Oct. 31, 2001 William Kristol Editor The Weekly Standard Washington, D.C. Via e-mail and fax Dear Mr. Kristol: In his Daily Standard column “Accuracy in Media,” Stephen Hayes not only misses the point of our guidelines to avoid racial and religious stereotyping, but he twists them beyond recognition. The sweeping inaccuracies in the piece begin with his assertion that the Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon, invites readers to revise copy before publication and that the Society of Professional Journalists endorses such a practice. Nothing could be further from the truth. To do so would violate our commitment to independence in reporting and our active defense of free speech and the First Amendment. We do, however, urge the media to portray the entirety of the U.S. populace fairly and accurately. It is vital to democracy and to the health of every community across the nation that we do so, now more than ever. When we fail to reflect America in its wholeness and complexity, we not only fail to report truthfully, but we also contribute to stereotypes that have in recent weeks led to violence and murder. Need we point out just a sampling? Unfortunately, many Americans seem unable to distinguish between terrorists and ordinary Muslims, Sikhs, Arab-Americans or any brown-skinned people. A Pakistani Muslim storeowner was killed in Dallas, a Sikh storeowner was killed in Arizona and a Pakistani family’s house was burned down in Sacramento. A Sikh boarding a Southwest Airlines flight in New Mexico was forced to take off his head covering so that security agents could search his turban and hair in full view of other passengers. Some of the objections we’ve received to the guidelines are vivid illustrations of our need for them. There are seven million Muslims in America of all races and ethnicities, and sad to say, many Americans lack even a basic understanding of their religion and culture. They need that understanding, and journalists have an important role in providing it. Why do we recommend that reporters and photographers seek out people from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds for all types of coverage, war-related or not? Why do we recommend that journalists look for a variety of perspectives when seeking expert analysis? Because it is essential to our mission of seeking truth. Many media outlets with no ideological agenda follow these practices already, because they know that their audiences are diverse and want to see coverage that reflects the reality. We are a diverse nation of people with a range of skin tones and religions including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and many others. The effects of the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, the related plane crash and the anthrax mailings have not been limited to people of one religion, color or skin tone. Unfortunately, some news coverage has failed to appreciate that, by repeating such terms as “Islamic terrorist.” The Religion Newswriters Association points out that this phrase seems to “associate an entire religion with the actions of a few.” News organizations across the country acknowledge that journalists need to do a better job keeping up with the changing demographics of the United States. The SPJ recommendations include community reviews, which are one generally accepted way to accomplish this goal. The meaning of “review” is to go over previous coverage and reexamine it critically. This is quite different from editing prior to publication. If your writer had checked with Richard Luna, managing editor of the Statesman Journal, he would have learned that the Salem, Ore., newspaper does not invite area Muslims to “edit” the newspaper for “offensive content,” nor anything remotely similar. The paper did consider inviting community members in to offer feedback post-publication, although it never actually did so. Newspapers and television stations in cities both large and small regularly invite community members to give feedback in order to help journalists do a better job covering the news. “They’re readers. Reader input is always critical to keeping those lines of communication open,” Luna told us. “Our mission is to reflect the community in its wholeness and complexity every day.” In these difficult times, journalists best serve the public by redoubling their efforts to report the news fairly and honestly. This includes attention to accuracy in terminology, selection of sources and every other aspect of coverage. This is what our guidelines seek to address and what Mr. Hayes so cavalierly distorts. In a letter to your publisher yesterday, our president, Al Cross, asked that these errors be corrected. Mr. Cross and I look forward to discussing this matter with you, Mr. Eastland or Mr. Hayes. Sincerely, Sally Lehrman Chair, Diversity Committee Society of Professional Journalists
