By: E&P Staff Realizing they "should have done a better job stating our case," editors at The Post-Crescent in Appleton, Wis., have pulled back from a May 4 editorial asking readers to send them letters supporting President Bush in order to provide better balance in their opinion page (see related story under "More Headlines" here at E&P Online).
In a new editorial Tuesday, editors said, "We were partially motivated by some readers in the Valley, who thought we were intentionally printing letters from only one side of the aisle.
"Unfortunately, we weren't clear enough in our intent. Many readers perceived our plea in the editorial for greater reader participation as an unabashed solicitation for people to weigh in on the side of the incumbent president. We should have done a better job stating our case.
"But by invoking the name of a candidate, we came off as trying to beat the drum for him. Hindsight being 20/20, we can now see how it was taken in that vein, even though our editorial track record has been critical of the administration's execution of the war in Iraq; the historically high federal budget deficit; the Medicare prescription drug plan and a proposed constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage, to name a few.
"So, here's another swing at the plate: If you don't agree with the letters we print, pick up a pencil or punch a keyboard and write a letter with a differing viewpoint."
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