I was saddened to see Anthony Warren’s guest editorial, “Emerald columnist proves herself unethical, irresponsible journalist,” (ODE, Feb. 1). It was riddled with so many inaccuracies about myself that I felt sick.
Anthony Warren claims that I identified myself as “a reporter sent from the Emerald to write an article about (their) event.” This is incorrect. I wanted to write a column about abortion in general, but had no idea what angle I wanted to take. I wanted to ask the demonstrators some questions, and figured if I used any information from them, I should let them know I wrote for the paper. Which is exactly what I said: “My name is Army Feth and I work for the Emerald.” Never did I claim to be a reporter. Never did I claim I had been sent by the Emerald to cover the event. That would have been more than unethical, it would have been a lie. And anyone who knows me knows that it is practically impossible for me to tell a lie. I get all flustered and guilty looking and you can see right through me. I don’t lie because of principle, and I can’t lie because of conscience.
Warren also claims that I tarnished his view of the Emerald. What he neglects to say is that when I did introduce myself, he sighed and said, “Oh, great,” in a sarcastic tone. Whatever view Warren had of the Emerald was firmly decided before I wrote my column, or even interviewed him for that matter.
In hindsight, I should have been clearer when I identified myself and said specifically that I was a columnist. Had I done that, I would have saved myself the trouble of being misinterpreted. I regret the error and apologize.
But not only did Warren misinterpret who I was and what I said, he misinterpreted what I wrote as well.
He claimed I don’t follow politics closely, and fail to realize that “abortion is one of the most contentious partisan issues in this country.” I don’t know how he came to this conclusion, because my entire column was about the politicization of the abortion issue. I explained in depth that the Republican Party has used this to gain votes, which also makes it a partisan issue.
Warren also said that I opined that Republicans don’t take a stance on abortion. This is also absurd, because in my column I actually said the opposite: “My point is that the Republican stance on abortion is clear: ‘We oppose abortion, but our pro-life agenda does not include punitive action against women who have an abortion,’ according to the party’s 2004 campaign platform. They couldn’t be any clearer. They have no ambition to ever outlaw abortion.”
Warren’s guest commentary was untrue and hurtful. I quoted one thing he said, which he did not contest, and wrote a column on a broader issue. Rather than respond to the issue, he attacked me personally. He changed my words and called me a liar. Attacking the integrity and smearing the reputations of journalists is not officially addressed in the Republican platform, but it certainly seems to happen a lot.
Army Feth is a columnist for the Oregon Daily Emerald