Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Virginia Papers Have Mixed Reaction to Sen. Allen's 'N-Word' Problem
By Joe Strupp
Editor & Publisher
Published: 9/27/2006
Excerpt:
The current uproar over Sen. George Allen's (R-VA)
alleged racist comments, including several stories accusing him of
using the N-word and engaging in other anti-black statements years ago,
has drawn mixed reaction from his home state newspapers as they cover
his re-election campaign.
While some papers, such as the Virginian-Pilot of
Norfolk, are stepping up coverage of the issue as the accusations
spread, others, like The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg, are
purposely downplaying the story out of concern for other issues in the
tight Senate race with Jim Webb, a Demcorat. All of those local
journalists who spoke with E&P, however, deny missing the story in
the past, claiming any indication that Allen may have made such
comments were nothing more than rumors. ...
... Ethics experts, meanwhile, offered caution for those
on the story, pointing out that most of the accusations revolve around
people making claims without any other proof beyond their word. "There
has to be substantial proof of where, when and how things were said,"
notes Bob Steele, the Nelson Poynter Chair for Ethics at The Poynter
Institute. "You have to hold these to a high degree because these are
serious allegations. More of this article...Search Google News for more quotes by Bob Steele...
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