As the hardreading staff has repeatedly noted, the Boston Herald is pretty much the wallflower at the advertising dance in the local dailies. (This week too!) But today the Herald plays second fiddle on Beacon Hill as well.
Gov. Charlie Baker (R-Mulligan, Please) tried to get out in front of some ill-advised remarks on the radio yesterday by contacting the Boston Globe to take it all back.
Metro Page One:
Baker apologizes for flag remarks
Says Confederate symbol should not fly in capitols
Governor Charlie Baker apologized on Thursday for remarks he made earlier in the day defending the rights of state capitols to fly the Confederate flag, initially calling it a matter of “tradition.”
Baker said in an early-afternoon radio interview that states should be entitled to decide whether to fly the Confederate flag at their capitols, laying out a brief argument for local government. But he later backtracked and said he believed the controversial symbol should be removed.
In a telephone interview on Thursday evening, Baker said he had “heard from some friends of mine.” Their message, he said: “Basically: What were you thinking?”
Indeed. What Baker wasn’t thinking was to call the Boston Herald after the “Thursday evening call [to Globe reporter Jim O’Sullivan] arranged hastily by aides.”
One would think the fringey local tabloid would at least have played catch-up on its website today, but one would be wrong.
So, to recap:
By all appearances Charlie Baker came to his senses about whether the Confederate flag should fly in state capitols and wanted to walk back his comments from earlier in the day. So he contacted the Globe but not the Herald. Bad news for the Heraldniks.
(We just sent an email to Jim O’ Sullivan asking him if that’s an accurate summary. We will, as always, keep you posted.)
UPDATE: Jim O’Sullivan tells us that he offered to talk to Baker if the governor wanted to revise or amend his comments, then aides set up the phone call. So, to re-recap: Just sharper reporting at the Boston Globe. That is all.
It's Good to Live in a Two-Daily Town 