GARDEN CITY -- A weekly newspaper photo depicting President Barack Obama and his wife as characters from the TV sitcom "Sanford and Son" was intended as political satire and not a racist commentary, the publisher said Wednesday.
Phillip Sciarello, publisher and part owner of the Smithtown Messenger on Long Island, defended publishing the photo, but said the newspaper would run a retraction for anyone who might have been offended.
How do you run a retraction of that? An apology, I can see, as insincere as it may be, but a retraction? Do you say, "We're very sorry but our depiction of the President and First Lady was inaccurate. They were never members of the cast of Sanford & Son", or what?
At least I don't live in Smithtown. That's something to be grateful for.
