I am writing to correct the record after the Journal ran a factually inaccurate letter from William H. Taylor on November 13 claiming that U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, voted for the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 in the House, when he voted against the measure and spoke out against it.
The Journal covered Congressman Tipton’s vote on the budget just weeks earlier, reporting on Nov. 3 that, “Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, who was one of the Republicans to vote against the measure, called it ‘a bad deal that I cannot support.’”
The headline of the Journal story made it even clearer: “Tipton opposes budget act.”
While I appreciate the opportunity to have this letter published to correct the record, the Journal refused to write a correction or retract the initial untrue letter. When I contacted the staff I was informed that the editors have no accountability for the content of the letters printed in their paper — factual or otherwise. The unfortunate result of this policy was misinformation provided to readers in William Taylor’s letter Nov. 13.
Josh Green
Office of Congressman Scott Tipton
Pueblo
Editor’s note: Josh Green is right in saying that a letter to the editor from William H. Taylor of Dolores (Journal, Nov. 13) incorrectly said U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, voted for a budget bill that passed the House in October. As previously reported (Journal, Nov. 3), Tipton cast a “no” vote. Green’s understanding of the Journal’s policy, however, warrants further explanation. Journal editors are very much accountable for what appears in the paper or online. Letters, for example, are edited for length, clarity and to eliminate libelous or tasteless expressions. Opinion page editors, however, do not fact-check letters to the editor. Editors do not have the resources or the ability to verify every statement made in what are, by definition, expressions of opinion. Moreover, especially during elections or public controversies, what constitutes the facts is often exactly what is at issue. The most effective way to counter something that appears in a letter is, as Green has done, to alert us with a letter in response.
