NOTE: While the petition has been delivered, Progressive Oregon will continue to allow folks to sign the petition online. We will forward the names of these new signers to The Oregonian.
Yesterday, we delivered a petition signed by over 1,400 people to The Oregonian to express our anger and disappointment over the failure of the state’s largest media outlet to cover the “Hands Across Hawthorne” anti-gay violence rally and their increasingly biased behavior towards progressives.
As we previously reported on Daily Kos Oregon, progressives have long felt they are treated unfairly by Oregon’s largest newspaper.
The editor of The Oregonian, Peter Bhaitia, issued a response to the complaint. In the interest of open dialogue, here is his response.
“It was a mistake on the part of staffers in charge of weekend coverage that there was not coverage of the rally in The Oregonian. It was human error, pure and simple. We should have covered the event. Please be clear: There is no ideology involved in our coverage decisions, from the left or the right. Suggestions that The Oregonian has moved rightward in its coverage is nonsense, just as are the more common assertions from the right that we have a left bias. News coverage decisions are made by the newsroom. In this case, we made a bad one.”1
While Progressive Oregon is disappointed The Oregonian did not specifically address any of the broader concerns we outlined about the mistreatment of progressives and our issues2, we do appreciate their acknowledging that a mistake was made.
We will continue to monitor the state’s largest newspaper and hope for fairer treatment in the future.
What more can I do to help?
You Can Stand Up for the Freedom from Fear
Freedom from fear is a basic progressive value. We can’t lose sight of the fact that too many don’t feel safe to stroll our streets holding hands with those they love.
Fortunately, Q Patrol—a group of trained volunteers who walk the streets of Portland to promote safety and tolerance—is doing something to address this problem.
Since the attack, interest in the Q Patrol has skyrocketed and we want to make sure they have the resources they need to meet increased demand!
Will you join me in making a donation to the Q Patrol today – so that all Oregonians will be able to hold hands with their loved ones without fear?
Thanks!
-noah
Sources:
1. Peter Bhatia commented on “Are thousands of Oregonians invisible?”, June 4, 2011.
http://progressiveoregon.com/...
2. "Are Thousands of Oregonians Invisible," Progressive Oregon, June 1st, 2011
http://progressiveoregon.com/...