The R-J’s Weekly Sunday Lesson in How To Practice Shoddy Journalism
In the Review-Journal’s weekly Sunday piece on the Nevada US Senate race, Sharron Angle’s new DC handlers Laura Myers writes her usual 1,500 word piece that summarizes the previous seven days’ happenings on the campaign in the best possible light for the Angle camp. For three months, Angle has either hidden out from the media or made extreme and embarrassing public statements covered on mostly by other media outlets, and ignored by the Review-Journal. And while the headline of their latest attempt to write ad copy for team Angle “news” piece is “Angle campaign takes delight in Reid statements,” it’s clear the “delight” extends far beyond the doors of Angle HQ.
Once again, the pro-Angle spin buries the most important elements discussed in the story. For instance, the story reports the Angle campaign’s $500,000-plus television ad buy this week that’s mostly focused on deceiving Nevadans into believing she no longer wants to eliminate Social Security – a position Angle has held for two decades, regardless of what her new DC handlers say to recreate her. For a story about Reid being ‘off message’ it’s ridiculous to pretend Angle’s new handlers are ‘on message’ by being forced to play defense on an indefensible position that has undoubtedly been the reason Angle’s been tanking in the polls.
In a particularly egregious segment of the Social Security section, Myers writes:
“Angle has been battling back by spending an unprecedented amount on ads -- more than $500,000 last week alone -- including one where she tells seniors she wants to ‘save’ Social Security by restoring $2.5 trillion in its trust fund that Reid has "raided" to pay for his "pet projects. Angle's stance on putting money back into the trust fund has been consistent throughout her campaign.”
That is completely untrue and totally indefensible. In fact, the Reid campaign released a web ad this week rebutting those specific claims. We also launched at television ad on Monday with the accounts of independent journalists debunking the latest attempts by Angle’s new DC handlers to lie her way out of her politically-toxic stance to eliminate Social Security. Oddly, mention of those in the Review-Journal piece are summarized briefly as straight news, while Angle’s counterclaims, false though they may be, are both articulated in the story and judged by the reporter to be true.
And for a campaign that’s really pulled things together and is now ‘on message’, Angle’s new DC handlers spent a huge part of their week fumbling a story about how Sharron Angle led a crusade in the early 90’s against plans by the high school football coach to wear black jerseys for one game, based on her belief that they were Satanic. Their Monday-Wednesday-Friday explanations morphed from “not important” to “no recollection” to “it didn’t happen.” And Myers’ also interviewed a former Tonopah administrator who, attempting to add credibility to the denials, offered nothing but faint recollection of something that Angle’s handlers say didn’t happen – but he was sure it was no big deal. All coverage failed to mention the incident as related to Angle’s radical political agenda based on the notion that government should be run under strict Biblical law.
With respect to Angle’s new DC handlers “taking delight” at the events of the week as characterized in the story, they also likely “take delight” in the many issues the R-J failed to discuss, particularly ironic because he new handlers continue to refuse to address the extreme and dangerous agenda for Nevada that their candidate espouses. Here are just a few of the radical plans Sharron Angle “takes delight” in they refuse to discuss:
Ø A “delight” to kill Social Security and Medicare because they violate the Constitution and God’s First Commandment
Ø Angle would be simply be “delighted” if she could eliminate the Department of Education
Ø She’d be particularly “delighted” were she able to turn Nevada into America’s nuclear dumping ground by reversing Sen. Reid’s success in killing Yucca Mountain
Ø An overwhelming “delight” would strike Angle if she were able to have her way with Wall Street and Big Oil – she says reverse reforms and eliminate all oversight of big oil companies like BP
Ø And she most certainly “takes delight” in a bad economy in hopes of scoring cheap political points.
Ø She also “takes delight” in calling the unemployed “spoiled” while telling them it's not her job to create jobs.
The R-J’s Weekly Sunday Lesson in How To Practice Shoddy Journalism
In the Review-Journal’s weekly Sunday piece on the Nevada US Senate race, Sharron Angle’s new DC handlers Laura Myers writes her usual 1,500 word piece that summarizes the previous seven days’ happenings on the campaign in the best possible light for the Angle camp. For three months, Angle has either hidden out from the media or made extreme and embarrassing public statements covered on mostly by other media outlets, and ignored by the Review-Journal. And while the headline of their latest attempt to write ad copy for team Angle “news” piece is “Angle campaign takes delight in Reid statements,” it’s clear the “delight” extends far beyond the doors of Angle HQ.
Once again, the pro-Angle spin buries the most important elements discussed in the story. For instance, the story reports the Angle campaign’s $500,000-plus television ad buy this week that’s mostly focused on deceiving Nevadans into believing she no longer wants to eliminate Social Security – a position Angle has held for two decades, regardless of what her new DC handlers say to recreate her. For a story about Reid being ‘off message’ it’s ridiculous to pretend Angle’s new handlers are ‘on message’ by being forced to play defense on an indefensible position that has undoubtedly been the reason Angle’s been tanking in the polls.
In a particularly egregious segment of the Social Security section, Myers writes:
“Angle has been battling back by spending an unprecedented amount on ads -- more than $500,000 last week alone -- including one where she tells seniors she wants to ‘save’ Social Security by restoring $2.5 trillion in its trust fund that Reid has "raided" to pay for his "pet projects. Angle's stance on putting money back into the trust fund has been consistent throughout her campaign.”
That is completely untrue and totally indefensible. In fact, the Reid campaign released a web ad this week rebutting those specific claims. We also launched at television ad on Monday with the accounts of independent journalists debunking the latest attempts by Angle’s new DC handlers to lie her way out of her politically-toxic stance to eliminate Social Security. Oddly, mention of those in the Review-Journal piece are summarized briefly as straight news, while Angle’s counterclaims, false though they may be, are both articulated in the story and judged by the reporter to be true.
And for a campaign that’s really pulled things together and is now ‘on message’, Angle’s new DC handlers spent a huge part of their week fumbling a story about how Sharron Angle led a crusade in the early 90’s against plans by the high school football coach to wear black jerseys for one game, based on her belief that they were Satanic. Their Monday-Wednesday-Friday explanations morphed from “not important” to “no recollection” to “it didn’t happen.” And Myers’ also interviewed a former Tonopah administrator who, attempting to add credibility to the denials, offered nothing but faint recollection of something that Angle’s handlers say didn’t happen – but he was sure it was no big deal. All coverage failed to mention the incident as related to Angle’s radical political agenda based on the notion that government should be run under strict Biblical law.
With respect to Angle’s new DC handlers “taking delight” at the events of the week as characterized in the story, they also likely “take delight” in the many issues the R-J failed to discuss, particularly ironic because he new handlers continue to refuse to address the extreme and dangerous agenda for Nevada that their candidate espouses. Here are just a few of the radical plans Sharron Angle “takes delight” in they refuse to discuss:
Ø A “delight” to kill Social Security and Medicare because they violate the Constitution and God’s First Commandment
Ø Angle would be simply be “delighted” if she could eliminate the Department of Education
Ø She’d be particularly “delighted” were she able to turn Nevada into America’s nuclear dumping ground by reversing Sen. Reid’s success in killing Yucca Mountain
Ø An overwhelming “delight” would strike Angle if she were able to have her way with Wall Street and Big Oil – she says reverse reforms and eliminate all oversight of big oil companies like BP
Ø And she most certainly “takes delight” in a bad economy in hopes of scoring cheap political points.
Ø She also “takes delight” in calling the unemployed “spoiled” while telling them it's not her job to create jobs.
