Local newspaper editors in St. Augustine and Jacksonville, Florida did not write those hateful September 2015 editorials on Syrian refugees -- a "Mr. Morris" of Morris Communications demanded they be printed.
St. Augustine Record Opinion Editor Jim Sutton is no hater.
Please be advised that the revolting September 22, 2015 St. Augustine Record editorial spewing group hatred of Syrian refugees came from the Morris family itself.
In the future, "Mr. Morris" should sign his vapid editorials so we readers don't think our local editors wrote them, thereby sparing Jim Sutton the embarrassment of thinking people thinking that he wrote something stupid, when it actually came from "Mr. Morris."
For a good time, re-read the Record's dumb 'ole September 22, 2015 editorial, "Death by Immigration," here and then read the critique by Jim Romanesko, here and then read the derivative article by Alaska Public Media, here.
Is this a tempest in a thimble? Abbie Hoffman said "freedom of the press belongs to those who own one." Newspaper owners do have the First Amendment right to publish their views, although hiding the etiology was tacky. I think "Mr. Morris" should sign his editorials and so should everyone else. I thank the leaker(s) and writers who exposed this sham editorial, and praise the leaker's good taste in sharing with Mr. Romanesko.
In 1981 or 1982, I insisted on all editorials being signed by the writer at our Appalachian Observer, a/k/a "Aggravatin' Disturber," in Clinton, Tennessee.
Why?
Because I firmly believed and resolved that our readers had a Right to Know which editorials were written by our Publisher (the late Ernest F. Phillips) and which were written by our Editor, me (Ed Slavin). (Of course, our sophisticated East Tennessee readers often thought they could tell who wrote what because of the sesquipedalianisms and quotes in my editorials, even before we both decided to sign them all.)
1 comment:
Yours is certainly a common interpretation of the First Amendment. But did the Founders design the First Amendment so that the only ones who could express their views are the ones who can afford to
do so? Was the intent of the First Amendment so that only big-money and Fat-Cats would have an unhindered way to promote
the agenda of various Special Interests? Did the Founders envision the First Amendment as a vehicle to solely echo and amplify government/corporate propaganda? Obviously not. Sadly, propaganda in the form of "free speech" is the norm these days, not the exception. The St. Augustine Record is a perfect example of how
propaganda can be used to brainwash people at a local level. Even the letters-to-the-Editor reflect the propaganda, which shows how effective the propaganda really is! Ann Coulter's column aside, the Record even has a syndicated "medical advice" columnist that promotes the deadliest lies around. If people follow this
"Doctor"columnist's advice, it will likely result in injury and death.
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