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From: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/columnists/rrivard/stories/MYSA100304.3B.Rivard.df1168c0.htmlPublisher W. Leon Smith, a burly, white-whiskered man, also is the mayor of nearby Clifton and a Democrat who failed in two previous bids to win a seat in the Texas Legislature. He's walking proof that politicians make lousy journalists, and vice versa. His Kerry endorsement in Bush's adopted hometown has not been good for his business. Advertisers are disappearing like flushed quail, and the owner of the Crawford Coffee Station, where the president likes to order the cheeseburger, won't allow Smith to fill his newspaper rack.
You can read the endorsement for yourself by going to the Iconoclast's Web site, www.iconoclast-texas.com. There also is a link from my online column, which can be accessed at www.MySanAntonio.com by typing in the keyword RobertRivard.
Regardless of one's politics, it's odd to click on a Kerry endorsement posted next to an advertisement for the Limited Edition President Bush paper weight (only 750 cast in bronze; $39.95, act quickly!).
The Iconoclast could very well be the first and only newspaper in U.S. history to fold in the wake of protests over its presidential endorsement. Given the weekly's short life — it was founded in 2000 — the Iconoclast might be the state's first one-term newspaper. Come to think of it, the start-up might be the only newspaper ever to spurn a hometown candidate in favor of the challenger.
The moral here is not that Smith's political views are wrong or right, but that the exercise of free speech can come at a cost. Presidential endorsements often inflame readers while seldom changing minds. In these highly polarized times, roughly half of all readers will disagree with their hometown newspaper's pick for president. Even in Texas, where Bush is likely to win by a double-digit percentage, at least four out of 10 readers are likely to disagree with their local newspaper's endorsement.
That brings me to my quadrennial declaration that I have nothing to do with the endorsements made by the Express-News Editorial Board, which consists of Publisher Larry Walker, Editorial Page Editor Lynnell Burkett, her designated successor, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Bruce Davidson, and four other editorial writers and columnists. The editors who oversee the rest of the newspaper's news operations are not part of the process or privy to the Editorial Board's deliberations, although it's our nature to pry.
No doubt the Express-News Editorial Board will convene soon to debate its choice, which will probably be published the Sunday before or after the start of early voting on Monday, Oct. 18.
My own skepticism of presidential endorsements is well known inside the Express-News. I understand the argument that it's important for the institution to take a position, to stand for something. But I also know that many readers believe our news coverage will tilt in favor of the candidate we endorse. That is untrue, but try convincing alienated readers otherwise.
I wish newspapers would assign two talented writers of opposing political viewpoints, giving each one equal space for each writer to make the case for their candidate. There are plenty of reasons to vote for or against Bush, and for or against Kerry. Give readers a complete picture and they will make up their own minds and be more trusting of our news coverage.
The alternative in such a divisive climate is to endorse one candidate, usually the conservative one, which is what most readers expect us to do, which turns off readers who are not conservative, or risk what might be called an iconoclastic choice, which can be very bad for business. Just ask W. Leon Smith.
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