Deborah Howell
Deborah Howell | |
---|---|
Born | Deborah Howell |
Died | January 2, 2010 | (aged 68)
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Journalist |
Deborah Howell (January 15, 1941 – January 2, 2010[1]) was a long-time newswoman and editor who served for three years as the ombudsman for The Washington Post.
Howell is a Board Member In Memoriam at the
Biography
Howell was born in
Howell served on the board of directors of the
On January 2, 2010, Howell died after being struck by a motorist while she was vacationing in New Zealand.[4] She had stopped to take a photo near Blenheim, and may have looked the wrong way for other vehicles.[5]
Washington Post career
On February 25, 2005, Howell was named ombudsman of the Washington Post.[6] On October 23, 2005, Howell introduced herself to readers by saying she had two goals in mind: "to foster good journalism and to increase understanding between the Post and its readers."[7]
Her farewell column appeared on December 28, 2008.[8]
Andrew Alexander took over as the Post ombudsman on February 2, 2009.
Abramoff column controversy
In January 2006, Howell became involved in a dispute with some of her readers over the contents of one of her columns. In her January 15 column defending the reporting by Washington Post reporter
After receiving many angry comments at the Post's blog, Howell responded: "A better way to have said it would be that Abramoff 'directed' contributions to both parties."[11]
This did not satisfy some readers of the blog, who responded that although Abramoff's clients did give money to both parties, there was no evidence that Abramoff "directed" contributions to Democrats and furthermore, that Abramoff's clients had given less money to Democrats than non-Abramoff clients.[12]
As the demands on the blog for a retraction and correction continued, the management of the Post decided to shut down and pull all comments from the blog. Jim Brady, executive editor of washingtonpost.com, explained this by saying that there had been "personal attacks, the use of profanity and hate speech" by "a significant number of folks". Some readers were skeptical of his claims and brought forth a
On January 22, 2006, Howell discussed the controversy started by her column the previous week. She repeated the statement that Abramoff had directed his clients to donate to both parties, but this time referred to her original assertion as a mistake and agreed that the Abramoff scandal is "not a bipartisan scandal; it's a Republican scandal." Howell went on to describe some of the "abusive" comments and e-mails she received, saying "I'll read every e-mail and answer as many legitimate complaints as I can ... But I will reject abuse and all that it stands for," adding, "... I have a tough hide, and a few curse words (which I use frequently) are not going to hurt my feelings." The kicker for the column summed up her attitude about the whole matter: "To all of those who wanted me fired, I'm afraid you're out of luck. I have a contract. For the next two years, I will continue to speak my mind. Keep smiling. I will."[14]
References
- ^ Pérez-Peña, Richard (January 3, 2010). "Deborah Howell, One of the First Women to Lead a Big U.S. Paper, Dies at 68". The New York Times. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
- ^ IWMF website "IWMF : International Women's Media Foundation - Board and Staff". Archived from the original on 2010-08-04. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
- ^ "Deborah Howell Interview". Archived from the original on 2008-09-05. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
- ^ Chandler, Michael Alison (January 2, 2010). "Ex-Washington Post ombudsman Howell dies in accident in New Zealand". The Washington Post. p. A14.
- ^ Ensor, Blair (2010-01-04). "Holiday horror after woman struck by car". The Marlborough Herald. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ Cohn, D'Vera (February 25, 2005). "Howell to Become Next Post Ombudsman". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ Howell, Deborah (October 23, 2005). "Who I Am -- and What I Hope to Do". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ Howell, Deborah (December 28, 2008). "A Farewell Hope for The Post's Future". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ Howell, Deborah. "Getting the Story on Jack Abramoff". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ "Page: So, the Abramoff mess is a GOP scandal after all". 16 January 2006.
- ^ "Deborah Howell Responds". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2006-02-07.
- ^ "Abramoff's 'Equal Money' Went Mostly to Republicans (Update1)". Bloomberg. December 21, 2005. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007.
- ^ "Comments Turned Off". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2006-02-01.
- ^ Howell, Deborah (January 22, 2006). "The Firestorm Over My Column". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 1, 2010.