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Politics : Sioux Nation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (108723)	6/27/2007 7:19:08 AM
From: Wharf Rat	Respond to of 361312

Editor has to beg for pro-Bush letters to the editor by quaoar Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 07:07:11 PM PDT If you want to get your letter to the editor published, the best way to do it is to write glowing praise of George W. Bush -- at least in The Sacramento Bee, according to a column by the paper's public editor, Armando Acuna. "A badly written letter in favor of Bush is more likely to get into the paper than a badly written letter on another topic," said Holwerk. Yes, they are begging for more pro-Bush LTTEs in Sacramento. Apparently they are sick of all the anti-Bush letters they have been getting, even the ones from Republicans. So says the paper's letters editor, Bill Moore: quaoar's diary :: :: "We'd love to put pro-Bush letters in," he said. "If a letter like that comes in, it goes to the top of the list. I make a big deal about it. "Maybe you can get the pro-Bush people to write," Moore said jokingly. "Tell them we've got room for them ... Ask them, 'When are you going to write?'" Well, Bill, I think you'll have to try harder than that. Most of Bush's supporters have taken to wearing bags over their heads these days. Bush is so unpopular in Sacramento that you have to write some pretty dynamite stuff to get your anti-Bush letter published -- sort of like getting your DKos diary to the Rec List. The anti-Bush tide is such, Moore said, that the majority never see the light of print, though there are enough to fill the letters page each day. This brings up a long-running debate about letters to the editor -- should the paper try to achieve a numerical balance of pro versus anti letters on any given controversial issue or officeholder or should they just go with the flow? If the pro letters outnumber the anti letters 5 to 1 should they publish five times as many pro letters? But what if there is an orchestrated campaign by a candidate to get his supporters to write in and skew the ratio? That skewing is something the Bee is apparently worried about: Another thing Holwerk is concerned about is the potential of an artificial and orchestrated letter-writing campaign being unleashed on The Bee as a result of this column, though he agrees the lack of letters is a valid subject for airing. The Bee's public editor has invited readers to ask questions and make comments at this website. Here's a couple of the comments already left: I support Pres. Bush. I'm a true believer who thinks that Bush is just the man we need for these times. In closing, I somehow doubt that there is a lack of Bush support in the letters to the editor as it is people like me who used to write gave up because of what appears to be an ever increasing slant to the left by the Letter’s editor. I simply believe that all those conservative letter writers who used to submit letters suddenly gave up like I did. There are also comments left with the original column. here's my favorite: You want a positive comment about George Bush? Well,...he's not as dumb as he looks. dailykos.com and he is our 43rd bestest of all time.