WaPo Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. approached the keyboard today in Ask the Post. Asked about the importance of network news anchors, Downie said, "[N]one of the potential successors to Brokaw, Rather and Jennings have anything like their breadth and depth of reporting experience before they became anchors, so I do not expect expect any of the successors to have the same influence." Also, Downie was quizzed on his earlier statement, "We are not judging the credibility of Kerry or the (Swift Boat) Veterans, we just print the facts." He elaborated, "There is a difference between judging and giving readers all the facts. We have thoroughly investigated and analyzed the claims on both sides and presented them to our readers in very lengthy, detailed stories [...] and then let our readers do the judging." I wonder what CJR's Campaign Desk would think of that? Downie also hinted at changes coming to the paper: Kingstowne, Va.: What is your reaction to the report in the alternative weekly that The Post's focus groups revealed a lack of enthusiasm for paying for the dead-tree version of the paper? |
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
