Idaho papers apologize for false Obama statements

[Hope And Change]

Idaho papers apologize for false Obama statements


Recently two Idaho papers did what very few media outlets across the nation have been willing to do - they apologized for printing letters that spread falsehoods about Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

The Idaho Statesman recently posted the following apology at the top of their http://www.idahostatesman.com/opinion/story/247613.html">Letters to the Editor page:

"Editor's note: The Statesman cannot verify the accuracy of statements made in letters to the editor or guest opinions. However, the Statesman will not run letters that contain statements it knows are false. We should not have run Clarice Wright's Dec. 14 letter to the editor regarding presidential candidate Barack Obama. The Statesman regrets the publication of the letter."

David Keyes, the Publisher of the Bonners Ferry Herald in northern Idaho, issued this statement on December 13th:

Last week the Herald ran a letter titled: “Don’t elect a Muslim.” The letter writer railed on presidential candidate Barack Obama. There were many falsehoods in this letter.
I contacted North Idaho resident Andrea Ohman, who volunteers for the Obama campaign, to ask her to clarify the letter.
It appears Janney Chandler is regurgitating action points sent out by a group trying to defame Obama.
“These malicious, irresponsible charges are precisely the kind of politics the American people have grown tired of, and that Senator Obama is trying to change by focusing on bringing people together to solve our common problems,” Ohman said.
The writer claimed Obama is a Muslim. He is not. He is a Christian.
This paper will do a better job screening inaccurate letters and will not use the excuse of the political season to lower our standards.
I want to thank everyone for their input on a matter we take very seriously. I apologize for letting such a ill-informed, hate-filled letter run in our community newspaper.

more...

http://redstaterebels.typepad.com/redstaterebelsnet/2007/12/idaho-papers-ap.html

[frazzled]

1. You know, questions of Obama aside ...

It's truly astounding and offensive that a paper might think it would be otherwise okay to print a letter titled "Don't elect a Muslim." Can you imagine them printing a letter titled "Don't elect a Catholic," "Don't elect a Jew," or "Don't elect a Mormon"?

These things (though people may feel them) are never said out loud, because we realize that they are unacceptable ideas in our society. Total anathema. And yet, it's okay to print "Don't elect a Muslim?" Even if Obama were Muslim, this would be shocking and repellent to a free society.