Spencer for Senate today released a letter from Communications Director Rob Ryan to Daily News Deputy Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Martin Dunn.
The text of the letter can be found below:
Mr. Martin Dunn
Deputy Publisher, Editor-in-Chief
The Daily News
450 West 33rd Street
New York, NY 10001 October 24, 2006
Dear Mr. Dunn:
I am writing today to lodge a formal complaint on yesterday and today’s coverage of the U. S. Senate race. I understand that the Daily News is a “tabloid” and tabloids are known for outrageous headlines and stories. Nevertheless, your coverage, over the past 48 hours can only be described as despicable.
Your editors and one blogger/reporter, Ben Smith, have acted in a totally irresponsible fashion that has done damage to the reputation and the candidacy of John Spencer. Their careless use of headlines have insulted a United States Senator and former First Lady, and their self righteous attitude and the email rants of Ben Smith are, quite frankly, reprehensible.
Millions of New Yorkers and Americans were shocked by your front page on Monday, October 23rd. It gave the impression that John Spencer had called Senator Clinton ugly and that she had plastic surgery. You know, I know and Ben Smith knows that this is an outright lie.
In a matter of hours the internet, radio and television were repeating that message across the nation and the world. What do you plan to do to remedy this falsehood?
A close reading of the stories in the paper reveal that the words ugly and plastic surgery are never bracketed in quotations and were never uttered by Mr. Spencer in the context your headlines portray.
Mr. Smith seems to feel that he has the power to interpret the thoughts behind people’s words and the right to disregard the facts and to toss aside journalistic ethics, not to mention basic common decency.
For some reason, known only to him, Mr. .Smith seems to believe that the word “work” automatically translates into “plastic surgery”. Perhaps he should keep up on the news and read what his fellow bloggers have to say on the matter. Just yesterday, Amanda Carpenter, a respected editor and author, wrote on the blog HILLARY WATCH that in the months of April and May 2006 the Clinton campaign reported spending $3,000 on celebrity hairstylist Isabelle Goetz to work on Senator Clinton’s hair. In the month of May alone, Senator Clinton’s campaign spent $2800 on the talents of make-up artist Barbara Lacey to work her magic on Mrs. Clinton. Are these professionals not being paid for their work?
Through-out both stories Mr. Smith runs rough shod over the quotes and the facts. Two glaring examples of inaccuracies are the claim that last Friday he and Mr. Spencer were on the “10:30 am JetBlue flight” -- yet no such flight exists. Mr. Smith also refers to me as Mayor Spencer’s “campaign manager” -- a position I do not hold. My business card lists me as Communications Director and I have also been referred to as “campaign spokesperson” but, never campaign manager. While both these matters may appear trivial, I feel they are indicative of the sloppiness with which Mr. Smith has approached this story. If he can’t report these simple facts correctly, how can we expect him to accurately report quotes without a tape recorder or without written notes?
Even more disturbing are the numerous emails that Mr. Smith sent me yesterday, emails that can only be described as bizarre and rambling. In one he even has the audacity to accuse me of “smearing” him. This astounds me since he is the one who has done the smearing.
Mr. Smith seems to be upset that I would dare do my job and respond to his inaccuracies. He can’t seem to understand that reporters must be held accountable for their actions.
I plan to take whatever action is needed to set the record straight.
Hopefully, the Daily News will appreciate the gravity of this situation and immediately
publish a clarification, as well as formally apologizing to Senator Clinton and Mr. Spencer.
Sincerely,
Robert H. Ryan
Communications Director
cc: Mortimer Z. Zuckerman