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ASIAN AMERICAN FLASHFILES
Matt Fong Outspent 2-1

ncumbent rival Barbara Boxer has been using her money edge to paint the moderate Chinese American as an ultraconservative anti-abortion, anti-environment gun-nut. So far Boxer has spent over $13 million -- most of it on TV attack ads -- to Fong's $7.4 million. Despite all its supportive noises, the national Republican party has given Fong only a fraction of the anticipated $3 million. Fong is also hampered by biased coverage by the L.A. Times which has begun revealing its longstanding anti-Asian bias. Its headlines keep suggesting that Fong enjoys backing from sinister Asian sources while virtually ignoring Boxer's controversial backers and money advantage. The L.A. Times doesn't limit its bias to journalism. It uses layouts for subliminal linkages. For example, the most recent story on its website about the Fong-Boxer race prominently featured a public service breast cancer banner that didn't appear on other articles. The tactic is subtle but powerful -- Boxer enjoys a 20-point lead among women voters, her strongest support base. Since 1942 when its editorials stirred up racist hysteria and pushed to have Japanese Americans herded off to internment camps, The L.A. Times has treated Asians as a hostile presence. More recently, seeing its growth as a monopoly paper constrained by the large Asian immigrant populations who support various Asian-language newspapers, the L.A. Times tried denial. As recently as the mid 90s its surveys would list Whites, African, Hispanics and Other, in a city that was 12% Asian and 9% Black.
     The San Francisco Chronicle has endorsed Fong. He's also backed by mother March Fong Eu, 76, a lifelong democrat and California's popular 5-term Secretary of State. Matt Fong too was a democrat before his 1988 conversion. Despite Boxer's last-minute TV blitz the race remains a dead heat. Fong has an excellent track record of pulling out tight races against opponents who outspend him. (10/24/98)

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