Media Stance Changed After Loss in Iowa Caucuses
For much of the campaign, Sen. Hillary Clinton, “who seemed wary of the press during her eight years in the White House, limited her contact with reporters. She would go days without taking media questions. But since losing Iowa she has become far more accessible, in the tradition of trailing candidates who suddenly realize they need the exposure,” Howard Kurtz wrote Monday in the Washington Post.
“Her campaign can still be inconsiderate toward reporters, sometimes not sending out the next day’s schedule until 2 a.m., making it impossible even to plan what time to get up. But tensions have eased as Clinton has held more frequent news conferences.”
Kurtz continued, “On her campaign plane, Clinton started coming back to the press section for off-the-record chats, usually harmless but sometimes including comments that contradicted what she was saying publicly, according to participants. Two weeks ago part of the media contingent revolted, saying the conversations did them no good if they couldn’t use the information. Since then, although she walked the aisle with a tray of chocolates to hand out on Valentine’s Day, the airborne sessions have dwindled.
“Accessibility, though, doesn’t necessarily translate into candor.”
In another piece on Clinton’s relations with the press, John Heilemann wrote on Thursday for New York magazine, “That the campaign exaggerates its degree of outrage, and Hillary her victimhood, in order to gain a tactical advantage is obvious. But that doesn’t mean their critique is meritless-quite the contrary. The more interesting question, however, is what role each campaign has had in fostering a media dynamic that has clearly favored Obama and plainly damaged Clinton. And also whether that dynamic will come back to bite Obama if he’s the Democratic nominee.”
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Paper Finds 80 Districts With Missing Obama Votes
A review by the New York Times of the unofficial results reported on primary night found about 80 election districts among New York City’s 6,106 where Sen. Barack Obama supposedly did not receive even one vote, including cases where he ran a respectable race in a nearby district, Sam Roberts reported in the Times on Saturday.
“City election officials this week said that their formal review of the results, which will not be completed for weeks, had confirmed some major discrepancies between the vote totals reported publicly— and unofficially —on primary night and the actual tally on hundreds of voting machines across the city,” Roberts wrote.
“The history of New York elections has been punctuated by episodes of confusion, incompetence and even occasional corruption.
“And election officials and lawyers for both Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton agree that it is not uncommon for mistakes to be made by weary inspectors rushing on election night to transcribe columns of numbers that are delivered first to the police and then to the news media,” he continued, speaking of Sen. Hillary Clinton.
“That said, in a presidential campaign in which every vote at the Democratic National Convention may count, a swing of even a couple of hundred votes in New York might help Mr. Obama gain a few additional delegates.
“City election officials said they were convinced that there was nothing sinister to account for the inaccurate initial counts, and The Times’s review found a handful of election districts in the city where Mrs. Clinton received zero votes in the initial results.”
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Did John Lewis Say What Times Thought He Did?
Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., appeared to be vacillating on whether he would switch his support from Sen. Hillary Clinton to Sen. Barack Obama, but in the process called into question the accuracy of a New York Times news report.
Early Friday, David Espo of the Associated Press wrote, “In an interview, Lewis likened Obama to Robert F. Kennedy in his ability to generate campaign excitement, and left open the possibility he might swing behind the Illinois senator. ‘It could (happen). There’s no question about it. It could happen with a lot of people . . . we can count and we see the clock,’ he said.”
In Friday’s New York Times, Jeff Zeleny and Patrick Healy wrote, “Representative John Lewis, an elder statesman from the civil rights era and one of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s most prominent black supporters, said Thursday night that he planned to cast his vote as a superdelegate for Senator Barack Obama in hopes of preventing a fight at the Democratic convention.
“‘In recent days, there is a sense of movement and a sense of spirit,’ said Mr. Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who endorsed Mrs. Clinton last fall. ‘Something is happening in America, and people are prepared and ready to make that great leap.’
“Mr. Lewis, who carries great influence among other members of Congress, disclosed his decision in an interview in which he said that as a superdelegate he could ‘never, ever do anything to reverse the action’ of the voters of his district, who overwhelmingly supported Mr. Obama.”
However, while headlines elsewhere trumpeted that Lewis would now back the Illinois senator, Aaron Gould Sheinin wrote Friday on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Web site, “A story in Friday New York Times that said U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) was going to back Barack Obama for president is inaccurate, a spokeswoman for the former civil rights leader told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this morning.”
On Saturday, Sheinin wrote that Lewis “refused to say Saturday if he plans to vote for Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination at the party’s national convention in August. . . . Jeff Zeleny, the reporter for the Times who wrote the original story, told the AJC on Friday that Lewis was clear in his support for Obama.”
Indeed, Zeleny appeared on CNN’s “American Morning” show on Friday and stood by his story. “Congressman Lewis said from the beginning that he has always been impressed by Senator Obama’s candidacy, but he said in recent weeks something has changed,” Zeleny said. “He said he has seen something that causes him to reassess his support for Senator Clinton. He was nothing but positive for Senator Clinton in the interview I did with him last evening, but he said unequivocally that he would not go against the will of the voters of his district. And he and other lawmakers will be meeting in the coming days, other members of the Congressional Black Caucus will be meeting to have some more discussions.”
Lewis’ vacillations became part of larger stories on the Democratic Party’s 796 superdelegates, members of Congress, governors, party members and ex-officials who are not bound to the wishes of constituents:
“All Things Considered,” National Public Radio: Loyalty vs. Voters: A Superdelegate’s Dilemma
Mike Dorning, Chicago Tribune: Superdelegates face tough choices
Pamela Gentry, BET.com: Super Switch for A Super Delegate
Shailagh Murray and Paul Kane, Washington Post: Blacks in Congress Torn Over Candidates
Les Payne, Newsday: Rep. John Lewis matches his district’s Obamamania
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Readers Question News Judgment on Candidates
Readers are taking note of the photos of each candidate and the placement of stories about them in ways that are reaching newspapers’ public editors and reader representatives, according to those journalists’ weekend columns.
“Readers may object to the focus of a story, but those complaints don’t hold a candle to the outrage expressed over photos, especially if supporters believe the expression on their candidate’s face is sour or the photo is taken from an unflattering angle,” Public Editor Timothy J. McNulty wrote in the Chicago Tribune.
“The umbrage flares when the photo appears next to a rival candidate’s picture. Which one has a better presence, seems more forceful or more sympathetic? Which photo is larger or closer to the top of the page?”
To one such criticism, Cleveland Plain Dealer Deputy News Editor Chuck Caton, who directs the news play and designs most Page Ones for the Sunday paper, pleaded that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is “just not very photogenic.”
“I don’t dislike McCain at all,” said Caton, according to Ted Diadiun, reader representative at the Plain Dealer. “I think he’s a hero, I wouldn’t deliberately try to make him or anyone else look bad. But he’s a real hard guy to find flattering photos for, he’s just not very photogenic. I must have looked at 50 or 60 photos of McCain that Saturday, trying to find a good one that fit with the others. It didn’t occur to us that anyone would be offended by the one we picked.”
Some readers of the Washington Post “asked why the lead story Monday emphasized the news that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was changing campaign managers and featured a large, upbeat photo of her campaigning.” Sen. Barack Obama’s victory in the Maine caucuses “was relegated to a secondary headline and photo,” Ombudsman Deborah Howell wrote. “Ed Thiede, assistant managing editor-news desk, supervises Page 1 design. ‘Replacing a campaign manager at this stage in the race is bigger news, to me, than winning one caucus. The pictures were a simple decision to play Clinton larger on Monday because we played Obama larger on Sunday. We want to be fair to the candidates in our visual choices,’ Agreed,” Howell said.
But C.B. Hanif, editorial writer and ombudsman of the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post, agreed with a reader who thought Obama deserved better play in his paper.
“Last weekend, Sen. Obama won a string of impressive victories in Washington state, Nebraska, Louisiana, Maine and the Virgin Islands,” the Palm Beach reader wrote.
“Of course, I rushed to see (the) coverage of the ‘Obama Sweep’ on Monday . . . Instead, I noticed a lead article on Sen. Clinton — ‘Clinton leads in poll of insiders.’ If that were not enough, on Page 6A there is a small black-and-white photo of Sens. Clinton and Obama with the following headline: ‘Clinton reorganizes campaign; Obama wins Maine.’ How disingenuous?”
“I agree with the readers on this,” Hanif wrote. “If the newspaper is the first draft of history, the paper’s headlines should provide the historical narrative of this campaign. That an ‘inevitable’ nominee’s early victory might become another candidate’s historic upset is a theme that readers sense the editors are ignoring.”
Bob Richter, public editor at the San Antonio Express-News, sounded an alarm about “ugly rumors” about Obama that “go beyond even the loose rules of American political theater.
“The rumor-mongering illustrates both the good and bad sides of the Internet,” he told readers. “Serious media have a responsibility to correct such baseless claims, when we are able, because unbalanced people might be moved by such rubbish to do more than just vote against Obama.”
George Diaz, Orlando Sentinel: Same party, different vibes
Carlos Guerra, San Antonio Express-News: Obama gaining footholds in Texas, once seen as lock for Clinton
Karen Hunter, Hartford (Conn.) Courant: Why Polls Didn’t Get Races Right
Nick Jimenez, Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times: Now it’s Barack’s turn to come calling
Allen Johnson, Greensboro (N.C.) News & Record: ‘Iconic Negro’ or the real deal? The improbable rise of Barack Obama
Eugene Kane, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: It’s our turn in an amazing election year
Rhonda Chriss Lokeman, Kansas City Star: Secrets of the blah-blah sisterhood revealed
Errol Louis, New York Daily News: Meet the new guard black politicians
Roland S. Martin, Creators Syndicate: NAACP’s Bond Late to the Game Regarding Democratic Delegate Battle
Roland S. Martin, Cnn.com blog: Hispanic voters and black candidates: it’s not what you might think
Deborah Mathis, BlackAmericaWeb.com: In the Fight Over Florida and Michigan, It’s Not Fair to Change the Rules Once the Game Starts
Ana Menendez, Miami Herald: Democrats’ indignation a little too late
Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune: How can Clinton get her groove back?
Frank Rich, New York Times: The Grand Old White Party Confronts Obama
Albor Ruiz, New York Daily News: A sobering look at race realities in N.Y.
Cynthia Tucker, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: VP Huckabee is a sincerely scary prospect
Robin Washington, Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune: Obama’s Farrakhan problem — or not
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Pitts, Gonzalez Among ASNE Award Winners
Leonard Pitts Jr. of the Miami Herald, Mona Reeder of the Dallas Morning News and David Gonzalez of the New York Times are among the winners of the annual writing and photography contest of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, ASNE announced on Sunday.
Pitts, a Pulitzer Prize recipient, won in the commentary and column writing category for a compilation of columns, including those on the death of NFL star Sean Taylor, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the Jena, La., controversy, in which black high-school students were disproportionately punished after racial incidents.
Gonzalez was voted the Freedom Forum/ASNE Award for Distinguished Writing on Diversity for a three-part series providing a close-up look at a new wave of Pentecostalism in the city.
Reeder won the community service photojournalism award for photos depicting the varied faces of poverty in Texas.
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Indy Mayor Lifts Sanctions Against Black Station
The administration of Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, unhappy with the way the mayor was being depicted on black-owned WTLC-AM, imposed a short-lived ban prohibiting city staff from providing information, appearing on the air or advertising with the radio station, Tim Evans reported on Saturday in the Indianapolis Star.
A Jan. 30 e-mail from Marcus Barlow, the mayor’s press secretary, said, “This is to inform you that UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES is anyone to correspond with WTLC. You are not to appear on their shows or send them any materials. Furthermore, your departments are not to advertise with them or contract with them in any way,” according to the story.
In a column that appeared in the Feb. 14 edition of the Indianapolis Recorder, a black weekly, WTLC-AM host Amos Brown wrote that the administration’s action was in retaliation for criticism of Ballard leveled by callers to his program, “Afternoons With Amos.”
“Barlow said Friday that the ban was rescinded after a meeting between city and radio station officials,” the Star story said.
“Most concerning about the e-mail, Brown said, was the threat to freeze the station out of competition for advertising, even though the city had never done much business with the station.”
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Ga. Anchor Claims Speaking Out Led to Firing
“Longtime Columbus television news anchor Dee Armstrong claims she has been fired by WTVM because she spoke out about what she perceived as racially discriminatory practices at the station,” Chuck Williams wrote Monday in the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer.
“Basically, they fired her,” her lawyer, Neal J. Callahan, said in the story. “The reason that this was done is she has complained about discrimination within the office. She has done it in e-mails, memos and in person for two years.”
The story said, “Armstrong, a 1976 Columbus High graduate, returned home in August 1986, taking a job as weekend reporter and anchor at WTVM. In 1988, she was promoted to co-anchor of the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts. She has held that job for almost 20 years.”
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NPR Apologizes for Term “Dark Continent”
National Public Radio issued this correction on Saturday.
“In our newscast at 9:30 a.m. ET on Feb. 14, the phrase ‘dark continent’ was used by one of our newscasters in reference to President Bush’s trip to Africa. This was totally inappropriate and offensive, and we apologize. We will apologize on air in the 9:30 a.m. ET newscast on Monday, Feb. 18, for allowing such an antiquated and pejorative term to air.”
Spokeswoman Andi Sporkin told Journal-isms, “We did get a few listener comments that day, but the actions were taken swiftly that morning because NPR found the reference offensive.”
Wikipedia defines the term as, “A 19th century expression previously used to describe Africa, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa. As little was known about the continent’s interior geography, map-makers would often leave this region dark. “
Jalal Ghazi, New America Media: Arab Media Question U.S. Motives in Darfur
Charlayne Hunter-Gault, TheRoot.com: Did the Pan-African Dream Die With Apartheid?
Nicole C. Lee, TheRoot.com: Bush’s Real Legacy in Africa
Lucianne Limo, East African Standard, Nairobi, Kenya: Government Seeking Policies to ‘Guide’ Press
William Reed, syndicated: Bush’s ‘Good News’ Trip to Africa
Rubén Rosario, St. Paul Pioneer Press: ‘Lost Boy’ taking quest for 2 nieces to Sudan
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Frank Washington: “I’ll Get a Little Better With Time”
Automotive journalist Frank Washington, whose face was severely damaged when he was mugged near his Detroit home on Jan. 29, has sent his first public note to friends and colleagues:
“For those who don’t know, I was savagely beaten about two weeks ago as I took my morning walk. Bottom line is I don’t know who attacked me or why I was attacked. Heck, I’m still getting my arms around the severity of the assault,” it begins.
“Rather than worry about whether I can get to Monterey or Orange County, California for the next car program, in the near term at least, my most important priority is this morning’s shower, or getting my hair cut or doing some laundry. Life issues now rule my day, not professional considerations. In other words, my first order of business for real is regaining my health. That’s it, nothing else matters.
“There are the doctors: sight and my trauma team are first up. There is so much that I could say but let me say this: if not for my daughters Michelle and Monique, both of Chicago, there’s just no telling how far I’d be along in my recovery.
“Any number of funds have been set up to help with my medical expenses as well as with my daily living expenses. We’ll see if they are successful. That said, I’ll paraphrase a line from a not so old [movie]: I will not go quietly into the night.
“I am still around. And with the help of doctors, whose hands have been and will be surely guided by something greater than themselves, I’ll get a little better with time.
“My best and my love, until the next time, Frank.”
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Short Takes
“Liberians who fled their country’s civil war and settled in southwest Philadelphia during the 1990s thought their troubles would be over,” Jennifer Ludden reported for “All Things Considered” Monday on National Public Radio. Instead, their children were taunted and attacked by African American students, who called them “monkeys” and other names. An African American mother asked how they could be “so black.” “Liberians in Philly eventually banded together to fight back, and the attacks subsided,” Ludden reported.
Tonyaa Weathersbee, a columnist with the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, has been named the first and only African American member of the newspaper’s editorial board. She will continue to write her weekly column, she told Journal-isms.
“In the middle of a media-saturated political season, Jared Kushner, publisher of The New York Observer, has been quietly nurturing an ambitious political journalism venture,” Brian Stelter wrote Monday in the New York Times. “The publisher is Jared Kushner. The plan is to pull together 50 Web sites, one for each state, into a political hub called Politicker.com. Each site will serve as an intensely local source for political articles, speculation and scandal, Mr. Kushner said. Ten sites are online already, and the 11th, covering Kentucky, is scheduled to go up this week.”
“U.S. media employment in December fell to a 15-year low (886,900), slammed by the slumping newspaper industry,” Bradley Johnson wrote Monday on AdAge.com. “But employment in advertising/marketing-services— agencies and other firms that provide marketing and communications services to marketers— broke a record in November (769,000). Marketing consulting powered that growth.”
Native American columnist Tim Giago relates the Australia government’s decision to apologize to aborigines to responsibilities in the United States. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., “has introduced a resolution as a part of the Native American Health-Care Bill, to formally apologize to Native Americans for the years of government mistreatment and abuse,” Giago wrote.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday it welcomed news of the impending release of two Cuban independent journalists, José Gabriel Ramón Castillo and Alejandro González Raga who have been imprisoned since March 2003. Both were imprisoned during a massive crackdown against Cuban dissidents and the independent press almost five years ago, the organization said.
