News Papers, New Year, Old Distortions

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The January 7th, Sunday edition of the Janesville Messenger contained a Tammy Baldwin press release titled "Democrat Congress will have new direction in New year," that was severely re-edited by the paper. Whole sentences were lifted out of the article. On top of this, the newspaper runs an editorial twisting Baldwins perspective of the war in Iraq and her loyalty toward the troops as a failure on their part, when nothing could be further from the truth. Baldwin clearly lays blame for the delusional expectations in Iraq on the doorstep of the dysfunctional leadership residing in the White House.

JM Editorial excerpt:
In fact, the war in Iraq has been a remarkable military success. To suggest otherwise, which is the intent of Baldwin’s platitudes about absence and loss, is an insult to the sacrifices of American military families.

The perspective of the editor(s) is so out of touch with the reality in Iraq that even President Bush himself would find argument with. Our troops have done an outstanding job given the circumstances. Everybody knows this, and there is no greater honor to them than to wish them home and out of harms way as soon as possible.

JM Editorial excerpt:
To counsel retreat, then, as liberals so often do reflexively, smacks of a toxic combination of opportunism and naivete.

One only has to remove their rosy colored glasses and do a quick search on the internet to discover that the Messenger’s viewpoint is not only in the minority, but in a minority that is populated by irrational extremists whose beliefs run strongly counter to the American majority. I have been steadfastly against the Bush war in Iraq since February 5th, 2003, the day Colin Powell lied in front of the world at the UN, so I find it ironic for myself to now be in the majority. Apparently, the tide is turning.

DailyKos excerpt: "Anyone that still supports Bush and his and McCain's war truly, truly are in the outer fringes of this country.Link

These are just two of the sentences that the editor of the Messenger did not want their readers to see.

Censored:
This Bush Administration turned a projected 10-year $5.6 billion surplus into a nearly $3 trillion deficit. Enough is enough.

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Existing law, written to benefit big drug companies, prohibits Medicare from negotiating lower prices.

The Messenger might say they edited Baldwins press release for lack of space or word limitation. Unfortunately, they failed to say this in their editor’s note. Thanks to the internet, you can read her press release titled, "New Year – New Direction for Congress" uncensored and unedited here.

I don’t know what the Janeville’s newspapers expect to accomplish given their long history of deliberate omission and distortion. Perhaps circumspection is too much to ask of newspaper editors these days. Mainstream media have nobody to blame but themselves when they discover that readers look elsewhere to get the full story.

Memo to Robson, Baldwin, Sheridan, Hixson and other local Democrats: Ask newspapers that choose to run your press releases to either print the full message or note that they did not. Tell them some their readers are also your constituents and they demand it.

To their credit (not really because newspapers need no praise when they do their job) the Janesville Gazette ran the Baldwin press release in its entirety on Dec.29, 2006 AND without bashing her in the editorial. Pigs aren’t flying yet and, no doubt, they are saving ripping Baldwin for another day.