Open Letter to Douglas Feaver, Reader Representative of The Washington Post
Dear Mr. Feaver,
Early last month The Washington Post announced that you had been appointed to be its first Reader Representative (http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-03-07/news/37515611_1_reader-comments-executive-editor-katharine-weymouth):
"The Washington Post today announced Doug Feaver as its first reader representative. Feaver will serve as an advocate for readers, responding to their questions and concerns."
Congratulations on your appointment.
As you are well aware, a few days ago I asked you and others at WaPo whether it is your newspaper's policy that opinion piece writers are permitted to lie.
More specifically, I brought to your attention the fact that Fareed Zakaria had written in a March 28, 2013 Washington Post opinion piece entitled "Obama appeals to Israel's conscience" (http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fareed-zakaria-obama-appeals-to-israels-conscience/2013/03/27/a4365b18-96f5-11e2-b68f-dc5c4b47e519_story.html?hpid=z2):
"After all, Israel has ruled millions of Palestinians without offering them citizenship or a state for 40 years."
Of course, as well known to Zakaria, Israeli prime ministers Barak and Olmert offered Arafat and Abbas an independent state along the 1967 lines with agreed upon land swaps, and Olmert even offered Palestinian control of east Jerusalem. Arafat and Abbas refused. I alerted WaPo to Zakaria's lie, and Martin Baron, executive editor of the newspaper, kindly sent me an e-mail saying that he was passing my complaint to Fred Hiatt, the editorial page editor. Has Hiatt gotten back to me? No.
And so, given that it is your job to "serve as an advocate for readers, responding to their questions and concerns," I again ask whether it is the policy of The Washington Post to permit opinion writers to lie.
We already know that Washington Post opinion writers can plagiarize the work of others and continue to work for WaPo, as evidenced by the fact that Zakaria continues to write for your newspaper; however, I think it is of critical importance to know if they are also permitted to lie.
I would appreciate your answer, as would tens of thousands of other Washington Post readers.
I await your "advocacy" on our behalf.
Who ever said that your new job would be easy? . . .
Yours sincerely,
Jeffrey
Jeff, thank you for writing those letters to The Washington Post. I just hope you are not holding your breath waiting for a response.
ReplyDeleteMargaret Sullivan of The Times wouldn't answer after Friedman and their editorial board wrote outright falsehoods that went uncorrected. Why should WaPo feel the need to acknowledge Zakaria's lies? Journalistic ethics? What, me worry?
DeleteYou've made a mistake. You should have presented yourself as an Islamist (implying that you too hate Jews) and you would have received a courteous and grateful response immediately.
ReplyDeleteSee this as a learning experience.