By: E&P Staff In his front-page Aug. 12 article in The Washington Post exploring the newspaper's coverage during the run-up to the Iraq war, Howard Kurtz quoted Liz Spayd, assistant managing editor for national news, saying, "Do I feel we owe our readers an apology? I don't think so."
Whether they expect an apology or not, many Post readers have responded by criticizing some of the sentiments expressed by editors in the Kurtz article.
Although editors admitted certain mistakes in coverage, such as denying prime real estate to stories skeptical of the war, many readers, in an online chat with Kurtz, and in letters to the editor published on Sunday, felt the paper did not go far enough in its self-criticism. (For E&P Editor Greg Mitchell's view, see his Pressing Issues column today.)
Here are some of those reader opinions, along with Kurtz's response in the online chats:
Bill Kalish of Alexandria, Va., in one of the letters published in the Post yesterday, wrote: "Newspapers fill an essential role in our system. The Post's uncritical coverage failed the nation, and the excuse proferred by some of its top editors is that it was (self-) victimized by 'group-think' and that it would have been 'difficult?' to swim against the stream? What do they pay you guys for anyway?"
Laura Jereski of New York commented in her letter: "I have the apparently mistaken impression that a newspaper, especially one that prides itself on a centrist presentation of the news, has as its job presenting all the available facts as clearly as possible. Not to give the administration, any administration, a run of its front page. Not to hide behind the dodge that a career reporter's work is 'hard to follow.' And certainly not to shrug off criticism by saying events wouldn't have been changed anyway."
Wrote Patrick Keefe of Gaithersburg, Md.: "I appreciate greatly the reporting and editing that goes into the Post, but what changes will the paper make to ensure that its editors do not engage in pack journalism or be too afraid to do their jobs? I have two sons approaching draft age. The role of journalists is very much to ensure that we do not needlessly sacrifice the lives of our sons and daughters, now and in the future. Had the Post been willing to do that, I would feel much less worried about my sons' future."
In the online chat, locations of readers were revealed but not their names.
From Raleigh, N.C.: "What are you guys going to do differently in the future? Also, aren't you repeating the same mistake with regard to what's happening in Iraq right now?" Kurtz replied that The Post has been vigorously covering the current conflict.
From Houston: "What are the lessons here for journalists who believe they are onto something, but don't want to be dismissed as 'crusaders'?" Kurtz: "Keep pushing."
From Arlington, Va.: "(Editor Leonard) Downie's last quote is a total cop-out and argues for his own irrelevance: 'Well, we would have gone to war anyway.'" Kurtz: The press often doesn't have vast power to affect events.
From Virginia Beach, Va.: "Spayd asks, 'Do I feel we owe our readers an apology? I don't think so.' How about an apology to the families of the 900+ American military killed and 6,000+ wounded in action in Iraq?" Kurtz: It's a big leap to say that if critical stories had appeared there wouldn't have been a war.
From Chicago: "Have any editors been demoted?" Kurtz: No.
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