This post originally appeared at https://badgerbubbler.com/news/activism-or-journalism
Over the last few decades, I’ve become less and less enamored with mainstream media and big-voice so-called journalism and news reporting. It seems that the norm is half-truths and activism.
Some media are blatant about their political stance and that’s not a problem as you know the “news” they inseminate will be a partial truth, only reporting what makes their point or slanting information to accentuate their belief. Other media types wear a veneer of impartiality buffaloing readers with what they assume is unbiased reporting and truth.
Two recent examples.
Craig Gilbert recently wrote an article in the MJS about “rigged” maps. In the article, he concentrated on the last two maps drawn by Republicans in the Assembly, showing they “produced consistently huge Assembly majorities of 60, 63, 64, 63 and 61 seats from 2012 to 2020”. Why would he ignore the 2010 election when the maps were not drawn by Republicans where they won 60 seats? Would that have thrown his premise out the window? It would have been the whole story rather than the selective results he wanted to prove. Now to be clear and honest, after the 2010 election Republicans did firm up red seats majorities.
In an article about Chevy Johnson and his re-election announcement, Alison Dirr of the MJS made the following statement, “Johnson is not facing any serious challenge to his incumbency“. Ms Dirr overstepped the bounds of news reporting and has become a shill for the slumping mayor’s campaign. David D. King has filed papers to run for office and has been busy working on a grassroots campaign to become the next Mayor of Milwaukee, in reality, he will not be able to financially compete with Johnson’s Democratic friend’s gifts. King’s campaign has sent press releases to Ms. Dirr which she has decided to ignore. So for her to become the arbiter of who is and isn’t a serious candidate for mayor or any office is a travesty to the word journalist.
She does have the power to influence the outcome of any campaign with the reach of her platform. It’s sad that she and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel have decided to use their power to be spokesman for the current mayor of Milwaukee. If any so-called reporter or news outlet takes it upon themselves to decide who is and who isn’t a serious candidate for any office, are they nothing more than opinion personalities like Sean Hannity and Rachel Maddow.
It’s time for the media to shed the cloak of non-partisanship, unbiased reporting, and any other misnomer they choose to hide under. I’ll be the first to do so, I have been meeting with David D. King to discuss his campaign. I will also help any other candidates for Milwaukee leadership to displace the current do-nothings in office.