Cos & Effect: Bill Cosby Blasts 'Wash Post,' Downie Responds

By: E&P Staff Comedian/actor/author Bill Cosby, in a lengthy letter, has complained about what he calls "disturbing" coverage by the The Washington Post of recent remarks that he made at Harvard University, and the aftermath. Leonard Downie, Jr., the paper's executive editor, has responded with a a defense.

It all started with Cosby's July 18 remarks, in reference to the Post, "I don't like media who can't see or can't tell the truth." Now he asks,
"Is The Washington Post abusing its considerable journalistic power? I think an investigation is warranted in order to find an answer."

The exchange took place on the Romenesko site at www.poynter.org.

Cosby wrote in a letter published there today:

"On July 18th, I was a panel member at a forum sponsored by The Kaiser Family Foundation, Harvard University, and The Washington Post. During the discussion, I made reference to The Washington Post and stated: 'I don't like media who can't see or can't tell the truth.'

"The next day, in a Washington Post article by Robert E. Pierre, that specific line was cited. Then, on July 21, the Post carried a column by Michael Eric Dyson which was entitled: The Injustice Bill Cosby Won't See.

"Given the similarity between my statement about the media and the column heading, one could easily assume that this was a response to my remarks at the Kaiser/Post forum. It was not. Mr. Dyson made no reference to the forum at all. Instead, the column was merely a repackaging of Mr. Dyson's previous attacks on me and the only new idea Mr. Dyson advanced was his assertion that my series of 'callouts' have been 'rigged.'

"By categorizing my 'callouts' as rigged and further stating that 'Cosby assembles community folk and experts who agree with his take on black poverty,' Mr. Dyson not only disparages me but also every city and every organization that has sponsored one of my 'callouts.'

"The fact that The Washington Post chose to print Mr. Dyson?s column is disturbing. How can a major newspaper allow one of its writers to level a serious accusation in the absence of any evidence? Has the Post dispensed with fact-checking? Furthermore, the timing of Mr. Dyson?s piece -- just days after I criticized the Post -- seems rather suspect. Is this fairness in the media? I don?t think so.

"Further adding to the confusion of Mr. Dyson?s charge is the fact my 'callouts' (which Mr. Dyson calls 'rigged') look very much like and are comprised of precisely the sort of panel embodied by the July 18th event co-sponsored by your own newspaper.

"Following Mr. Dyson's article, the Post ran an Op Ed piece by Jabari Asim captioned: Invoking Responsibility. Mr. Asim wrote: 'There's that word again: responsibility. Cosby is absolutely right to point out that the very notion of it has dramatically faded in communities where it is needed most. But as long as Cosby, Kornegay, Orman, and other men continue to evoke it, reason for hope remains.' But Mr. Asim's words did little to undo the damage caused by Mr. Dyson's groundless labeling of my 'callouts' as 'rigged.'

"In fact, The Post's coverage of their own forum seemed so overly preoccupied with my statements that there were glaring omissions regarding the substance of what transpired at the event. For example, among those who spoke was a gang member who, when talking about his role in gang related crime stated: 'None of you can stop nothing we want to do.' If that?s the case, why is the Post even holding a forum or why is anyone even out there attempting to stem violent crime? How can the Post allow statements like these to be unreported or never addressed. And what about the two sons who spoke out, praising their fathers in every sentence, who went on to become High School A salutatorian and A valedictorians? Not a word about them was ever mentioned in any of the Post?s coverage.

"I believe that the series of events described above leads to an obvious question: Is The Washington Post abusing its considerable journalistic power? I think an investigation is warranted in order to find an answer."

Leonard Downie's response at Romenesko:

"The forum Mr. Cosby refers to [below] was a panel discussion in Washington analyzing the current status of young black men in America and exploring ways to assist them. The panel included young black men, including local high school valedictorians and former gang members-turned mentors from other cities, along with a number of noted experts in the field, plus Mr. Cosby, who made valuable contributions.

"The forum was part of this newspaper's ongoing project on black men in America, which has produced a pioneering national survey (in collaboration with The Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University), a number of remarkable newspaper stories and accompanying video interviews, all of which can be found on our web site, washingtonpost.com. The reaction to the project from readers, particularly African-American readers, has been extensive and encouraging. We intend to draw on that reaction and the forum discussion to help shape future journalism.

"The columns Mr. Cosby cites are part of the reaction to our project and to what Mr. Cosby said at the forum and elsewhere on this subject. The writers' opinions are their own."