Dear RAYMOND,
As you may have noticed, the Philadelphia Inquirer editorial page has abandoned the proud tradition of a daily newspaper merely offering an endorsement of a presidential candidate and has instead decided to engage in advocacy journalism on behalf of the John Kerry campaign. In an October 10 column , editorial page editor Chris Satullo unveiled what he described as an "unprecedented" series of 21 editorials dealing with what Satullo calls "the many flaws" of President Bush's record and "the better ideas of John Kerry."
In an attempt to pre-emptively explain away the obvious criticism the Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board would receive for abandoning journalistic commentary in favor of express advocacy of a federal candidate for office, Mr. Satullo claimed the series was neither biased nor arrogant, yet offered little more than anecdotal evidence to defend his editorial page against both charges.
In an effort to achieve some semblance of equal opportunity when it comes to setting the record straight about the Philadelphia Inquirer editorial page's daily advocacy on behalf of John Kerry, we will update you each day by e-mail with a fact-checked response of each criticism leveled by the Inquirer in their effort to help elect John Kerry . You will find a daily rebuttal with the real facts about President Bush's record of accomplishment and his vision for a safer and stronger America.
Since the Philadelphia Inquirer editorial page is now openly campaigning for John Kerry's election, daily excerpts from their commentary have been renamed here as:
THE KERRY DAILY ADVOCATE
Their motto?
"If Kerry's Foragainst it...So Are We!"
October 13, 2004
Today's excerpt:
About President Bush they say:
"One of his habits is to roll out, with great fanfare, ideas that sound excellent and trigger a flurry of media coverage - but the proposals then languish with little or no attention, money or progress."
Could they be more wrong? For years, Washington, D.C. merely talked about Medicare reform, education reform and sweeping tax relief for all American workers. President Bush delivered it in his first term, and he did so with the bi-partisan support of Congress!
Also, here's an excerpt from Bush-Cheney '04 National Chairman Marc Racicot's rebuttal as it was printed in today's Inquirer (note the underlined portion):
In its unprecedented three-week long series on behalf of John Kerry's presidential campaign , The Inquirer's most unfounded claim may be that President Bush fails to follow through on his domestic promises. This President has been the most innovative, forward-thinking chief executive in decades.
BUT, here's the actual wording of what was submitted, before the Inquirer's editors replaced a key word that altered the content of the submission:
In its unprecedented three-week-long advocacy on behalf of John Kerry's presidential campaign , the Inquirer's most unfounded claim may be that President Bush fails to follow through on his domestic promises. This President has been the most innovative, forward-thinking chief executive in several decades.
Notice the change of "advocacy" to "series" by the editors. The editors can dish out criticism, but they lack the courage to print the commentary of those they are critical of. Interesting.
This paragraph, submitted in Governor Racicot's original, was also omitted by the editors:
Finally, it's worth noting that President Bush has been more effective than Senator Kerry on Kerry's own turf. While 83% of bills supported by the President have passed Congress, Senator Kerry's success rate is just 27%. His record over 20 years in the Senate is known only for its lack of major accomplishments.
Why let the facts get in the way of criticism, right?
Interested in expressing your displeasure with the Inquirer's advocacy on behalf of the John Kerry campaign? Here's how:
Write them a letter:
inquirer.letters@phillynews.com
editor@phillynews.com
OR
Letters Editor
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Box 41705, Philadelphia, PA 19101
FAX: 215-854-4483
Telephone: 215-854-4543
Give them a call:
Reader comments by phone to 215-854-5060.
As you may have noticed, the Philadelphia Inquirer editorial page has abandoned the proud tradition of a daily newspaper merely offering an endorsement of a presidential candidate and has instead decided to engage in advocacy journalism on behalf of the John Kerry campaign. In an October 10 column , editorial page editor Chris Satullo unveiled what he described as an "unprecedented" series of 21 editorials dealing with what Satullo calls "the many flaws" of President Bush's record and "the better ideas of John Kerry."
In an attempt to pre-emptively explain away the obvious criticism the Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board would receive for abandoning journalistic commentary in favor of express advocacy of a federal candidate for office, Mr. Satullo claimed the series was neither biased nor arrogant, yet offered little more than anecdotal evidence to defend his editorial page against both charges.
In an effort to achieve some semblance of equal opportunity when it comes to setting the record straight about the Philadelphia Inquirer editorial page's daily advocacy on behalf of John Kerry, we will update you each day by e-mail with a fact-checked response of each criticism leveled by the Inquirer in their effort to help elect John Kerry . You will find a daily rebuttal with the real facts about President Bush's record of accomplishment and his vision for a safer and stronger America.
Since the Philadelphia Inquirer editorial page is now openly campaigning for John Kerry's election, daily excerpts from their commentary have been renamed here as:
THE KERRY DAILY ADVOCATE
Their motto?
"If Kerry's Foragainst it...So Are We!"
October 13, 2004
Today's excerpt:
About President Bush they say:
"One of his habits is to roll out, with great fanfare, ideas that sound excellent and trigger a flurry of media coverage - but the proposals then languish with little or no attention, money or progress."
Could they be more wrong? For years, Washington, D.C. merely talked about Medicare reform, education reform and sweeping tax relief for all American workers. President Bush delivered it in his first term, and he did so with the bi-partisan support of Congress!
Also, here's an excerpt from Bush-Cheney '04 National Chairman Marc Racicot's rebuttal as it was printed in today's Inquirer (note the underlined portion):
In its unprecedented three-week long series on behalf of John Kerry's presidential campaign , The Inquirer's most unfounded claim may be that President Bush fails to follow through on his domestic promises. This President has been the most innovative, forward-thinking chief executive in decades.
BUT, here's the actual wording of what was submitted, before the Inquirer's editors replaced a key word that altered the content of the submission:
In its unprecedented three-week-long advocacy on behalf of John Kerry's presidential campaign , the Inquirer's most unfounded claim may be that President Bush fails to follow through on his domestic promises. This President has been the most innovative, forward-thinking chief executive in several decades.
Notice the change of "advocacy" to "series" by the editors. The editors can dish out criticism, but they lack the courage to print the commentary of those they are critical of. Interesting.
This paragraph, submitted in Governor Racicot's original, was also omitted by the editors:
Finally, it's worth noting that President Bush has been more effective than Senator Kerry on Kerry's own turf. While 83% of bills supported by the President have passed Congress, Senator Kerry's success rate is just 27%. His record over 20 years in the Senate is known only for its lack of major accomplishments.
Why let the facts get in the way of criticism, right?
Interested in expressing your displeasure with the Inquirer's advocacy on behalf of the John Kerry campaign? Here's how:
Write them a letter:
inquirer.letters@phillynews.com
editor@phillynews.com
OR
Letters Editor
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Box 41705, Philadelphia, PA 19101
FAX: 215-854-4483
Telephone: 215-854-4543
Give them a call:
Reader comments by phone to 215-854-5060.
