More Media Stonewalling and Bias

One of my favorite reoccurring themes in my blogging is media inaccuracy and media bias in their reporting. In my opinion, it’s easier than shooting fish in a barrel to come up with ridiculous examples of each.

I’ve been following two stories with interest the past couple of weeks and have chosen to hold my comments in an effort to wait and see what happens and follow how the exempt mainstream media covers each situation.

Exhibit A--Air America

The first story is a developing scandal involving liberal radio network Air America receiving an inappropriate loan from the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club. The source of the funds, used as initial startup capital by Air America, was the federal government and the State of New York, funds earmarked for use to aid children and Alzheimers patents.

The NY Sun Newspaper had this to say in their August 5th edition:

"Gloria Wise is under investigation by the city's Department of Investigation for matters that include transferring $875,000 to Progress Media, former parent company of the Air America radio network, and to the club's director of development, Evan Montvel Cohen, who headed Progress Media…

Piquant LLC, which acquired Air America from Mr. Cohen's Progress Media in May 2004, has agreed to pay $875,000 to Gloria Wise, without interest, in installments over the next two years."

The NY Post adds:

August 3, 2005 -- Officials at the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club — under investigation for lending Air America radio nearly $900,000 — yesterday demanded that the left-wing network start repaying the money.

"Air America reached a legal agreement to have that loan repaid in full," beginning this summer, said Martta Rose, a spokeswoman for the Bronx-based Boys & Girls Club, which is the subject of a probe by the city Department of Investigation.

Air America had earlier said it put on hold plans to pay back the money because Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club was shut down by the city.

"We're waiting for direction from the investigators on how to proceed," a network official said.
While the city did pull millions of dollars in contracts from Gloria Wise, the club has continued to operate preschool and after-school programs and plans to restart its other programs.

"We are cooperating fully with the investigation and we hope to be up and running soon," said Rose. "We have a record of more than 20 years in this community."

I’m not going to beat a dead horse here other than to say this whole situation makes Air America look really bad. First they denied that the loans ever happened, then they denied that they were responsible for the money, then they said that they were paying it back, then they weren’t paying it back, and now they say that they will pay it back in installments—WITHOUT INTEREST.

Funny thing is that the loans were made as investments by the Boys & Girls Club.

Some investment—three years at 0% return. Where can I apply for that deal?

Liberals—you got to love how they are always looking out for the oppressed “little guy”…

What is important is that if you don’t watch FOX News or read internet blogs, you’ve probably not heard of the story outside of the smaller NY City newspapers. The so called “paper of record”, the NY Times, has avoided the story like the plague because the people at the Times LOVE Air America and refuse to acknowledge any wrongdoing.

A Google search for “Air America Funding Scandal” yielded only 9 news results, almost all of them referencing Bloggers like Brian Maloney over at Radio Equalizer who is continuing to beat the drum. The good news is that even if the NY Times refuses to waste ink and paper on the story, and least Air America has been shamed into paying the money back rather than walking away in default.

I say that's a good thing...hurray for the power of bloggers.


Exhibit B--Cindy Sheehan

The second story involves the whacky anti-war protester mother Cindy Sheehan who is leading a small group camped outside President Bush’s Crawford, Texas ranch.

Oh is Ms. Sheehan ever the darling of the left and the media. A quick Google Search using the name Cindy Sheehan yielded 227,000 links and 738 news stories about her “valiant efforts” to get President Bush to talk to her, the grieving mother of another one of the casualties of Bush’s “unjust war.”

Here is what she said in a CNN interview with Wolf Blitzer on Sunday:

BLITZER: All right. So tell us a little bit about what you're doing now. You had a chance to meet with the president, we're told, last summer. Is that right?

SHEEHAN: I met with him, I think, about June 17th last year. It was about two and a half months after Casey had died. And it was me...

BLITZER: Was that a private meeting, just you and the president?

SHEEHAN: It was me and my family, my other three children and my husband.

BLITZER: What did you say...

SHEEHAN: And we met with about 15 other -- about 15 other families were there also. But we got to -- he came in individually and met with each one of us individually.

BLITZER: And so, what did you say to him then?

SHEEHAN: It was -- you know, there was a lot of things said. We wanted to use the time for him to know that he killed an indispensable part of our family and humanity. And we wanted him to look at the pictures of Casey. He wouldn't look at the pictures of Casey. He didn't even know Casey's name. He came in the room and the very first thing he said is, "So who are we honoring here?" He didn't even know Casey's name. He didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to hear anything about Casey. He wouldn't even call him "him" or "he." He called him "your loved one." Every time we tried to talk about Casey and how much we missed him, he would change the subject. And he acted like it was a party.

BLITZER: Like a party? I mean...

SHEEHAN: Yes, he came in very jovial, and like we should be happy that he, our son, died for his misguided policies. He didn't even pretend like somebody...

BLITZER: So now you're trying to meet with him again. What's the point? What are you trying to achieve?


Funny how her story has changed, and CNN’s Blitzer didn’t even do what I, your dedicated Blogger amateur journalist did to find out what Cindy Sheehan said in an interview with her hometown newspaper on June 24, 2004:

"We have a lot of respect for the office of the president, and I have a new respect for him because he was sincere and he didn't have to take the time to meet with us," Pat said.

Sincerity was something Cindy had hoped to find in the meeting.

Shortly after Casey died, Bush sent the family a form letter expressing his condolences, and Cindy said she felt it was an impersonal gesture.

"I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis," Cindy said after their meeting.

"I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith."

The meeting didn't last long, but in their time with Bush, Cindy spoke about Casey and asked the president to make her son's sacrifice count for something. They also spoke of their faith.

While meeting with Bush, as well as Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, was an honor, it was almost a tangent benefit of the trip. The Sheehans said they enjoyed meeting the other families of fallen soldiers, sharing stories, contact information, grief and support.

For some, grief was still visceral and raw, while for others it had melted into the background of their lives, the pain as common as breathing. Cindy said she saw her reflection in the troubled eyes of each.

"It's hard to lose a son," she said. "But we (all) lost a son in the Iraqi war."

The trip had one benefit that none of the Sheehans expected.

For a moment, life returned to the way it was before Casey died. They laughed, joked and bickered playfully as they briefly toured Seattle.

For the first time in 11 weeks, they felt whole again.

"That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together," Cindy said.

So which way would you have it Cindy?

First of all, President Bush didn't sit at his desk and say "gee, I believe that I'll be really insensitive and mail this woman a form letter rather than a personal letter like every other president has done in the past." I'm sure the "form letter" was sent by the White House as a matter of standard procedure.

Next, she was free to jump the president's ASS during the first meeting if she wanted to, and most people would have understood her emotions and sentiments. But NO, she held her tongue--possibly because there were no TV cameras present, or possibly because she hadn't been drafted into the MoveON.org anti-war movement and hadn't started Gold Star Moms and published her son's memorial Casey's WebPage.

Hey Cindy, just because you decided to put on your patriotic face and go along with the pomp and circumstance of the presidential photo op LAST SUMMER doesn’t mean that you deserve equal time with the president wearing your “Jane Fonda” mask as an anti war activist THIS SUMMER.

What a pitiful, miserable little partisan fool you are Ms. Sheehan. In spite of your ignorance, America does appreciate your son's service and sacrifice.

Now shut up, pack up, and go back home...try to get on with your life...