Thank you all who used the information in Media Accountability Made Easy: Contact the newspapers that called for Clinton resignation to write the newspapers editors that called for Clinton to resign in 1998. And a particular shout out to YallaDog for following up with USA Today's Weak Tea Response. His work inspired me to see if we can mobilize with momentum. I’m hoping we can use the kos group Community Access Media to hold the media to account in a coordinated fashion.
And yes, we have our first response from Bill Sternberg, Editorial Page Editor at USA Today. His staff bio indicates “Sternberg planned and executed coverage of the Clinton impeachment scandal”. Nothing from the Hartford Courant, Philadelphia Inquirer or Atlanta Journal Constitution at this point.
Thank you for your email regarding Donald Trump and the 1998 editorial board’s call for Bill Clinton’s resignation. We want to respond to your concern and the similar comments we received from many other writers in response to a blog post.
Please be assured that the editorial board, which operates by consensus, considers these matters sensitively, thoughtfully and on a case-by-case basis. The current board has been highly critical of President Trump and has made no secret of its belief that he is unfit for office.
Our guidepost is what’s best for the United States, based on real-world considerations. Our current consensus (subject to change based on new developments) is that, even as congressional investigations continue, it is preferable for voters to determine Trump’s fate next November in lieu of fruitless efforts by Democrats or pundits to push him from office.
Best regards,
Bill Sternberg
Editorial Page Editor
Office: 703.854.4581
Twitter: @bsternbe
Here’s my effort:
Dear Mr. Sternberg, Thank you for your immediate attention to our request for consistency. I was thrilled to hear the blog post had impact but I must admit to confusion in following your logic. The editorial board declares Donald J Trump unfit for the Presidency in September of 2016 (and thank you for that), the man proves your assessment correct, and now you ‘re ¯\_(ツ)_/¯? Huh?
I am certain that you did not intend to sound opaque and condescending when you explained “Please be assured that the editorial board, which operates by consensus, considers these matters sensitively, thoughtfully and on a case-by-case basis.” Our request is fairly straightforward: call for Donald J. Trump to resign, or explain how this situation is less grave than that of Bill Clinton in 1998. The verbiage quoted above does note that you have a process but in no way indicates the Editorial Board’s logic in this present dire case.
The one hint of the Board’s logic offered boils down to “well there’s an election coming up so we don’t have to do anything.” This logic is strangely reminiscent of Mitch McConnell’s refusal to hear Merrick Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court. We can not afford to stay in suspended animation for the next 14 months. Actors must act.
I do not understand how you can deem Congressional and Press efforts as “fruitless.” If you are privy to the script that foretells how this whole sordid story ends, please share it with the American people.
Please take our consistency request to the full Board to craft a coherent editorial position. I fear you may have succumbed to the misconception that newspapers carry diminished relevance in 2019, but we need The Fourth Estate to exercise its influence now more than ever.
With Respect,
If you would like to contact Bill Sternberg (yes that launches his email address) please include the request to bring the matter to the full Board for an editorial position. Also if you have verified other newspapers that called for Clinton’s resignation, but crickets on Trump, please write it up as a diary with the editor’s contact info. We can promote it through Community Access Media and we can amplify our voices.