In light of Pat Buchanan's recent column that gave credence to the views of Norway mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, Media Matters asked editors who've published his column about their view of the conservative writer.

What emerged were few editors willing to praise him and others who have either dropped his column or find his approach lacking or diminished in quality

As we reported earlier, at least two papers declined to run the Breivik column due to its content, while others weighed in on Buchanan's decreased standing in the syndicated op-ed world. Some also criticized his writing.

“I think he's a nut job, personally,” said Janie Ginocchio, editor of the Paragould (AR.) Daily Press. She said she declined to run the Breivik column, but not because of content.

“We run him occasionally but not on a regular schedule,” she said. “It's to change up our line-up of syndicated columnists, if [he] is the only thing available.”

Ginocchio, who joined the paper three years ago, said she stopped using Buchanan as often as her predecessor did.

“When I saw the (columnist) list, I kind of cycled him out,” she said, adding that his column had run weekly.

She said Buchanan is one of several conservative writers she runs less: “Pat Buchanan, Michelle Malkin and Thomas Sowell. I just think the quality of their writing is poor, their presentation is poor and they certainly don't do much to try to defend their arguments. I don't see much value in putting that on my opinion page.”

Asked what kind of feedback Buchanan's columns have gotten recently, she cited his July 14th column, Black America vs. Obama, in which he stated that a disproportionate number of African-Americans are receiving government paychecks and other aid:

...not only are African-Americans disproportionately the beneficiaries of federal programs, from the Earned Income Tax Credit to aid for education and student loans, they are even more over-represented in the federal workforce than they are on state payrolls.

She said after the column was linked on Arkansastimes.com, the paper received complaints from outside its readership area, but she did not provide specifics.

The more recent column on Breivik, published July 25, drew objections from at least two editors who spoke with Media Matters and refused to run it.

In the column, Buchanan stated:

As for a climactic conflict between a once-Christian West and an Islamic world that is growing in numbers and advancing inexorably into Europe for the third time in 14 centuries, on this one, Breivik may be right.

“It was just radioactive I thought. I don't think it really moves the ball forward in this discussion,” said Jim Buchanan, editorial page editor of the Asheville (NC) Citizen-Times, who did not run it. “Pat kind of circled back around and tried to pin this on immigration. His reasoning seemed to be flawed in this column. Pat's blaming the victim here.”

Also declining to run the column was opinions editor J.J. Guidry of The Tampa Tribune, which often publishes Buchanan's work. Asked about this column, Guidry emailed the following:

We did not run the column and do not plan to. Buchanan's view of multiculturalism is something we would publish, but despite Buchanan's efforts to take care, the discussion here, immediately after the murders, could be misinterpreted by some readers as a rationalization or even justification for the massacre. Some surely would find it offensive. I'd think it would be better addressed at another time.

Ron Lederman, editorial page editor of the Lima (Ohio) News, was among those who ran the Norway column.

“I have not heard anything back from it. It's opinion, it's his opinion. It didn't seem out of the realm of normal for Pat Buchanan,” Lederman said. “Nothing about it struck me as something that would be worth holding it or not running it. He has written on this subject many times.”

Eric Paddock, managing editor of the Times-Observer in Warren, PA, also found the Norway column worth publishing, although he does not often support Buchanan's views.

“I wasn't really surprised about what he said. I don't personally agree with what Pat Buchanan says most of the time but he is one of the conservative columnists we run,” Paddock said. “Among the conservative columnists we run, I think he's probably considered one of the old guard conservatives. He and George Will. Some of the other ones like Cal Thomas, Thomas Sowell, those are sort of the nouveau guard.”

Roger Di Paola, editor of The Record Courier in Ravenna, Ohio, said Buchanan often needs more editing than most other columnists:

“Buchanan writes incredibly long. It is not unlikely that I end up having to edit out a quarter of what he has. I am a one-man band and it just takes too long,” he said.

Creators Syndicate, which distributes Buchanan's work, says only that he appears in 200 newspapers and websites -- but declines to provide a list or number of newspapers alone.

A 2007 Media Matters study indicated Buchanan was in 37 newspapers at the time. At least two of those newspapers' editors who spoke with us have since dropped him.

“We used him for a while,” said John Diaz, San Francisco Chronicle editorial page editor since 1996, who last published Buchanan in October 2007. “We were more frequently using George Will at the time. I found George Will just generally more interesting, more relevant and a stronger columnist than Buchanan. A better writer, more original reporting.”

Bud Sargent, managing editor of the Marquette Mining Journal in Marquette, MI, said Buchanan is no longer an 'A list' columnist.

“I haven't run Pat for years and years, about four years,” he said. “I don't run Pat regularly, he may run a couple of times a year as a replacement. He's okay, I would classify him as a moderate conservative. He just isn't on my top list of people.”