Here’s a question for readers: When you see a letter to the editor in the Globe, do you presume it was written by the person whose name is on it? Does it matter?
Those who answer ”yes” may have their faith shaken by certain recent events.
Four times since mid-October the Globe has unwittingly published letters that were written not by the local folks who signed them, but by the Republican National Committee. The same letters, all praising President Bush, also appeared verbatim (or nearly so) in papers across the country, each signed by a person in that paper’s area.
It’s the latest example of what some call ”astroturf” (as in, fake grass roots), and it has generated a buzz online and in journalism circles.
Editors at dozens of papers have not been pleased to discover that they ran GOP form letters. Most papers, the Globe among them, want their letters page to reflect authentic local sentiment, homegrown views, not reworked press releases.
But just how serious an infraction this is has become a matter of debate. Are such prefab letters a form of ”deception,” as reader Amity Wilczek put it when she alerted the Globe to the ”scam.” Or do they simply reflect how democracy works in the Internet age – no different, really, than a form letter sent to Congress?
Here are the local facts:
The most recent Republican National Committee-authored letter ran in the Globe on Jan. 12 and was signed by Stephanie Johnson of Milton. It praised Bush for ”demonstrating genuine leadership” on the economy, and detailed his tax relief plan. (Roughly 45 identical, or nearly identical, letters have arrived in the Globe’s electronic mailbox – a potential tip-off that it was not an original work.)
Multiple copies were also sent to papers nationwide, and by the time the duplication came to light, dozens of papers had published it. Because the Globe was among the largest, it’s been prominently mentioned as one of the papers caught off guard.
But it turns out the Jan. 12 letter was not an isolated incident. Research shows the Globe also ran GOP-authored letters on Jan. 6, Dec. 1, and Oct. 18.
There may have been others, perhaps from other organizations. The Republican National Committee is not alone in drafting prefab letters to the editor, or making them easy to e-mail. Many special interest organizations of all political persuasions do the same – although perhaps not quite as effectively as the GOPTeamLeader.com website, which rewards those who send letters with points that can be converted into gifts, ”from coolers to mousepads.”
The GOPTeamLeader site, says GOP spokesman Kevin Sheridan, has been very successful, ”an important way to get grass-roots support for the president … out through the media.”
From Democratic quarters, Michael McCurry, a former Clinton press secretary, finds no fault with the practice. McCurry, whose company offers technical support to client Internet users, tells critics of the letters: ”Grow up and join the Internet Age.”
Certainly the letter-writers I contacted felt they had done nothing wrong. Although Johnson could not be reached, I tracked down five other people who sent the same e-mail. All were surprised to hear that the Globe frowned on form letters.
”It is a convenient way for people who are very busy to participate in the democratic process,” said one. Another said the form letter she sent expressed ”exactly how I feel, and I appreciate the fact that someone with a better education wrote it for me.” From a third: ”if I take the time to forward a form letter to anyone, and put my name on it, it should be considered as mine and as good as my signature.”
Fine, except for the nagging matter of readers’ trust.
If I am correct in thinking that most readers would answer ”yes” to the question at the top of this column, doesn’t the paper owe them a letters page that is original thought?
Yes, says Editorial Page Editor Renee Loth.
”Readers have a right to assume that what they read on the letters page is not canned public relations material,” she says. Thus, she has instituted a new policy to confirm original authorship on any letter that could be part of an organized campaign.
The Internet may be part of the problem, but it can also be part of the solution; I’d suggest adding regular online searches of key phrases in any suspect letter, to quickly identify already-published duplicates.
It is unfortunate that GOP-authored letters were published as individual works. I applaud the effort to keep it from happening again. The Globe is blessed with readers who are smart, literate, and passionate about politics. The letters page should be reserved for their heartfelt words, not those of special interests seeking to sway public opinion.
