Oregonian Public Editor -- "Memo Hasn't Been Ignored"

[kaitykaity]

:wtf:

And he's disparaging to us and our concerns in the
process.

And what he doesn't say is that when you call The Oregonian
newsroom and ask why they haven't covered it, the position
of the newsroom is the memo "is not news."

:grr:

http://www.oregonlive.com/weblogs/publiceditor/
Friday, June 03, 2005

Downing Street memo

Many readers continue to criticize The Oregonian and other U.S. newspapers for not giving more attention to a British document reflecting a meeting of British leaders during which they describe war preparations by U.S. officials in July 2002.

The so-called Downing Street memo states that the Bush administration was committed to a war in Iraq and wanted intelligence information to back its case for attacking Iraq.

While many of the critics have been anti-Bush partisans, even journalists have questioned the amount of coverage. Although I agree the document should have received more attention, many of the critics are wrong to say that it has been entirely ignored.

Here is what has been published in The Oregonian:

...more

[stubtoe]

1. Hi Kaity, thank you for this link

This is my state paper too, so your post got my attention.

Perhaps the memo/minutes are "not news" in the Editor's opinion, especially since he seems to feel the paper has covered this topic "adequately" (my quotes here) already.

Perhaps a congressional Resolution of Inquiry into these minutes, with implications of bringing impeachable offenses, WOULD be considered "newsworthy".

Back in our court, is how I read it. Need to get cracking on our congressional delegation. Can't expect much more from the foot-draggers in the press till then.

[kaitykaity]

2. Hey, you're welcome. And welcome to DU.

:hi:

This is the same paper who splashed front page
headlines daily about every single unsubstantiated
allegation made against Bill Clinton.

So I have no sympathy for him.

[democracyindanger]

3. The Boregonian is fishwrap

Used to be a great paper. The decline started waaaaay back, when they bought out the Portland Journal. Now it's just crap. I'd wipe my butt with the editorial section, but I'm sure I'd get a rash.

[kaitykaity]

4. I'd call it fishwrap, but that's what Lars calls it.

Yeah, they lost me with the 2000 endorsement of the
giggling Murderer.

I don't know, this Mr. Arrietta sure got prickly
when I told him that the whole paper was nothing but
a bunch of glorified stenographers.

Anyway, the rash line is very funny.

[stubtoe]

10. The Boregonian!

heh heh!

Ah, but have you ever had the distinctive pleasure of reading the Salem Statesman Journal? It makes the 'gonian look like a vertitable font of information and balanced reporting. And I ain't kidding.

They even publish the odious Mallard Fillmore cartoon -- right next to Doonesbury. At least the 'gonian spares its readers that particular insult.

[doubleplusgood]

5. it DID make today's Oregonian...sort of

On page A3 they had a story about Bolton trying to get a someone at the U.N. fired for trying to get chemical weapons inspectors into Iraq before the war, something, that if done, would have undercut support for the invasion. Anyway, somewhere in the story they made mention of a "British document" indicating Blair agreed to the war in April 2002.

Apparently, to the Oregonian, this did not rise to the level of "important" front page news. Today's prominent story on A1: erosion of petroglyphs.

Sweet Jesus...

[kaitykaity]

6. You will write to this guy, right?

Let him know what you think? He's probably
got my email blocked by now.

[doubleplusgood]

7. yes, I did e-mail him

:hi:

[depakid]

8. It's a sorry excuse for a newspaper

It even got scooped by a little alternative weekly- who won the pulitzer prize for investigative reporting in the process. LOL.

Newhouse publishing is so out of touch with Oregon, they won't even host their embarrassingly bad website here! I get better coverage of of a lot of Oregon stories from the Seattle PI. Little wonder their circulation is in a freefall and they have to send people to my door 10-15 times a year with offers of a month's free subscription....

[kaitykaity]

9. Not only that, but they let Goldschmidt do PR damage

control on their pages after covering up for him
for years and years.

I took that free month and then told them to go
away. Sports page, you know.