Friday morning’s Post-Dispatch carried three disturbing paragraphs about brutalized effigies of Barack Obama and Sarah Palin — and two readers told me they detected political bias in the editing of those 61 words.

The Post-Dispatch item on the effigies appeared as one of seven items in the Election Digest round-up on Page A3. Here’s what we ran: (The headline was “Student arrested over effigy of Obama in tree”)

“A University of Kentucky student and another man were arrested Thursday, accused of hanging a life-sized likeness of Barack Obama from a tree on the campus.

“- A Redondo Beach, Calif., woman removed a Halloween effigy of Obama that had a butcher knife in its neck.

“- In West Hollywood, Calif., a man removed an effigy of Sarah Palin from his yard.”

A caller complained that we didn’t state that the Palin effigy also was hanging from a tree. He also insisted that the word “effigy” is not commonly know. Readers could visualize the Kentucky incident because we spelled it out, he said, but the West Hollywood Palin incident was vague and confusing. Smacked of a cover-up through omission of details, he said.

I countered that, historically, effigies haven’t been treated well — they are often brutalized through burning and hanging — and that the word carries huge imagery in itself.

The second complaint came from a frequent critic of the Post-Dispatch and contributor of comments to the Editor’s Desk. In an email titled “Media bias,” she complained:

“You FINALLY report that Gov. Palin was hung in effigy but ONLY after reporting that Obama was and only mention it as part of that story. “

True enough. But our editing of the wire accounts reflected the weight placed on the two stories by our wire services. The effigy hanging on the college campus in Lexington has received more print coverage than the effigy hanging in the West Hollywood neighborhood.

Does that seem appropriate?

Below are longer wire service accounts of the two incidents. First, a longer AP account about the Palin effigy:

“Amid a growing frenzy of protesters and media surrounding his home, Chad Morrisette decided his noosed Sarah Palin mannequin should be cut loose.

He and his partner had created the effigy of the GOP vice presidential hopeful three weeks ago and vowed to keep it outside their home until Halloween, despite widespread criticism from neighbors and local officials. On Wednesday the mayor convinced Morrisette the mannequin should come down.

“I explained to them that this could be dangerous to you and your neighbors,” said Mayor Jeff Prang, noting that he received hundreds of venomous e-mails from people offended by the display. “They were totally unprepared for this kind of international attention, for the amount of impact on their home and their neighborhood.”

Besides a constant flow of angry callers, the homeowners had received a visit from the Secret Service and criticism from a Los Angeles County supervisor who ordered an investigation into whether the effigy constitutes a hate crime.

Then, on Wednesday, neighbors covered up the Palin mannequin with sheets, and more protesters showed up later in the day accompanied by a man driving a vehicle adorned with an effigy labeled “Chad,” with a noose around its neck, said sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore.

“This evening, it wasn’t as friendly,” he said.

Prang said he drove by after work and saw protesters and media around the home with helicopters overhead. Morrisette saw the mayor and waved him inside for a talk.

Afterward, the mannequin came down, but Morrisette kept the rest of his Halloween decor intact, including a display of Palin’s running mate, John McCain, popping out of a flaming chimney.”

And here’s a longer account of the Lexington incident, with a round-up of other incidents:

“A University of Kentucky student and another man were arrested Thursday, accused of hanging a life-sized likeness of Barack Obama from a tree on the campus.

The incident was one of several in recent weeks involving effigies of the presidential candidates or their running mates. No charges have been filed in four other cases that have made national headlines.

UK Interim Police Chief Joe Monroe said the men “expressed remorse for a stunt that had gotten out of hand.”

Arrested were Joe Fischer, 22, a UK student, and Hunter Bush, 21, both of Lexington. Both were being held at Fayette County Detention Center on charges of disorderly conduct related to the hanging of the effigy. They were also charged with burglary and theft at a fraternity house where police said the materials came from.

Lt. Tina Strange, a deputy jailer at the detention center, did not know who the men’s attorneys were. She said they were each being held on $7,600 bond.

Monroe said the two men told detectives they decided to hang the effigy after seeing media reports about a Sarah Palin effigy in California.

Witnesses who saw the effigy Wednesday said it was life-sized with an Obama Halloween mask, a suit jacket and sweat pants. It was found hanging from a tree with a noose around its neck.

UK President Lee Todd said the effigy violates the university’s code of ethics, and Fischer faces punishment that could include expulsion.

“As outrageous and offensive an act as the effigy was, I truly believe it has mobilized our campus, the community and the state in an effort to battle racism,” Todd said Thursday.

It was the second time in about a month such an effigy was found on a college campus. George Fox University, a small Christian college in Oregon, recently punished four students who confessed to hanging a likeness of Obama from a tree.

Meanwhile, a Redondo Beach, Calif., woman removed a Halloween effigy of Barack Obama
that was hanging from her balcony with a butcher knife in its neck. She took it down Thursday after neighbors complained.

In West Hollywood, Calif., a man removed an effigy of GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin from his yard Wednesday after several weeks of complaints.

And in Clarksville, Ind., a man had hanged an inflatable doll made to look like Obama
from a tree. He took it down Wednesday, and authorities said it didn’t appear to violate any state laws.”