Thread: Stand back after publishing anything about illegal immigr

Submitted by tdonnelly on September 15, 2008 - 2:44pm.
The public editor at the Raleigh News and Observer (one of our sister papers) points out in his column this week that apparently reaction to stories about illegal immigrants is just about the same at his paper as it is here. It's a long-running joke among reporters in our newsroom that anytime you write a story about immigration or even just Hispanic issues, you had better clear out your inbox and brace yourself for the flood of angry phone calls. Sometimes the comments come from people on both sides of the debate, but every now and then we'll get a comment that calls reporters biased because we didn't do everything in our power to arrest a suspected illegal immigrant on the spot ourselves. This is, as I'm sure you know, not our job, though I do hear law enforcement gets paid better than us.

Read the column here.

Here's a particularly telling excerpt:

I agree that public airing is best, but unfortunately it also brings out the worst in humanity. Readers' online comments about the story on The N&O's Web site were so venomous that the paper shut down the comment function and erased some 60 reader comments. Online managing editor Eric Frederick said the paper doesn't want to stifle debate -- it's only the second time comments have been dismantled -- but in this case didn't have a choice. Some comments were racist, abusive, obscene and getting worse.

er.. not that that sort of thing ever happens on our comments section, of course.

http://www2.islandpacket.com/blogs/post/33923

Americans are paying the bills of bailouts, illegals and helping other countries.

Our turn is NOW!

Originally Posted by usatime

Submitted by tdonnelly on September 15, 2008 - 2:44pm.
The public editor at the Raleigh News and Observer (one of our sister papers) points out in his column this week that apparently reaction to stories about illegal immigrants is just about the same at his paper as it is here. It's a long-running joke among reporters in our newsroom that anytime you write a story about immigration or even just Hispanic issues, you had better clear out your inbox and brace yourself for the flood of angry phone calls. Sometimes the comments come from people on both sides of the debate, but every now and then we'll get a comment that calls reporters biased because we didn't do everything in our power to arrest a suspected illegal immigrant on the spot ourselves. This is, as I'm sure you know, not our job, though I do hear law enforcement gets paid better than us.

Read the column here.

Here's a particularly telling excerpt:

I agree that public airing is best, but unfortunately it also brings out the worst in humanity. Readers' online comments about the story on The N&O's Web site were so venomous that the paper shut down the comment function and erased some 60 reader comments. Online managing editor Eric Frederick said the paper doesn't want to stifle debate -- it's only the second time comments have been dismantled -- but in this case didn't have a choice. Some comments were racist, abusive, obscene and getting worse.

er.. not that that sort of thing ever happens on our comments section, of course.

http://www2.islandpacket.com/blogs/post/33923

I dont think any of the comments I read were so horrible. Americans are pissed and rightly so. If Mr Frederick had to shut down the comment section because of 60 reader comments on 1 article, it must have been an article concerning crimes committed against innocent Americans by illegal immigrants.

Is it possible he didn't think some of our ilk would actually post some truths? Maybe too many truths?

I've decided that I cannot post a "Viewpoint" cause our Las Vegas Sun paper REQUIRES that you submit it with a full name, address and city and state....I live alone...one story house....and my name is in the phone book....unusual first name and only last name like it in the phone book.... I submitted several viewpoints using my correct address and phone number and correct firt name but with my last name as my maiden name....was never published and finally found out why....the newspaper cross referenced my name with the phone book and my maiden name was not listed...so they would not publish my viewpoints.....I actually told the newspaper guy I was talking to that if you publish my viewpoint using my real name, then you will probably publish an article about an elderly lady who got killed by an illegal that broke in and killed her...he didn't think that was funny.....so ....I cannot risk being published

They closed it down because the comments didn't fall in line with there viewpoint. Period. Shut down discourse if it doesn't agree with US. It's called the Fairness Doctrine in print.
LOL