E&P: Cleveland 'Plain Dealer': Between Bush and a Hard Place

[Tesibria]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000684430

Discussions continue at the Cleveland Plain Dealer to resolve an impasse between the paper's editorial board and its publisher about who to endorse for president.

The paper's editorial board, as E&P first revealed, decided last week that it wanted to endorse Sen. John Kerry, but Publisher Alex Machaskee, who has final say, prefers President George W. Bush. The paper backed Bush in 2000.

Shirley Steinman, the Plain Dealer's director of community affairs, insisted Monday that the paper had not yet chosen a candidate for endorsement and that a decision would be made "later this week."

...
Since Sunday, the Plain Dealer had been deluged with e-mails, according to three sources. The e-mails, noted Brent Larkin, the Plain Dealer's editorial page editor, came not just from readers, but from all over the country.
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more....

[SoCalDem]

1. The solution is OBVIOUS..

The editorial board publishes their support for Kerry, and they add that their publisher/owner is supporting Bush..

The struggle is now the story, and everyone knows it.. Whoever "wins" gains little at this point anyway.

[Tesibria]

2. agreed -- n/t

[finecraft]

3. The newspaper's editor is Scalia's Cousin

Just read it over on Buzzflash.

[liberalhistorian]

6. Well, if that's true, that certainly doesn't

surprise me given the paper's rightwing leanings these past several years. And people are gonna be real pissed around here if the Pee Dee actually endorses the Smirking Chimp again. They tolerated it the first time, but they sure as hell won't do so this time. I've been waiting to send an email until I've cooled down somewhat, which may take awhile!

[ohtransplant]

4. Couldn't they mimic the Detroit Free Press

who has never endorsed a Democrat.

They're so profoundly disappointed in shrub, they couldn't stomach endorsing him again.

On the other hand, they're so sickened by the idea of endorsing a Democrat, they'd rather have a collective jock itch.

Either way, if the CPD endorses shrub now, it will be hollow at best.

Advantage Kerry!!

[CookieD]

5. You mean the Detroit News

Detroit Free Press is Democratic (i.e., politically aware) and endorsed Gore in 2000.

[ohtransplant]

9. Boy you're good.

It's exactly as you said. Both endorsements are at the following links.


http://www.freep.com/voices/editorials/eprez4_20041004.htm



http://www.detnews.com/2004/editorial/0410/24/a16-312995.htm

[bluestateguy]

7. Let's not get out hopes up. I will probably be Bush

This publisher sounds like a real bully and in the end will probably have his way.

[truthisfreedom]

8. the publisher is an IDIOT if he thinks he will be helping bush by forcing

the issue at this point. the story has received so much attention that all it will do is prove that he's a thug... which is a perception that Democrats are trying to convey to swing voters... let him do it. i don't care at this point.

[WCGreen]

10. Back in 1992, I ran for Congress in the Cleveland area....

I received the PD's endorsement over two much more qualified individuals including the incumbent. The other two people who were in the race that had limited resources as well as name recognition finished behind me with roughly the same number of votes. I received almost 2,500 more than the fifth place person but 4,000 less than the third place person who had a dynamite political name here in Cuyahoga County.

So, as the years went by, some in the party (democratic) felt that the "Green Factor" made the PD endorsement worth about 2,500 votes in a congressional district. The are covered by the PD has about three and a half congressional seats. So in this close election, using the "GreenFactor" the 10,000 or so folks just might be persuaded by the PD endorsement.

Or maybe not. The area has grown by about 7% in population since 92 but the PD circulation has slipped.

The PD has much more competition from the Internet and cable TV.

I was a news story for about a week because no one expected an unknown to get the endorsement in that hotly contested race. I was interviewed and was given a lot of face time on all three TV news programs, every local radio talk show, there were about 10 at the time, 1 now, and actually interviewed and mentioned in newspaper stories all the way to the Wall Street Journal.

So, will the PD endorsement really effect any votes. A few. But the story will be about, as mentioned above, the fight between the editors and publisher......