Love/Hate Mail
Manhandling
It is so kind of the Scene to be finding all these nice white men to do the thinking for the women of Nashville. First it was the “sampling of Nashvillians” (seven men, one woman) in March 22 “Civic Wish List” cover story. Now it’s the “Grading the Daily” series about The Tennessean with opinions from community leaders. Of the 50 signed opinions, 44 were from men. Thanks to the Scene for saving the ladies of Nashville from worrying our pretty little heads over such weighty matters! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to check on a pie in the oven.
Jan Read
janread@worldnet.att.net (Nashville)
A little ironic
So Willy Stern, whose whole series so far (“Grading the Daily”) is one long loving smooch on the skinny derriere of John Seigenthaler, accuses Frank Sutherland of being an ass-kisser. What a hoot.
Henry Haile
hhaile@home.com (Nashville)
No Sutherland apologist but...
I am definitely not on Frank Sutherland’s Christmas card list, nor does he return my phone calls (come to think of it, neither does Kim Basinger), but I still would like to point out the following: In 1990, when Tennessee was leading the country in bankruptcy, a high school dropout proposed to Frank Sutherland that he be allowed to write a financial advice column that included feelings and humor. Frank took a chance.
This was without a survey or focus group to back him up, possible alienation of institution advertisers, despite knowing he would have resentment from some of his “professional journalist,” and my warning that former English teachers of Central High School would be spinning in their graves.
So, for two years valuable information (from experts), emotional support, and a little humor helped a lot of people in a column called “Matters of Life and Debt.” Like Joseph Campbell, when asked by a Catholic priest “if he had faith?”, he replied, “no Father, I have experience.” I have experience that Frank Sutherland can recognize a need, take a chance, and fill that need for his readers.
Frank, if you read this you do not have to send a Christmas card or call. However, some leftovers from one of your wine tastings might be nice.
Michael Tomlin
jmtis@home.com (Nashville)
What about the Banner
I am reading with great interest Willy Stern’s series on The Tennessean. To assure readers that the series was objective, Scene editor Bruce Dobie pointed out that he has been “publicly critical of Gannett’s business practices” and thought about “recusing” himself from the project to avoid any potential conflict of interest (“Editor’s Note, April 26). I thought it was interesting that Dobie did not mention that for six years in the 1980s he was a reporter for the Tennessean’s fierce competitor, the Nashville Banner.
This was at a time when the Banner was one of the few remaining independently owned afternoon newspapers in the country. It had long since shed what Stern described as its “segregationist, Red-baiting” leanings. Though more conservative editorially than The Tennessean, the Banner published its share of investigative and forward-thinking pieces during those years. In fact, the Banner staff, Dobie included, took great pride in beating The Tennessean whenever it could, in its coverage of city hall, the Legislature, federal courts, business, education, and health care.
The Banner, which closed in 1998, turned out a fine crop of journalists, too, many of whom have gone on to leadership positions in business, education, health care, and, of course, the news media. While I will reserve judgment until I read all five parts of Stern’s series, I was disappointed that he chose to compare The Tennessean of the 1990s to its “Camelot days” of the 1960s. I’m afraid most newspapers would suffer by that comparison. I’d like to have seen a description of what The Tennessean was like in the 1930s, before Silliman Evans bought it out of bankruptcy. Did that newspaper crusade against the poll tax and the political machine, as it did in the 1940s and early 1950s under Evans? Did it attack the injustices of segregation? I doubt it.
Certainly a newspaper’s vitality owes a lot to the charisma and calling of publishers like Evans and editors like John Seigenthaler. But The Tennessean’s rise also may have been bolstered some key historical events—the end of World War II and the torrent of social change unleashed by the returning GIs, the civil rights movement, and President Kennedy’s New Frontier, to name a few.
Perhaps a newspaper is as much a reflection of its times as it is a deliberate instrument for improving society.
Bill Snyder, Tennessean staff writer and former Banner writer
bsnyder@tennessean.com (Nashville)
Stick to sports
In his “Sunday Mail” column (May 3), Randy Horick states: “God only knows why the views of a basketball player on religion, or any subject other than basketball, would have news value”. I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment. I would add, though, that God also only knows why the religious views of a “sports” columnist would be of interest. It must bring Mr. Horick great personal comfort to feel theologically sound enough to ghostwrite a letter for the creator of the universe, but perhaps he should stick to commentary related to playing games. Either that or hire a writer who has a genuine interest in sports and change the name of Mr. Horick’s column to “Things tangentially related to sports.”
Lew Moore
lewmoore@juno.com (Nashville)
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