roundtable: Gingrich expounds on notion of socialist editorial writers

roundtable: Gingrich expounds on notion of socialist editorial writers

Gingrich expounds on notion of socialist editorial writers

W. Curtiss Priest (BMSLIB@mitvma.mit.edu)
Thu, 09 Mar 95 12:14:35 EST 

Message-Id: <9503091715.AA07556@a.cni.org>
Date:         Thu, 09 Mar 95 12:14:35 EST
From: "W. Curtiss Priest" <BMSLIB@mitvma.mit.edu>
Subject:      Gingrich expounds on notion of socialist editorial writers
To: Telecommunications Policy Roundtable <ROUNDTABLE@CNI.ORG>


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CITS observations:

This article represents an excellent depiction of the ideological
struggle that faces this country.

One point missed in the article is the extent to which there is
a correlation between education and the readership of various
newspapers.  Clearly, the New York Times has a much high level
of educated readers than the New York Sun.

Educated readers tend to be critical readers.  They are more likely
to grapple with difficult issues facing society.  This inherent
tendency will, to the eyes of some, appear to be 'liberal' when
it is simply a result of being well educated.

Also, liberalism and education level does correlate.  Does Gingrich
want the society to be comprised of 'unquestioning' citizens?  Is
this the society that he envisions that have elected him?

We note that, indeed, Gingrich is a Ph.D. historian.  Yet this
education of his seems to be largely devoid of sensitivity to
the purpose, for example, of PBS and how to fund 'public goods.'

Turning back to the article, we must differentiate between
'socialists' and the 'socially concerned.'  The business community
can read their Wall Street Journal and the only mention of
social concerns is when it impinges on the freedoms of businesses.
The population at large, however, works in "lock-step" with the
media in a very understandable way and, contrary to the notions
of some, it is the common person that drives the media, not the
other way around.  (See, for example, a 100 year perspective on
forces that led to laws on health, safety and the environment,
W. Curtiss Priest, RISKS, CONCERNS, and SOCIAL LEGISLATION, Westview
Press, 1987.)

**********************************************************************

THURSDAY, MARCH 9, l995, p. 9

Gingrich expounds on notion-
of socialist editorial writers

By Bob Hohler
GLOBE STAFF

WASHINGTON - If there ever
was a honeymoon for House Speaker
Newt Gingrich and the press, it's
history - at least in his eyes.

Yesterday, the Georgia Republi-
can elaborated on his assertion Mon-
day and Tuesday that many of the
nation's editorial writers are "social-
ists," a charge his spokesman sug-
gested applied to The Boston Globe,
The New York Times, The Washing-
ton Post and the Atlanta Journal-
/Constitution, among other newspa-
pers.

"Obviously, some papers are
proud of the fact they are liberal, at
least on their editorial pages, and

t have advocated non-market prac-
tices," the spokesman, Tony Blank-
ley said, citing the four papers.

But liberalism turns into social-
ism, Blankley asserted, when edito-
rial writers at such papers "oppose
cuts in the capital gains tax - a clas-
sic free-market device to create jobs
and profits - and characterize it as
giving money to the rich."

Though Gingrich declined to
identify editorial writers he consid-
ered socialists, he said on the Fox
network's "Morning News" that he
could supply "a collection of editori-
als that only make sense if people
believe that government is good and
the free market is bad, that govern-
ment ownership of wealth is good
and the free market is bad."

Blankley said later his workload
prevented him from immediately
producing copies of editorials to sup-
port Gingrich's assertion "But it
wouldn't be hard," he said.

A brief computer search of edito-
rials in the four papers Blankley
cited yielded varied opinions on cut-
ting the capital gains tax, with the
Atlanta paper favoring a cut and the
other three favoring variations.

The Globe's editorial page has
generally urged indexation of the
capital gains tax to factor in the ef-
fects of innation. The paper has de-
scribed the approach as a complo-
mise between Republicans, who tra-
ditionally support cuts, and Demo-
Cl ats, who oppose them.

'Some papers are
proud of the faet
they are liberal, at
least on editorial
pages, and have
advocated non-
market practiees.'

TONY BLANKLEY
Gingrich spokesman
Asked to respond to Gingrich's
comments, H. D. S. Greenway, edi-
tor of the Globe editorial page, is-
sued a statement. .

"I suspect that moat editorial
writers on big city newspapers
might be a tad more liberal than the
Newt," Greenway's statement said.
"I do not believe that many of them
would advocate state ownership or
control of the means of production."

Gregory Favre, president of the
American Society of Newspaper
Editors, challenged the notion of la-
beling editorial writers as socialists
because of their stance on the capital
gains tax.

"Does that mean that every con-
stituent in Mr. Gingrich's district
who opposes the capital gains tax is
a socialist'?" said Favre, editor of the
Sacramento Bee. "I wonder if he
wants to go home and say that."

Favre also said Gingrich's re-
marks indicate he "does not have a
very good xense of history." In re-
cent decades, a majority of American
newspapers have endorsed Republi-
can candidates in nearly every presi-
dential election.

"If there were socialists out
there" on the editorial boards, Favre
said, "they either didn't have influ-
ence or they weren't paying atten-
tion."

Gingrich, who raised the issue
Monday in a private dinner on Cap-
itol Hill with corporate executives,
urged the business leaders to steer
their advertising dollars away from
newspapers that have not consistent-
ly supported capitalism.

He renewed the theme yester-
day, saying in the Fox interview: "I
think it's perfectly legitimate in a
free society for people to decide that
their money and their impact is le-
gitimate."

Gingrich also denied disliking the
press. "I care a lot for the media," he
said.

However, several hours later he
stepped up his criticism of many con-
gressional correspondents, faulting
them for failing to hold Democrats to
the same standards they apply to
him and other Republicans, a
charged he has leveled with increas-
ing frequency.

Blankley said: "Newt has a ro-
mantic view of journalists, as he does
of America in general. He may have
higher hopes for the media than the
media seems to have for itself."

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