E.W. Scripps Meets Phil Robertson

E.W. Scripps'newspaper, The San Angelo Standard-Times is refusing to eat its crow with a fork. Sunday week ago, the paper published a piece that, according to the paper, many had mistaken as a glorification of a lifestyle that a vocal number of its readers found offensive. It was a full color spread of former Mayor J.W. Lown getting married to his homosexual lover in Mexico City. The photo gallery left only the kiss to the reader’s imagination.

San Angelo is a city that voted 73% Republican in the last presidential election and has more churches than bars.  In addition, the top age demographic of the paper is 65+ (147% of the national mean). Their readers are more likely to agree with Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson, not GLAAD.

Yesterday, San Angelo Standard-Times editor Mike Kelly took out a 2x4 and demanded that his readers accept his non-apology apology. If they don’t, well, I guess their readers aren’t enlightened enough.

News publishing is political, and you have to choose the sword that you will fall upon carefully. I lose a subscriber every time I mention Obamacare. I can only imagine the negative reaction of their readers, and the loss of subscribers and advertisers that motivated the paper’s senior leadership to publish this.