Bias? What Bias?
By Mitch Berg
Wisconsin “journalists” are in the bag for the recall of Scott Walker:
Jim Romenesko reports 25 news employees of Gannett newspapers in Wisconsin signed petitions to recall Gov. Scott Walker (R).
But it’s OK; there’s a rational explanation:
Green Bay Press-Gazette: “A number of the journalists told their editors they did not consider signing the petition a political act. They equated it to casting a ballot in an election. But we do not make that distinction.”
It’s not a news flash (as it were) that reporters have this much trouble with logic (equating a public expression of political opinion with the state-sanctioned vote).
Or…maybe for some of the audience, it is?
March 27th, 2012 at 12:11 pm
This reads like an Onion news article…
March 27th, 2012 at 12:16 pm
Well at least my hometown newspaper is vaguely honest. The P-G has generally been more of a center-left rather than full-on-left newspaper. It’s sad when that sort of thing seems refreshing after years of reading the Strib.
March 27th, 2012 at 12:40 pm
I figure like a dead tree let them all rot!!
March 27th, 2012 at 1:04 pm
Jim Romenesko reports 25 news employees of Gannett newspapers in Wisconsin signed petitions to recall Gov. Scott Walker (R).
Without knowing how many Gannett newspaper employees there are in Wisconsin, it’s difficult to say if this represents a cultural bias (e.g. if this were a substantial number) or just an outlier.
March 27th, 2012 at 1:29 pm
Forget it, Mitch — it’s Gannettown.
March 27th, 2012 at 1:30 pm
I heard on Fox News this morning, that a private contractor custodian at Whitewater, WI high school was fired after she refused to remove a “Support Gov. Walker” sticker from her bumper. She noted that the teacher’s lot was peppered with cars sporting a “Recall Walker” sticker.
But, here is a great article about how successful Gov. Walker’s reforms have been.
http://spectator.org/archives/2012/03/15/true-confessions-in-wisconsin
March 28th, 2012 at 1:06 am
“A number of the journalists told their editors they did not consider signing the petition a political act.”
They’re right. A naked political act would be actually writing the news for a Gannett outlet.