Cleveland.com has uncovered the idently of Ellie Light. Who is Ellie Light? Ellie Light is the name used in a number of letters showing support for President Obama written to some 60-plus newspaper editors around the country. Ellie Light claimed in her letters to be a resident of whatever community the newspaper represented. Ellie Light is actually Barbara Brooks who lives in Bakersfield, California. Actually, the update on the article at Cleveland.com now claims that the letter writer is Barbara Brooks ex-husband. I wonder what the truth actually is!
So what is the problem with this whole thing? The newspapers Ellie Light wrote to published her letters (defending President Obama) as if she were a local resident (which is what she implied in her letters). The article points out:
"This followed The Plain Dealer's publication on cleveland.com Thursday that a woman using the name Ellie Light was duping newspapers nationwide by giving them "local" addresses in letters to the editor that she penned defending President Obama's progress in advancing the Democratic agenda. Many newspapers will not publish letters unless they are from local readers."
This basically dishonest and misleading. I understand her wanting to have her political viewpoints heard (that's why this blog exists), but I do question her methods. In the age of the internet and of local elections which have national impact, I guess all of us (including newspaper editors) need to be very careful of our sources.
Leave a comment