Denver Post prints full-page apology

By: Joe Strupp Publisher: Column 'Crossed the Line'

When The Denver Post's Diane Carman wrote that U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., was "a pimp ? [who] looks good in a headdress," she thought it was a hard-hitting slam against the American Indian senator who voted for a tree-clearing program after accepting a logging-industry campaign contribution.
But local Native American groups who consider Campbell one of their most honorable leaders saw Carman's column as racist and spent more than a month lobbying the newspaper for an apology.
On Dec. 12, the Native American groups got their wish in the form of a full-page house ad in which Post Publisher Gerald Grilly apologized to readers for the column, saying it "crossed the line of insensitivity that is uncharacteristic of this newspaper's coverage and its many roots in Colorado.
"We are sorry for offending, for insulting," the ad continued.
The apology stemmed from an Oct. 28 column by Carman, an 11-year Post veteran, who criticized Campbell for voting to fund a $2-million forest clear-cutting program. She said the vote was an obvious payback for a $5,000 campaign contribution to Campbell from a political action committee controlled by Louisiana-Pacific Corp., a particle-board manufacturer that benefited from the program.
"That $2 million delivery from Campbell was purchased by Louisiana-Pacific with the $5,000 campaign contribution," Carman wrote. "A pimp's a pimp, after all, even if he looks good in a headdress."
Among those demanding an apology was the Denver-based American Indian College Fund (AICF), which viewed
the column as a slam against Native Americans.
"If he was Jewish, they would never refer to his wearing a yarmulke. And they would never call him a pimp if he were black." said David Cournoyer, AICF director of public education. "Then why is this OK?"
Campbell's office did not return calls seeking comment.
Carman also declined to comment on the article or the apology, but other newsroom veterans said they were outraged.
"I'm very upset about it, and a lot of people here are upset about it," said Mike Booth, a 10-year Post reporter who writes several columns for it and is among many staffers seeking a meeting with Grilly over the issue. "The paper should stand behind the person they hired to give her opinion instead of undercutting her like this."
Courts reporter Mike McPhee, a 25-year veteran of several papers, agreed. "It is another example that journalistic quality is not important here," he said.
Other Denver-area newspaper editors also questioned the Post's actions.
"It took them a long time, and it should have been the editor who responded," said John Temple, editor of the rival Denver Rocky Mountain News.
Grilly said the apology was not linked to any political support for Campbell by the newspaper, which endorsed the senator for re-election in 1998. "I think we did the fair and right thing," he said.
Editor Glenn Guzzo, who joined the paper only a few months ago, said he agreed with Grilly's response and believed the "pimp" reference was inappropriate. "I'm surprised that someone here didn't raise a hand about this [prior to publication]," Guzzo said. "This crossed the line for opinion."
Grilly said no punitive action had been taken against anyone at the paper. But he said the column might spark more editorial review of some news items in the future.

(Editor & Publisher Web Site: http://www.mediainfo.com) [Caption]
(copyright: Editor & Publisher December 18, 1999) [Caption]