Reader wrong to claim paper bias
In his Aug. 3 letter, Emilio F. Marcos targets the Daily Herald, Europeans and Barack Obama for criticism. His aim however, is off and he misses badly.
He begins by accusing the Herald of demonstrating its political leanings because it featured in a front-page story, two pictures - one of Obama speaking before 200,000 in Berlin and one of McCain with only three people near him. The headline above the photos read, "Two campaign approaches."
Now what would Mr. Marcos have said if the Herald had only carried the photo of Obama speaking before the huge crowd in Germany? He would have accused the Herald of bias for not showing a McCain picture. The way the Herald headlined the story with the two photos was legitimate because the McCain campaign strategy has been to have the candidate speak before small groups. On the other hand, the Obama strategy has been to speak before large crowds.
Mr. Marcos then insults many average voters when he writes: "For many average Americans - the ones who laugh their heads off at Jay Leno's anti-Bush jokes - those two pictures are enough to make up their minds and vote Obama." Does Mr. Marcos really believe that a significant number of average voters are so stupid as to vote for Obama because of these two photos?
Mr. Marcos then changes course and attacks Europeans and Obama. He writes: "The Europeans don't know the causes of their own discontent with the U.S., only that there are many that make them unhappy with us. Obama has trashed our country, blaming the U.S. for every single evil outside our frontiers ..." Mr. Marcos continues with his anti-European and Obama rant for the balance of his letter. Had Mr. Marcos criticized Obama for changing his position on some key issues, it would have been a legitimate criticism. The accusation that Obama is thrashing the U.S. is an example of some of the partisan drivel heard regularly on right wing talk radio.
What is sad about Mr. Marcos' letter is that there are people (listen to the Limbaugh show) that really believe such nonsense. The charge that the Herald is favoring Obama by giving the Obama campaign more coverage is not only wrong, it is just plain silly. All that it takes is a little common sense to realize that the Herald, which circulates in heavily Republican areas, is not going to risk losing readers by demonstrating a liberal bias.
Victor Darst
West Dundee