MEDIA WATCH
Style Weekly satire isn't funny, just mean-spirited
Greg Pearson

Last week in its Oct. 3 issue, Style Weekly proved that just because you can publish something doesn't mean you should. In what the paper called "satire," its staff launched an attack on female Chesterfield employees, writing that "big-haired Chesterfield women…walk the [administration] hallways wearing thick pantyhose and five layers of makeup. At lunch you'll find them smoking Marlboro Reds by the picnic tables. We suspect they drive Pontiacs and daydream about Dale Earnhardt. We hear the clerk's office bans women from wearing pants. Good Lord, this isn't 1970."

We are so repulsed it's hard to know where to start. Why would the staff and management of a newspaper attack so many women they don't know? The characterization and implication are completely inaccurate. Does the description sound like women who live in a county where the median household income is $10,000 higher than Henrico County and way higher than Richmond?

Just hearing about a pants ban isn't good journalism. We checked, and Style is wrong.

"It's cowardly and cruel to print anonymous untruths, and that makes it trash," said Judy Worthington, clerk of the Chesterfield Circuit Court. "I wear pants to work," added Lisa Elko, clerk to the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors.

Entitled "Pledge This," the satire focused on seven issues it wanted supervisor candidates for the Chesterfield board to endorse. Generally, they included asking the candidates to admit that Chesterfield isn't immune to political scandals; build a new administrative building; hire more police officers; place less emphasis on illegal immigrants; discontinue county support for Cloverleaf Mall; stop using Deputy County Administrator Pete Stith as a spokesperson when dealing with racial issues; and support more low-income housing.

Style wrote Stith is the county's "only black administrator" and that he is the front man when "a racially sensitive issue arises." Again, Style is factually incorrect. Marilyn Cole, an assistant county administrator who happens to be African-American, is one of five top administrators with the county government. Dr. Marcus Newsome, an African-American, is superintendent of Chesterfield schools, who replaced Billy Cannaday, another African- American. We could go on, but you get the idea.

The chairman of the Chesterfield County Chamber of Commerce took offense at Style's personal attack on Stith. In an e-mail, attorney Sam Kaufman wrote, "The comment about Pete Stith is quite disturbing…Implying that he is assigned to handle difficult tasks with the media based on his race is disingenuous…I am surprised that Style Weekly, a self-proclaimed progressive paper, would resort to such antiquated ideas of race and employment."

"We all know that…Stith is the only black person roaming the administrative halls…," wrote Style. The publication objected to Stith's involvement in the revitalization of Cloverleaf Mall, implying Stith was used to mollify a black church who offered to buy the property. Actually, Stith oversees seven county departments plus revitalization, which means he was doing his job. But you probably wouldn't know that unless you actually came to Chesterfield to cover the county government.

During a telephone interview with Jason Roop, Style's editor, we asked him three times if Style has an African-American among its management. We still don't know the answer.

Roop defended the satire on Chesterfield, saying the paper was trying to get important county issues talked about. He proclaimed the satire to be "amusing" and "was pleased we are creating a reaction." In Chesterfield that reaction seems to be targeted at Style.

"Who moved the rock that let these people out," asked businessman Bob Schrum. "Obviously they don't understand Chesterfield, and I would be shocked if any candidates sign this pledge."

Roop acknowledged that Style hardly ever sends a reporter on an assignment to Chesterfield and gets much of its information from other media including this newspaper. In the news business, "being there" helps with accuracy.

Asked if Style would consider doing a similar satire on itself, a staff member or a family member, Roop dodged the question saying, "Obviously, you don't have a sense of humor."

So here's our pledge to Style:

1) We will print your apology. It's not too late to admit you made a mistake. Since your circulation is under 10,000 in Chesterfield, many more people will know of your regrets.

2) You obviously need to be educated about Chesterfield, and our newspaper will be happy to provide your staff with a gratis tour of the county including lunch. You'd be in good company because even the Richmond Times-Dispatch has toured Chesterfield...twice.

3) Since you're not willing to send a reporter here to cover Chesterfield stories, we'll help you fact-check. Call us.