AFS Cinema
Witnessed Another Side of Kinky
RECEIVED Sun., Nov. 19, 2006
Dear Editor,
Having been associated with the Kinky Friedman campaign through the series of Web cartoons I created for him, my friends keep approaching me and saying, "Gee, I heard Kinky was a sore loser on election night." Many had apparently read Jordan Smith's Chronicle article in the Nov. 10 edition ["The Kinkster's Farewell: Leave Me Alone!" News], in which Kinky is portrayed as being snarky, rude, and unapproachable after his loss to Gov. Perry.
Since I was at the same event, I must disagree with Smith's portrayal of the evening. I was not witness to Kinky's comments toward Smith, but I witnessed a kind, gracious, and giving side to the Kinkster. After the press conference, Kinky signed memorabilia and chatted with his supporters for more than an hour, thanking every person who approached him. Could the same be said of the other candidates? I'm sorry to hear that Smith didn't get an exclusive interview at the event, but I didn't see any exclusive interviews of other candidates at their concession speeches. Was Kinky the only candidate hounded by a Chronicle writer that night? How dare he not give five minutes of his time to a reporter when hundreds of his friends and supporters want a word with him!
In summary, I expect better political reporting from The Austin Chronicle. This article read more like a personal blog by a first-year journalism student than professional election coverage. It seems there was more than one sore loser that night.
Having been associated with the Kinky Friedman campaign through the series of Web cartoons I created for him, my friends keep approaching me and saying, "Gee, I heard Kinky was a sore loser on election night." Many had apparently read Jordan Smith's Chronicle article in the Nov. 10 edition ["The Kinkster's Farewell: Leave Me Alone!" News], in which Kinky is portrayed as being snarky, rude, and unapproachable after his loss to Gov. Perry.
Since I was at the same event, I must disagree with Smith's portrayal of the evening. I was not witness to Kinky's comments toward Smith, but I witnessed a kind, gracious, and giving side to the Kinkster. After the press conference, Kinky signed memorabilia and chatted with his supporters for more than an hour, thanking every person who approached him. Could the same be said of the other candidates? I'm sorry to hear that Smith didn't get an exclusive interview at the event, but I didn't see any exclusive interviews of other candidates at their concession speeches. Was Kinky the only candidate hounded by a Chronicle writer that night? How dare he not give five minutes of his time to a reporter when hundreds of his friends and supporters want a word with him!
In summary, I expect better political reporting from The Austin Chronicle. This article read more like a personal blog by a first-year journalism student than professional election coverage. It seems there was more than one sore loser that night.
Dano Johnson