CNN Readers Raise Hell Over ‘Gender or Race’

CNN has posted a mea culpa of sorts on its Web site over a story, reported from a hair salon in South Carolina, that probed the alleged dilemma of African-American women voters. As one of many angry readers put it: “The article itself shows black women have brains and actually choose candidates based on issues and not just gender or race, but CNN doesn’t seem to give them that credit.”

To be sure, race and gender are major issues in this election — issues that have been explored ad nauseam since before the candidates even announced their intentions to run. Besides which, the same dilemma faces white men, as a CNN reader explains: “Since [John] Edwards no longer officially exists, as a white male I face the same choice — either I vote my race [Clinton] or my gender [Obama]. Or I could just pick the candidate based on who I think would be best.”

CNN:

Within minutes of posting a story on CNN’s homepage called “Gender or race: Black women voters face tough choices in South Carolina,” readers reacted quickly and angrily.

Many took umbrage at the story’s suggestion that black women voters face “a unique, and most unexpected dilemma” about voting their race or their gender.

CNN received dozens of e-mails shortly after posting the story, which focuses largely on conversations about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama that a CNN reporter observed at a hair salon in South Carolina whose customers are predominantly African-American.

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