Newspaper Downplays Friend's Comments

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Part 2 of an earlier post. During his WCLO talk show last week, Janesville radiowinger Stan Milam made a series of tattling statements daring any Janesville city council member to vote against the wishes of the Janesville Gazette.

WCLO Radio Excerpts:
"That will pass without one no vote... Why would you pick a fight you didn't need to pick or why would you even risk it? ... Why would you oppose that? ... But I am eagerly awaiting the council member who does oppose it... I'm just waiting for that one. Heh, heh... When you're in the business of having to be elected, what's the point with starting a fight with someone who buys ink by the truckload... it's not something the Gazette takes lightly... But I'm EAGERLY awaiting the council member who votes no and tells us why." -- Stan Milam

Milam is a well-seasoned journeyman at the mic. So it wasn’t a mere slip of the tongue by an amateur or an accidental soundbite that got away from the talk radio host. He kept on it, made an issue of it and drove his point home by repeating his veiled threat with emphasis against any councilman who dare vote against the newspaper's request. He also knows the office banter that goes on at the Gazette.

So, is Stan Milam credible? Should he be taken seriously?

This past Sunday, the Janesville Gazette finally issued an editorial statement about Milam's comments.

Gazette Explanation:
My good friend Stan Milam suggested on his WCLO radio show that the council would be foolish to vote against a request from a company that buys its ink by the barrel. Thanks Stan, but I wouldn’t go nearly that far. We’re not vindictive and we would never hold such a decision against well-meaning council members.-- Gazette Editor

Not quite a denunciation but just enough to keep everyone guessing. The newspaper had another opportunity to set the record straight the next day in their weekly “thumbs up or down” editorial. Had they genuinely felt Milam was out of line they would have condemned his comments with a big “thumbs down.”

Make no mistake, had anyone else made those intimidating comments, the Gazette would have made it the dirt of the town and demanded a public explanation or retraction. With Stan Milam, they did not. They would not. They're friends.