Sept. 1, 2004 (Mid-Hudson Valley Perspective) - If you're a subscriber to the Poughkeepsie Journal, have you noticed that until today, there have been no letters to the editor on the subject of the controversy over John Kerry's Vietnam service? Today, there was one letter calling on Pres. Bush to condemn the ads. Readers must be wondering, what ads? The Journal has had a virtual blackout on the controversy except for a cartoon calling the Swift Boat Vets for Truth, the “Partisan Swift Boat Vets,” and one syndicated column.
You might dismiss the dearth of anti-Kerry letters, thinking that perhaps nobody has written any. But I know otherwise - I sent them a letter on Aug. 25, and it has not appeared to this date. That was seven days ago. Is it unreasonable to expect them to publish a letter within seven days? Let's look at how they treat other letters.
On Aug. 29, the Journal printed a 245-word letter from Irvin M. Miller of Poughkeepsie. Miller is a frequent letter writer of the Bush-hating ilk. His previous letter appeared July 23, which was a mere seven days over the Journal's one letter per 30-day limit. His next previous letter appeared June 29, which put his July letter six days under the limit, and his Aug. letter, the second since his June letter, appeared a mere 61 days after it.
On Aug. 31, A letter from James R. Ansley of Poughkeepsie was published. It referenced a previous letter which was published on Aug. 24. If Mr. Ansley wrote his letter the same day as the letter he referenced, that's only seven days between submission and publication. Seven days after I submitted my letter, I'm still waiting.
And, on the same day, the Journal printed a letter from Karen Brown of Wappingers Falls. In her letter, she says she's responding to another letter which appeared Aug. 25. That's only six days maximum after submission. Seven days after I submitted my letter, I'm still waiting.
Do I know of any other letters that the Journal has been sitting on? No, I don't, but I would certainly like to. If you've been a victim of Poughkeepsie Journal bias, please drop me a line.
© 2004, Mid-Hudson Valley Perspective