Read a Pacific Northwest, liberal perspective on world, national, and local politics. From majestic Redmond, Washington - the Northwest Progressive Institute Advocate.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Editor of Austin American-Statesman backs down on Netroots Nation story

Yesterday morning the Austin American-Statesman published a "news" story about Netroots Nation by writer Patrick Beach, whose cynical and derogatory commentary about the convention did not go unnoticed by the community.

Today, the newspaper's editor responded to the outrage with this comment:
Readers expect front-page stories to speak directly and clearly about events and issues. Eliminating the possibility of misunderstanding from our work is a critical part of our daily newsroom routine. When we communicate in a way that could be misinterpreted, we fail to meet our standards.

Our front-page story Sunday about the Netroots Nation convention included doses of irony and exaggeration. It made assertions (that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi might find herself at home politically in Beijing, for example) and characterizations ("marauding liberals" was one) meant to amuse. For many readers, we failed.

In trying for a humorous take on the Netroots phenomenon without labeling it something other than a straightforward news story, we compromised our standards.

Fred Zipp, editor
Well - this is about right.

As I went through security at Austin Bergstrom International Airport, I was wearing a shirt with a very subdued looking peace sign. The Transportation Security Administration officer said to me, "Peace sign, huh? Welcome to America."

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