THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 18, 1996 TAG: 9602170001
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: LYNN FEIGENBAUM
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines
It was just a small headline on an inside page, and only one reader called to complain. But with the election season heating up, I can see this problem coming up again . . . and again.
The headline, ``Allen endorses Dole, praises senator for right-wing leadership,'' was on a seven-paragraph story Thursday from our Richmond bureau.
``I read the article, and there were conservative values mentioned,'' said Sharon Patterson of Chesapeake. But, she added, Gov. George Allen never mentioned the word ``right-wing.'' Nor did the story.
``That headline should have read `conservative leadership' or something more favorable and less of a negative buzzword,'' said Patterson.
The reporter, Warren Fiske, agrees. Fiske, who did not write the headline (most reporters don't), said he avoids the term ``right wing'' because it smacks of militancy and stridency.
The term ``conservative'' is different, he feels, because it implies being in the mainstream, as in ``economic conservatism.''
Both reader and reporter have a point. There may be times where the term ``right wing'' applies, but in that context, it did not. We fell into an old pattern of labeling that creates a perception of bias by the media.
The topic of political labels came up at the May 1995 conference of newspaper ombudsmen, which was held in Fort Worth, Texas.
One speaker was Dick Weinhold, chairman of the Texas Christian Coalition. If Weinhold's name is familiar, it's because he was Pat Robertson's finance director during Robertson's Virginia Beach-based run for the presidency in 1988.
Weinhold and Thomas W. Pauken, chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, talked about the long list of unwelcome labels that have dogged conservatives, everything from ``isolationist fanatic'' to ``the vote-for-God candidate.''
Pauken said he earned the latter epithet from TV commentator Cokie Roberts. Weinhold one-upped him with ``Shiite Baptists,'' a term he credited to columnist Molly Ivins.
``There is a great deal of frustration among conservatives. . . . We do not feel our side gets a fair shake,'' said Pauken, echoing a sentiment that every public editor has heard numerous times.
If there have to be labels, Weinhold told us, he prefers the term ``religious conservative'' or, better yet, ``social conservative.'' On the taboo list, along with ``right wing,'' were ``religious right'' and ``radical religious right.''
How often does The Virginian-Pilot use these epithets? Peggy Earle, a researcher in the newspaper library, did a computer scan of the terms and found the following usages since Jan. 1, 1995:
``Right wing'' was in 58 stories; ``left wing,'' 14 stories.
``Religious right,'' 53 stories; ``religious left,'' 0.
``Radical right'' and ``radical left,'' 6 stories each.
``Political right,'' 6 stories; ``political left,'' 5.
``Christian conservative,'' or ``conservative Christian,'' 16 stories; ``Christian liberal,'' or ``liberal Christian,'' 2 stories.
(A quick footnote: The list of ``right wing'' and ``left wing'' references does not include the many hockey reports using those terms. Nor does it include the story about a bald eagle that got a gunshot pellet in its right wing or an entertainment story that mentions the rock band Left Wing Fascists!)
The numbers do point to a lot of ``right-wing'' name-calling in the newspaper - the ``right'' labels outnumber the ``lefts'' by more than 6 to 1. This was consistent with several other newspapers that made a similar tally.
At the same time, the formula isn't quite that simple. Some groups use those labels to describe themselves.
And then there's the ``L-word.'' I don't have a count for the number of times ``liberal'' is used, pejoratively and otherwise, in our political coverage. A computer search would turn up too many recipes (``a liberal dose of hot pepper'') and education stories (``a degree in liberal arts'').
But labels are labels, and I have a particular dislike for them. They pigeonhole, they oversimplify and, often, they are an insult. That goes for right, left or ``middle of the road.''
What's the solution? To stop falling into the trap of using any labels, even if the recipient gives the term his or her blessing. Easy for me to say - I'm not a reporter who has to come up with a quick characterization. But what a challenge, for reporters and politicians alike.
A REAL LEMON. Perceptions of bias can come from visuals, too. Several readers took us to task for running a small but grimly unflattering photo of President Clinton with the Feb. 6 front-page story, ``Clinton subpoenaed for Whitewater trial.''
Said one caller: ``Everyone knows that The Virginian-Pilot is Republican.''
Another, Judith Robinson of Norfolk, wondered if the photo was actually a reflection of Clinton's learning that he would be subpoenaed, or if we just pick ``smiley and frowny faces'' from our photo files.
File photos are frequently used for those very small mug shots, and so it was in this case. Buddy Moore, who laid out the front page that day, explains that it's easier on deadline to call up an existing photo, which already has been adjusted for color and clarity, than to start from scratch. Since this was a serious story, he asked for - and got - a ``nonsmiling face.'' It escaped his notice that Clinton looked as if he had swallowed a lemon. by CNB