More than a little giddy after forcing the local media to finally pick up the Doug Sutherland sexual harassment story (as a blogger, that’s the kinda shit we live for), I headed off to Netroots Nation with some hastily printed business cards in hand. On one side was the HA Seattle logo and all my HorsesAss.org contact info, while the other side mockingly sported a Seattle Times logo and the self proclaimed title of “Volunteer Ombudsman.” The card proved a big hit with my fellow bloggers.
Well it looks like I may also have to print up a Seattle P-I version of the card, as nine days after the story broke, our city’s second daily has finally decided its customers deserve to read the facts too. And as it so happens, it is also nine days since P-I reporter Chris Grygiel, in an email to The Stranger’s Erica Barnett, defended his paper’s decision not to run with the story:
“Sutherland and the woman had different accounts of what happened… According to the documents, Sutherland met with the woman at her request and followed through on other antiharassment protocols she had suggested… No disciplinary action was taken and there was no payment of state funds in any settlement. We decided to pass on the story. People can certainly second-guess our decision, but that was the reasoning at the time.”
So what’s changed between then and now to cause the P-I to second-guess its own editorial judgment? Nothin’. Except, maybe, the fact that they probably felt more than a little silly sitting by quietly while the rest of the local print and broadcast media jumped on such an obviously sexy and relevant story.
The dailies still have an enormously larger audience than us lowly bloggers, and they likely always will, but the days when they were the exclusive arbiters of what is or is not news are now over. You gotta think that’s eventually gonna weigh heavily on future editorial decisions about stories like this.
“Sutherland and the woman had different accounts of what happened…”
When has any reporter, for any paper, anywhere, ever heard an accused harasser say, “Yeah, she’s right, I did what she says I did”? Isn’t it a reporter’s job to dig past the denials to find out what really happened? Or do this generation of “journalists” all think they’ve done their job after reporting “she says he did, and he says he didn’t” and that’s all there is to reporting?
Congrats Goldy. While we all know that the so-called liberal media is actually the republican – owned press… we can count on bloggers to force their hands.
The bullshit excuse they gave for not covering this story looks even lamer now.
The main reason they should have covered this is the guy is a candidate and allegations like this that have this level of scrutiny are indeed news. Let the public decide what’s right. And given he’s a republican they’ll likely believe he’s a pervert since that seems to be required these days to be a “GOP” leader.
@2 To be fair to our two local dailies, they aren’t covering the circus created by the National Enquirer over John Edwards, either.
For the obvious reason that the Enquirer’s evidence that Edwards had an affair is so thin any respectable publication that treated it as “news” would put its credibility at risk.
What I find most interesting about the P-I‘s story is the fifth paragraph in the dead-trees edition story:
“unearthed” ?????
Nary a word about how the P-I had the story for months but sat on it. Nary a peep about the daily’s (both dailies, really) decision to ignore a newsworthy tip that they had been handed.
At Netroots Nation, I heard from people who are “in the loop” that the traditional media are concerned about possible demonstrations and disruptions at the national conventions. Not because they want to be able to cover them — perish the thought — but because they’re worried that the “free speech zones” and/or holding pens will be so close to their broadcast centers that their anchors and talking heads might be inconvenienced. How far we’ve come from 1968…
@4 Journalism has gone to hell in this country. My daddy was a newspaperbunny who retired over 30 years ago and he says it was going bad then and he’s glad he got out when he did. The traditional media are losing circulation and influence because they’re doing a lousy job.
Congratulations Goldy!
Seems like after you posted about Sutherland, it hit King 5 evening news and the King 5 news journalist held up your blog of HA and then…. your blog went out-of-commission. Was this a coincidence? I don’t think so.
Is the land commissioner and BIAW kissing ass cousins? No land regulation and the BIAW never meeting a land regulation they like what partners.
Did the BIAW off shore and subcontract the Russians to professionally spam your ISP?
Suspicious in Seattle.
Well, I am hopping off to Greenlake to bask in the sunshine.
Looks like little Davey Gold stain is still trying to get his fictional novel with no legs published ….. greeted with a collective yawn to all concerned.
Keep tilting at windmills Goldy, it’s great entertainment.
…of course not as hilarious as John Edwards scurrying to and hanging out in a mensroom stall at the Washington hotel while avoiding the press regarding his visit to his mistress and lovechild, but entertaining nonetheless.
I guess he’s showing true Liberal family values…..isn’t his wife stricken with cancer? What an honorable man, right?
Hmmmmmm?
Pricky D. Better for David to tilt at windmills and save energy, than to be Republican and hate the environment so much like BIAW and Sutherland that it enjoys destroying natural resources for profit.
Hoppity Hop to Greenlake to enjoy the sun.
@7 Ricky also read at the checkout counter that Jessica Simpson had an alien love child – so he unquestioningly believes it.
@8 Aren’t you supposed to be baking cookies?
You know how I feel about the business cards. Quite an accurate description IMO.
Way to go Goldy, you’ve broken a National Enquirer style story. There’s something to be proud of.
I guess you feel silly not running with the John “I’m for the little guy (aka my pecker)” Edwards story in the same way you accuse the PI.
You can go back to your inferiority complex now.
Hey, how do I sign-up for a log in?
When can we publish the dirt on 1023 year old Flip Flop McCain’s numerous affairs? We know about the one with SIN dee – you know the vicious cunt who spends 800k a month on her Amex card. What about the one recently McSame had with the energy lobbyist?
One thing I admire about Johnboy. . . he’s not like most of the GOP – he at least seems to limit his perversion to adult females – although we can’t be certain.
@14 “he at least seems to limit his perversion to adult females”
Indeed. Odd, for a Republican. He’s almost like a Democrat in this way. Of course, he says that he’s a maverick. Maybe that’s what he’s talking about.
I recognize that the Repubs (generally speaking) seem to have contempt for women. And the Times and P.I. seem to fall into lockstep as the GOP gives them their directions.
But, what I can’t figure out is WHY, in this day and age, BOTH fishwrapper newspapers believed that it’s okay to sexually harass a subordinate as long as the subordinate didn’t sue? That the young person needs to run through some gauntlet, probably wreck future career plans with the potential of being blacklisted in her field – before the story became worthy of writing about?
I think the complicit behavior by all those newspapers, while attempting to hide this story will blow it into much larger proportions than if they had merely made mention 4-months ago. What will be truly INTERESTING this fall is how these papers give their recommendations as to whom to vote for. Like Voters should believe these fishwrappers have any credibility left with regards to this race?
So GLAD you broke the news Goldy! Voters truly needed to know how Sutherland ‘manages’ and mishandles his employees!
@ 14 & 15 Good ones! Giggle
16
Of course, if Sutherland’s lusted lass had sued, the righties here would have accused her of money-grubbing. They would have hopped on their usual high horses about trial lawyers and the like, and claimed that greed was her motive. In their world, actually I care not to go into their world, and would hope I’m not even capable of going there. So, I will stop my rant now.
1 RR
Yep. The real story is that the girl and everyone else who was at the meeting remember the same things about what happened there, and Sutherland somehow remembers completly different things.
I like the Daily Kos take on the Edwards myth.
Daily Kos Link. If you cannot find real dirt, make stuff up. Typical Republican.