I used to be an avid reader and subscriber to US Weekly. Admittedly, I loved to get the dirt on the celebrities. I don't know why, but I did - guilty pleasure. When this publication heartlessly attacked Sarah Palin and her family - and even made some disgusting accusations - I immediately cancelled my subscription and wrote a letter to the editor. See below.
Dear Editor,
My name is Keil Oliver and my account number is 0124587403. I have held a subscription to Us Weekly Magazine for the past five years. I am utterly appalled and dismayed by your recent cover Babies, Lies, and Scandal, issue 709. I received this issue and read the article on Governor Sarah Palin, Vice-Presidential Nominee for the Republican Party. Your lack of journalistic ethics is deplorable and I have cancelled my subscription effective September 6, 2008 (cancellation order # 801128133626).
I understand your magazine owner (Jann Wenner) is an avid supporter of Barack Obama. While I do not know your affiliation, as a free American, you are entitled to your opinions; however, I cannot believe you would allow your opinion, or that of your owner’s, to play a major theme in this magazine. Surely, you must understand that your readers do not share your same opinion and you are alienating them by such a blatant display of political pushing. Furthermore, you have offended me, personally, through your attacks on Gov. Palin. If you feel that her actions put to question her ability to become Vice-President, then you must also think similar actions by any other woman should be scrutinized as well.
I am a married, thirty year-old mother of a two-year old daughter. I have a MBA and work professionally outside of the home. My husband also works, so we have our child in daycare. I am a voting Republican and a proud PRO-LIFE Catholic. You insinuate that Sarah Palin is a bad mother with poor judgment because she is pro-life and, although she promotes abstinence, her seventeen year-old daughter is pregnant. You make it seem that because Gov. Palin’s daughter made a poor choice, Sarah Palin has no credibility to become the Vice-President. While you may think you are only portraying your source’s views in this statement, you are actually putting a biased spin on the issue. Your article is neither fair nor balanced. I could surmise from your article that I have no idea how to raise my child since I would allow my beliefs to “wrongly” educate on how a young lady should not have premarital sex. You couldn’t be more wrong and I am ashamed to admit I have ever been a reader of US Weekly Magazine.
I have never used your magazine to make decisions on important issues of today, but I did enjoy reading the frivolous articles concerning celebrities. I fear that other readers who do not listen to respected news outlets are going to read this inaccurate and misleading article and make a decision about Sarah Palin based upon these lies, especially when your magazine carried a comparative article several months ago portraying Michelle and Barack Obama as a loving couple with no problems. Since your negative article regarding Gov. Palin was so blatantly untruthful and misleading, should I presume that your glowing article regarding Michelle and Barack Obama was also blatantly untruthful and misleading, and not based upon any fact? I understand why you would put an article on Michelle Obama in your magazine, because Mrs. Obama seems to be a strong woman and a loving mother. What I don’t understand is how you can blatantly mislead an audience by telling lies or even reporting on rumors of another woman who has been so successful in her career and is also a loving mother and wife. I am fascinated to read about successful career women, and the choices they made to lead to their successes. I also realize that today’s society puts undue scrutiny on the success of powerful women. I have felt in the past that US Weekly often portrays strong women and especially challenged women in positive light – that is until now.
You have used Sarah Palin’s personal family issues as a means to put a spin on the situation to attract readers. The writer of this article obviously put no legitimate research into writing this piece as you take a handful of unproven claims, innuendo, and rumor and throw them together to make a salacious article and claim it as fair journalism. These sources bear no credibility whatsoever. You claim there is an endless stream of controversies surrounding Gov. Palin, but you have never once reported on Barack Obama’s drug use, association with black liberation theology, ties with felon Tony Rezko, and the federal earmark spending for his wife’s employer and campaign bundlers. The controversies with Gov. Palin are based solely on speculation and rumor. Her husband’s DUI occurred 22 years ago and bears no weight on her ability to represent this country. Your “in-depth” reporter obviously spent no time determining the truth in any of the controversies. In my opinion, you can find more truth in reporting on the controversies of the Democratic party if you want to start judging someone on DUIs, sexual indiscretion, and abuse of power – and that’s just the Kennedys and Clintons.
The writer’s attempt to be fair under the Resilient Mom section is comical, at best. The writer takes quotes out of context and judges Gov. Palin for going back to work so soon after pregnancy. I’m not certain of the point the pictures in Her Offbeat Career were trying to make, but I do believe it was passively attempting to portray her past experiences in a poor light, as if to say a beauty pageant contestant, small town leader and hunter make for a poor candidate. You also imply that her small town affiliation and that she’s only a governor deem her inexperienced for the position. Are you saying a state governor or mayor is not qualified to be a Vice-President? How many successful Presidents, both Republican and Democrat, have served as governor prior to being elected to office? Is it because she’s a woman that she is not qualified?
It further infuriates me that you often mock other magazines for putting spins on rumors (you devote sections in your magazine that chastises other magazines for incorrectly reporting on Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie) but you waste no time in reporting on the legitimacy of Sarah Palin’s youngest son, Trig. What evidence do you or any “blogger” have in trying to claim that boy is her daughter’s and not Gov. Palin’s? You further push the accusation by claiming she must not have really been pregnant because she didn’t immediately tell her coworkers, didn’t gain much weight, and went back to work so quickly. I find it ironic you claim she must not have been pregnant because she didn’t have a “large baby bump”, but waste no time in saying that Bristol was pregnant in 2007 because she had a slight bump. Which is it? The entire article claims Sarah Palin is surrounded in too much controversy to perform her job. It’s amazing how you can claim she’s unfit when she has shown nothing but character and virtue when dealing with adversity. Sarah Palin’s composure illustrates her toughness and I believe her when she says family must stick together in hard times. Furthermore, nowhere does it state that a political candidate must willingly divulge personal information about her children, especially to conniving reporters who like to put their own spin and take information out of context to create a more tantalizing article.
I realize I may have high expectations for this magazine to report fairly, but in reality this magazine has the same goal as the National Inquirer – to make money and sell magazines. I’m sure you achieved that goal, but at what cost? You and your owner may support Barack Obama, but that doesn’t mean you should tell lies and spread rumors about the other candidates. Sarah Palin is also making history as the first woman nominated by the Republican Party for Vice-President. She has an 80% approval rating amongst Alaskan voters. She has fought and won against corrupt politicians. She is a leader in environmental conservatism. She is a leader for women and a shining example of hard work and determination. Regardless of your political beliefs, you should have taken the high-road and reported on her accomplishments and not the alleged smut of the week. On behalf of all working moms with conservative beliefs, shame on you! If you wish to get into the political arena, you will bear the cost of lost subscriptions. We’ll see who has the last laugh in November; for now you must settle with one less customer, and probably more, because my friends and family intend to follow suit and boycott your magazine.
Sincerely,
Keil OliverFormer Subscriber of US Weekly Magazine
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