Posted on October 6, 2003

Editors Defend Policies on Running Op-Eds
No Policy Changes After Novak Controversy
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/editorandpublisher/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1994171
By Dave Astor
NEW YORK -- The brouhaha surrounding Robert Novak's naming of a CIA officer raises questions for any editorial page or Op-Ed editor: What do I do when I spot a syndicated column that might be controversial? And is there a need to improve this procedure in the future?
An E&P spot-check of editors indicates many have procedures for dealing with potentially problematic columns -- and no immediate plans to change these procedures. The editors, all Novak clients, also emphasized they didn't have a problem with his July 14 column which referred to the wife of ex-Ambassador Joseph Wilson as a CIA "operative." Critics have said Novak could have endangered the woman and her contacts and might have helped the White House retaliate against Wilson, a critic of the Bush administration's Iraq policies.
The editors said it's rare for a column to raise a red flag, noting that they trust most syndicated writers. But if there is a question? "I will call the syndicate or maybe talk to the writer," said Steve Huntley, editorial page editor of the Chicago Sun-Times.
"When in doubt, pull it out," said Sean Paige, editorial page editor of The Gazette in Colorado Springs, noting that he'd run a different column instead.
"We would ask more members of the editorial board or perhaps the publisher to take a look at the column," said Nolan Finley, editorial page editor of The Detroit News.
"Two people read each column. If we're troubled by something, we'll show it to the publisher or executive editor," said Steven Macoy, senior editorial writer at the Waterbury (Conn.) Republican-American.
Even as they explained their procedures, the editors said these steps weren't needed for Novak's controversial piece. "It didn't raise my eyebrows," said Huntley, noting he got the impression from the column that Wilson's wife was more a CIA "functionary" than undercover agent. "I trust Bob implicitly for accuracy, judgment, and ethics." The Sun-Times is the home paper for Novak, who runs in more than 150 other papers via Creators Syndicate.
Fred Hiatt, editorial page editor of The Washington Post, said when he first saw the July 14 piece, "There was nothing in the column that indicated to me that a major disclosure was being made. Nor did we receive a call from the CIA asking us not to publish."
So the Post ran the column. Now, more than two months later, what does Hiatt think about Novak naming Wilson's wife? "We don't know all the facts yet," he replied. "I'm in favor of being cautious until we do. We don't yet know whether a law was broken."
The Gazette's Paige said of the July 14 piece: "I didn't find anything alarming about it at the time, though I'm open to new information. Robert Novak has a long history and a lot of credibility. The CIA is a big bureaucracy, and not all the people who work for it are cloak-and-dagger." He added that the column was more about Wilson than Wilson's wife, and "I don't think Novak's purpose was to blow the woman's cover, if she was undercover."
But Novak did call Wilson's wife an "operative" in the July 14 column, which he later said was his one regret about the piece. Wilson has stated that his wife was indeed involved in covert activities.
Huntley labeled "ludicrous" the accusation that Novak was a White House tool, and said the columnist was not a strong supporter of the Iraq war. He added: "Bob may have conservative views, but he's above all a reporter and calls the shots as he sees them."
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Source: Editor & Publisher Online
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Dave Astor (dastor@editorandpublisher.com) is senior editor for E&P.