That disturbing Chronicle editorial from yesterday — saying Florida’s sex offender law is too harsh — received some attention yesterday from none other than Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly:
[…]why is “The Houston Chronicle” criticizing Florida’s tough new crackdown on child molesters?
We can help with that question: in the Chronicle‘s world leftovers and criminals are more important than unborn babies and crime victims.
In fact, Sedosi Alhambra sums it up perfectly:
A new standard of Editorial ineptitude.
This is so bad I can’t even comment.
Just read and gasp.
Perhaps that could become the new editorial page banner — “Just read and gasp.”
UPDATE (5-12-2005): James Howard Gibbons (opinion page editor) has written a laugh-out-loud editorial journal in today’s paper, about Bill O’Reilly’s take on this editorial. It’s delicious!
He complains about O’Reilly getting his facts wrong (which just never happens in Chron editorials, nosirree), and says this:
O’Reilly claims his show is free of spin. Spin is when someone casts the facts in such a light as to reinforce his argument and weaken his opponent’s. What O’Reilly did was to disregard the facts altogether, even going so far as to attribute to the Chronicle words and views it did not print and does not espouse.
Before Chronicle readers complain about an editorial, I hope they take the time to read the editorial carefully, rather than relying on someone else’s careless characterization of its contents.
Oh Mr. Gibbons, we did read the editorial. And we still think Sedosi Alhambra’s reaction is perfect — just read and gasp.
Maybe Gibbons could ask for a correction from O’Reilly?
