Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 18:21:52 -0400
From: NRA Alerts <[a--er--s] at [nra.org]>
Subject: ALERT: Post Attacks Blackman

July 25, 1996

Attention NRA Members & Gun Owners!

If you see the Washington Post article on Dr. Paul Blackman
appear in your local newspaper, please use the information below
to rebut the article in a letter-to-the-editor!

NRA-ILA

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                          NRA Public Affairs
July 25, 1996                                      (703) 267-3820

       NRA FILES ETHICS COMPLAINT AGAINST WASHINGTON POST

              Post article "gross misrepresentation"
                 of Researcher's Work, NRA Policy

The National Rifle Association of America filed a formal ethics
complaint with the Society of Professional Journalists and Geneva
Overholser, Ombudsman of the Washington Post.  The complaint
charges the Washington Post with "gross misrepresentation" of the
work and conclusions of an NRA researcher and violation of
fundamental journalistic ethics by Post reporter Michael A.
Fletcher. 

"Mr. Fletcher's article in today's Post is nothing short of a
personal attack on a researcher and the NRA -- an attack wholly
without foundation, totally malicious and clearly in violation of
journalistic ethics," said Mrs. Tanya K. Metaksa, Executive
Director, NRA Institute for Legislative Action.   

"The facts of this cast a long shadow on the professionalism of
the journalist and the newspaper involved.  Both newspaper and
journalist have violated Article IV, Section 3, of the Code of
Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists which states: 
'There is no excuse for inaccuracies or lack of thoroughness.'

"Mr. Fletcher has falsely linked a view that both Dr. Paul
Blackman (NRA-ILA Research Coordinator) and the NRA find
abhorrent and without foundation -- namely, that race is a causal
factor in violent crime.  That is positively untrue, Mr. Fletcher
was told the truth, and Mr. Fletcher chose to ignore it.  

"The facts are these:

*    "Like virtually every criminologist and epidemiologist, Dr.
     Paul Blackman's research notes that race is a surrogate for
     underlying socioeconomic factors such as poverty, lack of
     education quality, etc. -- root causes of crime that cry out
     for resolution.  

*    "Dr. Blackman explained this in an interview with reporter
     Fletcher.

*    "Rather than faithfully report Blackman's work -- and the
     interview -- the reporter chose to totally fabricate a link
     between Blackman's conclusions and 'genetics' -- a topic
     never explored in the research, a notion disavowed by
     Blackman and the NRA,  and a topic Blackman never discussed
     with the reporter."

*    Blackman's 25-page paper was an examination, primarily, of
     victimization and showed that victimization can be traced to
     many demographic factors such as sex, age, race and other
     factors such as criminal activity and drug use.   The
     reporter chose to focus only on the first 6 pages of
     Blackman's paper, delivered last month to the annual
     symposium of the Homicide Research Working Group of which
     Blackman is a member.  

"Even a half-hearted commitment to accuracy and thoroughness
dictated by the Code of Ethics would demand that Mr. Fletcher
report Blackman's views faithfully, accurately and thoroughly. 
He clearly failed to do so.

"This is the most egregious example in recent memory of the
Post's long litany of bias against the NRA and law-abiding gun
owners.  The newspaper has failed to report on the advancements
NRA has made in bringing safety and responsibility programs to
minorities and the work NRA has done in eliminating
discrimination inherent in gun laws, notably by passage of Right
to Carry laws across the states that do not discriminate based on
race, gender and other factors.  NRA will continue to defend
freedom -- and constitutional rights -- for all Americans."
 
            -- the nra: people protecting freedom --

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This information is provided as a service of the National Rifle
Association Institute for Legislative Action, Fairfax, VA.

This and other information on the Second Amendment and the NRA is
available at: http://WWW.NRA.Org