The Trouble With Tara
Former WBT talk show host and award-winning journalist Tara Servatius resigned yesterday from her freelance writing gig with the John Locke Foundation’s Meck Deck blog, in the wake of criticism for posting a crude image of President Obama that accompanied an article she wrote.
The image – a photoshopped picture of Obama in garish drag, with a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken resting between splayed legs – was patently offensive. There’s not much argument to be had on that point. Servatius says she used the photo to reinforce the premise of her article, which was that Obama’s opposition to the marriage amendment on North Carolina’s primary ballot was part of a strategy to win support with the southern state’s young voters.
The blog post was smartly written, informative, and backed by Servatius’ usual well of stellar research. Par for the course. The accompanying photo wasn’t. Servatius issued an apology for using it, explaining that it was never her intention to offend anyone. But that hasn’t stopped the usual crowd of her critics, the perpetually and professionally offended, from taking offense. In this case, they’re calling her a racist and a hatemonger.
She’s neither.
The trouble with Tara is her tendency to shed light on uncomfortable and inconvenient truths that some people would rather keep buried in the dark. It’s troublemaking with a purpose, and it often comes at a high price. Write a thoroughly documented and instructive article on the high dropout rates among black students, and you’re labeled a racist. Discuss the links between poverty levels and single-parent families, and you’re called a hater. Point out the failing policies of a black president; you’re a racist and a hater.
Servatius deserves criticism in this case for poor judgment in choosing to use a grossly disturbing and distorted image of Obama, which was neither necessary nor productive. She deserves equal praise, though, for taking responsibility for her actions and accepting their consequences. The full statement she issued after resigning from Meck Deck:
I am genuinely sorry my inclusion of the photo along with my blog post has caused controversy for the John Locke Foundation.
If it has offended anyone, I sincerely apologize for that. That was certainly not my intention. It was meant to illustrate Obama’s Southern political strategy, nothing more. An honest reading of the piece itself shows there is nothing offensive in it.
If you read the piece that goes with it, you will see that I actually think that holding the marriage ban vote this year is a bad political move in North Carolina because it could distract voters from the economy, which should be the main issue. I also wanted to add that, at the time, I was searching for a picture of the president in drag to illustrate his Southern political strategy of courting young voters, a majority of whom support gay marriage. It was one of the first photos to come up on Google Images. Regrettably, I didn’t think about the racial implications of the picture when I posted it. I simply don’t think in those terms. Unfortunately some people do.
To me, fried chicken is simply a Southern cuisine. So the picture seemed perfect to illustrate Obama’s Southern strategy. Thank you, Tara
I’ve known Servatius for years, from way back in the day when we worked together at The Leader newspaper, and I’ve always considered her a friend and a top-shelf journalist.
Still do.
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