The Granite State Nose By J. Dennis Robinson

President's Staff Consults NH Gazette

MANCHESTERVILLE, NH -- In these complex times, it makes sense that aides to the Commander in Chief have been observed reading "the Nation's Oldest Newspaper." It makes sense, at least, to NH Gazette editor Steven Fowle, who says the President's handlers called his Portsmouth, NH office recently to request copies of the publication, now in its 246^th year.

"That makes the Gazette, 20 years older than the nation itself, and 30 years older than the office of the presidency," Fowle points out. (The newspaper was launched in 1756 in Portsmouth by the current editor's collateral ancestor Daniel Fowle.) "It's about time he started taking our advice."

Fowle offers a digital photo of White House staffers reading the Gazette as evidence. The photo he says shows the President's top planners perusing the paper while in a bar in Manchester, NH. Fowle took the photo himself while watching the #1 rated television series "The West Wing." The show stars veteran actor Martin Sheen as Josiah Bartlett, a former NH democratic governor. Sheen's character is currently running for a second term, and frequently makes trips to his farm in his native New Hampshire. A recent episode featured White House officials arriving at Pease AFB in Portsmouth and then traveling to a Hollywood version of Manchester, NH.

West Wing

Asked if he was aware that the show is a fictional drama and that George W Bush, and not Sheen is the actual President of the United States, Fowle made the following remarks to the Granite State Nose:

"I'd say being a veteran actor makes Sheen especially qualified for the job," Fowle says. "I don't see why we need to quibble over details like whether he is or is not the actual President. Sheen's popularity and influence on Americans make him an extremely compelling figure in the country today. The Nielsen Ratings bear this out."

Fowle notes that Sheen (aka Bartlett) is not the first Presidential candidate to come in contact with the long-surviving NH Gazette. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams and many others were aware of the paper's insightful reporting and commentary. The list, Fowls says, goes on and on.

As further evidence Fowle offers a photo he himself took of presidential hopeful Al Gore, Jr. reading the NH Gazette while campaigning in Portsmouth, NH during the last election.

"Are you going to stand there and tell me that this man is real, and Sheen is imaginary? If so, why hasn't Mr. Gore been seen in public since the year 2000, while Mr. Sheen regularly appears on the cover of TV Guide? In this country, TV-time is a direct measure of reality, so how can you explain that?"

Al Gore

Fowle adds that the NH Gazette has never, and will never, discriminate against an American political figure simply because he or she is fictional.

Too much reporting in the American media, he says, mistake a litany of presumed facts for reporting.

"Some of my best friends, many of my readers and almost all of my staff are imaginary," Fowle contends. "Yet we regularly uncover truths that other newspapers miss."

He continues: "We are pleased that the 'West Wing' is reading our paper. The Gazette will continue to influence politicians, real or imagined, wherever we can. We will never bow to the will of the Reality-mongers whose mindless worship of facts over perception strike at the very heart of Truth as we know it."

Fowle, who says he is not much of television viewer, admits he does enjoy the "West Wing" series. He also likes "Frontline", "Robot-Wars" and "MTV Spring Break specials.

By J. Dennis Robinson
Special to the Granite State Nose
Octobers 2001
Copyright (c) 2001 SeacoastNH.com. All rights reserved.
West Wing photo courtesy NBCnews.com. Other images courtesy NH Gazette.

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