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Just got this in my in box:

Dear All-

I learned this morning that tomorrow morning's edition of the Cleveland Plain Dealer will endorse George Bush for a second four-year term. What makes this particularly disgraceful and quite terrifying is that the seven-member editorial board of the PD voted 5-2 to endorse John Kerry. The publisher overruled them and announced the paper would support Bush. Similarly, the Lorain Journal editors were told that either they endorse George Bush or they endorse no one. So, they are endorsing no one.

It is critical for us to start a MAJOR letter writing campaign to the Plain Dealer and to spread the word about the publisher overruling the editorial board's vote. If this is going on here, you can imagine it's being duplicated all over the country.

Letters can be mailed to the Editor, The Plain Dealer, 1801 Superior Ave, Cleveland 44114.  Email can be sent to letters@plaind.com. Faxes can be sent to 216-999-6209.

For those of you who don't live in the Cleveland area, know that in this critical swing state, the area covered by the PD is the most critical area for us to get out  the Kerry vote to swing the state. Update [2004-10-24 0:24:15 by Jim in Chicago]: CPD postpones its endorsement!!! A new Kossack just emailed me with this new info. She can't post yet, so she asked me to pass this along: Daily Endorsement Tally: Kerry Poised for Big Day on Sunday, Gets Nod from 'Wash Post,' the 'Chicago Sun-Times," and More . . . Meanwhile, E&P has learned from several sources at the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the paper's nine-person editorial board decided earlier this week that it wanted to endorse Kerry but Publisher Alex Machaskee, who has final say, has decided on Bush. The paper backed Bush in 2000. This has caused consternation in some quarters at the Plain Dealer, with sources telling E&P that the endorsement editorial, which was expected to run Sunday, was put off. http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000683265

Originally posted to Jim in Chicago on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 12:32 PM PDT.

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Comment Preferences

73 comments | Permalink

  •  How do you know? (none)
    Before people go emailing the paper, can you explain a little more about how you know this?

    can you provide any evidence?

    by badpolitiks on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 12:35:41 PM PDT

    •  Just got it in my email from a Clevelander (4.00)
      Maybe someone here could investigate?  I have a six-year-old I need to take care of right now....

      "No President has ever done more for human rights than I have." --George W. Bush (quoted in The New Yorker, January 19, 2004)

      by Jim in Chicago on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 12:38:00 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Update in my inbox from a DKos reader (4.00)
      HI.  You don't know me but I saw your diary on Kos regarding the PD endorsement for pres.  I wanted to post a comment but have not registered yet and didn't want to wait the 24hrs before I could, so I decided to email you directly.

      I live outside of Cleveland and get the PD and have been eagerly awaiting their endorsement.  When I read your post I about blew a gasket!  I immediately called the PD and talked with someone in the editorial room and voiced my displeasure at the prospect of a PD endorsement for Bush.  I also said that if it is true that the editorial board had in fact voted to endorse Kerry but were over-ruled by the publisher, this would push me and others to cancel our subscriptions.  Not that my feelings are going to sway them, but I was so angry I had to do something.  Interestingly, she seemed to be genuinely interested in what I had to say.  She told me the following:  she said that they have not yet decided who to endorse; that there will not be an endorsement tomorrow.  I asked if they would endorse Bush in the near future and she said they have not decided yet.  She asked where I heard this rumor because she had heard it as well.  I told her that it's out there, all over the country and many people are watching the PD to see who they will endorse.  She actually seemed surprised by this.  I told her a lot of people will be very very pissed if they endorsed Bush, especially if it was forced by the publisher.  She asked me if I would be mad if they endorsed Bush and I told her yes but what would piss me off more is if the editorial board voted to endorse Kerry and they end up endorsing Bush because of the publisher.  She took my name and phone number and is passing it onto the editorial board.  Don't know what will come of that.

      Anyway, I think if people, from all over the country call in and voice their displeasure about a possible Bush endorsement, it might have an impact.  Unless she was lying and they have decided and it will come out tomorrow.  The phone number is 1-800-688-4802.

      "No President has ever done more for human rights than I have." --George W. Bush (quoted in The New Yorker, January 19, 2004)

      by Jim in Chicago on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 01:55:49 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  I suspect the die is cast already (none)
        I have real trouble believing that the PD doesn't know who it's endorsing hours before the first Sunday editions go to press.

        "No President has ever done more for human rights than I have." --George W. Bush (quoted in The New Yorker, January 19, 2004)

        by Jim in Chicago on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 01:57:17 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  Cleveland PD (none)
         "She took my name and phone number and is passing it onto the editorial board.  Don't know what will come of that."

        At best, you're on the no-fly list. At worst, a trip to Gitmo. Don't worry about sunscreen.

        by CanisMaximus on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 05:23:02 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  Confirmation (4.00)
      Thought I should bring this upthread

      Rittenhouse Review

      CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER EDITORS BACK KERRY
      Publisher Overrules Them

      Just moments ago I learned from a source at the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the paper's editorial board agreed to endorse Sen. John F. Kerry for president, but that Alex Machaskee, publisher, president, and chief executive officer of the paper, and a Republican, overturned that decision, forcing the editors to publish an endorsement of President George W. Bush.

      This is a departure from traditional procedure at the Plain Dealer, which normally bases its decisions upon interviews of the candidates or their representatives. The paper's lead editorial writer makes a recommendation to a committee of editors, offering them the opportunity to make comments in an effort to achieve a consensus. The result is, or has been in the past, a group decision.

      Not this year.

      The Plain Dealer, which has been a persistent critic of the Bush administration, will, according to my source, endorse the president for reelection, that by way of a directive from Machaskee. He ordered the endorsement of Bush.

      It gets better: The editorial staff is talking about a walk-out in protest of Machaskee's intervention.

      Calls to the Plain Dealer this evening could not confirm this information.

      "No President has ever done more for human rights than I have." --George W. Bush (quoted in The New Yorker, January 19, 2004)

      by Jim in Chicago on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:10:45 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Walk out (none)
        How do we help support the walk out?

        Journalistic Integrity is at stake here.  I don't want to see another Spanish-American war created by the Newspaper Iconoclasts...and we all remember this from History classes, don't we?  Has the media done anything differently lately.  Let's support these people.  Standing up to this sleazeball is the best way to do it.

        And now, remember, "and the union makes us strong.."

        by Bendygirl on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:30:06 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  what an asshole... (4.00)
    That is not the way it's always done.

    The Oregonian publisher wanted to endorse Bush but he defered to the consensus of the editorial board. He had the authority to override them and he didn't, which is pretty admirable considering he's a major Repug.

    "The military don't start wars. Politicians start wars." - William Westmoreland Jr

    by pacific city on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 12:37:08 PM PDT

  •  If true, the publisher is endorsing, not the CPD (none)
    That's the word we have to get out. The Ed Board doesn't agree. Just another fraud by the W campaign, if you ask me. Or if you don't.

    Let's get some Democracy for America

    by murphy on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 12:37:18 PM PDT

  •  Freedom of the press (none)
    belongs to he who owns the press

    by seanflynn on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 12:38:36 PM PDT

    •  Or... (none)
      Or the person who controls the computers that control the presses.

      by badpolitiks on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 12:39:52 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Yep... (none)
      I worked for the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser in the late 80's-early 90's, and the VERY Republican publisher at the time used to submit "editorials," which were usually ill-informed (and sometimes incredibly homophobic) screeds.  There was nothing anyone could do.  He also decided on presidential endorsements.

      He later became general manager of The Washington Times, natch.

      by bolgia7 on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 06:18:46 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  if they did that it's time to boycott the paper (none)
    I would not support a boycott for an endorsement but if they do this despite the editorial board split it's a disgrace.

    this is your mission: TERMINATE the Bush presidency

    by nevadadem on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 12:42:38 PM PDT

  •  endorsement (none)
    Here's my letter to the Austin American-Statesman (Texas) which is also rumored to be about to endorse Bush tomorrow:

    by legadillo on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 12:42:57 PM PDT

    •  Concentrate Where it Counts (none)
      The Austin newspaper was never on the table for us.  They would be too afraid to endorse Kerry and lose much of their ill informed readership.  Plus, they would be (I believe) the ONLY paper in Texas to endorse Kerry if they had.  No mattter, lets concentrate where it counts and where it hurts..

      by NotBush on Sun Oct 24, 2004 at 01:13:16 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  There's a glimmer of civilisation (none)
        in Houston, though.  The Houston Chronicle endorsed Morrison over Delay!  We held a (pretty big) rally at noon today (Sunday) on the bat bridge in front of the Statesman building.  We got mostly happy honks and cheers of agreement.  One elderly woman who dissed us from her SUV could have passed for Zell Miller's sister.  She had that lemon-sucking sour look on her face.

        by legadillo on Sun Oct 24, 2004 at 01:36:23 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  Paste first, then post. (none)
    Oops. Sorry.  Here it really is:

    There's an internet rumor that you'll endorse Bush Sunday in spite of a disastrous war entered into on false premises, the "Patriot" Act, a teetering economy, millions without health care, corporations with ties to the administration making billions and accused of fraud, a pathetic display of the man's brainpower in the debates, his unexplained absence from military service, the demonstrable lies he tell about his opponent, his opposition to raising the minimum wage and his gleeful anticipation of overturning Roe, the workings of government made opaque, a stolen election in 2000 and massive voter fraud in 2004.  What would it take to get Bush supporters to face reality?

    Oh yeah.  Sex.

    by legadillo on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 12:43:44 PM PDT

  •  My letter to the editor (4.00)
    Thanks to Jim for putting this up. Here is the letter I sent to the Plain Dealer, entered for the record. ;)

    I grew up in a newspaper family, with my father acting as an editor and managing editor for newspapers in Middletown, New York and Traverse City, Michigan. I was instilled with a respect for press reporting, and the sincere effort by honest newspapermen and women to tell readers, to the best of their ability, what is going on in our country and in the world.

    It thus saddens me to see the wall between communication company executives and their employees, who are entrusted with providing accurate information to the American public, torn down, and to see the will of one wealthy, powerful person trump the common sense of many.

    Shame on you, Plain Dealer, for overruling the 5-2 vote of your editorial board to support John Kerry. I do not know whether this decision was based on business connections or political connections, whether on local connections or national ones. All I know is that, as so often has happened during the Bush administration, the backroom decisions of a few or one have been given precendence over the public decisions of the many. Your readers deserve better.

    No rest until things are put right.

    by MattK D1 on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 12:47:58 PM PDT

    •  Plain Stealer to endorse Bush (none)

      For all he's done for Cleveland, how could they do otherwise?

      That's sarcasm, peeps. :)

      Thanks to GW, Clinton may yet be on Mt. Rushmore. :)

      by cskendrick on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 01:34:44 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Matt... (none)
      Your dad wasn't named Ready, was he? If so, I graduated high school with your brother, Tak (David).

      Rage, rage, against the lying of the Right.

      by Maryscott OConnor on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:23:30 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Willing, but not Ready (4.00)
        Sorry, Nope. We're Kleins, and the family was in Michigan only very briefly... from 1975 to 1978, I believe. Had a nice old Victorian on Sixth Street whose previous owner had hanged himself on the top floor (which they neglected to tell me, since that was where my room was). Ah, Hallowe'en approaches.

        No rest until things are put right.

        by MattK D1 on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:42:09 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  No surprise on this (none)
    P-D has been known to be a Republican rag for years...which is funny considering it represents the poorest city in the country.

    Kerry all the way to the WH!!

    by marcvstraianvs on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 12:50:54 PM PDT

    •  yep (none)
      I can't remember it ever endorsing a Dem for Pres...did they?  I had a subscription years ago but cancelled it after the nasty negative stuff they did to Dennis in 1996.  If I recall correctly, they also endorsed Hoke (more affectionately known as Hoke the Joke).

      The day I buy another PD will be the day I decide to read things that aren't true for reasons I can't remember.  I pray that day will never come along.

      by Bendygirl on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:08:38 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  I just found this: (4.00)
    Doing some searches on this possible endorsement, I found this information over on the Rittenhouse Review:

    Rittenhouse Review Link

    Thought I would share what I found, as it could be an interesting story. Enjoy!

    by zach on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 12:55:31 PM PDT

  •  Overruled their Ed Board?! (none)
    Greeeeeat!  That's a bigger story than the endorsement itself.

    It's time to reject a President that says to the American people 'Ignore my record, forget my failures and fear the future.' - Kerry Campaign

    by Armando on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 12:59:12 PM PDT

  •  Irony (none)
    Not what you call "plain dealing."

    Furious George: His face would go hard...and his words would be scathing.

    by paperbag on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 12:59:58 PM PDT

  •  Great meme (4.00)
    Does anyone else think that this fits nicely with the voter fraud meme and should be pushed as a major story? The rich owner breaking the rules to nullify the vote of the workers as a parallel to the supreme court/wealthy republicans trying to disenfranchise the majority in Florida and elsewhere? This should get some airplay.

    by MarkC on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 01:00:07 PM PDT

  •  quick LtE (none)
    Not one of my better efforts but the American Conservativ reference might be useful.


    Have you no shame at all? Even the American Conservative magazine ran an article titled: "Kerry's the One" (http://www.amconmag.com/2004_11_08/cover1.html)

    Fiscally irresponsible and militarily inept, four more years of Bush will bankrupt our treasury and destroy our credibility.

    Sincerely,

    by storme on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 01:00:11 PM PDT

  •  Columbus (OH) Dispatch (none)
    I believe they will be giving their endorsements tomorrow. 50 to 1 they will endorse Bush. The owner of the paper is a long-time Republican contributor. And the last time the Dispatch endorsed a Democratic candidate for President? 1916 (Woodrow Wilson). If they do endorse Kerry, expect a major news alert regarding exploding heads in Central Ohio.

    "We Need To Find Courage...Overcome...Inaction Is A Weapon Of Mass Destruction..."(Faithless "Mass Destruction")

    by DanceboyOH on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 01:10:38 PM PDT

    •  They've got nothing over the Chicago Tribune (none)
      After the outcry over the Trib's endorsement of Bush, the paper's public editor admitted that the paper had endorsed the Republican candidate for President in every election since "at least" 1872.

      I wrote him saying that should have been the lead in to their endorsement, i.e.,:

      "Having endorsed the Republican candidate for President in every election since at least 1872, we now do it again...."

      "No President has ever done more for human rights than I have." --George W. Bush (quoted in The New Yorker, January 19, 2004)

      by Jim in Chicago on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:04:39 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  My letter to the Plain Dealer (4.00)
    I'm not one to fire off letters on a regular basis, but here's what I just sent in to the PD:

    The cat is out of the bag.  Thousands of readers across the country have already
    learned that the Cleveland Plain-Dealer intends to endorse George W. Bush for another disastrous 4 years in office over his more capable rival, Sen. John Kerry.   Better yet, this irresponsible endorsement comes over the objections of the majority of the editorial board and is, in fact, a decision made solely by the publisher of the paper, Alex Machaskee.  Like so many wealthy, white, male Americans, Mr. Machaskee remains untouched by the horrors perpetuated by the Bush Administration--his personal fortune is diminished not one bit by a president who plays fast and loose with the nation's finances and whose policy proposal further threaten millions of retirees in this country.  The best health care this country has to offer will always be
    available to him as affordibility is not something he need bother himself with.
    His wealth will ensure that his children need never answer the call to an inevitable
    draft in Bush's perpetual, unending war.  Average Americans will continue to suffer--the
    gap between the richest and the poorest will continue to grow exponentially while
    the middle class absorbs costs they cannot possibly continue to shoulder--but Mr.
    Machaskee will undoubtedly sleep well at night, secure that another tax cut is coming his way.  It's the rest of the country that will have fits.

    by Bailey on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 01:16:37 PM PDT

    •  Like yours, here's mine: (none)
      I'm usually more polite, but I'm not feeling polite today:

      Here's what I just wrote:

      I am a very respectable person, but I just got wind of the shenanigans going down in your newspaper.

      Cancel my subscription--YOU'RE FIRED!

      If Sinclair thought they felt the burn of dishonorable conduct, then you're in for a surprise.

      When you're own editorial board voted 5-2, but a consolidated media owner overrules it, it is nothing but abuse of power and gives rise to the immediate de-consolidation of your enterprise.  This WILL get the public fired up. . . .

      You're credibility is all your really have and you just squandered your most precious asset.

      Thanks for listening to my rant.

      Separation of Church and State AND Corporation

      by Einsteinia on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:40:37 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  You need a source (none)
    Great story about the publisher overriding the editorial board. If you have a source, this could probably generate some real noise.

    (Well, ok, even without a source it could generate some noise)

    by catfish on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 01:18:18 PM PDT

  •  This is true (none)
    Editor & Publisher posted an article earlier in the week about the Dispatch and the Plain Dealer both being in this position -- editorial boards leaning toward Kerry, a publisher who prefers Bush.

    We'll soon see if the Dispatch follows suit.

    I sincerely hope the paper comes clean about the process and doesn't present this endorsement as if it's a product of the editorial board.

    Fear More Years!

    by Melquiades on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 01:33:14 PM PDT

  •  got this source from Google (4.00)
    from the Rittenhouse Review :

    CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER EDITORS BACK KERRY
    Publisher Overrules Them

    Just moments ago I learned from a source at the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the paper's editorial board agreed to endorse Sen. John F. Kerry for president, but that Alex Machaskee, publisher, president, and chief executive officer of the paper, and a Republican, overturned that decision, forcing the editors to publish an endorsement of President George W. Bush.

    This is a departure from traditional procedure at the Plain Dealer, which normally bases its decisions upon interviews of the candidates or their representatives. The paper's lead editorial writer makes a recommendation to a committee of editors, offering them the opportunity to make comments in an effort to achieve a consensus. The result is, or has been in the past, a group decision.

    Not this year.

    The Plain Dealer, which has been a persistent critic of the Bush administration, will, according to my source, endorse the president for reelection, that by way of a directive from Machaskee. He ordered the endorsement of Bush.

    It gets better: The editorial staff is talking about a walk-out in protest of Machaskee's intervention.

    Calls to the Plain Dealer this evening could not confirm this information.

    A Wise Man learns from others' mistakes, a Fool seldom by his own. -- Ben Franklin

    by Susan1138 on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 01:37:55 PM PDT

  •  my letter from a few weeks ago (none)
    To the Editors:

    On October 22, 2000, the Plain Dealer endorsed George W. Bush for President. With few actions to judge, the paper and America listened to his words and campaign promises instead. We heard that Bush was a man who would keep his word to the American people, run an effective foreign policy tempered by humility, and unify America by working across party lines. So how did that work out?

    Well, it sounded good at the time. But the President we got was nothing like the President we expected.

    For one thing, he's repeatedly misled the American people. We are told that problems do not exist when we can see them in plain sight. His justifications for the Iraq war have steadily shifted. He claims that the economy is doing well, but the entire faculty of the Harvard Business School recently condemned his fiscal policies as "disastrous".

    We've also failed to meet our goals in foreign policy. The poorly-planned Iraq war has created more problems than it's solved. While the administration was distracted Kim Jong Il kicked out inspectors and created more nuclear weapons. And our long-time allies have been scorned with "Freedom fries" and dismissed as "Old Europe".

    Worst of all, the Republican leadership under Bush has divided our nation. Every day now we are seeing utterly despicable claims from his campaign that voting against Bush will somehow let the terrorists win. Politics and lies have been used to divide this country at a time when we all desperately need to be united.

    I hope the Plain Dealer will recognize its mistake and make up for its tragic error of four years ago by endorsing Senator John Kerry, who is a man with a real and proven history of diplomacy, fighting terror, and working across party lines. Our state and our country truly can't afford four more years of George Bush.

    It's not always wise to stay the course

    by drewthaler on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 01:38:16 PM PDT

    •  my latest letter (none)
      I just heard a rumor that the editorial board of The Plain Dealer voted to endorse Kerry, but was overruled by Alex Machaskee -- and that we'll see a Bush endorsement tomorrow.

      Given what Bush has been doing to our country and our state, I find this UNBELIEVABLE. Is this true?

      If so, I strongly urge you to reconsider... the backlash would be enormous. I'm not a subscriber, but I visit Cleveland.com regularly and purchase the PD at newstands. Something as outrageous as this would cause me to stop both -- the Scene and Akron Beacon-Journal are viable alternatives -- and I'd tell all my friends to do the same. So would my wife, a teacher in Parma.

      Remember that disastrous endorsement of Taft in 2002? Wasn't that one overruled by Machaskee? Even Grover Norquist described Taft as "an idiot, stupid, corrupt, dumb rotten Republican Governor ... who has been busy looting the state, raising taxes, lying to the gun owners.  Ohio is the only state that in the nation that has lost jobs and isn't recovering because he's been beating the economy to death in the state."

      Please don't make the same mistake again. I would strongly support a walk-out or anything else considered by the Plain Dealer's editorial board to prevent this from happening. A Bush endorsement would be a huge disservice to Cleveland and to our state.

      It's not always wise to stay the course

      by drewthaler on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:39:18 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Feel Free to Copy Any/All Parts of My Letter (none)
    To the Editors:

    I just read that your Editors were forced - overruled - by your publisher to write an endorsement for George Bush.  If this is true, the publiser of your newspaper has violated one of the United States most deeply-cherished
    institutions, that of freedom of the press.

    Every journalist knows that a free press is one of the fundamentals of a working democracy.  Is your publisher sending readers a message that we are now ruled by fiat?  

    Sinclair Broadcasting tried a similar move, and look where it got them.

    I believe it was the Weather Underground who used to say "By Any Means Necessary."  Given all the smarmy efforts we've seen by Bush supporters
    as of late, it would appear they have taken that sentiment to heart.

    Sincerely...

    by diamondpen on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 01:45:24 PM PDT

  •  Denver Post will endorse Bush tomorrow. (none)
    I just heard that the Denver Post will edorse Bush tomorrow.  This is something of a surprise, based on their other endorsements.  The POst is usually a moderate paper with lame democrat leanings.  No details yet.

    Fuck em.  We are still going to win and save this country.

    by buffalo soldier on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 01:48:52 PM PDT

  •  We could always e-mail the big networks with the (none)
    tip...It is not liekly that they will investigate it, but it never hurts..

    CNN:

    http://www.cnn.com/feedback/tips/

    MSNBC:
    DShuster@msnbc.com

    KOlbermann@msnbc.com

    I would put Matthews address there, but I think Olbermann and Shuster are the best bets.

    I would add a few more, but I think someone probably still has one fo those exhaustive media contact lists which hopefully they will post! Please, I am lazy and would rather write letters than look this stuff up.

    by tiberius on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 01:51:44 PM PDT

  •  contact info (none)
    It probably doesn't matter if it's true or not -- since the endorsement is tomorrow, we're talking about a matter of hours before it goes to press. It's still worthwhile to contact people.

    http://www.plaindealer.com/contact/contact_exec.php

    Top 3 execs are listed below.


    Alex Machaskee
    President and Publisher
    216.999.4217
    publisher@plaind.com

    Robert M. Long
    Executive Vice President
    216.999.4386
    blong@plaind.com

    Douglas C. Clifton
    Editor
    216.999.4123
    dclifton@plaind.com

    Other editors - remember, some of these are probably the good guys and gals in this situation.

    Flora Rathburn - frathburn@plaind.com
    Chris Jindra - cjindra@plaind.com
    Tom O'Hara - tohara@plaind.com
    Brent Larkin - blarkin@plaind.com

    It's not always wise to stay the course

    by drewthaler on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 01:55:41 PM PDT

    •  Brent Larkin (none)
      Send your stuff to Brent Larkin.  He's not always the best in the field, but the few times I've spoken to him he came across as really wanting to listen.  I wouldn't be surprised if he leaned Bush, but he has always seemed fair and open minded on the phone.

      by Bendygirl on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:25:16 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Energize GOTV (none)
    Using the information about the "owner - publisher" override of the "employees - editors" just shows how much the Bush plan of ownership has taken hold in this part of the country.

    Doesn't Ohio represent the second most in job losses during the Bush term? Isn't Cleveland one of the poorest cities in the US? Didn't Cleveland make enormous strides during the Clinton administration?

    Let's use this disgrace by the Cleveland Plain Dealer publisher to energize the DNC, ACT and all the volunteers to help get all the people of Cleveland and all of Ohio to get to the polls and support John Kerry is will stand up to the owners continue to run rough shod on those of us that provide the "owners" with the ideas, productivity and integrity in putting in a good days work for a good days pay.

    GOTV!!!!

    by pjerge on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 01:55:46 PM PDT

  •  Machaskee no virgin (4.00)
    He's done it before.  In the 2002 race for governor, the Plain Dealer's editorial board endorsed Gov. Taft's Democratic rival, but the one vote, Machaskee's, ruled the day.

    Follow the Google highlighting, as that page won't allow a copy/paste function.

    We need a better president.

    by GOTV on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:04:58 PM PDT

    •  Here's the story: (4.00)
      On another subject: The Plain Dealer has been running its Quiet Crisis series for months now, proclaiming the dire economic problems of northeastern Ohio and the entire state. The paper has also been kicking around Gov. Bob Taft as weak, if not incompetent. So you'd think that if there were a chance to elect someone from northern Ohio the choice would be a no-brainer. Think again. Last week the PD endorsed Cincinnati Republican Taft over his Democratic opponent the local pol Tim Hagan. But wait. Didn't the editorial board that votes on the newspaper's endorsements vote 8-1 FOR Hagan? That's the word trickling out of the newspaper. But Publisher Alex Machaskee's ONE vote has more meaning than all the others do. He nixed Hagan and the PD blessed Taft for re-election. So Brent Larkin, who refused to talk to us about it, had to write the editorial endorsing the candidate he didn't support. The task fell to him since no one else wanted to write what he or she didn't believe, according to reporters.  (Emphasis added.)

      We need a better president.

      by GOTV on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:08:01 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  My letter to all involved (none)
    To All Concerned:

    I am deeply disappointed to learn that your endorsement of John Kerry has been been overruled by the paper's publisher, Alex Machaskee.  What has happened to journalism in America?  How is it possible that, in this day and age--and in light of everything history has taught us about the value of a free press--that such an abuse of authority and the public trust can occur?  

    To those of you who voted to endorse John Kerry, I thank you for doing so.  Indeed, how any sentient individual can believe that four more years of a Bush Administration would be advantageous for this nation is beyond me.  

    To those of you who voted to endorse Mr. Bush, I am hopeful, at least, that you arrived at this decision in good faith and not out of the blind political partisanship and hackery that is, regrettably, de rigueur of late.

    And to you, Mr. Machaskee, all I can say is that I am relieved you were not born in Germany 70 years ago.  At least the damage you inflict in your current role will have no real lasting effect--trust me on that, nor will it nurture the nascent fascist movement you seem to so fervently seek.  

    Sincerely,

    My president is a draft-dodging, AWOL, alcoholic cokehead with a direct line to God. What's yours?

    by lightiris on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:21:11 PM PDT

    •  Great stuff, 'iris (none)
      Here's what I dashed off:

      Dear Mr. Machaskee,

      Normally, of course, should I wish to voice my opinion as to whom the paper should endorse in this year's ever-so-close presidential race, I would express myself to the editorial board.  At many papers, these are the individuals in whom the publisher trusts editorial content and this responsibility.  Here at the Plain Dealer, however, we find once again that the editorial board is nothing but a contrivance when it comes to making the paper's endorsement; the real power lies with you, the publisher.

      It happened in 2002, where you, apparently for partisan political reasons, overruled an 8-1 vote of the Board and endorsed another term for Gov. Taft.  Now we read that you will likely do the same tomorrow with respect to the 5-2 decision of the Board to endorse Sen. Kerry.

      How can the PD ever be trusted with setting out the issues of the day when it's decisions are given to wholesale veto by the publisher?  How can we ever believe that your partisanship doesn't bleed into the news division, as well?  The answer is, of course, that we can't.

      Thanks, you've provided us just another disappointment and reason to distrust our institutions in these most fractious times.

      Yours,

      We need a better president.

      by GOTV on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:43:51 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Ugh (none)
      I wish you'd left out the Nazi and fascist references.

      by bolgia7 on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 06:25:53 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  ALL SUBSCRIBERS SHOULD CANCEL (none)
    I am a Plain Dealer subscriber.  Frankly, I get the paper mostly for the coupons, as it's a journalistic joke.  

    If the endorsement comes out for Bush, I will be canceling my sub tomorrow, whether this story is true or not.  In 2000 the paper endorsed GWB, claiming he would bring "straight talking" "ethical consistency" to the WH.  It claimed he had an "understanding of the nation's role in the world." It claimed he knew how to work with the opposing party.  Here's a link:
    linked text

    If the PD can endorse Bush again after he proved that all of the reasons for its 2000 endorsement were absolutely false, the paper has no integrity whatsoever.  And it doesn't deserve my readership.

    by Pintlala on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:29:21 PM PDT

    •  I disagree... (none)
      If the editoral board really walked out, we should support them by calling local and national media and getting it on the news. It can be part of our fight to end media consolidation.

      by tiberius on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:33:23 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  I see your point but (none)
        the PD is such a bad paper overall that I guess I find it hard to muster any enthusiasm for the idea of supporting the editorial board.  They've produced such a crappy paper for so long now, the idea of rallying behind them is kind of hard to stomach.  Still, I agree that if they did walk out, this could get some national attention and work in our favor.  So I will wait and see how it all plays out before deciding whether to cancel or not.

        by Pintlala on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 04:34:33 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  BTW, I emailed this to the local weekly paper (none)
        I emailed links to this thread and to the Rittenhouse blog cited above to a reporter for the Cleveland Scene, our local weekly paper.  Hopefully they will get to the bottom of this and write about it in the edition which will come out on 10/28.

        by Pintlala on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 05:39:17 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  Should be on Kos' front page (none)
    THIS SHOULD BE ON KOS' FRONT PAGE.

    I wrote to Plain Dealer and linked the story to my blog.

    Good work, Jim.

    by Iddybud on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:49:57 PM PDT

  •  hang on... (none)
    sounds to me like everybody's reacting without enough solid info.

    This is rumor. True, the publisher's got a rep. True, there have been grumblings and mumblings.  But one blog, with one un-named source, is not enough. Unless we get some solid facts, solid sources, we'd be wise not to start firing off letters in every direction.  It's a bit much, you know?

    by Tulip on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:50:33 PM PDT

  •  Cleveland's newspapers need to publish... (none)
    two endorsements: the editorial board's and the publisher's.

    Cleveland's newspaper readers also need to know the background of their newspaper's publisher...like was the publisher, like Bush, a draft dodger during the Vietnam War.

    by voreason on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:50:48 PM PDT

  •  Devil's Advocate (none)
    It's not unusual for a newspaper's publisher to endorse a candidate.

    If the publisher did in fact overrule the editorial board, then any published Bush endorsement should come from the publisher himself and not the board. He should use first-person language -- "I endorse George W. Bush because ..." -- and make it clear the editorial board disagreed with his assessment.

    by jeepdad on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 02:58:34 PM PDT

    •  Heh (none)
      It is unusual when you hold out an Editorial Board as the basis of the paper's editorials.

      It's time to reject a President that says to the American people 'Ignore my record, forget my failures and fear the future.' - Kerry Campaign

      by Armando on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 05:35:18 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Another letter sent to the PD (none)
    To join the 'on the record' crowd. Here is a letter i just sent to the PD.

    I most sincerely respect the fact that the Plain Dealer may choose to endorse whichever candidate they wish for the upcoming presidential election. This is the United States of America, and if someone cannot express themselves without fear of retribution here, then our efforts overseas to spread freedom would be the pinnacle of hypocrisy. That being said, if the Plain Dealer chooses to endorse George Bush, I will have no choice but to conclude that this paper makes its choices based on political loyalties, and not what is best for the people it serves. Remember that, much like a politician, the Plain Dealer has a responsibility to serve its community. Ronald Regan said it best, "Are you better off today than you were four years ago". I cannot imagine anyone, save the oil or defense industry sectors, that is doing better now than they were four years ago. While President Bush is certainly not personably responsible for some of the woes that have befallen our country, the buck most certainly stop at his desk for the vast majority of our current ills. George Bush has failed the World, failed the United States, failed Ohio, and most certainly failed Cleveland. If the Plain Dealer endorses George Bush despite this record of failure, I will have no choice but to stop giving my hard earned money to the Plain Dealer until the Plain Dealer stops failing its readers.

    by Vomitose on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 03:11:26 PM PDT

  •  Parallel situation (none)
    At the media company that I work for, all the newspapers in the company were ordered to endorse Bush. Now, the paper I work for would've done it anyway, but I found it kind of upsetting that we, along with around 50 (?) other papers across the Upper Midwest were forced to endorse Bush. These are all very small papers, for the record, but it still represents an unfortunate side effect of media conglomeration. Of course most publishers and CEO's are going to be Republicans, so they can force their newspapers and other media outlets to endorse Republican candidates.

    by mintzy99 on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 03:43:24 PM PDT

    •  May be just a test (none)
      Rumors like this get out sometimes for newspapers to test what the reaction is.  They may just want to side with whatever the people want.  Their decision will probably be decided on what sort of response people give to the rumor via letters to the editor.  

      The publisher just wants to sell more papers. If enough people threaten to drop subscriptions, that might override any Republican influence.

      by ortsed on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 04:10:57 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Just sent my letter (none)
    To the Editor:

    I was recently informed that your editorial board voted to endorse Senator Kerry by a 5-2 margin. However,  it was also said that your publisher overruled you. Given that the Lorain Journal was ordered "endorse Bush or endorse no one" and chose to endorse no one, I am shocked and horrified at the thought that this could happen with two newspapers so close in proximity to one another.  It's particularly bothersome since other newspapers endorsing Senator Kerry have admitted within the endorsement that they were strongly urged by owners and others in power that they 'had to' endorse George Bush.  We in the Greater Cleveland community rely on the Plain Dealer and other local papers to write what they believe within their editorial pages.   We trust that you, as citizens of Ohio, have at heart the best interests of the community, not the corporate bottom line.  Please do not betray that trust. Whomever you endorse, do it on the merits of the candidate and not the demands of a publisher.  And remember, "all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    Sincerely,

    by MissAnneThrope on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 06:41:46 PM PDT

  •  Another Letter (none)
    Dear Plains Dealer,

    I sincerely hope that your decision to suppress the vote of the majority of your editorial board by a Republican minority is not an indicator of what will happen on Nov. 2.

    I will be cancelling my subscription.

    by skogin on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 07:37:44 PM PDT

  •  Don't be shocked if NY Daily News does the same (none)
    The reporters and especially the columnist like Juan Gonzalez have been pretty hard on Bush but the editorial page looks like cheap knock off of the NY Post.

    by spanner on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 08:42:31 PM PDT

  •  Another letter to the CPD (none)
    I've been asked to post this by someone else who has just now registered on DKos (and can't post until the waiting period is over):

    PD Management:

    I have been following with great dismay the story evolving today and building from various reputable sources around the web.  If it turns out that the PD Editorial Board is going to be ignored and that the publisher Mr. Machaskee is going to mandate a Bush endorsement, then I will promptly cancel my 7 day a week home delivery subscription and urge all of my friends, colleagues and professional contacts to do the same.

    The Editorial Board got it right.  Mr. Machaskee is just dead wrong, and further compounds his error by ignoring the  very people whose voice and tone guide and define the PD's editorial viewpoint over the long haul.  To endorse Bush now would be to ignore the facts, the voice of the people of Northeast Ohio, and will just plain confound your readership even further.

    This endorsement, if indeed it is forthcoming, and is being staged only due to Mr. Machaskee's insistence, will be the death blow for an already failing local daily newspaper.  I prefer to get my news from sources that the PD often chooses to reprint two and even three days after their original publication in other newspapers.  I have been considering cancelling my subscription for some time now since I get my news first and foremost from the web and from original news sources including traditional newspapers that publish and have a well established presence on the web, with readership around the globe.  But I like to have a local paper in my hands and have not had the guts to pull the plug on the hardcopy newsprint source of local information.  Old habits are hard to break.

    This latest development in the Editorial and Corner offices at the Cleveland PD will finally lead me to cancel my subscription once and for all ... and the choice will be immediate and final.

    Respectfully,

    A disappointed longtime PD reader and subscriber.

    "No President has ever done more for human rights than I have." --George W. Bush (quoted in The New Yorker, January 19, 2004)

    by Jim in Chicago on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 09:14:47 PM PDT

  •  CPD postpones its endorsement!!! (none)
    A new Kossack just emailed me with this new info. She can't post yet, so she asked me to pass this along:

    Daily Endorsement Tally: Kerry Poised for Big Day on Sunday, Gets Nod from 'Wash Post,' the 'Chicago Sun-Times," and More

    . . . Meanwhile, E&P has learned from several sources at the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the paper's nine-person editorial board decided earlier this week that it wanted to endorse Kerry but Publisher Alex Machaskee, who has final say, has decided on Bush. The paper backed Bush in 2000.

    This has caused consternation in some quarters at the Plain Dealer, with sources telling E&P that the endorsement editorial, which was expected to run Sunday, was put off.

    http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000683265
     

    "No President has ever done more for human rights than I have." --George W. Bush (quoted in The New Yorker, January 19, 2004)

    by Jim in Chicago on Sat Oct 23, 2004 at 09:18:57 PM PDT

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