The presidency and life of President Richard Milhous Nixon will be debated until the end of time. Many will strictly comment on his international accomplishments. Others will focus on his failures domestically and the shame that followed him on his resignation from the presidency. Hopefully however, very few, if any, will assume they have the divine knowledge which enables them to comment on his afterlife all in the guise of freedom of the press.
Your cover story from the Friday, April 29, issue is the furthest thing from journalism. What is it then? I believe it’s rude! It’s disrespectful! It’s hurtful! And completely void of any journalistic substance! Journalists have a responsibility of providing insight on topics facing the world. To question his presidency is one thing. To write a story about his entrance into the gates of hell is another.
There would have been as much journalistic value in having a photograph of a child molestation on the front page as there was with the headline of your story. My only hope is that next week’s issue does not feature such a poor excuse of (I use this term loosely) journalism!
Todd M. Zimmermann
Chicago