by Archana Subramaniam by CNB
Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: SUNDAY, February 7, 1993 TAG: 9302070183 SECTION: NATL/INTL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: The Washington Post DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short
POST ERROR DRAWS HOT RESPONSE
In a front-page piece Monday, The Washington Post described the ability of evangelical groups to flood telephone switchboards instantly with complaints. Now the paper has found itself on the receiving end of just such a protest.The Washington Post has been deluged with calls since that article, which described followers of television evangelists as "largely poor, uneducated and easy to command." The paper ran a correction the following day, saying there was "no factual basis" for the statement.
Some of the more than 500 evangelical Christians who have called the paper were responding to the Rev. Pat Robertson, who read from the article on his "700 Club" show, flashed The Post's address and suggested that viewers write protest letters. Others called of their own accord. Still others suggested a boycott of The Post in calls to a Christian radio program here.
"They are very angry," said Joann Byrd, the paper's ombudsman. "People feel insulted. A lot of people have said, `I am not poor, here's how much money I make. I am not uneducated, here are the graduate degrees I hold. And I do my own thinking.' "