I’m not talking about the Seattle Seahawks or their fans, but rather the Seattle Times. Use of the word ‘Redskins’ is against company policy for reporters, as noted in The Washington Post.
To avoid insulting native American heritage, the Seattle Times decided to limit severely the use of the term Redskins in the paper — even if a team with that name will dominate news coverage this week. The Times will not use the moniker in headlines or captions. Reporters can use it only once, as a first reference, in all stories. The Redskins will be referred to almost exclusively as Washington — which could get a little confusing for local readers who also live in that state.
Greg Sheffield at Newsbusters shows a couple paragraphs from a Seattle Times story that illustrates the problem with the policy.
Marcus Washington plays in a different Washington, but he still can sympathize with Seahawks who feel overlooked. This is because Washington finished with 93 tackles, 7 1/2 sacks and one interception and, like the rest of the Washington defense, didn’t make the Pro Bowl….
The biggest advantage Washington quarterback Mark Brunell sees from his days at the University of Washington? “That’s one good thing about playing in Seattle all those years,” he said, “you get used to throwing a wet ball.”
The policy apparently doesn’t apply to columnists, as todays Steve Kelley column contains an astonishing four recitals of the taboo term…
What a bunch of goofballs.
Did they get their stance from a Native American??? Doubtful, probably just from the WDWTOAC (we don’t want to offend anyone committee).
Since I live in Seattle (yes, I’m admitting that), I can tell you that this is actually somewhat of (but not completely) a surprise coming from the Seattle Times. My fellow Northwest Neocon friends and I felt that if any paper would raise the politically incorrect red flag on the name “Redskins” it would have been and should have been the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, an unabashedly liberal paper if there ever was one.
As for Steve Kelley, well, I’m not sure who gave him his column or how he earned the priviledge of getting one, but he may be the single worst, most self-indulgent, smarmily and annoying sports columnists in the nation. His column today proves just that.
Other than that, Go ‘Hawks! (I’m sure I’m offending some bluejay, robin or crow somewhere who thinks I’m not being inclusive enough.)
P.S. I’ve heard nary a word from any of the many tribes that are in the Puget Sound area that plan on protesting. At least for the moment.
Oh, and on top of that: We’re working on our 26th day in a row of rain (or “measurable perciptation”, if you want to be technical). The record is 33 and we’re predicted to make and break that record.
Perhaps all the rain is causing moss to grow on the brains on the Times’ editors.
Wait until the PETA-Heads here about Seattle abusing Seahawks by using their name….
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Seattle