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'''Deborah Howell''' (January 15, 1941 &ndash; January 2, 2010<ref>{{cite news|title=Deborah Howell, One of the First Women to Lead a Big U.S. Paper, Dies at 68|first=Richard|last=Pérez-Peña|date=January 3, 2010|accessdate=January 1, 2010|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/business/04howell.html}}</ref>) was a long-time newswoman and editor who served for three years as the [[ombudsman]] for ''[[The Washington Post]]''.
'''Deborah Howell''' (January 15, 1941 &ndash; January 2, 2010<ref>{{cite news|title=Deborah Howell, One of the First Women to Lead a Big U.S. Paper, Dies at 68|first=Richard|last=Pérez-Peña|date=January 3, 2010|accessdate=January 1, 2010|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/business/04howell.html}}</ref>) was a long-time newswoman and editor who served for three years as the [[ombudsman]] for ''[[The Washington Post]]''.
<br>
<br>
Howell is a Board Member In Memoriam at the [[IWMF]] (International Women's Media Foundation).<ref>IWMF website {{cite web|url=http://www.iwmf.org/staff.aspx |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2016-01-30 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100804163048/http://www.iwmf.org:80/staff.aspx |archivedate=2010-08-04 |df= }}</ref>
Howell is a Board Member In Memoriam at the [[IWMF]] (International Women's Media Foundation).<ref>IWMF website {{cite web |url=http://www.iwmf.org/staff.aspx |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2016-01-30 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100804163048/http://www.iwmf.org/staff.aspx |archivedate=2010-08-04 |df= }}</ref>


==Biography==
==Biography==
Howell was born in [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]], where her father worked as a journalist at the ''[[San Antonio Express-News]]'' and was a well-known broadcaster and [[meteorologist]] at WOAI Radio and TV. Howell entered journalism by working on her high school paper and then, as a journalism student, on ''[[The Daily Texan]]'', the student newspaper for [[The University of Texas at Austin]]. After graduation, Howell had difficulty finding a job other than on old-time women's pages and instead took a job at a local TV and radio station. Later, she was hired to work on the [[copy desk]] of the ''[[Corpus Christi Caller-Times]]'', before moving to the ''[[Minneapolis Star]]'' as a reporter, then city editor and assistant managing editor. She was hired at the ''[[St. Paul Pioneer Press]]'' as senior vice president and editor before becoming the Washington bureau chief and editor of [[Newhouse News Service]] from 1990 until 2005.<ref>http://wpcf.org/oralhistory/how.html</ref>
Howell was born in [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]], where her father worked as a journalist at the ''[[San Antonio Express-News]]'' and was a well-known broadcaster and [[meteorologist]] at WOAI Radio and TV. Howell entered journalism by working on her high school paper and then, as a journalism student, on ''[[The Daily Texan]]'', the student newspaper for [[The University of Texas at Austin]]. After graduation, Howell had difficulty finding a job other than on old-time women's pages and instead took a job at a local TV and radio station. Later, she was hired to work on the [[copy desk]] of the ''[[Corpus Christi Caller-Times]]'', before moving to the ''[[Minneapolis Star]]'' as a reporter, then city editor and assistant managing editor. She was hired at the ''[[St. Paul Pioneer Press]]'' as senior vice president and editor before becoming the Washington bureau chief and editor of [[Newhouse News Service]] from 1990 until 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wpcf.org/oralhistory/how.html |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2010-01-04 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905193506/http://wpcf.org/oralhistory/how.html |archivedate=2008-09-05 |df= }}</ref>


Howell served on the board of directors of the [[American Society of Newspaper Editors]] from 1992 to 1999 and on the ASNE Foundation Board from 2000 until her death. She was a member of the board of the International Women's Media Foundation and the [[National Press Foundation]].
Howell served on the board of directors of the [[American Society of Newspaper Editors]] from 1992 to 1999 and on the ASNE Foundation Board from 2000 until her death. She was a member of the board of the International Women's Media Foundation and the [[National Press Foundation]].
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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 [[Susan Schmidt]] on [[lobbyist]] [[Jack Abramoff]], Howell claimed that Abramoff "had made substantial campaign contributions to both major parties,"<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/14/AR2006011400859_pf.html | work=The Washington Post | title=Getting the Story on Jack Abramoff | first=Deborah | last=Howell | accessdate=May 1, 2010}}</ref> referring to the [[Republican Party of the United States|Republicans]] and [[Democratic Party of the United States|Democrats]]. Many readers took exception to Howell's statement, pointing to [[Federal Election Commission]] records that showed Abramoff had given money only to Republicans and none to Democrats.<ref>http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/3588924.html</ref>
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 [[Susan Schmidt]] on [[lobbyist]] [[Jack Abramoff]], Howell claimed that Abramoff "had made substantial campaign contributions to both major parties,"<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/14/AR2006011400859_pf.html | work=The Washington Post | title=Getting the Story on Jack Abramoff | first=Deborah | last=Howell | accessdate=May 1, 2010}}</ref> referring to the [[Republican Party of the United States|Republicans]] and [[Democratic Party of the United States|Democrats]]. Many readers took exception to Howell's statement, pointing to [[Federal Election Commission]] records that showed Abramoff had given money only to Republicans and none to Democrats.<ref>http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/3588924.html</ref>


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."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/washpostblog/2006/01/deborah_howell_.html | archive-url=http://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20141126054554/http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/washpostblog/2006/01/deborah_howell_.html | dead-url=yes | archive-date=2014-11-26 | work=The Washington Post}}</ref>
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."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/washpostblog/2006/01/deborah_howell_.html | archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20141126054554/http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/washpostblog/2006/01/deborah_howell_.html | dead-url=yes | archive-date=2014-11-26 | work=The Washington Post | df= }}</ref>


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.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=arVHles5cKJc&refer=us | work=Bloomberg | title=Abramoff's 'Equal Money' Went Mostly to Republicans (Update1) | date=December 21, 2005}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=arVHles5cKJc&refer=us | work=Bloomberg | title=Abramoff's 'Equal Money' Went Mostly to Republicans (Update1) | date=December 21, 2005}}</ref>


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 [[mirror website|mirror site]] of the blog that showed that there were relatively few posts fitting Brady's description. Brady responded by saying that the comments never showed up on the blog because management had been removing them as soon as they were posted.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/washpostblog/2006/01/shutting_off_co.html | archive-url=http://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20141126054555/http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/washpostblog/2006/01/shutting_off_co.html | dead-url=yes | archive-date=2014-11-26 | work=The Washington Post}}</ref> The ''Post'' has since restored 948 comments.
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 [[mirror website|mirror site]] of the blog that showed that there were relatively few posts fitting Brady's description. Brady responded by saying that the comments never showed up on the blog because management had been removing them as soon as they were posted.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/washpostblog/2006/01/shutting_off_co.html | archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20141126054555/http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/washpostblog/2006/01/shutting_off_co.html | dead-url=yes | archive-date=2014-11-26 | work=The Washington Post | df= }}</ref> The ''Post'' has since restored 948 comments.


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."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/21/AR2006012100907.html | work=The Washington Post | title=The Firestorm Over My Column | first=Deborah | last=Howell | date=January 22, 2006 | accessdate=May 1, 2010}}</ref>
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."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/21/AR2006012100907.html | work=The Washington Post | title=The Firestorm Over My Column | first=Deborah | last=Howell | date=January 22, 2006 | accessdate=May 1, 2010}}</ref>
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== External links ==
== External links ==
* [http://204.8.120.192/index.cfm?ID=2422 ASNE profile]
* [http://204.8.120.192/index.cfm?ID=2422 ASNE profile]{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2009/03/26/LI2009032602608.html Washington Post Archives]
* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2009/03/26/LI2009032602608.html Washington Post Archives]



Revision as of 16:56, 7 September 2017

Deborah Howell
Born
Deborah Howell

DiedJanuary 2, 2010(2010-01-02) (aged 68)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationJournalist

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 IWMF (International Women's Media Foundation).[2]

Biography

Howell was born in San Antonio, Texas, where her father worked as a journalist at the San Antonio Express-News and was a well-known broadcaster and meteorologist at WOAI Radio and TV. Howell entered journalism by working on her high school paper and then, as a journalism student, on The Daily Texan, the student newspaper for The University of Texas at Austin. After graduation, Howell had difficulty finding a job other than on old-time women's pages and instead took a job at a local TV and radio station. Later, she was hired to work on the copy desk of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, before moving to the Minneapolis Star as a reporter, then city editor and assistant managing editor. She was hired at the St. Paul Pioneer Press as senior vice president and editor before becoming the Washington bureau chief and editor of Newhouse News Service from 1990 until 2005.[3]

Howell served on the board of directors of the American Society of Newspaper Editors from 1992 to 1999 and on the ASNE Foundation Board from 2000 until her death. She was a member of the board of the International Women's Media Foundation and the National Press Foundation.

On January 2, 2010, Howell died after being struck by a car 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 Susan Schmidt on lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Howell claimed that Abramoff "had made substantial campaign contributions to both major parties,"[9] referring to the Republicans and Democrats. Many readers took exception to Howell's statement, pointing to Federal Election Commission records that showed Abramoff had given money only to Republicans and none to Democrats.[10]

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 mirror site of the blog that showed that there were relatively few posts fitting Brady's description. Brady responded by saying that the comments never showed up on the blog because management had been removing them as soon as they were posted.[13] The Post has since restored 948 comments.

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

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ IWMF website "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-08-04. Retrieved 2016-01-30. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-09-05. Retrieved 2010-01-04. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ Chandler, Michael Alison (January 2, 2010). "Ex-Washington Post ombudsman Howell dies in accident in New Zealand". Washington Post. p. A14.
  5. ^ Ensor, Blair (2010-01-04). "Holiday horror after woman struck by car". The Marlborough Herald. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  6. ^ Cohn, D'Vera (February 25, 2005). "Howell to Become Next Post Ombudsman". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  7. ^ Howell, Deborah (October 23, 2005). "Who I Am -- and What I Hope to Do". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  8. ^ Howell, Deborah (December 28, 2008). "A Farewell Hope for The Post's Future". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  9. ^ Howell, Deborah. "Getting the Story on Jack Abramoff". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  10. ^ http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/3588924.html
  11. ^ The Washington Post https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20141126054554/http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/washpostblog/2006/01/deborah_howell_.html. Archived from the original on 2014-11-26. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Abramoff's 'Equal Money' Went Mostly to Republicans (Update1)". Bloomberg. December 21, 2005.
  13. ^ The Washington Post https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20141126054555/http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/washpostblog/2006/01/shutting_off_co.html. Archived from the original on 2014-11-26. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Howell, Deborah (January 22, 2006). "The Firestorm Over My Column". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 1, 2010.