APOLOGY (and challenge) to reporter Dick Stevenson from the NY TIMES

dfu | 3-7-04 | Doug from Upland

[doug from upland]

There was a previous post about an article that originally appeared in the NY TIMES. While doing a key word search about families offended by the recent Bush ads, I found this story -- Anger at terror images in Bush ads .....By Richard Stevenson, Jim Rutenberg..... Santa Clara..... March 6, 2004

Included in that article attributed to Stevenson and Rutenberg was this: "Kelly Campbell, co-director of a non-partisan group called September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows....."

Unfortunately, the site used Stevenson's work and combined it with work from a WASHINGTON POST author named Paul Fahri. THE AGE, where the story was found, led us to believe it was the work Stevenson and Rutenberg. Stevenson did not write the sentence about Kelly Campbell.

Dick Stevenson is owed an apology and it is hereby given to him. His article was done with complete professionalism.

From an email I received from Stevenson: " to those who read your post and called me to leave abusive messages that impugned my professionalism and patriotism, please pass along this response: We take criticism very seriously. When we mess up, we try to acknowledge it and correct it. But calling and swearing at me, making ugly personal statements and jumping to conclusions on the basis of sketchy information -- which in this case turned out to be dead wrong -- is no way to engage me or my newspaper in a dialog. And I would point out that not one caller other than Doug had the guts to provide a name or a phone number."

Come on, FReepers, this is personally embarrassing. He didn't deserve that treatment. We are better than that. Let John Kerry use the F word in Rolling Stone. Let the political left shout down opponents, stifle free speech, do damage in the streets, and act like jerks while this nation is at war. Let the left have the Michael Moores. I don't want people like that on my side.

The initial hope was that Stevenson would want to correct the record. We don't get people to see our side if we scream and swear at them.

Here is what was in his article: "The criticism -- from a firefighters union, relatives of victims and allies of Senator John Kerry....." He acknowledge that allies of Kerry were part of the criticism.

Stevenson is being sent this thread. I asked and the Admin Moderator removed the first one. Don't be nasty to him here.

Dick, this is to you. I hope you accept the apology, and I am sorry it ruined your Sunday. But, I also want to challenge you. I hope you will write a follow-up story. "Relatives of victims" was technically accurate, but it was incomplete. Please check out September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. Please investigate the source of a great deal of their funding. That is the next story that needs to be written. When that one is written, FReepers will send notes of congratulations to comments@nytimes.com

Finally, I encourage activism and contact with reporters. Please do it with civility. The anti-Bush extremists set up the press with this pre-emptive attack on the ads. We need to help reporters discover the rest of the story. Don't make them your enemy. Most of them are just trying to earn a living.

[Mo1]

I'm off to write a letter to the Phila. Inquirer, who had a front page, top of the fold spread on this "outrage".

Thanks to abner, Dom G from the Philly Big Talker was discussing this story on Saturday and said he will follow up on todays show ..

[doug from upland]

Thanks for the report. Way to go, abner.

[doug from upland]

Calling Sean Hannity...calling Sean Hannity....I didn't hear about this on your Friday radio show. Come on, Sean. Don't get behind the FReeper curve here.

[highlandbreeze]

Neal Boortz is talking about the widows and funding from Heinz-kerry!

[doug from upland]

Great news. Thanks for the info.

[Moby Grape]

You are a class act.

[Mo1]

She did real good .. I was in the shower when I heard her call in *L*

Here is the post I made about it

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1092116/posts?page=74#74

[abner]

Thanks guys.

Glenn Beck was talking about it this morning. I can't remember if I sent the information to him or not. He links the Newsmax story.

That's 5 million listeners!

[doug from upland]

They got a few days of play with this. The RNC is talking about it on its website. This will be going mainstream shortly. FReepers, keep up the good work.

[doug from upland]

Bush ads in Heinz-sight -- CLICK.

[doug from upland]

Susan Jo --- how is the story about the set up coming?

[doug from upland]

In a column this Sunday, Dan Okrent of the NY TIMES is going to mention this adventure. He called, and I gave him permission to use my name. Let's see how nasty or kind the NYT is going to be. We are still waiting for them to report on the Heinz connection to the outrage over the ads. Do you think they will do it before the election?

[doug from upland]

Susan Jo, we are still waiting for the TIMES to write about the Heinz connection to the outrage and about moveon.org's involvement in setting it up. Well???