FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
By David R. Currie

Jack Brymer, editor of the Florida Baptist paper, the Florida Baptist Witness, resigned last month rather than compromise his integrity. His board deadlocked on a motion to “instruct” him to not use any Associated Baptist Press (ABP) news stories.

There are Baptist papers who refuse to use ABP stories. They only use Baptist Press news stories out of Nashville and the Southern Baptist Convention.

I can tell you about Baptist Press since Al Shackleford and Dan Martin were fired by the SBC Executive Committee. This spring I sent out a “Supportive Pastor Newsletter” to pastors in Texas that I thought supported the work of Texas Baptists Committed. I am sure I sent it to some pastors who support the fundamentalist agenda.

Someone sent a copy of the newsletter to Baptist Press. They ran a story on its contents. I had said nothing secretive so it did not bother me that it became public. What did bother me was Baptist Press never called me and asked for my comments prior to running the story. I can only assume they thought it was helpful to the fundamentalist agenda that Texas Baptists Committed was on record as saying we would “oppose any giving plan which automatically sent money from Dallas to Nashville unless a church requests otherwise.”

We are not ashamed to publicly say the BGCT must not be a “farm team” of the SBC. It is bad Baptist polity!

Unlike Baptist Press, Associated Baptist Press and the Texas Baptist Standard both called and asked for my comments before they ran a story about the Texas Baptists Committed Executive Board meeting in Dallas after Dr. Dilday was fired.

I told both ABP and the Baptist Standard that I did not want a story on our Executive Board meeting. We were just discussing some things.

Guess what? ABP and the Baptist Standard ignored my request and ran a story anyway. That is their job. They do not show favoritism. It was a story that we met. It should have been reported. I did not want it reported, but it was anyway. That is what good journalist do. Good journalist also call the people involved for their side of the story. Baptist Press did not do so.

Charlie Lawson, a trustee at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary sent out a letter after he voted to fire Russell Dilday (parts of that letter are printed elsewhere in this newsletter). In a cover letter to his long explanation of why Dr. Dilday had to be fired, he said “But my biggest problem is with the slant you Texans will get from the biased paper like The Baptist Standard. You really need to see a copy of The Indiana Baptist (the March 15th and March 29th issues) for some sincere, balanced reporting and some positive insights.”

The Indiana Baptist editors are avowed, public supporters of the fundamentalist movement. The editors of The Baptist Standard are “avowed, public Christian journalists.”

It must be lonely being a Christian journalists during these last 15 years. Integrity has a price. While I do not always like what journalists do in relation to my job, I thank God for them. The truth must never be compromised.

God be with you Jack Brymer. I do not know you. But I sure do admire you and respect you.

September 1994