Funny

SPJ subscribes to a data base that contains the names, titles and contact information for thousands of journalists all over the country. Our releases can then be used more specificially, for perhaps travel editors or political writers. We can also instruct the data base to search via a geographic area. That is what we did in this case.

The barometer we read showed there were a number of people upset with this in Connecticut, so the decision was made by our staff to send the release to journalists in that state who appeared in our database. That is how so many of the Courant staffers received the press release.

SPJ did not intentionally single our your paper’s staff for this, but it was directed to many journalists there whom we felt would have an interest in this matter.

I apologize that this has created ill feelings and was preceived as an insult. It wasn’t our intention to rub salt into wounds.

Thanks for your interaction with me on this matter and I wish you and the staff a sense of peace in the coming days as this issue ends.

Regards,

Kevin Smith

“When the breakfast was cleared away the merry old gentleman and the two boys played at a very curious and uncommon game, which was performed in this way. The merry old gentleman, placing a snuff-box in one pocket of his trousers, a note-case in the other, and a watch in his waistcoat pocket, with a guard-chain round his neck; and sticking a mock diamond in his shirt, buttoned his coat tight round him, and putting his spectacle-case and handkerchief in his pockets, trotted up and down the room with a stick, in imitation of the manner in which old gentlemen walk around the streets any hour in the day. … At such times he would look constantly round him for fear of thieves, and keep slapping all his pockets in turn, to see that he hadn’t lost anything, in such a very funny and natural manner, that Oliver laughed till the tears ran down his face. All this time the two boys followed him closely about, getting out of his sight so nimbly, every time he turned round, that it was impossible to follow their motions. At last, the Dodger trod upon his toes, or ran upon his boot accidentally while Charley Bates stumbled up against him behind; and in that one moment they took from him, with the most extraordinary rapidity, snuff-box, note-case, watch-guard, shirt-pin, pocket-handkerchief–even the spectacle case. If the old gentleman felt a hand in any one of his pockets, he cried out where it was; and then the game began all over again.”