LETTERS: Iraq Truths, AP Fingerprinting, Job Cuts, Murdoch

By: E&P Staff With a new online editor on board, we are about to get up to speed again on Letters every day. But forgive the lack of linkage.

Here are a few selections from the email bag.
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War stories

I just returned from an assignment that took me on a 3,000 mile road trip across the Southwest. It was evident that the "people" are sick of this war, weary of making excuses for the President, and very concerned that have lost control of their government. They are equally concerned that Congress is just flat not listening to the people as shown by the Iraq funding vote.

Everything Gallup says [Thursday story on new poll ] agrees with the people I saw and talked to over the last two weeks.

Richard L. Fricker
Tulsa


I have just read the article about how McClatchy papers are being denied access to report in Iraq and other places. I don't doubt it for a minute, as I look at the corporate structure of other news media and who the owners are and who they give their campaign donations to- the Republican party. I also watched the presentation by Bill Moyers on PBS on how McClatchy editors and reporters challenged the administration's build-up to war with Iraq. I wish it had been on other channels besides PBS. It would make a great documentary for HBO to carry.

The Kansas City Star is also a McClatchy owned newspaper. We have had a hard time getting the news that other McClatchy papers print. It must be the editorial board. I know that we didn't get the amny of the stories you published on the build-up to war with Iraq in your other papers. Since there is an obvious atttempt to another war build-up- now with Iran-- I hope the Star publishes more of the McClatchy columnist than it has in the past.

Anne Sherwood
Kansas City, MO.


AP's 'Fingerpainting'

Thank you for a very good story [Thursday] regarding AP's efforts to track the landing of their stories, not just the landing, but the sharing of just small bits of them.

As you no doubt know, if one wishes to share a story they have seen on AP, they usually clip a piece, add the url, and encourage their friend to go see it.

But if AP is going to use their METATRACKER to check on whether or not we use their stories without paying a fee, they will loose their audience on the net.

Trying to make people pay piecemeal for information on their computers is not feasible in today's economy. It is nothing more than an effort to shut down the internet.

Cynthia Blu


Cutting Remark

I have seen article after article in E & P about the loss of editorial positions. There are other positions at newspapers that are being cut. Why not more in-depth look at the total loss at a newspaper? Sales positions, circulation positions and such play important parts in the over all quality that goes into and the service rendered to readers but these cuts are not covered with the same enthusiasm as editorial cuts. More than one department makes a newspaper!

Jerry Lewis


Good old Rupert

I'm certainly not surprised that the chairman and chief investment officer of T. Rowe Price thinks that Dow Jones should sell out to News Corp. It epitomizes the nature of an institutional investor who concentrates more on financial interest than public interest.

But Brian Rogers asks a question that just makes me wonder how thoroughly out of-touch he is: "But who's to say Rupert Murdoch is all that bad?"

Please pass along this answer to Mr. Rogers:

Who's to say...? How about owners, investors, workers, academics, reporters, etc... And that's just a small sampling, Mr. Rogers.

Mark Howard
News Corpse


Iran, In Fear

Re: "The Case for Bombing Iran" -- Norman Podhoretz is a madman.

Les Wisner
San Francisco