Hell Freezes Over (The Jig Is Up)
Kevin Gowen
staffers. The story about the Texas bill may be found at
http://tinyurl.com/czji
To: SectionEds
Subject: Credibility/abortion
I'm concerned about the perception--and the occasional reality--that
the Times is a liberal, ''politically correct'' newspaper. Generally
speaking, this is an inaccurate view, but occasionally we prove our critics
right. We did so today with the front-page story on the bill in Texas that
would require abortion doctors to counsel patients that they may be risking
breast cancer.
The apparent bias of the writer and/or the desk reveals itself in the
third paragraph, which characterizes such bills in Texas and elsewhere as
requiring ''so-called counseling of patients.'' I don't think people on the
anti-abortion side would consider it ''so-called,'' a phrase that is loaded
with derision.
The story makes a strong case that the link between abortion and
breast cancer is widely discounted among researchers, but I wondered as I
read it whether somewhere there might exist some credible scientist who
believes in it.
Such a person makes no appearance in the story's lengthy passage
about the scientific issue. We do quote one of the sponsors of the bill,
noting that he ''has a professional background in property management.''
Seldom will you read a cheaper shot than this. Why, if this is germane,
wouldn't we point to legislators on the other side who are similarly bereft
of scientific credentials?
It is not until the last three paragraphs of the story that we
finally surface a professor of biology and endocrinology who believes the
abortion/cancer connection is valid. But do we quote him as to why he
believes this? No. We quote his political views.
Apparently the scientific argument for the anti-abortion side is so
absurd that we don't need to waste our readers' time with it.
The reason I'm sending this note to all section editors is that I
want everyone to understand how serious I am about purging all political
bias from our coverage. We may happen to live in a political atmosphere
that is suffused with liberal values (and is unreflective of the nation as a
whole), but we are not going to push a liberal agenda in the news pages of
the Times.
I'm no expert on abortion, but I know enough to believe that it
presents a profound philosophical, religious, and scientific question, and I
respect people on both sides of the debate. A newspaper that is intelligent
and fair-minded will do the same.
Let me know if you'd like to discuss this.
John
--
Kevin Gowen
Michael Cash
<kgowen...@myfastmail.com> belched the alphabet and kept on going
with:
>A May 22nd internal memo from LA Times editor John Carroll to some of his
>staffers. The story about the Texas bill may be found at
>http://tinyurl.com/czji
An alternate explanation may be that the editor is the last person in
Sepponian journalism to know what "so-called" means. I hear it misused
frequently by Sepponian reporters.
--
Michael Cash
"My name is Elmer J. Fudd, millionaire. I own a mansion and a yacht."
Elmer J. Fudd
Millionaire
Kevin Gowen
> On Mon, 2 Jun 2003 19:27:12 -0400, "Kevin Gowen"
> <kgowen...@myfastmail.com> belched the alphabet and kept on going
> with:
>
>> A May 22nd internal memo from LA Times editor John Carroll to some
>> of his staffers. The story about the Texas bill may be found at
>> http://tinyurl.com/czji
>
> An alternate explanation may be that the editor is the last person in
> Sepponian journalism to know what "so-called" means. I hear it misused
> frequently by Sepponian reporters.
Indeed. It is the journalistic equivalent of putting hiply ironic quotation
marks around a term in order to distance oneself from those who use the term
earnestly, kind of like the quotation marks that Gold puts around
"counseling". Another great example is the use of the term "so-called
partial birth abortion" by the NY Times et al. Ok, fine. However, they never
tell us what they think delivering a child halfway and then sticking a pair
of scissors into its skull should be called.
--
Kevin Gowen
John W.
> A May 22nd internal memo from LA Times editor John Carroll to some of his
> staffers. The story about the Texas bill may be found at
> http://tinyurl.com/czji
>
even remotely on topic for a Japanese related group?
John W.
Kevin Gowen
I do all the time in sci.lang.japan. This group is not related to Japanese
(the people or the language).
--
Kevin Gowen
Bryan Parker
That's either called a "So-called Boo-boo" or a
"So-called Ouchie".
--
Bryan
-------Please no e-mail with big words--------
----http://www.trainerbryan.com/FJLIJ.html----
Declan Murphy
Its not related to life in LA, or Dogpatch, Sepponia either.
Psst Kevin. Any luck finding a kook or quack economist agreeing with
your FDR views by the way? Take your time.
--
"All FDR undid was the value of the dollar"
Kevin Gowen (really)