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MAINSTREAM MESSENGER Vol. 1, No. 1 April 1998A Free Press for Free Baptists Individual soul autonomy requires information in order to make individual decisions, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. We need a free press to communicate the full scope of information. The history of the new SBC shows increasing threat to the free press. The December 11, 1997 issue of the Baptist Messenger printed a letter mildly critical to a news story in a previous issue. Following the letter, though, the editor chose to rebuke the letter writer -- in bold text no less! Subsequent editions show this to be that editor's consistent style in defending his publication. By contrast, I recently read the letters to the editor of Home Life. Whenever the editor gave a response, his comments were in smaller type than the letter itself -- in proper editorial humility, I thought. Further, the Baptist Messenger's response to the December 11 article defended the Baptist Press as, "a reliable news source." I wrote the editor, recalling the day in 1990 when the SBC Executive Committee fired Dan Martin and Al Shackleford. Their only journalistic sin was to print the whole truth of Southern Baptist life, not just the Executive Committee's party line. You didn't see my letter in the Baptist Messenger? I wonder why! The Mainstream Oklahoma Baptist covenant indicates that one of our purposes is to preserve and protect a "free, responsible, fair Baptist press in Oklahoma." We will make periodic "Report Cards" to members of Mainstream and other Oklahoma Baptists with regard to the state of the free Baptist press in Oklahoma. Whether he agrees or not, the current editor of the Baptist Messenger is shackled by prior decisions of the new BGCO leadership. By avoiding use Associated Baptist Press, the Baptist Messenger limits itself to only one side of many complex Southern Baptist stories. Further the Baptist Messenger has a policy of refusing advertising from the free and faithful Baptists allied with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Occasionally in the past the paper has published reasonably well-balanced news stories of CBF actions. Now we will see if even that might happen again. Whenever you write a critical letter to the editor of the Baptist Messenger, you are encouraged to send a copy to Mainstream Oklahoma Baptists, to help us monitor the editor's selection process. When Mainstream members observe an apparent violation of the spirit of the free Baptist press in Oklahoma, they are urged to call it to the attention of Mainstream leadership. Just send your report, including clippings, to the Mainstream office. In fairness, also report any exemplary expression of a free or fair press! Richard D. Kahoe |
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Online since April 7, 1999
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