Frank Denton and the Times Union

[Valerie Sawyer]

Last week I wrote an email to the managing editor of the Florida Times-Union, Frank Denton, daring him to allow Billie to become a weekly columnist with the newspaper.  I told him that if they are going to continually bash Billie and all things FCTP, they should at least be willing to give her equal time.  I told him that I would share his reply with my fellow tea-partiers.  Notice that he mentions national conservative columnists (that has nothing to do with the local bashing of the T-U of the FCTP) and the ONE local conservative they employ, Phil Fretz.  Phil is on the payroll strictly to give them a way to say they have both sides represented.  Anyway, this was his reply:

 

Dear Ms. Sawyer,
            Thank you for getting in touch.  I am sorry for having taken so long to respond, but I was out of the country and essentially offline for the past 10 days.

            We welcome thoughtful guest columns from readers.  I don’t recall that we’ve published any from Billie Tucker, but I’m sure we would consider a submission from her, as the tea party is a significant political group.  I don’t know that she’s sent anything, but I am copying our editorial page editor and asking him.

            The weekly columns we publish on the editorial page are by professionals and either staff-written (e.g., Phil Fretz) or syndicated.  We work hard to achieve an ideological balance – for example, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Mr. Fretz and others from the right. Whatever our editorial board says in our own editorials (the T-U is accused of being both too liberal and too conservative, often on the same day!), we have a commitment to offering a wide range of political views elsewhere on the opinion pages.

            And of course, in our news columns, we work hard to provide journalism that is independent, accurate, fair and complete, without regard to political activities or pressures from any direction.  If you think you see specific examples of bias, I hope you will get in touch directly with me.  I will look into it and respond.

            Please feel free to get in touch anytime.

Frank Denton
 
Frank M. Denton
Editor, The Florida Times-Union/jacksonville.com
Vice President for Journalism, Morris Communications
PO Box 1949, Jacksonville FL 32231

Phone [phone]

[Valerie Sawyer]

Bingo, Pat, you are exactly right!  I wrote an email to the president of Morris Communications and told him exactly why the Florida Times-Union has lost readership and is losing revenue.  I haven't heard back from him and doubt I will.  But at least he won't be able to say nobody told him the truth.

[Patricia M. McBride]

PS, one of the articles that shows bias today is the one about global warming.  Apparently Mr. Denton believes in that as well since he allowed it to be in the newspaper, but there isn't any news about much of anything including the debt ceiling issue, the wars in the Middle East, this foolishness with EverBank (apparently wants to keep most of the residents in the dark on that one until the money is gone yet again) and on and on!

[Patricia M. McBride]

Then, Valerie, he is also the person who has lost the paper many subscribers cause lots and lots of people have stopped taking the paper.  It is again one of those for the minority at the expense of the majority sort of things.  He apparently has not intention of ever presenting news again, so what would be the point in getting the paper when there are reliable news sources available!  Wish someone would take them on honestly as I think they would be run out of business if someone seriously covered the local and state news for the city!

[Valerie Sawyer]

Frank Denton prides himself on taking the T-U decidedly left when he came there 6 years ago. He is the main one to blame for the liberal bent and the attack-dog tactics of the Florida Times-Union.

[Patricia M. McBride]

What a joke!   They haven't published news since before Obama ran for office (and actually stopped doing so some time before that but went to H in a handbasket once Obama came on the scene)!  Nothing fair and balanced about the TU :)

[Valerie Sawyer]

On his reply to me, he copied his boss, of course.  I have written the head of Morris Communications about the T-U and why it is losing readership, but I noticed on Mr. Denton's signature that he is the vice president of "journalism" for Morris Communications, so that will be a dead-end.  Apparently, Mr.Denton is one of the driving forces of Morris Communications and is exactly what they are looking for.  The media in America is a rotten, oozing sore from the top down. 

[Tom Wright]

While working hard to acheive a idealogical balance, he 100% ignored our constant letters and comments on Mr. Brown for Mayor.

He would not print 1 single question, of all the ones submitted by FCTP.

Yeah! Real "fair and Balanced'

If anyone believes that I have some oceanfront property in Arizona for sale.

Tom Wright

[Dorothy Brown]

Very good article, Valerie!!! Hope you get the results you requested. God bless!!!