My local newspaper is asking for pro-Bush LTTE

Can you believe this? The Appleton (WI) Post Crescent just ran an editorial asking for more pro-Bush letters to the editor. They want to be more balanced. They seem to be amazed that there are more anti-Bush letters coming to them. Did they ever think that maybe people here don't like him?

Has anyone ever heard of a newspaper actively soliciting letters of a certain viewpoint?

Here's the link:

http://www.wisinfo.com/postcrescent/news/archive/opinion_15959053.shtml

and yes, "balance" doesn't always mean 50/50. If they are publishing the letters in the proportion that they are being received, then they need to STFU and accept that people there don't like Bush!!

I would say a good series of LTTE's are in order over this editorial

How can they claim to be an unbiased newspaper if they are pushing one side or the other.

:)

Welcome to DU, Wisconsinforfreedom

I'll remind them to keep it up.

If I recall, my local city paper in Fresno, California did that many years ago, but was soliciting for balancing liberal-oriented letters. I think that it is OK if the Editors use balance and variety. People aren't stupid. They will weigh information properly on their own and will become aroused if the info is biased. Some vote with their pocketbooks and cancel papers when they editorialize in an unbalanced fashion.

you think? If you recall? I'd have to see it to believe it.

Pass that letter to all your friends and ask them to drop this "friendly" paper a note. Oh, make sure you send these letters in PAPER form and keep the dates you sent them...also have your friends do the same...then let's see how the paper reacts. If they're asking for the "sentiments" of your area, give it to them early, often and regularly...and the more LOCAL friends you do, the better.

I'd send a letter from here, but I know if I were at that editor's desk and saw a slew of email or other mail coming from outside the area, I'd be real suspect of being set up. I don't play Freeper games anyway.

They don't know why they're getting anti-Bunnypants mail? What are they putting in the water in Appleton these days?

At least, give this paper credit for actually putting out a call for letters. It's not uncommon for a paper to manufacture the letters they want.

Cheers

Bush was about to lose the election, and he called his bro Jeb saying he needed
more people to vote for him.

.... 2 years ago when 'everybody' was pro-Bush*, were they asking for anti-Bush* letters?

I fukking thought not.

:evilgrin:

Sadly, it won't help their "balance" problem.

I told them I liked Bush because there is such a thing as having too much freedom, and because I think that the Iraqis should be tortured, and because I'm filthy rich and think I shouldn't have to pay taxes, and because I could care less about the environment, etc........and because he reminds me of my cousin who is mentally retarded and can't put a coherent sentence together. ETC...

seems like something a newspaper shouldn't be doing. We'll see if CJR agrees...

on the CJR.

I'm very interested in hearing what reputable journalist think about this.

<snip>
We’ve been getting more letters critical of President Bush than those that support him. We’re not sure why, nor do we want to guess.
</snip>

*snicker*

For the same reason that Bush has to have people at his public appearances hand-picked and screened, perhaps?

Entertaining his hand-picked minions. Ha Ha. Can't even get people who went to see him to write in his favor.

Shows how screwed he is come November.

I couple of months ago I stumbled upon an blurb in a major local paper - SLC Tribune, or similar heartland - answering a reader's complaint regarding the pro-Democratic stance of the "Letters to the Editor" section. The editor's reply was that they published virtually every pro-repug letter they got, it's just they weren't getting many at all.

Not surprising, really, given that few people sufficiently active to read the papers would support the current government.

My LTTE to them...

"I am stunned that you have stooped so low
as to actually turn to soliciting your readers
to send in their Valentines to George W.
Bush. What is this penchant for some sort of
"balance?" If your readers are sending more
anti-Bush letters, maybe it because more of
your readers are fed up. Maybe they've discerned
that Bush is running a negative campaign because
he has nothing positive on which to run.
Asking for artificial praise of the Commander In
Chief is a sad commentary on the status of
your op-ed page, if you'll pardon the pun.

It is not up to the LTTE editor to solicit
"balance" when the mail is not coming in to
support his/her own politics. Your paper should
be ashamed at this thinly veiled attempt to
influence the election, rather than report on
it."

'this "Editorial" doesn't pass the smell test!'
No 'legitimate' newspaper would do this! IMO :shrug:

HAHAHAHAH LOLOLOLOLOL!

What MORANS! Un-fricken-believable. These fools don't seem to understand that there's a difference between the media saying "Bush is SOOOOO popular" and Bush BEING popular. Hey guess what asshats, maybe its because people who read your paper don't like Bush! Duh! And guess what even if the country is 50/50 WE are the ones who are fired up WE are the ones who are getting 10s of thousands of people who've never participated in campaigns before giving their time & money to one goal GET RID OF BUSH BEFORE ITS TOO LATE.

...zone.

After Bush got elected, they got so many callers who criticized him, they had to switch to calls by party affiliation.

They want to be balanced, but they don't want to be representative.

Just as I was being questioned on my "facts" from the editor for a letter that I wrote last week. I often write letters to the "Daily Disappointment" (otherwise known as the Post-Crescent).

I have noticed the large amount of letters slamming Bush lately and I'm lovin' every second of it.

Really? Maybe they need more letters telling them.

EOM

From a Minnesota neighbor.
:hi:

are going to have to pick up the pace to keep the Anti Whistle Ass letter ratio appropriate. Unfortunately writers only get one LTTE and one "It's your Call" a month. Gonna have to put some in the bank!

end for a long time. It was losing it's proud progressive sense.

Madison and Milwaukee have always been pretty liberal. Northeast Wisconsin and the rural areas tend to be Republican.

This might be changing, however. My sister works as a teller in a bank and says more and more people are complaining about the war and Bush in general. Nice to hear that in Appleton.

I mean, it's Wisconsin. Come on! Home of Fightin' Bob LaFollette. They elected Feingold twice!

Not exactly a historical haven for the Right.

Wish I lived up there . . . sniff.

We're having a beautiful spring.

Write letters to the editor about how the paper is publishing way too many liberal opinions and how no one but a conservative has the right to an opinion that doesn't agree with theirs.

The readers rep a few weeks ago in his column wrote about how the letters are published in the ratio to which they are received after getting conservative readers complaining about (non-existent) liberal bias.

Seems that that makes for most of the conservatives' letters around here.

an excellent anti-Bush LTTE for them. ;)