To our readers: An apology (paper apologizes for not showing any white criminals)

Philly.com ^ | Fri, Aug. 30, 2002 | Ellen F

[Lancey Howard]

So, does this mean that there are white suspects, but were not shown by the newspaper, or were all 41 suspects non-white?

All 41 are non-white. There are presently murderer fugitives who are white, and the Philadelphia Daily News is so very, very sorry about this that Editor Zack Stalberg just wants to go down into the basement and hang himself.

[Lancey Howard]

"There are presently murderer fugitives who are white..." should be "There are presently NO murderer fugitives who are white..."

[ErnBatavia]

Howlin, you'll get a real hoot out of this Northern Kalifornia paper's Crime Pages.....you can read and laugh your arse off for hours.

http://www.arcataeye.com/police/

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

There were no white people who were being sought for murder.

Maybe, if the newspaper liberals feel so apologetic about it, they should put their mugshots in the paper next to the murder suspects whenever they run out of white suspects.

Here on the central California coast, we have a virtual epidemic of gang violence and other serious felonies by hispanic men. So much goes unreported in the local newspapers because the local liberals don't want to scare the tourists away.

[freebilly]

WANTED FOR KILLING OFF COMPETITION....

[ErnBatavia]

Here's a good example of fine, fine police logism:

2:01 a.m. A testament to human desperation unfurled itself on Giuntoli Lane when someone found a discarded roll of some 1,500 stolen, scratched-off lottery tickets, apparently not a winner among them. Somewhere there's a mini-mountain of silver scrapings, compiled in a serenade of damns!

[freebilly]

I looked at the site, read through some of the log, and cracked up. It's the best police ledger reporting I've read. Brief, concise, pithy. Great stuff!

[freebilly]

"The Philadelphia Daily News would also like to apologize to Mumia Abu-Jamal. We are sorry you are not a white man convicted of murdering a Philadelphia policeman...."

[LibKill]

Wimpyage deluxe.

[Congressman Billybob]

This is a classic example of why Americans do not trust the press -- as well as Congress, business leaders, union leaders, lawyers and accountants. All those institutions have developed that distrust the old-fashioned way. They EARNED it.

We need to go on the counteratttack until those institutions have been sufficiently disciplined that they again deserve our trust. It will take a long time, and it won't be easy. But we are the people to lead that task, and now is the time to begin.

Congressman Billybob

Click for latest column: "Memo to CBS about Bill Clinton."

Click for latest book: "to Restore Trust in America"

[ArcLight]

Speaking as a black person and a journalist, this is the most idiotic apology I've ever read in a newspaper. I actually went to the Daily News Web site to make sure this wasn't some kind of bizarre joke.

I'm embarassed that so many murders are committed by black people. But that's just the truth, and as journalists, we're supposed to deal in truth. The idea of apologizing for telling the truth is so mind-numbingly stupid I scarcely know where to begin. Guess I better add the Daily News to the list of papers where I'll never send my resume...

[F16Fighter]

Talk about "balance -- The Daily News ought to also maintain some fairness in reporting by foregoing human marriage and birth announcements once in a while, and remember there are other mammals in this world (HELL-O!) besides homosapiens who also happen to have relationships and babies....

Shouldn't an enlightened newspaper like the News realize how much more we'd respect them if a picture of the usual smirking human bride was occassionly replaced a headshot of a newly betrothed beagle-bride?

[NYCVirago]

This is so stupid. What in the world is wrong with focusing on finding fugitives, and how is the average person going to identify them without a picture?

[NYCVirago]

Have you noticed that the jail population is heavily skewed towards men? And yet, the population of the US is mostly 50/50 men vs women. Evidently, law enforcement and the courts are heavily sexist and do not give equal justice to each sex. Unless maybe women don't commit as nearly as much crime as men do. Nah, that can't be it.

That's a great point -- IIRC, all the fugitives profiled by this newspaper were men. Why were there no women represented?

[ValerieUSA]

There are no white people wanted for murder in the city. That means all the black victims were killed by non-white suspects. Who is owed an apology? I say the murderers (who just happen to be non-white) owe the city an apology. But how useful is that? If an apology is all that's necessary, then you didn't do that much wrong, did you? What a STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPID editorial staff.

[Michael2001]

Well we all know why it happens:

One unintended outcome of our coverage was a week's worth of staff conversations, media interviews, phone calls and criticism. Through it all, Daily News staff members thoughtfully absorbed complaints from some African-Americans in Philadelphia who believe that our journalism was motivated by racial prejudice.

Were Jesse and Al brought in. Maybe they threatened boycotts, lawsuits, who knows what? Regardless, the people working at this paper got the message. Political Correctness is more important than the truth.

Now maybe if their were enough people on the other side who demanded the truth this would change; unfortunately, the other side is weak or nonexistent.

[Michael2001]

It just goes to show that the liberals are the ones who are truly race obsessed.

[Neanderthal]

The Arcata police blotter writer is terrific. Improves your vocabulary too. Bibulous? Limbic?

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

I've been sitting here trying to make a joke that would parody or satirize this news item. I can't come up with anything funnier than the original article. The legal term is res ipsa loquitur --the thing speaks for itself.

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

Okay, I'll try something from Probability 101:

From an ordinary deck of playing cards, remove all the Hearts and Diamonds. Now, pick a card, any card. What is the probability of that card being black? Good, very good. Now, please apologize for that result. Thank you.