In its second photo controversy this month, the Boston Globe apologized for running a picture of napping Boston College students to illustrate a story on Tim Russert’s commencement speech.
“We voiced our disappointment and questioned the paper’s judgment with the editor and ombudsman, and the editor has apologized,” Boston College spokesman Jack Dunn told the Washington Post. “The picture was completely misrepresentative of the event speech.”
The photograph gained wide attention Tuesday when it was posted on the Drudge Report with the headline “School Daze: Grads Snooze Through Tim Russert Commencement Speech.”
On the contrary, Dunn said, the 2004 graduates responded enthusiastically to Russert.
“Tim Russert gave an excellent commencement speech,” Dunn insisted. “It was well received, interrupted on several occasions with applause” – eight times, we hear – “and ended with a standing ovation.”
Globe editor Marty Baron responded to the Post’s request for reaction.
“I do think it’s regrettable that we ran that photo and I think it’s not the appropriate photo to select,” Baron said.
“Typically at any graduation there are going to be kids who fall asleep, and as amusing a photo it might have been, it was inappropriately placed and inappropriately used.”
Earlier this month, the Globe issued an apology for publishing bogus images of GI gang-rapes that originated from a pornographic website.
The photographs – uncovered by WorldNetDaily as fodder for Arab propaganda – accompanied an article in the paper about a local city councilor who distributed the graphic pictures at a press conference.
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