The campaign for the 2008 presidency is in the early stages, but the war of words is already heating up. For the moment, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution isn’t devoting a great deal of space to the day-to-day happenings on the campaign trail.
In last Sunday’s paper, the AJC ran a short article that generated a dozen or so telephone calls and e-mails from readers who felt the newspaper was showing its typical liberal bias by printing partial remarks made by conservative author and political pundit Ann Coulter.
During an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Coulter was playing off a remark she said comedian Bill Maher made. Coulter, who had previously implied that Democratic candidate John Edwards was gay, said sarcastically that she could get sent to rehab for using the f-word, so if she was going to say anything about Edwards, she would just wish that he had been killed in a terrorist attack. She and other conservatives said Maher made a similar remark about Vice President Dick Cheney in March.
What came out in the AJC was an abbreviated version of her remarks based on an incident involving Elizabeth Edwards, the candidate’s wife, who called into the MSNBC show “Hardball” to confront Coulter. The AJC report said Coulter wished John Edwards would be killed by terrorists.
After hearing from readers, I felt we needed to clarify the item, and we did so in Wednesday’s paper.
When reporting on the many offhanded remarks that people such as Coulter and Maher make to get a rise out of the opposition, editors should make sure to accurately reflect the comments so readers aren’t left with the perception that we are deliberately trying to distort a person’s remarks. The challenge comes in reporting such banter in a limited amount of space.
Several readers asked why the AJC hadn’t reported on Maher’s original comment about Cheney.
For the record, here is what Maher said on his March 2 HBO show “Real Time with Bill Maher,” and then clarified March 5 (on Huffington Post):
“I have zero doubt that if Dick Cheney was not in power, people wouldn’t be dying needlessly tomorrow … I’m just saying that if he did die … other people, more people would live. That’s a fact … What I said Friday — and what I believe — is that the vice president has presided over a bungled execution of a war in which thousands of our bravest continue to die. And I believe that were he not in power, our troops would likely come home sooner. But I don’t wish him dead.”
Cox Washington editor Carl Rauscher said Maher is paid to make jokes as a comedian while Coulter is a political pundit.
At least one reader who e-mailed said Maher can’t really be called a comedian anymore since so much of what he does is political.
That’s a fair point, but I don’t think people should read too much into the non-coverage of Maher’s comments. If the AJC reported on every instance of hateful speech, our pages would be filled with little else. These comments are further stirred by talk shows and Internet chats. What made Coulter’s comments news was that the Edwards campaign posted them on its Web site with a plea for donations.
Reader open house: It’s time for our annual open house for readers who are interested in seeing how the print edition and Web site come together daily. You’ll hear from editors, reporters and visual journalists, and get a sneak peak at what we’re planning for upcoming print editions.
This year’s open house will be held 12:30-5:30 p.m. July 25 in our downtown office. If you are interested in taking part, please send me a note with a few sentences about your background and why you’d like to participate. If there is enough interest, we’ll hold a second open house later this year.
As you’ve been reading in these pages in recent months, the AJC has made a series of changes, including a newsroom reorganization, to produce a stronger print edition and a more dynamic and interactive Web site. The changes come at a time when the industry as a whole is facing major challenges. Here’s your chance to learn more about what’s happening at the AJC and to give your thoughts on what we’re doing.
