Media Watch
Globe Blackmails Harvard President

Pressures Him to Approve Quotas

February 2002

Harvard Story Caused Furor Across Country

The Boston Globe successfully blackmailed the new President of Harvard, Lawrence H. Summers, last month into endorsing quotas and affirmative action.

The newspaper proudly reported its success in a story on Saturday, Jan. 5, with a headline at the top of the front page, “Harvard dispute declared settled.”

Their many stories on the subject made it a close second to the news that the first American soldier had died in Afghanistan from hostile fire.

The entire brouhaha began last summer when Pres. Summers rebuked some black professors. According to the Globe, he also, at the same time, “declined to make a strong statement in support of affirmative action at a meeting ... at the Afro-American Studies Department.”

After the Globe decided that the new president of Harvard was too independent and must be put in his place, they manufactured this “crisis” and placed it on the front page.

The Globe was successful in dominating this great American institution. Their onslaught had been too much to bear and the president gave in to their demands. The onslaught included a lead editorial.

Brookings Institution Questions Affirmative Action

It’s interesting that the liberal Brookings Institution just published a long discussion of affirmative action in its winter edition of 2002, which ended with the following summation:

“Affirmative action in its current form, however well-intended, violates the distinctive, deeply engrained cultural and moral commitments to legal equality, private autonomy, and enhanced opportunity that have served Americans well – even though they have not yet served all of us equally well.”

Then a few months later in October, the President criticized a black professor, said the Globe. “The tension simmered at a meeting in October between Summers and [Prof.] West, when the president reportedly rebuked the professor for acting in a way unbecoming of a Harvard professor. West later told colleagues that Summers scolded him for recording a rap CD, for getting involved in the Rev. Al Sharpton’s possible presidential campaign, for not fighting grade inflation in his classes, and for writing more popular books than scholarly works.”

It was reported later that West said that the President, who was a member of Clinton’s Cabinet, had questioned him about his working for the campaign of Bill Bradley, who had run against Al Gore.

No Big Deal Until Globe’s Story

The fact that the president of a university had chided a faculty member was not news – not until the Globe decided that it should be.

The paper didn’t use its power until a slow news day, Saturday, December 22, when it would have the most impact. On that day, the paper started its campaign with a major story on page one including a large picture and headline, “Harvard ‘Dream Team’ roiled.” (The term “dream team” is the creation of the head of the department who hired all of the black professors.)

The Globe then made the stale, months-old debate into a national story equal to the crisis in Afghanistan with the following stories:

Saturday, December 22. “Harvard ‘Dream Team’ roiled,” cries major story on first page.

Monday, December 31. “Jackson steps into Harvard dispute; Seeks ‘clarity’ on diversity policy,” is on first page of City & Region section.

Tuesday, January 1. “Jackson pressures Harvard.”

Wednesday, January 2, “2 black leaders confront Harvard; Jackson, Sharpton demand answers,” says first page of City & Region.

Thursday, January 3, “Inside Larry Summer’s brain” is a caustic piece by Alex Beame on the first page of Living/Arts.

Thursday, January 3, “Welcome to Harvard - Professor Sharpton and I will be your tutors,” says Jackson in Wasserman cartoon on the Editorial Page, with the President as a student with a pinwheel beanie on his head.

Friday, January 4, “Harvard in Bid to Ease Tensions,” cries headline on first page of City & Region.

Friday, January 4, “Lessons for Harvard” is the headline for the lead Editorial.

Saturday, January 5, “Harvard dispute declared settled; Black professors still eyeing options,” is a major story on front page.

Success Is Announced

That was nine major pieces in two weeks, with the final story on the front page as the second most important story in the world – right behind the news about the first American killed in Afghanistan by enemy fire. The Globe was proud of its power.

President Summers was reported to have assured the professors of “his support for the university’s Afro-American Studies Department and for affirmative action.”

The newspaper crowed with great pride, “After a report by the Globe last month, the conflict between Summers and the black professors drew attention around the country.” It is correct that this “story” was reported only because of the power of the Boston Globe.

It was reported as a fact in its news story that the Afro-American Studies Department is an “academic powerhouse.”

Two of the professors were quoted as saying they might leave Harvard anyhow.

Globe Backtracks

The Globe backtracked on January 20. A story at the top of the front page of City & Region had the headline, "For West, battles multiplying."

It acknowledged that West is not loved by everyone and said he is “waging a more personal battle – for his life and his reputation.” It said that the criticism has “taken a toll.”

The Globe wrote, “Not everyone agreed [that West is a superstar].

“‘West’s elevation to university professor was certainly controversial,’ said Glenn C. Loury, a university professor at Boston University and another black scholar who has frequently criticized West’s work. ‘There was a lot of grousing. He had not yet established himself in the scholarly realm to deserve such a distinction at the time. If you were to take an objective look at Cornel’s work as a philosopher, he clearly didn’t break out and distance himself from the field.’

“Over the years, West has attracted similar critics, some from the left. In a 1995 cover story, the New Republic’s literary editor, Leon Wieseltier, reviewed West’s canon and called his work ‘almost completely worthless’ on race issues and ‘noisy, tedious, slippery ... humorless, pedantic, and self-endeared.’”

Don’t Want Special Favors

Every poll shows that black people do not want special favors in getting ahead, but that didn’t stop the Globe from strong-arming Harvard into accepting the quota system.

The white, liberal owners of the Boston Globe made this into a national news story. If they hadn’t given it this tremendous press coverage, everyone would have rolled over and gone back to sleep.

The Globe reported that Prof. West’s course is one of the most popular on campus. But it did not link this to the fact that one of the reasons for its popularity is that every student who takes it is given a high grade. It also did not link to one of the obvious reasons for the professors’ desire to keep “affirmative action.” In order to justify their high salaries, the professors need to attract a lot of students for their other courses on Afro-American studies.

In addition, the Globe reported that law professor Charles Ogletree represents Prof. West. He is the professor who is masterminding a lawsuit with other trial lawyers for “reparations” for all black people. He told the Globe that he is “willing to work with Summers” to “make Harvard a preeminent university,” which is what most people would expect from any professor.

Jesse Jackson told the Globe he will try to use the incident to pressure Harvard into convening a “national conference on racial justice and affirmative action.”