A few weeks back before a bevy of Capitol Hill reporters, U.S. Rep. Andre Carson accused tea party protesters outside the Capitol Building of calling him and other black congressmen niggers as they walked through the sea of protestors without any proof despite the presence of dozens of TV cameras and audio recorders. Caught up in all of the media attention, Carson escalated his claims and smeared the tea party protesters as not only being racists but calling them terrorists, even suggesting they were a greater danger to internal security than Islamic terrorists. As I predicted, nobody in the local news media reported what made its way around conservative blogs throughout the nation and merited a story in the Washington Times.
Now, Jim Shella takes quick notice of something a supporter of Carson's opponent, Marvin Scott, did that he believes suggests intolerance towards people of Muslim faith. Scott didn't even know about the comments made in a letter and Facebook site until Shella brought them to his attention. Jim Shella proves once again why you can't give any credibility to him as a political reporter as he once again plays the role of chief enabler and promoter of the Carsons. He immediately seized on a posting about the incident on Terry Burns blog, Indianapolis Times, as an excuse for reporting on the incident. Burns is a paid operative for the Marion County Democratic Party. This is the same Jim Shella who smeared protesters at a State House rally who espoused political views with which he doesn't agree. This is the same Jim Shella who covered up the fact that former U.S. Rep. Julia Carson was dying of cancer, a fact that if it had been made known to voters prior to the 2006 election, may have led them to vote for her Republican opponent, Eric Dickerson. Similarly, he ran a story smearing Dickerson after a blog posting on the Indiana Democratic Party's communication director's blog. He also ran a smear story on Jon Elrod during the 2007 special election to aid Carson's victory in that race. And WISH-TV executives wonder why they keep sinking in the ratings? Try hiring a credible political reporter if you want to be taken seriously as a news station.
Mad magazine used to joke that it was also suitable for wrapping fish. Where would that leave television reporting?
ReplyDeleteI understand that reporters or would-be journalists are not robots. The Murrows and Cronkites had opinions too- albeit more muffled. But, pulling the economics of first-hand journalism out of the fire is not going to get done with biased commentary alone. There's an unfulfilled niche. There was a reason everybody used to read the New York Times. It was a damn good reason.
I'd love to send money to "public" television again. I need to hear both sides to make up my mind at times. But, "public" denotes a common group of people, not a politically select group. Do you perceive both ideological ends of our spectrum getting balanced coverage from television? During Presidential election coverage? On immigration? How about the weeks of massive oil spillage in the Gulf? What about the suppossed "payback" of GM for it's bailout? Did you hear about the increased CBO estimate on our new health "reform"? Do you feel like you heard both sides of the Wishard referendum? Or, the influence (or lack thereof), by Barnes & Thornburg and the IURC in the Citizens water takeover?
Jim Shella may be our local poster child, but he's only one of many. If there's a demographic upsurge of young Libertarians, unbelievers of either party, are they also going into journalism?
Please!
Thanks for the WISH news update...haven't watch them since Mike Ahern retired. I'm thinking there's not much 'reporting' anymore, just someone reading the news from their 'news gathering partner'.
ReplyDeleteJim Shella is nothing but a simpering, leftist liberal who acts as a "mule" for the democrat party.
ReplyDeleteWhy people would believe anything he says is beyond me.
Hpw is channel 6 and 13 news any better than channel 8? I have good reason to distrust the anchor, Todd Wallce and the reporting of Scott MacIntyre.
ReplyDelete