Um, folks, isn't it 2008? Or is it 1908? (Actually, such edicts never would have flown in 1908, and won't anywhere by 2018.)
So, Dallas Morning News reporters get 3/4 of a vote in the primaries. That's progress, I suppose.
But at least we'll stop short of abridging the democratic rights of the missus -- while insinuating that we might have the latitude to do so:
"It's OK for spouses to attend caucuses, but not for newsroom employees. The caucus just might be seen as a step into activism, and we don’t want to create false impressions that way."
Here's the whole memo.
Thank goddess that the DMN's sports, music and dining coverage will not be marred with partisanship. I would hate to think that Bill Addison's coverage of The Mansion was tainted.
Someone, please tell me this is a joke.
Comments
Mike Orren Staff
One other thought. How does one reconcile this with the equally antiquated and silly notion of endorsements?
4 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Chad Jones Staff
Maybe the inhuman entity of the "DMN BOARD" can choose candidates of its liking (Huckabee / Obama), thus absolving the individual members of political bias much in the way they're absolved from lawsuits.
I guess we can be proud they're not outing their employees...
4 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Rawlins Gilliland Verified
JOURNALISTS: Only political eunuchs need apply. What do editorial bosses shout at the guillotine? "Off with your balls!"
4 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
pnewsgal Anonymous
One could attend incognito...on second thought, a room full of people wearing glasses with fake noses and mustaches would be too obvious...
4 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Kay Anonymous
How can they send such a memo with a straight face? It might even be knee-slapping-funny, it if were not so serious an issue.
In light of the following information, I agree with Mike's question and pose another to question the memo writer's 'seriousness' in an attempt to show how unbiased the media is:
(2/10/2008) As we stumble toward another presidential election, it's never been more clear that our political process is being warped by a corporate stranglehold on the free flow of information... Today's mass media is Corporate, not Mainstream, and the distinction is critical.
The mainstream of American opinion strongly questions whether our elections are being manipulated and stolen. The CM treats with contempt those who dare report on the issue.
The Corporate Media takes partisan stands... Never in our history has the control of the nation's sources of information been more centralized, or more at odds with what the country as a whole believes.
The "news" pushed by the major radio/TV networks and newspapers slants unerringly toward the interests of the five major corporations that own the bulk of them...The word "mainstream" has nothing to do with the massively monopolized machine that has a chokehold on our democracy. It's the "Corporate Media," and there's nothing mainstream about it. (~ Harvey Wasserman)
4 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Mike Orren Staff
An anonymous but reliable tipster tells me that the DMN has rescinded this memo in the wake of outcry from the staff. Apparently a new memo has circulated saying that they may participate in the caucuses.
Anyone want to send us the new memo? It's going to wind up on Romanesko anyway...
4 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
kirk Anonymous
Want to bet it had more to do with their lawyers telling them it was of questionable legality, than any outcry from the staff?
4 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Mike Orren Staff
Good point, Kirk. When I spoke about this with some lawyers this weekend, they pointed out that anyone who got canned for this would have a layup of a lawsuit.
One (clearly evil genius) suggested that if she was an edit staffer who was doing poorly performance-wise, she would very publicly and flagrantly attend a caucus so as to become virtually un-fireable.
4 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Lisa Lawrence Merritt Verified
Here's a memo for the DMN:
Doesn't it stand to reason that if we are to have Freedom of the Press that we must set the Press free?
It was a great concept back in 1789. I didn't know anything had really changed.
4 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Rawlins Gilliland Verified
The allegedly possible newest DMN Memo:
*" Whereas our concerns for your independent rights as American voters remains as huge as the Iraq surge initiated by our President in an unprecedented act of political heroism and ballsy bravado unequalled in recent historical memory, it was our intention to curtail said 'rights' ONLY based on the premise that; by your working for us in any Belo capacity, it would only stand to reason that you would wish and/or expect to be seen as a neutered citizen in the pundit trenches.”
4 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
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