No fury like Findlay scorned

Published Jul 01 2008, 03:00 PM by Adam Reilly

Yesterday in this space, I praised the Washington Post's story on misinformation circulating about Barack Obama in Findlay, Ohio. But the Findlay Courier didn't like the story one bit. Here, via Romenesko, is the heart of the paper's editorial on the subject:

[Reporter Eli] Saslow crafted a picture of credulous, rumor-swallowing bigots, even though several of his interviewees said they just weren't sure what to believe.
In what's perhaps the most offensive sentence in this entirely offensive story, Saslow wrote: "When people on College Street started hearing rumors about Obama — who looked different from other politicians and often talked about change — they easily believed the nasty stories about an outsider."
But nobody he quoted said anything about Obama's race or appearance. Nobody mentioned his calls for change. And Don LeMaster's comment a couple paragraphs later is a strong indication that he doesn't "easily believe" whatever he hears. He said, "(Obama's) a good speaker, but you've got to dig deeper than that for the truth. Politicians tell you anything. You have to look beyond the surface, and then there are some real lies."
To us, that's a fairly rational viewpoint, but not to the Post.

So: are the good people of Findlay just a bunch of healthily skeptical "heartland" voters who've been wronged by the elite liberal media?

Not quite. Here, for example, is the sentence after the sentence pegged by the Findlay Courier as "most offensive":

"I think Obama would be a disaster, and there's a lot of reasons," said [Leroy] Pollard, explaining the rumors he had heard about the candidate from friends he goes camping with. "I understand he's from Africa, and that the first thing he's going to do if he gets into office is bring his family over here, illegally. He's got that racist [pastor] who practically raised him, and then there's the Muslim thing. He's just not presidential material, if you ask me."

Note that, contrary to what the Findlay Courier is claiming, Pollard does say something about Obama's "race or appearance." Namely, he says Obama's from Africa, and will kick off his presidency by illegally importing his African family into the U.S.

Note, too, that Pollard makes one point that stands up to scrutiny--i.e., his description of Obama's now-former pastor as racist. The rest (with the exception of the "presidential material" assessment, which is open for debate) is bunk.

Along those same lines, consider this:

Does [Jim Peterman] trust a local newspaper article that details Obama's Christian faith? Or his friend Leroy Pollard, a devoted family man so convinced Obama is a radical Muslim that he threatened to stop talking to his daughter when he heard she might vote for him?
"I'll admit that I probably don't follow all of the election news like maybe I should," Peterman said. "I haven't read his books or studied up more than a little bit. But it's hard to ignore what you hear when everybody you know is saying it. These are good people, smart people, so can they really all be wrong?....
"I don't know. The whole thing just scares me," Peterman said. "I'm almost starting to feel like the best choice is not voting at all."

And this:

Said Jeanette Collins, a 77-year-old who lives across the street: "All I know for sure about Obama is that we're not ready for him."

And this:

[T]hose who have pushed the truth in Findlay have been rewarded with little that resembles progress. Gerri Kish, a 66-year-old born in Hawaii, read both of Obama's autobiographies. She has close friends, she said, who still refuse to believe her when she swears Obama is Christian. Then she hands them the books, and they refuse to read them.

The Findlay Courier editorial closes with a request for an apology and a rewrite from reporter Eli Saslow. But unless Saslow fabricated quotes or anecdotes, he's got nothing to apologize for.

Beverly's Horrible, must-see video

Appelbaum leaves Globe for Post--updated!

9 Comments

JM said:

I'm from Findlay, Ohio. Did you know that Findlay's ONLY newspaper was once named "The Republican Courier"? I think the name changed back in the 70's. I've heard the rumors and seen the e-mails regarding Senator Obama. Why does the media pick the least intelligent person / people to represent an entire community?

July 1, 2008 7:21 PM
David Oestreich said:

I too am from Findlay, Ohio. Did you know that in the 2006 race for Governor of Ohio over 50 percent of Findlay voted for an African American candidate, namely Republican Ken Blackwell.

Its about values, folks, not race. I could dig up a handful of less than well informed folks (and, yes, a few bigoted ones, too) in any city of the United States. T

This is a crappy piece of journalism.

July 2, 2008 1:22 PM
John Smith said:

I think the real outrage here is Eli Saslow nakedly biased pro-Obama reporting. It's rampant in all of his recent Obama-related pieces.

July 2, 2008 4:05 PM
John Smith said:

"I'm from Findlay, Ohio. Did you know that Findlay's ONLY newspaper was once named "The Republican Courier"? I think the name changed back in the 70's. I've heard the rumors and seen the e-mails regarding Senator Obama. Why does the media pick the least intelligent person / people to represent an entire community?"

Because the reporter wants to portray people who aren't swooning over his candidate as stupid and racist. That's all. The usual.

July 2, 2008 4:17 PM
Kent Weitz said:

I am also a Findlay born and bred citizen who is offended by the portrayal of my hometown as racist, stupid and afraid of change. I've lived around the world (and this nation) and those folks in the "heartland" have a better finger on the pulse of what is really happening than any "drive by media" types (regardless of which coast they reside on). I currently live in Tampa and there are alot of people here who are saying the same things as those folks in Findlay....I guess Tampa is also full of "rubes". I now remember why I cancelled my subscription to the WaPo when I lived in D.C..

July 2, 2008 6:54 PM
kweku said:

Unless those guys who were quoted come out and debunk those quote, I for one will believe that some of my fellow Americans are so outdated in their views, they need to a); read more about the world and b);need to read their bible very well and think about what God say about love and and caring for one's neighbor. You don't know a person, and yet you start hating him because he does not look like you. Surprise, most call themselves christians

July 3, 2008 2:39 PM
kweku said:

And they claim to be christians. God have mercy!

July 3, 2008 2:41 PM
D.Stevens said:

I am also from Findlay, but I was not surprised

about the report because it is true. Why do

you think Findlay is 98 percent white? These

racist views of Flag City is true and is a big

influence why I no longer live there. I bet 90

percent of the people in Findlay listen to Rush

Limbaugh every day and we all know how that

moron feels about anyone different than he is!

He is the biggest bigot in America, but we all

know he is on dope.

October 15, 2008 9:40 AM

Follow the Boston Phoenix

All Blogs

Laser Orgy (34)
Phlog (1,420)
On The Download (2,163)
Dont Quote Me (518)
Talking Politics (1,523)
Outside The Frame (305)

more by Adam Reilly

Greg Epstein, Atheist Superstar | November 27, 2009

Unmaking a bad federal law | November 27, 2009

Collateral damage? | November 13, 2009

Holy terror? | November 13, 2009

Difference of opinion | November 06, 2009

See all articles by: Adam Reilly

Latest Comments

City Council Forums - Dear comrads! Is it a problem to convert iTunes to MP3? I say NINE :) Its really uhrrr not being able...

By Sweet_November on 11-28-2009 in Talking Politics

The Guitar Hero/Band Hero kerfuffle considered - Christian Louboutin shoes are available at attractive rates in all outlets across the world. Turn your...

By Gucci Sneakers on 11-28-2009 in Laser Orgy

Khazei Sneaking Up? - Mrs. Kennedy, why wouldn't you prefer Congressman Capuano to succeed the late Senator? Congressman Capuano...

By Ernie Boch, III on 11-27-2009 in Talking Politics

City Council Forums - сын насилует маму всегда на это дрочу!! http://pxgmyzzcug.jimdo.com анорексия фото http://vmpfpxkwxl...

By Homogon on 11-27-2009 in Talking Politics

City Council Forums - <b>GPS оборудование </b> GPS - глобальная система позиционирования, определение местоположения...

By BimaIdedirm on 11-27-2009 in Talking Politics

Latest Comments from Dont Quote Me

No fury like Findlay scorned

9 Comments

JM said:

David Oestreich said:

John Smith said:

John Smith said:

Kent Weitz said:

kweku said:

kweku said:

D.Stevens said:

Leave a Comment