Friday, February 17, 2006

The weary editor

Poor John Robinson, editor of the Greensboro News & Record, is weary. Nevertheless, he tells readers he's doing his best to encourage civic discussion :

I confess that I'm weary of the debate about publishing the Danish cartoons, but I suspect that some readers are enjoying themselves. In the spirit of civic discussion, coupled with my seeming failure to articulate why we have no plans to publish the cartoons, I offer links to ombudsmen and public editors at other newspapers around the country on the same topic.
Well, of course, Robinson is weary.

You'd be weary, too, if you'd spent the last few years publishing all those Abu Ghraib photos. Old ones; new ones; grainy ones; sharp ones; ones with people; ones with a dog. Ones already published once, twice or more before. Lots. Lots. Lots.

And for Robinson every decision to publish or not publish an Abu Ghraib photo was a gut-wrencher. He knew publishing the photos would make the already dangerous work of America's military servicemen and women and our allies even more dangerous.

But Robinson also knew he had a duty to inform News & Record readers. They needed to see all those photos. When you're, as Dan Rather likes to say, a "First Amendment journalist" you have to face up to tough decisions.

Yes, Robinson took heat from some people. But he was willing to take it.

Now, he's getting heat again. This time for not publishing the Danish cartoons.

People just don't seem to understand why it was so necessary to publish all those Abu photos but not a single one of the cartoons.

Robinson's tried to explain it all but people still don't seem to understand.

And now Robinson’s grown weary of it all.

Poor weary editor Robinson.

Update: Michelle Malkin will be covering today's New Black Panther rally in D. C. Watch for pics and commentary later.

Trackback: Mudville Gazette

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Being scared spitless is tiring. He wasn't afraid a US Marine, Army soldier, Naval sailor, AF airman, Coast Guardsman, Christian, Jew, Hindu, Shinto, or Bhuddist were going to saw off his head.

He is afraid those peaceful, sensitive muslims will. It is a reasonable fear. Which makes his cowardice tantamount to endorsing their modus operandi. By his own inaction he is helping to ensure increased risk of harm or death to not only himself, but to his loved ones. He doesn't seem to care as long as he is not hurt now.

Weary? How can he be? He isn't carrying anything heavy like principle, courage, honor, integrity, or even fidelity to his own loved ones.

I take it as a matter of proven fact that he doesn't care about his fellow countrymen, by his inaction to address the issue. But what kind of miserable wretch exposes his own loved ones to the inevitable horrors his lack of courage abets?