Thursday, March 17, 2016

Gannett Now Imposing Litmus Test On Republicans: Disavow Trump Or We Will Destroy You

If you happened to check out the news pages of the Gannett-owned Cincinnati Enquirer in the lead-up to the Ohio presidential primary, you were treated to daily doses of anti-Trump rhetoric from the newspaper whose editorial opinions and news content are dictated by its masters in Langley, Virginia, who created the newspaper chain to buy up conservative, family-run newspapers in key red states to fundamentally alter the news message readers were receiving. We've seen this play out locally the entire past year in the Gannett-owned Indianapolis Star where any one of religious faith is mocked and ridiculed if they dare speak the words "religious freedom," which Gannett tells you is code for bigotry.

Days before the Ohio primary, the Cincinnati Enquirer viciously went after the Democratic sheriff of Hamilton County, Ohio because he attended a Trump rally. Sheriff Jim Neill had so much vitriolic anger directed at him he had to issue a public apology for going to the Trump rally. "It was selfish on my part because I didn’t take into consideration the other candidates on the Democratic ballot that are going to be running with me because this could not just impact my votes, but it could impact the votes on anyone on the Democratic ballot. I want to apologize for my actions," said Neil. "I’ve been a police officer since 1981. I was elected as sheriff in 2012. I’m still performing as a peace officer. I’m not comfortable in the skin of a politician. What you get with Jim Neil is what you get. I’m a public servant… public safety is my priority." "Neil repeatedly said Monday he attended the Trump rally to show appreciation for Trump's support of law enforcement."

The Star's political Matthew Tully doesn't let a day go by that he doesn't utter anti-Trump statements. The Star's editorial manager Tim Swarens, who is nothing but a vicious attack-dog bully when it comes to imposing The Star's agenda on political and business leaders, has now stepped into the act, even though Indiana's primary is still many weeks off. He's served notice that the newspaper will go after any Republican politician in this state who doesn't publicly disavow Trump.
Donald Trump is coming.
Brace yourself, South Bend. Get ready, Terre Haute. (You can stand down, Bloomington, the People’s Republic is likely to remain a Trump-free zone.)
And awaken your conscience, Republican leaders in Indiana. It’s time to take a stand against the egocentric billionaire’s reckless campaign for the White House.
Will Indiana’s leading Republican candidates disavow the civic corrosion that is Trump’s campaign? Or will they silently share a ballot with Trump on May 3 and thereby tacitly endorse his ugly, dangerous tactics? . . . 
That means Mike Pence, Marlin Stutzman, Todd Young and other Republicans on the May ballot must decide: Do we, out of political expediency, welcome the man most likely to lead our party in November, or do we defend the values we’ve long claimed to hold? 
Because there’s no middle ground on Trump . . . 
Just who the hell do they think they are to have the right to dictate to people who they must support for president? Here's some news for Republican politicians. If you allow yourself to be bullied by these outsider eggheads who've taken control of our local newspaper, then you're not worthy of the support of the people of the political party whose principles you profess to support. You don't have to support Trump, but they're asking you to do more. They're telling you that you must take a public oath to disavow Trump and his campaign in its entirety or you will be smeared by these nasty, ugly people who run this local newspaper.

What people should really be asking themselves is why this newspaper for which Swarens works is so worked up about Trump when it is a co-conspirator in enabling corrupt political insiders to rob taxpayers blind to finance their personal business empires through its support of every s_ _ _ sandwhich they serve up to us. Why does this newspaper have so much contempt for working class people who can't get ahead in this economy? Why does this newspaper devote so much of its content to promoting alcohol consumption and rubbing the posh homes of the wealthy in our faces? Why does its social agenda for accepting every alternative lifestyle always trump stories of income inequality?

No individual or institution has been more responsible for civic corrosion in this city and state than when the Gannett newspaper chain came to town, drove off all of the newspaper's best reporters and editorial writers and dumbed the newspaper down to the point it's just a shadow of its former place as a watchdog and protector of civic virtue. You'll never read an editorial or news story calling out the newspaper's favorite liberal politicians who use social media daily to viciously and personally attack anyone who disagrees with their viewpoint and who urge supporters to engage in violence against their political enemies. And just what is it about Trump that scares your elitists masters in Langley so much to take this extraordinary step? We haven't seen your newspaper calling for the resignation of the school superintendent for one of the state's largest school districts right here in Indianapolis who let six days go by in defiance of state law before reporting the sexual abuse of students at his school. Your newspaper is the last place to which any self-respecting politician should be looking for approval. Tell them to Trump Off.

UPDATE: Since Gannett is such a big fan of Gov. John Kasich, I thought I would share this video of him telling a group of Ohio state workers what an idiot a police officer was for pulling him over and ticketing him for failing to yield when he passed a police officer stopped along the interstate highway with a motorist.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...


Gennett is the WALMART of newspaper publishing. Like that huge Bentonville, Arkansas. headquartered giant garage sale under roof where you may mostly find goods made in China, North Vietnam, and Laos, the Gannett firm comes in and often destroys local small business publications along with their institutional, civic connections and real information service to the people.

Anonymous said...

Nah, for the exchange of money WALMART delivers value. Duh Star does not.

Anonymous said...

All Enemies, Gannet

Anonymous said...

While still not a newspaper worth buying, the paper is nothing like the Pulliam run daily that poisoned the community for decades. Typical of publishing in the John Birch style, I first can remember Eugene's publication railing against JFK, who it was said, was responsible for interjecting his religion into the 1960 election and berating prominent Catholic politicians in NY, PA, KY, OH, and CA that supposedly handed Kennedy the nomination. The paper never changed its tone as the empire expanded to own 46 newspapers in 8 states. If I remember correctly the sale of the Pulliam newspapers, from the trust, was dependent upon the buyer maintaining a conservative viewpoint. I don't really know what the paper now expounds, after the Gannett sale, since delivery was stopped after the last racially charged Varvel cartoon.

However, the right-wing is well represented on television, especially by Faux News, and on radio through Bain Capital's private buyout of Clear Channel (now iHeartMedia) which owns 850 stations and have replaced progressive commentators with the likes of Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity, Levin and McCain. With $20 billion in debt from acquisitions and a money losing lineup broadcasting in clear thinking locales, the group may face a financial crunch as so too may the Star from trying to operate in the digital age. But why fret when one has extra blog sites that Gary offers on Advance Indiana. Thanks Gary!


Anonymous said...

I wouldn't wipe my backside with Gannett's paper. Swarens, Tully et al are fomenting revolution. The fields are tinder dry. All it's going to take is a spark. Reap the whirlwind, fools.

Flogger said...

I came across an interesting quote: "Rome lived upon its principal till ruin stared it in the face. Industry is the only true source of wealth, and there was no industry in Rome. By day the Ostia road was crowded with carts and muleteers, carrying to the great city the silks and spices of the East, the marble of Asia Minor, the timber of the Atlas, the grain of Africa and Egypt; and the carts brought out nothing but loads of dung. That was their return cargo."

— The Martyrdom of Man by Winwood Reade (1871)

We see this all across America cities and towns that once were home to factories that manufactured the consumer goods we bought are no more. The Star except for a brief mention on the closing of Carrier and it eventual transfer to Mexico is silent. I do not recall any personal stories the workers at Carrier might relate. What will the workers do after Carrier closes?? How will their lives be impacted??

However we will get gobs of written crap about Peyton Manning.

The Star has spoken, but the power that exists behind it is telling them what to write is frightened. Probably if anything more people will now vote for Trump as the anti-establishment candidate.

Unigov said...

Gannett and WaPo both invoking the MORAL OUTRAGE today: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/to-defend-our-democracy-against-trump-the-gop-must-aim-for-a-brokered-convention/2016/03/16/074399d4-eb9c-11e5-bc08-3e03a5b41910_story.html

Anonymous at 2:46 - that's some funny stuff. You should develop a new website of pseudo-leftist mush, which seems to be your specialty.

Anonymous said...

I loved the Star salesperson at the Flower and Patio show. They asked why I did not want a subscription for the Star. I told them because it is not a newspaper anymore, and they told me I should get it for the coupons. They had nothing for my comment about it not being a newspaper anymore.

If that is all they have to give me, then yeah keep the umbrella, or hat, or anything else on that table.

Anonymous said...

2:46 hates America and Americans. He's the type of garbage we should have let McCarthy run out of the country.

Anonymous said...

Tully and the crew at the Star no longer have original thoughts. Tony Cook is told what to say and when to say it by the folks at the Gannet home office. Muncie, Richmond, Indianapolis, its all the same stuff,Gannet tells them what to write and how to write it. Its sad to see the once great newspaper become the tool of the Gannet folks. Shame on Matt Tully for allowing to be used like this. Tony Cook the political credibility of a door knob, he only write shot he is told to write....it's very sad really.

Anonymous said...

Gannet is no more relevant than any other liberal vacuum chamber. Democratic Underground or Something Awful come to mind

It's possible that Something Awful has more paid subscriptions as well