But this morning's paper disturbed me a bit by publishing a quote from a woman who is running for mayor. She used an unfortunate politically incorrect word that supposedly paints her as racist. When, actually, she was making the opposite point.
Last week Dave and I watched the 1981 movie "Absence of Malice" This is a legal definition of what must be present for newspapers and others to go after folks and not be prosecuted: An "Absence of Malice."
When this movie came out in '81 I remember newspapers across the country protesting. In it Paul Newman plays the nephew of a Mafia guy who is pressured by the D.A. and a reporter (played by Sally Field.) He is innocent but he loses everything, even his fragile friend who commits suicide.
That's the first half of the film. In the second half Newman turns the tables. It culminates with one of the best scenes ever when Wilford Brimley (the oatmeal guy) comes to town and cleans house. One of the most satisfy scenes ever!
I hope this morning's paper had an absence of malice in the way the story was written about the women who is running for mayor.
I know she had an absence of malice in her poor choice of words.
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