We caught this amazing piece in the #Austin-American @statesman about #HonestObits and were reminded that we have a story to share with you about an #HonestObit that was rejected by the #SanAntonio @ExpressNews...
statesman.com/opinion/202008…
.@ExpressNews claimed that they could not run the #HonestObit bc it included opinions, criticized elected officials, and editorialized; they stated it would detract from the journalistic integrity of the paper and offered to run it as a paid advertisement instead.
In hopes of compromise, we removed some of the stronger language as well as an invitation to a vigil, which the paper claimed was not the same as a funeral -- though as you'll see below, the @statesman clearly disagrees with this distinction.
But @ExpressNews was stuck on this: "His death was due to neglect of the Hispanic community by President Trump and Governor Abbott, who downplayed the virus, did not provide adequate testing and contact tracing, and littered the airways with mixed messages on how to remain safe."
Despite clear evidence for the veracity of this statement and offers to connect the editors directly to epidemiologists with expertise in this area, @ExpressNews refused to move forward.
After exhausting this avenue, @ExpressNews claimed that they could not run something that criticized elected officials. However, the above statement is fact; that it may reflect poorly on @GregAbbott_TX and @realDonaldTrump is an extrapolation based on this fact.
Finally, @ExpressNews tried claiming that obituaries may only state immediate cause of death. But this is far from the case - when someone dies "from cancer," ppl are allowed to list cancer as the cause and not something more specific like "multi-organ failure."
We asked if someone had died by homicide (proven in court), if "homicide" could be listed as cause of death instead of/in addition to "gunshot wound," "exsanguination," etc. Apparently this could be OK -- so there is no real requirement to list most immediate cause of death.
Finally, on its website and on ALL obituary submission instructions, the @ExpressNews has no guidelines or limitations published re: obituary content. In fact, they specifically state the only information they may need to vet is that the subject actually passed.
Given this info, @ExpressNew's refusal to run this #HonestObit appears to be politically motivated, discriminatory, and censorship.
Furthermore, the leading #Texas paper, @statesman, agrees with us and takes it one step further, stating that it's OK to politicize an obit...
"Those who object to the “politicization” of obituaries disregard the fact that many obituaries not only list the cause of death, but also have a public call to action...The #HonestObit trend makes visible this intersection of private life and public policy." -@statesman
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