic violence restraining order.
The Boston Herald picked up the AP story considered the allegations of violence and the request for a domestic violence restraining order that it ran it on page 10 under the headline, “Woman’s violence claim ends first civil union.” The Herald story is a faithful and an honest representation of the AP story.
The Herald reports both the allegations of violence in the relationship and information about the restraining order. After all, the allegations of violent behavior were important enough to be the lead paragraph of the AP story. The allegations of violent behavior are the central reasons for the request for a restraining order.
The New York Times ran the AP story and in the lead paragraph of its news story the Times reported that the lesbian couple who entered into the nation’s first same-sex civil union are splitting up amid allegations of violent behavior. It is apparent to the Times that the allegations of violent behavior are central to the news story and the request for a restraining order are because of allegations of domestic violence. This information can not be missed or misconstrued as something else. Or can it?
Because the AP story, the New York Times and the Boston Herald all report in their news stories that allegations of violent behavior are integral regarding the request for a domestic violence restraining order and of course they play an important role in the break up of Conrad and her partner, one would expect those same facts would appear in the Boston Globe news story, right! Wrong!!
The Boston Globe Manipulation of the Facts
The Boston Globe picked up the AP story and ran it on page B2 under the headline “Couple that made history for civil union are splitting.” The Globe news story reports that Carolyn Conrad asked a court in Brattleboro, VT to end the civil union. The Globe ignored any mention of violence and the request for a domestic violence restraining order.
In fact the Globe, because of the AP news story is well aware of the allegations of domestic violence and the request for a restraining order by Conrad, claims in its news story that neither one of the partners nor the lawyer for Conrad would comment why Conrad was in court. While the Globe did not lie, it did willingly and knowingly omit and expunge what all the other news agencies reported as fact.
Why does the Globe omit any mention of domestic violence in its report? Why did the Globe, a newspaper that is so committed to integrity in reporting and that has for so many years lead public opinion to end or prevent domestic violence, purposely expunge and omitted information about allegations of domestic violence or the issuance of a restraining order?
What are the reasons that the Globe news story differs from all the others news agencies? Was this news story turned into an opinion/op-ed piece? If so, what happened to the integrity that Baron cherishes?
Were the omission of violent behavior between the women and the expunging of information about the issuance of a restraining order an oversight or purposely done? Regardless, it does appears that someone’s “gender agenda” played a role in slanting a news story to better fit the past and future opinion/op-ed pages of the Globe by quashing the facts reported in all the other news reports.
What is a less honest presentation of the news; presenting mythical event as a real story or deconstructing a real news story so that the news story will fit the “official view” of the newspaper?
And most important of all, the readers of the Globe are now left wondering if this misrepresentation of a news story to fit its op-ed pages is a single and isolated event or is this simply a reflection of a long time policy at the Boston Globe?
Richard L. Davis
The Boston Globe used porn-site photo's in their reporting of Abu Ghraib.
AP Photo: Carolyn Conrad, right, and Kathleen Peterson sign their civil union license at the town clerks'...
http://tinyurl.com/bd5ze
Carolyn Conrad, 35, asked a court in October to end her relationship with Kathleen Peterson, 46.
Conrad also obtained a restraining order Wednesday against her partner, saying Peterson punched a hole in the wall during an argument and threatened to harm a friend.
"All I want to say is that the civil union was a big source of pride for me, and now it's not," Peterson said.
The two had been together for five years when they were legally joined in Brattleboro minutes after Vermont's civil-union law took effect on July 1, 2000. Two years ago, the couple were offering relationship advice on the gay-rights Web site.
Thursday, July 6th, 2000
Gay Marriage Begins in Vermont
Under a quilt of stars, as friends and family blew bubbles and kisses into the warm night air, Kathleen Peterson and Carolyn Conrad exchanged vows of love and commitment this weekend and became the first same-sex couple in the nation to be recognized as civil union partners under Vermont's far-reaching law, which took effect July 1.
Guests:
* Kathleen Peterson, first lesbian legally married in nation. She and Carolyn Conrad had civil union ceremony at midnight.
* Evan Wolfson, Director of the Marriage Project at the LAMBDA Legal Defense and Education Fund.
* David Goodman, free lance reporter who wrote piece on Vermont's breakthrough decision in Mother Jones magazine.
July 2, 2000, Sunday
Same-Sex Couples Take Vows as Law Takes Effect; Across Vermont, Dozens Celebrate Civil Union
Pamela Ferdinand , Special to The Washington Post
BRATTLEBORO, Vt., July 1
Under a quilt of stars, as friends and family blew bubbles and kisses into the warm night air, Kathleen Peterson and Carolyn Conrad exchanged vows of love and commitment this morning and became the first same-sex couple in the nation to be recognized as civil union partners under Vermont's far-reaching law, which took effect today.
Town Clerk Annette Cappy opened her office here at the stroke of midnight to accommodate the Brattleboro couple, who immediately cemented their five-year relationship by obtaining a civil union license and the blessing of a justice of the peace. As of midnight, a state government was allowed for the first time to bestow on gay couples virtually the same benefits and responsibilities heterosexual married partners have, from taxes to medical decision-making. (Federal benefits are not included.)
One bride, Peterson, 41, a ski-lift electrician, wore black. The other bride, Conrad, 29, an associate dean of students at Marlboro College, held a bouquet of garden flowers and stood barefoot in a shimmery taupe sheath with matching nail polish as the town clerk verified their license information and cameras flashed around them. As they signed their names, friends, relatives and supportive strangers counted down from 10 to 1. "Happy union!" they yelled, with whistles and a lone cry of "Brava!"
http://tinyurl.com/7pnpd
Carolyn Conrad and Kathleen Peterson
Carolyn and Kathleen -- “K.P.” -- have been together for eight years and live in Vermont. Moments after midnight on July 1, 2000, they became the first same-sex couple in America to be legal spouses under a state law, when they were the first to receive a civil union in Vermont. (Vermont is the only state with civil unions, which treat same-sex couples as spouses under Vermont’s state laws but aren’t the same as full marriage equality.) Carolyn and K.P. continue to grow together as a couple and look forward to many more years together. “When I first met K.P., I loved her because she rode a motorcycle, and now I love her because she makes the payments on her motorcycle,” Carolyn says. “Things change.”
http://tinyurl.com/dsazo
Don't you think it is important that readers be made aware of this vital information? end/sarcasm>
Only when reporting on NORAD catching flying reindeer on the scopes, or the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy. The thing of it is is, only the Velveteen Rabbit is real.
The reason is obvious.
The female who wrote the Boston Globe Story is lesbian and could not tolerate the destruction of the history making union.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.