As if we needed any more proof that racism, in all of its irrational permutations, is alive and well in this area, take this letter to the editors from the June 7 edition of the St. Petersburg Times.
Richard Wilson, a resident of Safety Harbor, railed against the Times for running articles that he claimed "pandered" to the black community. Here is his letter, as printed:
Pandering to blacks
Well, you are to be congratulated. You did a marvelous job of presenting the black community to the majority white community that your "newspaper" serves. Let us see what we have.
Well, as starters, we have a very interesting story, with pictures, of black children being schooled in manners. This is a remarkable story for Page 1 of the Memorial Day issue — so timely. I couldn't think of a more appropriate story for the occasion. Next, we have another marvelous story, again with pictures, about the black marching band — this being on the front page of the Clearwater Times. Not to be outdone, another fine story, with pictures, titled “Tender loving care” appears, where else but on the front page of the May 25 Floridian section. And let's not miss the interesting story, with pictures, “An uphill mission,” which adorns the front page of the Tampa Bay section on the same day.
As I said earlier, you are really to be congratulated but, unfortunately, not for putting out a class newspaper but instead a mirror image of Ebony magazine. I am just about prepared to cancel my daily/weekend subscription to your "rag" and go to your competitor paper which, I hope, will present more relative reading matter to a nonblack reader.
Can you in any way explain this obvious pandering? I can't. Maybe I'm just not with the times or maybe I'm nitpicking. What do you think? Should I be more "understanding" of the times? I wish you could tell me where I am wrong so that I may sit back and enjoy true reporting of the "news."
Yeah, you're missing something, Mr. Wilson. A whole lot of somethings, in fact. "Tender loving care" was a story about a young girl who was terribly burned in a fire. And this didn't interest you because — she's black? And by virtue of her being black, this is "pandering?"
Well, the definition of "pandering," according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is as follows:
"To cater to the lower tastes and desires of others or exploit their weaknesses."
So a story about girl who survived a deadly fire is — pandering? A story about a ministry reaching out into the community is — pandering? Well, who else but those with the basest predilections would want to read such tripe? Substitute into those stories members of "the majority white community," and I imagine Mr. Wilson would feel himself properly served and informed by his hometown paper.
The mind reels at the insanity of it.
One of my first clear-headed thoughts after reading his letter was: Haven’t we advanced to the point where we can see past race and cultural differences, especially with regard to human interest stories? Doesn't a human interest story encourage us to see past those differences? But upon reflection, I realized that the differences between races, ethnicities and cultures are why we should embrace a journalism that nurtures inquisitive, open-minded journalists who strive to challenge readers with stories that ask them to see beyond their immediate concerns, to evolve in their humanity.
Rather than endure mindless criticism, the St. Petersburg Times should be lauded for its coverage. Just as they should be credited for printing letters, such as Mr. Wilson’s, that remind us of the strides we still have to make as a society.
This article appears in Jun 4-10, 2008.