Where's Freedom of Press? Open Letter to AP Rptr Who Signed Up Colbert

Land Shark

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Mon May-01-06 07:21 PM
Original message

Where's Freedom of Press? Open Letter to AP Rptr Who Signed Up Colbert

Edited on Mon May-01-06 07:54 PM by Land Shark

Thanks to Autorank for an initial post of text and video, at this link:
<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=1062760>
and thanks to lwcon for this video that also includes the introduction
of Colbert.
<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2599437>

I'm sending the following open letter to Mark Smith, who did the introduction of the Stephen Colbert, referring to him as "fearless", and stated during that intro that he was the one who signed Mr. Colbert to do the performance at the White House Correspondent's Dinner.

It occurred to me that possibly Mr. Smith would be getting some grief, especially since * did not appear pleased by Colbert, and he skewered the press as well. Incredibly effectively.

In any event, the follow on press coverage like CNN Headline news did not even attempt to characterize the content of Mr. Colbert, and in fact focused almost exclusively on the guy who impersonated Bush as his Double-W. I've seen little else in the media that does justice to the frank and fearless Colbert speech/routine, and the New York Times completely eliminated Colbert <http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/New_York_Times_omits_Colbert_0501.html>

I wrote the following open letter to AP Reporter Mr. Smith to thank him for signing up Colbert to be at the dinner and speak, and to in a way continue that conversation, focusing on freedom of the press:

May 1, 2006

Mark Smith
AP Broadcast News Center
1825 K Street NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20006
TEL: 202-736-9500

Dear Mr. Smith:

WHETHER OR NOT you are getting any grief or only praise for
signing Mr. Colbert for the Correspondent's Dinner and
introducing him there, I wanted to praise you. My praise
is ever so slightly conditional, as I'll explain.

I must say that if I were to ever learn that there was not,
in your American heart of hearts, a satisfaction in
having done the right thing for freedom of speech by
having the fearless Stephen Colbert appear and speak
comedic truth to power, then the faith in America that
I grew up with as a child would be crushed in its crib.
But I believe you are pleased in that way, even if other
experiences or feelings are possibly mixed. On condition
that this "kernel of truth" inside you is satisfied by this
exercise in freedom, my praise loses all conditions, and I
thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I only regret that such an inspiring demonstration of freedom
of speech shown by Mr. Colbert is not being met by a similarly
inspiring demonstration of freedom of the press. The major
media coverage of the correspondent's dinner has disappointed,
made altogether worse by the fact that the dinner is actually
covered, but without any serious reference to Mr. Colbert's
words.

Indeed, because it can hardly be repeated too often that freedom
is only needed to say something uncomfortable to or about the
powers that be, this exercise of freedom in the White House itself
should be an inspiration to the press, a decisive proof of having
in some ways evolved beyond petty political revenge for speech - a
proof that America has no political terror within.

That very same heart that would be crushed in its crib if it knew
there could be no freedom of speech at the White House also
believes that the truly responsible in our society may well rush
to disagree with what is written or said in freedom, yet will
still, in the final analysis and often in the same breath, defend
the right to say it and print it. This then would be doubly
ennobling, not simply exercising the freedom to disagree but also
simultaneously defending another freedom: the freedom of others.

But it seems, to my sadness, that Mr. Colbert's glorious right of
speech is not matched, as it were, by the public's right to Hear,
or to Know. What I had thought was a subject for Fourth of July
stories of freedom is apparently not to be.

My childhood faith in freedom of the press is crushed.

But I thank you for signing Mr. Colbert, and owe you a deep debt
of gratitude, at a level deeper than laughter. I only wish the
celebration of freedom were still shared around our country.

Yours very truly,

/s/

Paul R. Lehto
Attorney at Law

You can write too, if you wish, or copy and paste text above if you like. The general AP phone number for his division is also above in the address lines.

The AP Radio website <http://www.apbroadcast.com/NR/rdonlyres/ew3twjs3hdajojsz5sc3t4hojquqn2obgrxwg47iyeqcdpgflmvo4k4avw5sydnepnlwotbuotavuh> states that Mark Smith is a White House Correspondent and a 27-year AP veteran, and further:

Mark is an award-winning broadcast journalist, who has covered the White House beat for AP Broadcast since 1996. Mark is part of the exclusive press corps that travels around the world with the president and also serves as the incoming president of the White House Correspondents Association.

Over the years, he has covered presidents Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan and Carter and presidential elections since 1980. Among Mark's many assignments are: the Sept. 11 Crisis; the impeachment/trial of president Clinton; the Oklahoma City Bombing; Papal visits; the Olympic Games; G-7/8 Summits, the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Dianna; the release of Nelson Mandela; Space Shuttle launches; the Gulf War; the fall of the Berlin Wall; the Iran Hostage Crisis; and Three Mile Island.

Mark has won several journalism awards, including the Forum Award for his coverage of Three Mile Island; the National Press Club Consumer Journalism Award; a Gold Medal from the International Radio Festival for his coverage of the Berlin Wall; and several AP awards including the prestigious Gramling Award.