Accusation of gender bias wrong

Published 11:39 am Friday, October 28, 2011

I read with interest the letter to the editor in the Thursday Herald accusing the Herald editorial board of gender bias in its endorsements for Everett City Council, presumably because The Herald chose to endorse challenger Scott Bader over incumbent Brenda Stonecipher.

Frankly, this point of view is simply not supported by the facts. A quick review of The Herald’s website shows that the Editorial Board, which makes these decisions, consists of two men and two women. In addition, looking at the other Herald endorsements, I found several other races where The Herald endorsed women over their male challengers, including: city council races in Arlington, Edmonds and Monroe as well as in the race for Snohomish County assessor.

I understand it may be frustrating to not see your candidate selected for endorsement by The Herald, as I believe the Editorial Board spends a great deal of time interviewing the candidates and checking their backgrounds. However, it is very disappointing to see members of the community jump to a conclusion without checking the facts.

Scott D. Murphy

Everett