Word is that Miami Herald Executive Editor Tom Fiedler was to publish the following Letter from the Editor apologizing for his - in his words: "tongue in cheek" - denigration of certain members of his community as "chihuahuas nipping at his heels." (I cant find said Letter in the online version and since I wouldnt spend a penny in purchasing that local bird cage liner I cannot confirm whether said letter was published or not.)

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Words are important. Using them properly is critical to me as executive editor of this newspaper and to me personally. I am conscious of the power of words to render good. And the power of a word to create hurt.

I am guilty of the latter by way of an ill-chosen metaphor I used during a newsroom staff meeting Wednesday that was accurately reported in this newspaper.

My comment came in answer to a question as to whether the newsroom should respond to relentless attacks by a local radio station charging that The Miami Herald is in league with the Castro regime. So ludicrous are the allegations that, although they are frequent and noisy, no response was needed, I said.

To those readers who were offended, my sincere apology.
 

Regardless of how it was that his bigoted comment came to be, what we have here isnt a metaphor or a quip or some tongue in cheek remark. What we have here is a parapraxis, or, in other words, a Freudian Slip:

par?a?prax?is?
a slip of the tongue or pen, forgetfulness, misplacement of objects, or other error thought to reveal unconscious wishes or attitudes.
 

And while Mr. Fiedler assures us his comment was directed at local Miami radio station Radio Mambi, said comment, by proxy, insults the listeners and supporters of said radio station as well as all others who found fault with the Miami Herald's handling of the Marti Moonlighter's dilemma. And they, in a nutshell, are the Cuban-American community.

Mr. Fiedler's statement is proof positive of the incredible double standard applied to the Cuban-American community by the MSM. No other "minority" group is treated with such disdain and disrespect simply because they are vocal about their convictions and express their opinions passionately. Moreover, being that the Miami Herald serves the largest area with the largest population of Cuban-Americans and Cuban exiles, Mr. Fiedler's comments are doubly poisonous.

If the Executive Editor of the major metropolitan newspaper that serves the largest community of Cubans and Cuban-Americans in the nation can freely denigrate said community with impunity, then all other members of the MSM are free to follow suit.

If ethics and journalistic integrity are the predominant and driving factors that Mr. Fiedler, etal, profess to be their guide and goal, then Mr. Fiedler has no other choice but to step down, for as long as he remains at the editorial helm of the Miami Herald, these editorial principles will remain in question. And it is with editorial principles that this whole matter began with.