WASHINGTON TIMES AND ITS CONSERVATIVE NICHE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00845R000201260004-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 11, 2010
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: May 26, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/11: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201260004-3
P,T! E kPPEARCD I IFA7 YORK TlrES
"' 26 May 1985
WASHINGTON TALK
Washington Times and Its
Conservative Niche
By ALEX S. JONES Most journalists, academics and
Special to The New York Times Government and political figures in
WASHINGTON, May 24 - Staff Washington seem to think The Wash-
members of The Washington Times ington Times is unlikely ever to chal-
tell of how the newspaper's new edi- lenge The Post as a traditional, if con-
tor, Arnaud de Borchgrave, some- servative, daily in the manner of The
times prowls the newsroom late in the Washington Star, whose closing
evening in blue silk pajamas, roused prompted the creation of The Wash-
from the bed in his office by an idea ington Times. Generally cited as rea-
that might help crack what he consid- sons for its inability to make more
ers the liberal bias of many news or- headway are its identification with
ganizations in general and the "in- the church's leader, the Rev. Sun
credible arrogance" of The Washing- Myung Moon; the entrenchment of
ton Post in particular. The Post and a sense that ideology
In the two months that Mr. de !often appears more important than
Borchgrave has been in charge, his news in the paper. A chronic lack of
ideas have included offering a $1 mil- advertising suggests that it is likely to
lion reward for information leading to continue to depend on a subsidy.
the arrest and conviction of Dr. Josef Still, the paper has created a niche
Mengele, the Nazi war criminal, and for itself in the capital's crowded
a front-page editorial announcing a journalistic marketplace, where al-
drive by the paper to raise $14 million most every .iews organization of any
for the Nicaraguan rebels after Con- size is represented. It is generally
gress refused more aid. seen as a showcase for the evolution
Such attention-attracting moves of conservative thought and perspec-
are only one aspect of the paper's de- tive on the news, with more and more
clared mission of being a conserva- journalists and officials saying they
tive alternative. But attention is im- read it for tips in that area and more
portant if the paper is to win signifi- and more of its articles appearing in
cant visibility outside conservative the news summaries distributed
circles, a problem journalism critics widely in Government agencies and
say has dogged it since it was founded on Capitol Hill.
three years ago by the Unification "They are frequently ahead on
Church. news of what's happening in conser-
"To me, The Times seems to be vative thinking," said David R. Ger-
saying, `Look at me!,' but in fact very gen, a former communications direc-
few people in Washington do," said tor for President Reagan who is now a
Katherine Evans, editor of The Wash- syndicated columnist. "And for con-
ington Journalism Review. servatives it has become a valuable
Reagan Reads It Each Day networking device that they use to
talk back and forth and they turn to
Mr. de Borchgrave remains confi- The Times when they want to get
dent, saying: "The Washington something out."
Times is the first thing Ronald Rea- The paper sometimes seems to get
gan reads each morning. He called significant news breaks from the Ad-
me up and told me so." ministration. Mr. Reagan's first in-
As further evidence of the paper's terview after his re-election was with
influence, Mr. de Borchgrave noted a reporter from The Washington
that when President Jose Napoleon Times. "A White House correspond-
Duarte of El Salvador came to town a ent. would not read it at his own
few days ago the first newspaper he peril," said Chris Wallace, who
visited was The Washington Times. covers the. White House for NBC
As for circulation, though the News.
church has equipped the paper with But while it thus has become a fac-
modern facilities and provides an an- for on the Washington journalism
nual subsidy estimated to be $25 mil- scene, as a basic provider of informa-
lion, it has failed to attract wide read- tion and opinion it is said to remain in
ership. The paper, published Monday the second tier of news organizations,
through Friday, had a March (ircula- along with regional newspapers.
tion of 75,354 copies in the Washington "Its visibility is low and its impor-
area, with 8,608 more copies distrib- tance in the news chain is lower,"
uted around the nation, according to a said Michael J. Robinson, director of
publishing statement by the Audit Bu- George Washington University's
reau of Circulations. By comparison, Media Analysis Project, which stud-
circulation of The Washington Post ies the effect of American journalism
was 771,253 daily and over a million on politics and institutions.
,Sunday. Officials at The Washington Post,
The New York Tames, The Wall
Street.Journal, The Associated Press
and United Press International sa\
they regularly review The Washing-
ton Times for news leads and pick ur
important news items. For example,
a recent article about Vernon A. Wal-
ters's complaints that he would not
have the access he wanted as chief
delegate to the United Nations was
picked up by The Post, The New York
Times and others.
Evidence of Liberal Bias
But Mr. de Borchgrave says other
news organizations do not pick up
nearly enough articles originating in
his paper. He says this is evidence of
a liberal bias.
As, for his own politics, Mr. de
Borchgrave, 58 years old, says he was
a "Scoop Jackson Democrat" until
the party's conservatives were cowed
into silence by people with a "radical
third-world ideology."
He has never been shy about his
outspoken views about what should
and should not appear in the press.
His office confirmed that those views
led to his being asked to resign from
Newsweek in 1980 after 30 years as a
foreign correspondent. Subsequently,
before joining The Washington
Times, he was co-author of "The
Spike," a novel about reputed Soviet
influence on this country's press.
Though the paper is clearly conser-
vative, most journalists from other
organizations say its news columns
are not a mouthpiece for the Unifica-
tion Church. The paper uses news
agency articles to cover church
issues, and Mr. de Borchgrave says
he is guaranteed total editorial inde-
pendence from the church.
In the view of many journalism
critics, the paper's conservatism
tends to show not so much in how arti-
cles are written but in what news is
selected for publication and how
prominently some articles are dis-
played. Articles regarding Soviet in-
fluence and intelligence-gathering ef-
torts, or ins ance are usuallV promi-
nently is ayed, as are articles in-
oviiicaratia anc Cuba.
Explaining this approach to jour-
nalism, Mr. de Borchgrave says he
wants The Washington Times to be
like such European newspapers as Le
Figaro, which reports the news from
a conservative perspective in France.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/11: CIA-RDP90-00845R000201260004-3