The integrity of two different reporters was so startling in its contrast last month that we are printing the articles side-by-side to show how your news is often distorted.

 Metro West Daily is Worried About MassNews
 Associated Press Writes Unbiased News Story

Metro West Daily is Worried About MassNews

By J. Edward Pawlick, Publisher
October 2000

I was a little startled when I appeared as a guest on WMEX last month and talk show host Howard Kaplan and his wife, Tricia, immediately asked about a feature story on me that had appeared in the previous Sunday's edition of the MetroWest Daily News. 

The feature story was also a surprise because back in the beginning of 1999, the editor of that paper, Ruston Lodi, told us with great disdain that he would never allow the name of our newspaper to appear in his columns. So we were a little puzzled when a reporter, Heather 

Anderson, called and asked for an interview. It was with some foreboding that I gave her two hours of my time.

The resulting article, however, was even more nasty than I could have anticipated. Our print edition is bothering Lodi because we are having an impact. We're telling another point of view, and Lodi doesn't want that to happen. 

We report their story in bold face with our comments underneath.

THE DAILY NEWS * SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2000
Paper Tiger?
Controversial monthly publication continues to outrage a year later

If the thought police were to raid One Cameron Street, they'd find a cache of graphic materials about gay life, as well as a stockpile of audio cassettes titled 'Sexualization of Children.'

Heather Anderson began her story with a total lie. There are no "graphic materials about gay life" in our office. We challenge Anderson to name anything she saw that could possibly fit that description. As for the "audio cassettes" that she mentioned, those are the tapes from Fistgate. We have distributed them all across the state to thousands of parents as documentation, which supplements our ground-breaking coverage of that scandal. Why didn't  she ask us what those tapes were instead of sneaking around the office? We invited her to see anything she wanted, she didn't have to sneak.

And they just might conclude that the 73-year-old, second floor renter in downtown Wellesley is one kinky, gay guy. Or worse.

A "second floor renter?" What's wrong with being on the second floor? Or renting an office? These are such silly and pointless things to say unless you're just trying to ridicule me.

Truth be told, J. Edward Pawlick of Sherborn is the straight (and some say narrow) founder of Massachusetts News.

Who are the mysterious, anonymous people who fit into the category of people who say that I am "narrow?"  I am sure there are some. But who are they? 

This is his office - a quiet, spartan, no awards on the wall, no full time reporters newsroom in a building with no sign - where he publishes a monthly newspaper preoccupied with matters of the flesh. Particularly the homosexual kind.

We talk about much more than "flesh" in our newspaper, but that is all that Anderson is interested in seeing. We explained to her that the reason we cannot have reporters sitting around is because if we have more than five employees, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination will harass us to death. Any lawyer or businessman knows they can do so if they don't like you, regardless of whether you discriminate or not. Therefore, all our reporters must be free-lancers, a terrible burden, but one that is necessary in this state which does not allow any diversity or tolerance for dissenting voices.

"Homosexuals are 10 times more likely to be involved in pedophilia," warns Pawlick, rocking in his office swivel chair on a Wednesday morning, his wife Sally at his side.

This statement, pulled out of a two-hour discussion, is not my opinion. I am merely repeating what everyone knows and agrees. I first heard it at the Newton rally in support of homosexuals in the spring of 1999 where the psychiatrist, Dr. Kathleen Mogul, said that homosexuals were only 30% of pedophiles and heterosexuals were the other 70%. When a member of the audience pointed out that this meant that pedophiles were ten times more likely to be a pedophile because they were only 3% of the population, Dr. Mogul was speechless. Since that event, the experts appear to agree with Dr. Mogul that homosexuals are ten times more likely to be pedophiles. It is not my opinion. 

Via the newspaper, he's bent on exposing the 'gay agenda' allegedly being promoted in our public schools by homosexual activists.

"They're not teaching tolerance," says Pawlick. "They're teaching that homosexuality is an acceptable lifestyle."

Unitarian Universalists, the Boston Globe and DSS also find themselves a frequent target in the Massachusetts News.

"Target" is a loaded word. It would be correct to use it here if we are unfair in our comments about those organizations. But she uses the word without any indication as to when we have been "unfair."

Fans, like Moe Lauzier of WRKO talk radio, call the paper a breath of fresh air, and a great outlet for moral conservatives. 

Finally! There are responsible people who believe we are doing a valuable service. You wouldn't know it unless you have the patience to get past all the childish stuff about a "kinky" "renter" in a "second floor office."

Critics call it vigilante journalism. And they call Pawlick something worse.

Who are these anonymous people?

"He's the sort of guy who'd probably make a good neighbor - provided that you're a religious conservative whose sexual activities are limited to servicing your spouse in the missionary position," wrote Dan Kennedy, senior writer at the Boston Phoenix, beneath the headline "Mild-mannered hatemonger" last summer.

Is this one of the anonymous people that Heather was writing about? Dan Kennedy is a writer at the Boston office of Hustler magazine, a.k.a. the Boston Phoenix. If I were to report that the rumor on the street is that Kennedy is not paid in cash by the Phoenix but gets free servicing at the massage parlors and escort services that make that newspaper so profitable, would anyone think it was funny? If not, then what is funny about his ridiculous speculation about my sex life? And why is a family newspaper like Metro West mentioning this tired, year-old quote from the Boston Phoenix? 

One year later, the retired-lawyer-turned-newspaperman has survived the personal attacks. And in June, a paper that many had hoped would go away instead marked its first anniversary.

So who is this soft-spoken man, what's his mission, and what did he accomplish during his first year in print?

To his foes, Pawlick is an anti-gay, religious-right yahoo who practices moral McCarthyism.

Some compare him to a poorly behaved child who thrives on negative attention. Some feel sorry for him.

Who are all these anonymous people? Are they a figment of Anderson's imagination? Was it her boss who hoped we would go away? Is this what they call an intelligent discussion?

"Like Shakespeare said, 'Me thinks thou does protest too much,'" says Charles Connors, a member of the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth.

He adds, "I don't read (Massachusetts News). I'd rather bang my head against the wall."

Is he still banging his head?

Pawlick, meanwhile, says he is simply misunderstood.

I didn't make a tape recording. Anderson did. I'd like to hear where I said I am "misunderstood."

When asked to describe himself, the publisher replies that he is "an independent, tolerant and loving grandfather."

Over the course of two hours, he also described himself as a Jeff Jacoby sympathizer, a pro-lifer, a conservative, a Christian, an independent thinker, an enemy of teachers' unions, and a Ronald Reagan fan.

No wonder she and Lodi believe I'm dangerous. That is a frightening list, isn't it?

The mission of his paper, according to Pawlick, is to be a counterpoint to the Bay State's liberal establishment and its minions in the press.

He wants to ignite debate. And he seems to relish the fact that TV news anchor Chet Curtis credited him with creating "a firestorm" of controversy.

She got it wrong again. The reason I smiled at my wife when I told about Chet Curtis was because it was so funny to watch the TV stations act like lemmings. They were the ones who created the "controversy." Someone at each station must listen to each other's radios, because when one appears, they all appear. It's a sad commentary on our news.

"All I'm trying to do is get our country back to what my generation believed in - the Judeo-Christian ethic," says Pawlick, who blamed today's societal evils on the "misled" '60s generation.

If he could have his way, Pawlick would get God back in government . . .

I challenge them to find that anywhere in the tape. I don't want God in government, but I do want Godly people to be involved in government. Is that too difficult a concept? 

...creationism back in science class, and the legality of abortion back in the hands of state legislators.

They're not telling the truth again. I do not want "creationism" taught in science class. Both evolution and creationism are "theories." Neither is proven, so both theories should be taught - as theories. 

As for abortion, everyone would agree that such an important decision should not be made by nine people, whether on the U.S. Supreme Court or anywhere, who have no more knowledge in the area than anyone else. The courts are not designed to make policy decisions. They are designed to settle disputes between individuals. No one knows when "life" begins. Suppose a conservative court were to say some day that abortion is murder. That would not be any different than a liberal court saying that a child has no constitutional rights at all because he is still in the womb. They are both wrong; the courts have no place in such decisions. 

That said, he gripes that people have lost control to the state, and need to be "put back in charge of their own lives, making their own decisions."

When the word "gripes" is used, one gets the distinct impression that you are writing an Editorial, not an objective news story. 

As for his reporting and editing talents, Pawlick admits having sidestepped Journalism 101.

Like any other tradesman, says Pawlick, good journalists learn in the trenches.

This reporter must be a member of the teachers' union. When I was at Williams College, some of the smartest students there would go to teach at the top schools like Andover and Exeter. But they couldn't teach in the public schools because they didn't have the necessary courses from a teachers' college. It wasn't important that they were brilliant in their subject if they didn't have those mandated courses on how to teach. Anderson wants to do the same thing for reporters. You can't work for a newspaper unless you've been to journalism school. She'd better check the resumes of the best reporters in the country. She would be shocked. (But I don't think she had heard of Williams College before, either.)

Besides, he really wanted to be a dairy farmer. Not a sleuth hound like Jimmy Breslln. And definitely not a Village Voice pinko.

Please re-run your tape, Heather. I did not say a dairy farmer. I just said a farmer. Yes, I have many interests and the outdoors and the environment are very important ones. That is why I am very happy driving my tractors around my 40-acres and taking care of my animals. As for the Village Voice pinko, you should read how upset Nat Hentoff is about what is happening in Massachusetts. Have you managed to see that? Have you heard of Nat Hentoff?

He became a lawyer instead.

At age 33, Pawlick first practiced law in Pennsylvania,  where  he specialized in problems faced by farmers.

After a divorce, he and his four kids moved to Weston, where he founded Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly in 1972.

Pawlick has since remarried, moved to Sherborn, and sold the highly successful Lawyers Weekly to his daughter.

Now, he's out to save the world from ultra liberals, homosexuals and Unitarian Universalists - surprisingly so, since Pawlick worshiped for nine years at the First Parish, a Unitarian church in Weston, before joining the Congregationalists - one newspaper at a time.

I'm not out to "save the world" from them. I'm out to stop them from "saving the world" for me. I'm not trying to change the foundations of our country. They are. Do I have a right to disagree?

At the end of each month, Pawlick mails a quarter million copies of Massachusetts News to unsuspecting residents.

And he dips into his life's savings to do so.

The MetroWest Daily is another part of the Fidelity empire which owns 134 newspapers around Boston and controls much of what we read and know. It's amazing that this group would complain that we mail a quarter million copies of our paper to "unsuspecting residents" when they mail their Tab newspapers to thousands of "unsuspecting residents" every week. It would appear that under their value system, one is allowed to give his opinion only if he's a billionaire. 

Massachusetts News - listed as a nonprofit charity - has no adver-
tisers. And no private conserv-ative foundation bankrolling the endeavor, according to Pawlick.

So why does he do it?

Sally, Pawlick's wife since 1984, says her husband simply wants to be a good steward.

"You know - the Bible stories about stewardship," the homemaker explains to a reporter. "He's always been a good steward. And he continues to do so in spades."

And so it seems that the dreams of becoming a farmer have faded, despite Pawlick now having the money and the time to do so.

Since you mention that my wife is a homemaker, why did you omit that she is a graduate of Wellesley College?

"That would be kind of boring," says Pawlick.

I said it would be boring in the state of Maine when you asked why I didn't buy a farm in Maine and move there. Having seen your article, I now assume your question was sarcasm. But I'll give you an answer. Maine is mostly full of pine trees. If you want a good farm, you have to go to Pennsylvania Dutch country where I lived for twelve years. There are also beautiful farms along the Connecticut River and out in New York state. But the best are in Pennsylvania.

It appears that the success of Massachusetts News has Lodi angry. The public now has a choice of news sources, and Lodi clearly is a man who doesn't want that. So fighting dirty is Fidelity's response to a news alternative that is making them look out-of-touch, lazy and - let's be frank - a whole lot more politically extremist than the communities they serve. 

As for Lodi's concern that we are much stronger after a year, he'd better get used to it. There's another, smarter kid on the block now, Lodi . . . much smarter.
 

Associated Press Writes Unbiased News Story
The story written by the Associated Press last month was a comprehensive, balanced and professional work.

Social Conservatives Reviled, Rare and Resilient in Massachusetts

By Jay Lindsay

J. Edward Pawlick has been called a "mild-mannered hatemonger" and labeled homophobic and intolerant by people he'll never meet. He even inspired a stop hate rally. 

The criticism has made him more cautious, maybe, but not silent. 

Pawlick, 73, is a rare breed in a traditionally liberal state - a social conservative who rails against gay rights, backs the anti-abortion movement and speaks against liberalism. He even publishes a newspaper for the like-minded, the Massachusetts News. 

He's not surprised by the reaction he generates among liberals. 

"Dissent is not tolerated," Pawlick said during a recent interview, which he insisted upon tape recording. His mission, he says, is to make it "safe to say these things." 

Whether social conservatives feel unsafe in Massachusetts is debatable. What's undeniable is that they are outflanked politically and outnumbered in a region with a long history of liberalism. 

"I think they're really hurting," said Mark Landy, a political science professor at Boston College. "I don't think they have much hope." 

Social conservatives disagree. 

There are many more social conservatives here than one might think, they argue. They say they just suffer from a lack of organization and a lack of leaders willing to take on the dominant liberal culture. 

"Once in a while, I think I'll open the window and start screaming, or I cry into my pillow," said Chester Darling, a prominent attorney for conservative causes, including a recent case of a minister charged with abuse for spanking his son. 

One problem for social conservatives here is finding a political party in which they feel at home.

Nationally, they often find a haven in the Republican Party, but here that's not necessarily true. 

On the touchstone issue of abortion, for instance, many of the state's top Republicans, including Gov. Paul Cellucci, favor abortion rights. Cellucci also supports gay rights and backs gun laws held up as national models by gun control activists. 

State party chairman Brian Cresta said the GOP prefers to focus on issues such as taxes, the economy and education. But Darling says the state's Republican party should do more to advocate conservative ideas. 

"They're invertebrates up there," Darling said. 

In the Legislature, there are few allies for social conservatives, with some exceptions, such as House speaker Thomas Finneran, a Democrat, who is anti-abortion. Massachusetts Citizens for Life counts just 10 of the 39 senators and 51 of 157 representatives as anti-abortion. The numbers include politicians who are "sympathetic" to anti-abortion arguments but sometimes vote pro-choice. 

The recent appointment of Martha Sosman as chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court gave the court a lineup of judges who all favor abortion rights. 

"We're not happy with it," Citizens for Life spokeswoman Irene Lagan said of the state's political climate. "We have to take what's positive and work with it." 

Former Democratic Gov. Michael Dukakis says the state's history is rooted firmly in liberalism. For instance, he said, Massachusetts was at the forefront of the abolitionist movement and proposed universal health care as far back as 1916. 

The state also has an abundance of universities, traditionally bastions of liberal thought. 

"Universities are places where people are supposed to challenge traditional convention," Dukakis said. "That can go both ways, but (here) it hasn't." 

Landy, the political scientist, also noted that the state's powerful Irish-Catholic voting bloc has remained loyal to Irish-Catholic politicians, such as Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy, even though the church's stand on social issues such as abortion and gay rights is different from that of the politicians. 

The Boston Globe, the state's largest daily newspaper, also has been a force in shaping the state's political climate, Landy said. 

"I think the total pre-eminence of the Globe as the only matter-of-record paper and it's unremitting liberalism matters," he said. "It does make it harder for conservatives to get an equal shot." 

Conservatives have had some success here. It was just 16 years ago that Ronald Reagan won the state in the presidential election. Former GOP presidential candidate John McCain also proved popular in the primary despite his decidedly conservative views. 

The limited success hasn't emboldened many conservative activists to speak out, said Brian Camenker, of Newton. The prospect of defying the views of powerful opinion-makers can be daunting, he said. But that hasn't stopped him. 

Camenker recently accused state educators of trying to indoctrinate students to a gay lifestyle during a workshop for gay teen-agers at Tufts University. Two Department of Education employees were fired after they participated in a workshop, during which gay sex acts were discussed in detail.

The session was secretly taped, and copies are now available through Pawlick's Massachusetts News. 

Still, Camenker says he does not revel in the controversy his opinions can generate. "It's a huge, uphill battle and you get called horrible names," he said. "I'm the hater and the bigot and for what? Because I have a different opinion?" 

But to Dukakis, the opposition social conservatives face here simply reflects the unpopularity of their views. 

"In the last analysis, hey, it's public opinion," he said. "If the state were not liberal, the politicians would not be liberal." 

Pawlick, who also founded Lawyers Weekly, is convinced he and others like him will make a difference. That's why he's persisting with his conservative message in the Massachusetts News. 

"I'm hoping I'm leaving a whole bunch of people behind who will continue to do this," he said.