How Your Paper Slants Its Politics

Articles

How Your Paper Slants Its Politics

By Bobbie Hart O’Neill
Sept. 14, 2004

The following stories appeared on the same day, September 12th, in two papers in my home state of Arizona. One of the papers is considered to be the “conservative voice” of the state – the other is located in a heavily populated Hispanic area.

Both stories ran almost identical headlines.

‘Bin Laden still pulling strings, general says’

‘Osama still giving orders: General’

Both stories are from the Associated Press datelined: Bagram, Afghanistan. Here is the almost identical body copy from each story.

“The trail has gone cold in the hunt for suspected Sept. 11, 2001 mastermind Osama bin Laden three years after the audacious attacks, but the al-Qaida chief and his No. 2 are still orchestrating strikes, a top American commander said Saturday.

“Maj. Gen. Eric Olson said the military had not intercepted any radio traffic or instructions from either bin Laden or his deputy, Ayman al- Zawahri. But he said the involvement of well- trained foreign fighters in attacks near the Pakistani border convinced him the fugitive leaders were pulling the strings.

“’What we see are their techniques and their tactics here in Afghanistan, so I think it is reasonable to assume that the senior leaders are involved in directing those operations,’ Olson, the operational commander of U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, said in an interview.

“An Aug. car bomb 26 that killed about 10 people, including three Americans, at the office of a firm providing bodyguards for Afghan President Hamid Karzai also bears the hallmarks of the militant network, Olson said.

“’We’ve even tied it to a group that has ties to al-Qaida. It could be a splinter group of some sort,’ Olson said after a ceremony at the U.S. base at Bagram north of Kabul to mark the third anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
br> “’It’s a new group, apparently a group that was carved from al-Qaida,’ he said. ‘They have members in Pakistan and they have been active in Afghanistan, and this recent attack is the most blatant example.’ He declined to elaborate.

“There were no reports Saturday of fresh fighting in the country where more than 900 people – mostly Afghan security forces and rebels – have died in the political violence this year.”

From here on, the copy varies slightly with one paper cutting the AP report short to fit its allotted space.

Here is the kicker: One of the headlines appeared on the front page, top right, major news spot. The other was in the second section of the world news reports at the bottom of page 29.

Okay, you astute, political sharpies – in which paper did the story appear on Page 1? Was it in the liberal paper or the conservative one?

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About the author: Bobbie Hart O’Neill is a retired print media journalist, CSU-Sacramento, ’74, with 40 years experience in the field. She has worked as a reporter, feature writer, columnist, public relations writer, magazine/newsletter editor and publisher.

She is currently a freelance writer residing in Yuma, Arizona and has published a children’s book, written three screenplays and a novel. In addition, she is interested in civic affairs, politics, current events, ethnology and animals.

Visit her blog. Also visit In The Name Of Honor - Mystery/Suspense Novel http://www.anotherchapter.com and Billy's Jungle Adventure - Children's Book/Animals www.lulu.com or email Bobbie: bobbieo@digitaldune.net

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