Columbus(Ohio)Dispatch Expected to Make Endorsement

[meisje]

The Columbus Dispatch is expected to make its presidential endorsement in Sunday's paper.

An article in Time Magazine says it's the most important newspaper endorsement in the country. For the paper that means the advantage of access.

The Dispatch has endorsed a Republican for president since 1916. Woodrow Wilson was the last Democrat to be endorsed by the paper.

Dispatch President and Associate Publisher, Michael Curtin, says all the attention towards the newspaper comes because of Central Ohio's role in the campaign.

Curtain says he has never seen the interest from the electorate in his 31 years at the Dispatch like he has seen it this year. He attributes that in part to a rough economy and a nation at war. He also says history is playing a part.

[theHandpuppet]

1. Does anyone know...

... who the Dispatch endorsed in 2000? The CD always struck me as Repub Central, so an endorsement for Kerry would surely be the most important in this election! (It might also serve as a deserved embarrassment for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.)

[PermanentRevolution]

2. I'm guessing the Chimp

It says they haven't endorsed a Dem since Woodrow Wilson.

[buff2]

5. It's the idiot in thief!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They've endorsed the chimp. Wow......I am SHOCKED! NOT!!!!!!!!! :puke:

[jefferson_dem]

7. Is it done? In print?

[buff2]

11. It was just announced on channel 10 news

in Columbus,Ohio. DAMN IT.........what is WRONG with these people? Why do they think this doofus is so great? He's about the dumbest damn male on the planet. I hate that bastard..and I mean I HATE THAT BASTARD WITH A VENGENCE!!!! :argh: :grr:

[tedoll78]

3. Not to be confused with the Cleveland Plains-Dealer.

(I made that mistake just now..)

I'm a bit wary.

"He attributes that in part to a rough economy and a nation at war."

Anytime I hear the mention that we're "at war," I suspect that someone's about to try to feed me some bullshit about why the Chimp is the better man..

[jefferson_dem]

4. Interesting. Hmmm ... the suspense. Here's a good link about the ordeal.

NEW YORK The outcome of the presidential election may not depend on George W. Bush or John Kerry -- or even on an October surprise. It may come down to John F. Wolfe.

Wolfe, the publisher of The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, will ultimately decide who that paper backs for president, an endorsement that continues to gain attention nationwide.

And as the race for Ohio's 20 electoral votes tightens -- with a number of polls this week declaring a statistical dead heat -- support from the tradionally conservative but now wavering Dispatch could mean the difference in what many consider to be the race's closest swing state.

"Our endorsement is up for grabs," Editor Ben Marrison, the paper's editor since 1999 and a member of the editorial board, told E&P Wednesday. "It has become a jump-ball."

<SNIP>

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000681331

[faithnotgreed]

6. it must be kerry: the editor said it comes down to a "jump ball"

hehee.. kerry is the real (sports)man here

[Bossy Monkey]

8. Here's the AP's current story on latest endorsements

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NEWSPAPER_ENDORSEMENTS?SITE=SCCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
They'll update it at least through 2 in the morning, then all day tomorrow.
We got Des Moines & Iowa City, also the Sun-Times & Newsday; forces of evil got Denver Post, Cincy Post, & the Austin & Houston papers (the latter now what I would call a big shocker).

[Bossy Monkey]

16. WaPo comes through; Detroit News refuses to endorse

Not that there was a lot of suspense on that one either, but I'll still take it. At AP link in my post above.

Edit: Apparently the News is a hardcore Republican paper refusing to endorse Bush. Wheee!

[sonicx]

9. if they endorse Kerry, the media will say...

"these endorsements don't really change people's minds"

[Nadeaufan17]

10. Dispatch

The Dispatch is a traditonaly Republican paper, so that the endorsement is up in the air says a lot in it of itself. Many of their editorials the past year or so have not been too kind to Bush. I have also heard rumor that they may not endorse anybody, but a Kerry endorsement is not unlikely.

[TrueAmerican]

12. JUST OUT, They are endorsing Bush

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/election/election-local.php?story=dispatch/2004/10/23/20041023-dis-endorse.html

What did ya expect from a repuke paper?

[MattP]

13. The Dispatch

Yeah but if you read it, it's very lukewarm and even says that Bush should raise taxes in his second term to balance the budget. They shouldn't have endorsed anybody cause they don't like Kerry or Bush.
But the way CNN will cover it now endorsments mean everything!!!

[newyawker99]

20. Hi MattP!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[MattP]

14. The Dispatch

Yeah but if you read it, it's very lukewarm and even says that Bush should raise taxes in his second term to balance the budget. They shouldn't have endorsed anybody cause they don't like Kerry or Bush.
But the way CNN will cover it now endorsments mean everything!!!

[buff2]

15. It just shows the repuke ignorance

They have no damn concience,no shame. Because that freak has an R behind his name,it doesn't matter what he does....to this country or it's people. It makes me sick the way people have turned out in the last couple of decades. Nothing they do, or support makes any sense. Geesus,if that bastard gets back in AGAIN,there will be no holding me back.I will be in the streets protesting 7 days a week.

[kostya]

17. What evidence is there that newspaper endorsements make

any difference? How did papers break for Gore and Bush in 2000?

[tedoll78]

18. Count the # of times the word "JOBS" appears in this endorsement.

Did they conveniently ignore this issue? Why, I believe they did! Amazing!

/sarcasm off

[shelley806]

19. Please see earlier post about Cleveland's Plain Dealer

The Cleveland Publisher of the Plain Dealer overruled the 7 member editorial board who had voted 5 to 2 to endorse John Kerry. Apparently this is a paper that serves likely Kerry supporters, and it may be important for undecided Ohio voters. The author of this DU post urged everyone to write a LTTE, and there are several good examples on the link. I included mine as an example below, if you don't want to read the original link, but please write a simple e-mail in support of Kerry and condemning the overrule.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1149800
Original DU post
"It is critical for us to start a MAJOR letter writing campaign to the Plain Dealer and to spread the word about the publisher overruling the editorial board's vote. If this is going on here, you can imagine it's being duplicated all over the country."

[e-mail] Link to LTTE
My LTTE
Subject: The Undemocratic Endorsement by the Publishers Overruling the Editorial Board

Editors:

My father was born and raised in the suburbs of Cleveland Ohio, and although he has been a Texan for most of his adult life, it has been in locale only, as Ohio remains dear to his heart. It distressed me therefore, to read of the undemocratic endorsement of your newspaper The Plain Dealer, whose publisher Alex Machaskee, overruled the editorial board's decision to endorse Senator John Kerry.

The Plain Dealer columnists have been critical of President George Bush and his policies, particularly on the unnecessary preemptive war. Given the past anti-Bush criticism of The Plain Dealer, and the closeness of the upcoming election, which may well be determined by Ohio, I take your decision to side with the publisher as an act of cowardice, which dishonors those servicemen and women who have sacrificed their lives in an unjust war, and who continue to face daily peril.

Journalists who pay only lip service to a free press should get out of the profession, or be willing to face the consequences of their decision to aid in the destruction of the freedom of speech.


[e-mail]

[spooky3]

21. Time would have been right if CD endorsed Kerry whole-heartedly. But

it is hardly even newsworthy when a Rethug paper (that hasn't endorsed a Dem for nearly 90 years) makes the same mistake again. The people who read the Dogpatch know where the biases lie and whether they share them or don't. So this will have little impact.