Me? A Back-Channeler? (is that even a word?)
Thank you to Todd Williams, online editor at the Rapid City Journal, for bringing attention to our humble blog in his “The Fives” column:
Call it back-channeling, or something like that.
South Dakota Wingnuts is based right here in our back yard, and the most recent post of a letter to the editor to the Rapid City Journal by renowned wing nut Bill Napoli tackles an ongoing point of contention – the fissure in the Republican party throughout South Dakota and the big umbrella theory.
Napoli has long been an advocate of adhering to strong conservative principles, but with the long-standing practice of less-than-hardcore conservatives running on the blue ticket, he doesn’t balk at taking aim at what he calls “mainstreamers.” Chief among those is Napoli’s arch nemesis, Stan Adelstein, who is running on the Republican ticket for state senate this fall in District 32 against incumbent Democrat Tom Katus and independent Elli Schwiesow.
The funny thing is, you can’t find this letter on the Journal Web site. We quit running letters to the editor and opinion columns from our print edition about a year ago. So the only place you’ll see this electronically — other than the Journal’s own e-edition — is on South Dakota Wingnuts.
I’m sure the powers that be at sdwingnuts.com gained permission first. Besides, it’s all about public discourse, right?
I had to laugh when I read that. A friend of mine thought it sounded a little heavy-handed and accusatory, but I caught the tongue-in-cheekedness of the piece. I called Todd, just to make sure he didn’t mean I had crossed a line by reprinting one of their letters. He told me I hadn’t, so with my mind eased, we had a rather jovial conversation about 3 a.m. deadlines. Sounds like this guy works my schedule! 
In the spirit of open and transparent government, let me share the truth behind this scandal, lest SD Wingnuts become the target of an exposé, or worse, a liberal’s conspiracy theory. Someone told me about a really good letter Sen. Napoli had written. I wrote to the “renowned wing nut” and asked if could reprint his letter. He sent me his permission, along with a copy of the letter as submitted. I opted to run the copy-edited version as printed in the Journal with the help of a friend with a subscription to the e-edition to save the hassle of retyping it verbatim.
So there you have it. Am I a back-channeler? I suppose I am. But aren’t all journalists, in a way? There’s your food for thought for the day. Now go do the right thing. Meanwhile, I’ll be waiting for the call from Dr. Laura’s lawyers.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:41 pm
If you get on Dr. Laura, PLEASE don’t post the transcript!