APOLOGY (and challenge) to reporter Dick Stevenson from the NY TIMES

dfu | 3-7-04 | Doug from Upland

[doug from upland]

There was a previous post about an article that originally appeared in the NY TIMES. While doing a key word search about families offended by the recent Bush ads, I found this story -- Anger at terror images in Bush ads .....By Richard Stevenson, Jim Rutenberg..... Santa Clara..... March 6, 2004

Included in that article attributed to Stevenson and Rutenberg was this: "Kelly Campbell, co-director of a non-partisan group called September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows....."

Unfortunately, the site used Stevenson's work and combined it with work from a WASHINGTON POST author named Paul Fahri. THE AGE, where the story was found, led us to believe it was the work Stevenson and Rutenberg. Stevenson did not write the sentence about Kelly Campbell.

Dick Stevenson is owed an apology and it is hereby given to him. His article was done with complete professionalism.

From an email I received from Stevenson: " to those who read your post and called me to leave abusive messages that impugned my professionalism and patriotism, please pass along this response: We take criticism very seriously. When we mess up, we try to acknowledge it and correct it. But calling and swearing at me, making ugly personal statements and jumping to conclusions on the basis of sketchy information -- which in this case turned out to be dead wrong -- is no way to engage me or my newspaper in a dialog. And I would point out that not one caller other than Doug had the guts to provide a name or a phone number."

Come on, FReepers, this is personally embarrassing. He didn't deserve that treatment. We are better than that. Let John Kerry use the F word in Rolling Stone. Let the political left shout down opponents, stifle free speech, do damage in the streets, and act like jerks while this nation is at war. Let the left have the Michael Moores. I don't want people like that on my side.

The initial hope was that Stevenson would want to correct the record. We don't get people to see our side if we scream and swear at them.

Here is what was in his article: "The criticism -- from a firefighters union, relatives of victims and allies of Senator John Kerry....." He acknowledge that allies of Kerry were part of the criticism.

Stevenson is being sent this thread. I asked and the Admin Moderator removed the first one. Don't be nasty to him here.

Dick, this is to you. I hope you accept the apology, and I am sorry it ruined your Sunday. But, I also want to challenge you. I hope you will write a follow-up story. "Relatives of victims" was technically accurate, but it was incomplete. Please check out September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. Please investigate the source of a great deal of their funding. That is the next story that needs to be written. When that one is written, FReepers will send notes of congratulations to comments@nytimes.com

Finally, I encourage activism and contact with reporters. Please do it with civility. The anti-Bush extremists set up the press with this pre-emptive attack on the ads. We need to help reporters discover the rest of the story. Don't make them your enemy. Most of them are just trying to earn a living.

[Copernicus]

Go figure. Doug From Upland learns the hard way.

Posted to *CCRM

[doug from upland]

I hope we are all learning something every day of our lives.

[RISU]

The Washington bureau of The New York Times has been flooded with
complaints today about an article purportedly written by two of our reporters.

I'm hoping -- in the interest of fair play -- that you will post this
explanation on your site, which is where the erroneous information originated.
The article being cited appeared in an Australian newspaper, The Age.
Although it carried the bylines of our reporters, Richard Stevenson and
James Rutenberg, in fact much of the material in the article was from The
Washington Post. The Post material included the passage about the
group Sept. 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. (Originals of the Post
article and The Age articles can be found on their Web sites, if you would
like to doublecheck).

Combining materials from different news services is, of course, common
practice in this country and overseas. The problem, when it is done
sloppily, is that people are blamed -- or credited -- with work they did
not do. I will take up my complaints in that arena with the editors of The Age.

I'm hopeful that you will post this as swiftly, and distribute it as
widely, as the initial error was circulated.

Thank you for your consideration.

Susan Jo Keller

[doug from upland]

Susan, thanks for responding. The original was pulled by the Admin Moderator as soon as I heard from Dick. We tried to set the record straight as soon as possible.

Now, when can we expect the NY TIMES to do a real investigative piece on Sept. 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows? Just calling them families of victims does really not do justice to the story. If we can provide you any background information that will make the job easier, we will be very pleased to do so.

May I make another request? I believe it was in 1984 that John Kerry did a TV ad against the wishes of the Park Police in front of the Vietnam Memorial. He shamelessly used the wall as a backdrop in a political commercial. Will the NY TIMES do that story? If you have the intellectual honesty to write it, we will be very pleased to cite it here with an excerpt and link it back to your site so you can get thousands and thousands of hits.

[farmfriend]

Short list for play.

[doug from upland]

Ping.

[doug from upland]

Ping.

[doug from upland]

Ping.

[baseballmom]

Doug, you're a standup guy, and I would join you in your apology to Mr.Stevenson.

This is going to be a long campaign, and we need to keep our emotions in check, hard as that is to do.

It is frustrating though, when we've known the truth of this organization for days, and then have to watch, as I did on Fox this afternoon, a woman named Kristin ----- trash Bush for using the ads.

[jmstein7]

Good to know (I didn't have a chance to call, so it wasn't me).

[breakem]

classy move doug

[doug from upland]

Can you find out more on Kristin? Someone needs a little informational help here.

[sauropod]

Very nicely done. You are an honorable man. 'Pod

[Cboldt]

You are giving great advice. Thoughtful and researched criticism, accompanied by name and contact information, are credible. Harsh and insulting criticism damages one's credibility, and credibility is an extremely valuable commodity, hard to come by, but easy to lose.

[Congressman Billybob]

Doug, you are a class act. If Martha Stewart had your brains and integrity, she would not be picking out striped pajamas even as we speak. It's always wise, when one screws up, to apologize as soon as the mistake is known.

I also sent a note to Stevenson, seconding your suggestion/request that he "follow the money" as Deep Throat told Woodward and Bernstein in that D.C. parking garage. I hope that Stevenson does that.

Because of the importance of this issue, I will add a reference to it to my column for this week, that will go out in a few hours.

Keep up the good work.

Congressman Billybob

Click here, then click the blue CFR button, to join the anti-CFR effort (or visit the "Hugh & Series, Critical & Pulled by JimRob" thread). Please do it now.

[sauropod]

Also on FNS this morning, there was footage used of a man that objected to the Bush ads who had lost a son on 9/11. He was not identified if he was part of Military Families Speak Out or Families for Peaceful Tomorrows or not.

The viewer deserves a frame of reference. I would encourage letters pointing this out to Fox News Sunday.

[baseballmom]

Doug, she has been making the rounds on the cable shows this week. A very attractive, 30ish (?) blonde, (with an acid tongue, and very comfortable on camera) was debating a legislative (maybe former legislative) aide of Sen. Frist.

She was also on Chris Matthews this past week, and I believe on another cable show. I'm sorry I didn't catch her last name.

[Khurkris]

Good job.

As another poster said...Its gonna be a long election.

We need to pick our battles carefully. And gain any allies, no matter where they may come from. Truth and time are on our side.

[baseballmom]

Did you see this woman Kristin ------(last name?) on Chris Matthews last week complaining about GW using the 9/11 ads? She was on Fox this afternoon, whew. Venomous, to say the least.

I'm racking my brain trying to think of the other women's names. Monica ----(something) rings a bell.