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HOW MANY TIMES LOS ANGELES TIMES?
By Harut Sassounian
The California
19.08.2008
Even though I am getting tired of requesting the same correction from
the Los Angeles Times every few months, the newspaper's reporters do
not seem to get tired of making the same mistake!
Readers can probably guess by now that I am talking about another
improper reference to the Armenian Genocide in the Times. This time,
reporter Agustin Gurza is the culprit.
In the newspaper's Calendar Section of August 9, Mr. Gurza wrote
a lengthy front-page feature article about the U.S. debut of the
Armenian Navy Band -- a 12-piece folk-fusion ensemble from Armenia --
at the prestigious Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
I was surprised and annoyed to read in that article, the following
mischaracterization of the Armenian Genocide: "Armenians carry in
their collective DNA the memory of what they consider a genocide by
the Turks in the early 20th century." Mr. Gurza should have known that
the Armenian Genocide is universally acknowledged, except for Turkish
denialists and their paid cohorts. The reporter's faulty statement
also violates the Times' editorial policy on the Armenian Genocide.
Unfortunately, this is not the first such mistake by a Times'
reporter; nor it would be the last. In recent years, this newspaper
has published countless corrections on this issue. Over a year ago,
there was a20major confrontation between the Armenian community
and Times' editors, when Managing Editor Douglas Frantz blocked the
publication of an article on the Armenian Genocide written by reporter
Mark Arax. The controversy was settled when Times' Publisher David
Hiller reassured the community that no further deviation from the
newspaper's established policy on the Armenian Genocide would be
tolerated. Mr. Frantz is no longer employed at the Times.
Six months later, reporter Richard Simon, in his October 3, 2007
article, once again mischaracterized the Armenian Genocide. Two days
after I complained to Mr. Hiller, the Times printed the following
correction: "Armenian genocide: An article in Wednesday's Section
A about a bill to recognize the killing of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks as genocide said, 'Armenians say that 1.5 million of their
people perished as part of a campaign to drive them out of eastern
Turkey.' The statement should not have been attributed solely to
Armenians; historical evidence and research support the accuracy of
the term genocide."
Less than a year after that correction, reporter Gurza repeated
the same mistake in his August 9, 2008 article. Assuming that as an
entertainment reporter he may not be aware of his newspaper's policy
on the Armenian Genocide, I called him on August 11 to let him know
about his possibly inadvertent error. As he was not at his desk,
I left a message on his voice mail.
When I did not hear from Mr. Gurza, I contacted directly the editors
of the Times. I received a prompt call the next day, saying that the
editors had reviewed my complaint, found it justified, and promised
to publish an appropriate correction shortly. Indeed, in the August
14 issue of the newspaper, the following correction appeared:
"Armenian band: An article in Saturday's Calendar section about the
Armenian Navy Band, making its U.S. debut Friday at Walt Disney Concert
Hall, said 'Armenians carry in their collective DNA the memory of what
they consider a genocide by the Turks in the early 20th century.' The
statement should not have qualified the term 'genocide'; historical
evidence and research support the accuracy of the term."
This correction is almost identical to the one published almost a
year ago.
Although some of our readers see a conspiracy behind the newspaper's
repeated improper references to the Armenian Genocide, I disagree. I
believe that these errors are simply caused by uninformed or negligent
reporters.
Since hundreds of journalists work at the Times, and there is a high
turnover, it is understandable that new staff members may not be
aware of the newspaper's policy on the Armenian Genocide.
Even though I am getting tired of contacting the Times, asking for
yet another correction, let's look at the bright side. The editors of
the Times have always graciously accepted my complaint a nd promptly
published the requested correction.
Furthermore, each time that the Times makes such a mistake, it creates
yet another opportunity for the newspaper to reconfirm the facts of
the Armenian Genocide and remind both current and newly hired staff
of its time-honored policy on this issue.
By Harut Sassounian
The California
19.08.2008
Even though I am getting tired of requesting the same correction from
the Los Angeles Times every few months, the newspaper's reporters do
not seem to get tired of making the same mistake!
Readers can probably guess by now that I am talking about another
improper reference to the Armenian Genocide in the Times. This time,
reporter Agustin Gurza is the culprit.
In the newspaper's Calendar Section of August 9, Mr. Gurza wrote
a lengthy front-page feature article about the U.S. debut of the
Armenian Navy Band -- a 12-piece folk-fusion ensemble from Armenia --
at the prestigious Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
I was surprised and annoyed to read in that article, the following
mischaracterization of the Armenian Genocide: "Armenians carry in
their collective DNA the memory of what they consider a genocide by
the Turks in the early 20th century." Mr. Gurza should have known that
the Armenian Genocide is universally acknowledged, except for Turkish
denialists and their paid cohorts. The reporter's faulty statement
also violates the Times' editorial policy on the Armenian Genocide.
Unfortunately, this is not the first such mistake by a Times'
reporter; nor it would be the last. In recent years, this newspaper
has published countless corrections on this issue. Over a year ago,
there was a20major confrontation between the Armenian community
and Times' editors, when Managing Editor Douglas Frantz blocked the
publication of an article on the Armenian Genocide written by reporter
Mark Arax. The controversy was settled when Times' Publisher David
Hiller reassured the community that no further deviation from the
newspaper's established policy on the Armenian Genocide would be
tolerated. Mr. Frantz is no longer employed at the Times.
Six months later, reporter Richard Simon, in his October 3, 2007
article, once again mischaracterized the Armenian Genocide. Two days
after I complained to Mr. Hiller, the Times printed the following
correction: "Armenian genocide: An article in Wednesday's Section
A about a bill to recognize the killing of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks as genocide said, 'Armenians say that 1.5 million of their
people perished as part of a campaign to drive them out of eastern
Turkey.' The statement should not have been attributed solely to
Armenians; historical evidence and research support the accuracy of
the term genocide."
Less than a year after that correction, reporter Gurza repeated
the same mistake in his August 9, 2008 article. Assuming that as an
entertainment reporter he may not be aware of his newspaper's policy
on the Armenian Genocide, I called him on August 11 to let him know
about his possibly inadvertent error. As he was not at his desk,
I left a message on his voice mail.
When I did not hear from Mr. Gurza, I contacted directly the editors
of the Times. I received a prompt call the next day, saying that the
editors had reviewed my complaint, found it justified, and promised
to publish an appropriate correction shortly. Indeed, in the August
14 issue of the newspaper, the following correction appeared:
"Armenian band: An article in Saturday's Calendar section about the
Armenian Navy Band, making its U.S. debut Friday at Walt Disney Concert
Hall, said 'Armenians carry in their collective DNA the memory of what
they consider a genocide by the Turks in the early 20th century.' The
statement should not have qualified the term 'genocide'; historical
evidence and research support the accuracy of the term."
This correction is almost identical to the one published almost a
year ago.
Although some of our readers see a conspiracy behind the newspaper's
repeated improper references to the Armenian Genocide, I disagree. I
believe that these errors are simply caused by uninformed or negligent
reporters.
Since hundreds of journalists work at the Times, and there is a high
turnover, it is understandable that new staff members may not be
aware of the newspaper's policy on the Armenian Genocide.
Even though I am getting tired of contacting the Times, asking for
yet another correction, let's look at the bright side. The editors of
the Times have always graciously accepted my complaint a nd promptly
published the requested correction.
Furthermore, each time that the Times makes such a mistake, it creates
yet another opportunity for the newspaper to reconfirm the facts of
the Armenian Genocide and remind both current and newly hired staff
of its time-honored policy on this issue.