Libercontrarian

Crushed between the wheels of capitalism and big government.

Battle With A "Journalist"

I read a hit piece, one of many the Denver Post has written about Congressman Tom Tancredo, and just snapped. I finally had to write to the "Red Lady of Journalism" to tell her that one of her reporters thinks that she's a columnist - and an activist. last time I checked, that wasn't supposed to be an interchangable thing when you write something that doesn't say "Opinion Piece" somewhere on it.

"In 2002, the congressman tried to have deported an undocumented high school graduate seeking funds for college. This year, he questioned Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper about whether the public library focuses too much on Spanish-language books, and Tancredo recently proposed that Congress make it a felony to be an undocumented immigrant."

The article purports to be an unbiased account of an unimportant demonstration of illegal aliens and their Leftist enablers, who apparently are unemployed, since they have time to saunter on down to the Capitol and bitch about Congressman Tancredo's uncomprimising stance on law enforcement. I called Elizabeth Aguilera on her obvious bias, questioning if her ethnicity created it:

"Was your article about Tom Tancredo intended to be an editorial or a news article? It didn't make any attempt to approach the subject from an unbiased point of view.

I'm curious - your last name is Aguilera; did your ethnic background drive your bias?
Really, inquiring minds want to know."

Her surly response:

"You need to be more specific about what your issue is? Tancredo's spokesman had his say, so did the protesters. Be more clear.

Also, my surname has nothing to do with my reporting. Just in case you don't understand how reporting works. I'm not a columnist.

Thanks."

No, thank YOU, Elizabeth. I guess I don't really understand how reporting "works," especially when hit pieces purporting to be "news" appear in The Post. I also am wholly unimpressed with your sentence fragments and pissy tone. You are a professional writer, correct? Then check out Strunk and White's "The Elements of Style." Assuming you have the attention span to read it, you might learn something about how to communicate utilizing the written word.

I guess that I just don't have a degree in Journalism or Bed-Wetting, like the lion's share of the smack-tards that offer up their idiotic Leftist agendas disguised as "news" these days.

My complete response to her, and her editors:

"OK, so you're not a columnist. Since I've been on the planet a few decades, and have read a paper or twelve in my time, I am at least capable of discerning good writing from bad, and biased from unbiased. I think your writing of the protest showed a marked appreciation for the actions of the protestors - your tone lends credence to their values, especially so when you write a paragraph like this one, that purports to give background information about Tancredo to a reader with no previous education of the Congressman:

"In 2002, the congressman tried to have deported an undocumented high school graduate seeking funds for college. This year, he questioned Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper about whether the public library focuses too much on Spanish-language books, and Tancredo recently proposed that Congress make it a felony to be an undocumented immigrant. "

I object wholeheartedly to the term "undocumented," it shows overt favoritism to the Leftist ideology of "political correctness," instead of simply labeling "undocumented persons" as what they are - ILLEGAL ALIENS. It is also an attempt to show the Congressman as a bigot, attempting to strong-arm a local politician to change policy outside Tancredo's area of responsibility, and as mean-spirited, because he doesn't want a foreign national receiving in-state tuition, when U.S. citizens from other states can't get it.

This isn't the only paragraph which displays your bias - all but four or five of the remaining 15 reek of sympathetic tone to the protestors and their message. I honestly did not know whether it was an opinion piece, like Cindy Rodriguez's "Immigrants Aren't The Real Issue," or Diane Carman's "Muslims Fight 'Ignorance'," or if it was simply a news article. Why couldn't you just have reported the news? Would it not have been entertaining enough? Couldn't you resist your own impulses to "get your message out?"

The bias your paper has against Congressman Tancredo is reflective of the serious Left-orientation of that institution. I recognized it the first time I picked up the paper when I came out to Denver in May of 1996, and if anything, it's gotten worse. I'm used to putting up with constant pressure from the media to be an agent of change in the world, as opposed to what it was originally contrived to be - persons factually reporting noteworthy events, but this particular flurry of Tancredo hit pieces emanating like a stink from The Post is simply too much.

It's why you guys are steadily losing ground to the Internet and to bloggers. It's why the tremendous goof of "Rathergate" got that "News Icon" kicked off CBS and further eroded what little credibility your profession has in the world.

It's why bloggers and other forms of New Media will eventually supplant the Old, Dead Media. I'm watching history happen with my own eyes, and I think that it's a change for the better.

I doubt you people do."

There it is. Hope they like it; I'm sure it will be quickly deleted like the 9 billion other emails they get daily telling them how worthless and pathetic they've become.

posted by: underwhelmed at July 27, 2005 18:22 | link | comments (1) |

#1  27 July 2005 - 21:13

 

My preferred term is "immigration criminal".

Anonymous

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