NOTE: The following is an editorial published in the Northwest Arkansas Times four days before the 1992 mayoral election in Fayetteville. Dan Coody brought a libel suit against the Times for this article and news article that followed. In our study of this case, the editorial is referred to as "Facade" and the news article (which you must also read) is referred to as "Probe."
Northwest Arkansas Times
Saturday, Oct. 31, 1992
It's time for Coody's
facade to come off
The months prior to this upcoming general election have been a balancing act for this newspaper.
We have endorsed state and national candidates, and we have taken a stand on local issues.
We have NOT, however, endorsed any of the candidates for city positions because we believe that to do so would interfere with our efforts to present balanced, unbiased reporting on a very controversial local city election.
In an effort to allow voters to voice their opinions about local candidates, early in the campaigning, we allowed "Letters to the Editor" supporting local candidates until it became obvious that there was some sort of "set up" by at least one mayoral candidate. After we printed a letter from a Missouri man who said he talked to Dan Coody for a couple of hours several years ago and wanted to tell everybody what a great guy he was, I reassessed the decision and had my editor begin phasing out letters supporting individual city candidates.
Shortly after he declared for mayor, I began hearing rumors about Coody. We did not give credence to these rumors. I wanted to keep the local campaigning as clean as possible.
The gloves come off
However, after certain events have occurred during the past two weeks, it's time for the gloves to come off.
In the past several weeks in programs on the public access
television station, Coody has launched attacks against the Northwest
Arkansas Times, including mentioning me as the publisher. He also
has, I believe, attempted to mislead the public about who he is and
what he stands for. In private, he has exhibited behavior which makes
me doubt his ability to perform under stress -- something a mayor
certainly must do.
A message sent
A tape-recorded message left on another candidate's answering machine from Coody was brought to my attention this week. I feel the public should know the context of Coody's message to another mayoral candidate, Glenn Sowder.
(The abbreviations and dashes are ours because we will not print some of Coody's words in this newspaper.)
"Hey, Sowder, Coody here. How are you doing? Say, one of your biggest supporters over here, Gaylord, is telling a bunch of folks that I abused Deborah and that I have beat up women and things like that and it's p----- a lot of people off. If I were you, I would talk to that (SOB) because the reason we don't do business there is because he called Deborah a b----. So if you would just tell him to shut his g--d--- mouth about stuff, I'd appreciate it, because not only is it a complete lie, he's making a lot of your supporters look at both of you and think, well I know that is not true, so why is he saying that? So all right. We'll see you. Bye."
What's Coody nervous about?
Shouldn't he be glad if Sowder's supporters lose faith in him?
And, finally, if he has a problem with Gaylord, why can't he go to him face-to-face instead of leaving such a message on Sowder's answering machine?
What's his rationale?
He couldn't get his way
I believe Coody's attacks against me and this newspaper are being launched simply because he couldn't get his way here. The first week I met Coody, I let him know neither he nor anyone else could dictate what this newspaper prints.
I had been at the Times for less than two weeks when Coody visited me and began telling me who I should and should not listen to in the community.
At that time, I told him that's not the way I operate. That I wanted this newspaper to publish news articles which are fair and unbiased.
In the year I have been here, I've received numerous letters from readers who say they appreciate our having done just that, and appreciate the fact that there are people here who care about Fayetteville. On our opinion pages, we voice our opinion. In our news pages, we stick to the facts.
His slurs against the Northwest Arkansas Times are against every
person who works here. Coody's attacks affect each and every employee
here who is working to produce the kind of newspaper the community
wants.
Attacking Fayetteville
His slurs against this newspaper are also slurs against Fayetteville. The Northwest Arkansas Times is Fayetteville's newspaper. The Times is committed to Fayetteville and committed to being the best newspaper possible. We've made a lot of positive changes in the past year in our quest to meet that goal. We will continue to make changes in response to the community in order to achieve that goal, but we will not be a mouthpiece for anyone on our news pages.
If Coody is against his newspaper which stands squarely for Fayetteville, where does he stand for Fayetteville?
Coody also has accused me of being in collusion with the chamber of commerce and with city government.
During my career as a newspaper manager, I have supported stories that expose wrong-doing by government and political figures.
In other cities, I've taken on a GOP chairman and a council member, both of whom were misusing their power. I've also taken on leaders of an industry who were attempting to pull strings for their own economic advantage. I will support such stories here when -- and if -- they are warranted.
As far as my ties with the local chamber of commerce, I have never made a secret my involvement with this chamber of commerce and have made it a practice to be involved with chambers of commerce in other cities where I have lived and worked. I believe a good, active chamber of commerce is vital to any city, and certainly, Fayetteville is no different.
Accusations come easy
Coody seems fond of making accusations without much substance.
During a forum this newspaper sponsored on public access television, Coody accused the Fayetteville Chamber or Commerce of taking excess amounts of money from the city.
During that forum, Coody said the chamber had received a little more than $400,000 from the city tax base over 14 months (1991 and the first two months of 1992). The chamber had actually received less than half that amount, $164,581.73, and had plans to return even more unused monies to the city.
Coody made it sound as though it was illegal or under-the-table money when, in fact, it was money from the city's economic development fund and from the Advertising and Promotion Commission.
It's money designated for the chamber for economic development and for promoting the city.
When the chamber called Coody's hand on his accusations, he resorted to his same old song and dance about being denied access to information by city employees.
That's getting to be an old song and dance.
Ploy challenged
One of Coody's latest ploys concerns the proposed Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Authority.
Again, on programs on public access television, Coody keeps alluding to information he has about hidden costs and hidden agendas.
He has not made a secret of the fact that he is opposed to the regional airport.
That is his choice, but if any of this information he has is real, I suggest he call a press conference and make copies of such information available to the media and to the public.
It's easy for Coody to say he knows all sorts of things, but it seems every time his hand is called, he has to back down.
I think it's time for Coody to back down, period. I believe his
rhetoric about loyalties for Fayetteville is a thin facade covering
his real loyalty -- to himself.
Dave Stokes
Publisher