The importance of alternative news

As you will see in the book, the mainstream media are owned by for-profit corporations, and as a result, many important stories are either downplayed or ignored altogether.

Here are a few examples that are found today on the news website, Truthout, but not mainstream media outlets:

Doctors Warm to Single-Payer Health Care

By Rachel Bluth, Kaiser Health News | News Analysis

Single-payer health care is still a controversial idea in the US, but a majority of physicians are moving to support it, a new survey finds. Fifty-six percent of doctors registered either strong support or were somewhat supportive of a single-payer health system, according to the survey by Merritt Hawkins, a physician recruitment firm.

 

Renegotiating NAFTA Will Only Serve the Rich -- Just Like It Always Has

By David L. Wilson, Truthout | Op-Ed

Both Donald Trump and his neoliberal opponents seem to agree that NAFTA has been good for Mexicans, but in reality, the pact caused Mexico to lose millions of jobs, especially in the agricultural sector, and resulted in a sharp increase in migration to the US. If NAFTA is renewed, it will continue to benefit transnational corporate moguls rather than workers.
 

Betsy DeVos's "School Choice" Is Really Crony Capitalism

By Jeff Bryant, Campaign for America's Future | Op-Ed 

 

"Trump TV": How the Sinclair Merger Would Move Media Further Right

By Janine Jackson, FAIR | Interview 

 

Now, would you expect to see these stories on CNN or Fox? Why or why not?

 

 

Wanna see bias in action?

This is the top story today on CNN:

NYT: Email to Trump Jr. cited Russia's role



Report: Email to Trump Jr. said lawyer would give info on Clinton from Russian government, sources say

Amid health care push, White House can't shake Russia

Why one-party government doesn't last

Swalwell: Trump Jr. meeting betrays country

Warner: Clear evidence Trump team met Russians for info

Tapper to Trump Jr.: Why so many lies?

 

Meanwhile, on Fox, the story is not the top story, and when they share it, this is what they say:




• 

  'DID NOTHING WRONG'
  Trump Jr lawyer downplays latest NYT Russia report

  • MEDIA BUZZ: Has smoke led to fire? Donald Trump Jr. wanted oppo on Hillary
  • VIDEO: Trump Jr. pushes back on Russia meeting reports
  • Donald Trump Jr. 'did not collude with anybody,' White House says

Wanna talk bias?

I was in the gym on campus today and numerous TVs were on.


The one tuned to CNN featured a live speech by President Obama.


The one tuned to Fox News showed Obama's speech in a small video box while a talking head (who happens to be very anti-Obama) was given the larger part of the screen. On that channel it was her voice that was being heard.


Meanwhile, the CNN audience actually got to listen to the President.


Incredibly, as Obama spoke on CNN, Fox News actually showed a clip of President Bush giving a speech.


Wow.

CJ stories you usually do not see in the news ...

Wow, good thing I follow the right people and organizations on Facebook, or else I might have missed these important stories, just as most media organizations usually do.

First, check out this amazing series from PBS titled, "Guilty and Charged" about class bias in the US criminal justice system.

It includes many great stories including this one:

The proliferation of court fees has prompted some states, like New Jersey, to use amnesty programs to encourage the thousands of people who owe fines to surrender in exchange for fee reductions. At the Fugitive Safe Surrender program, makeshift courtrooms allow judges to individually handle each case. hide caption

itoggle captionNicole Beemsterboer/NPR

As Court Fees Rise, The Poor Are Paying The Price

An NPR investigation has found an explosion in the use of fees charged to criminal defendants across the country, which has created a system of justice that targets the poor.

 

Then there is this great story from the National Journal titled, "Treating Prisonsers with Dignity can Reduce Crime." This story notes a recent report from the National Academy of Sciences that notes that countries which humanize prisons actually have more effective prisons! You don't see stories like that in the mainstream news.

 

Finally, there are these stories about states that are so desperate to keep their executions going that they are having to turn back to historically flawed methods like the electric chair and firing squad.

 

 

 

 

After a one day break due to yet another mass shooting ...

CNN is back to this same story:

BREAKING NEWS: THE SEARCH FOR FLIGHT 370

TICK, TOCK, TICK ...

What happens when pinger dies?

It's a mundane sound, like the ticking from a loud wall clock. But searchers are desperate to hear Flight 370's pinger. FULL STORY

• Search goes under water
• Iranian's misdeed keeps mom away
• Hampered by ocean trash | Maps
• Husband: Life is at a standstill  
• Photos: The search for Flight 370  

Meanwhile, the lead story on MSNBC is about the man who literally created the Iraq war and all the mess that followed:

Then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld speaks to reporters in the briefing room at the Pentagon on Oct. 26, 2006 in Arlington, Va.

Mark Wilson/Getty

Rumsfeld’s slippery memory

 And over at Fox, the lead story is of course something negative about the federal government.

POWER GRAB': GOP tells EPA to ax water rule amid outcry from farmers

• AP
• GOP LAWMAKERS are calling on EPA chief Gina McCarthy to reconsider a proposal to regulate many of the nation's streams and wetlands amid intense backlash from farm groups fearing the water rule will drive up business costs.
• Critics say 'transparent' administration anything but open about federal regulations
• Watchdog: EPA human test subjects not always told about lethal risks of studies
• EPA accused of stonewalling records requests from conservative groups
• VIDEO: Global warming media hysteria?

This is what it takes to make them agree?

On this blog I regularly show bias on the part of the news.

And nonsense in the news.

I've focused heavily on CNN and Fox.

Both have their problems, and frankly I don't know which is worse at its job.

But rarely do they focus on the same story, especially as the lead story.

Apparently, this is what it takes for executives at the two networks to see "eye to eye."

CNN

'WORSE THAN HELL'

Typhoon survivors face grim struggle

People in the Philippines struggle to grasp the enormity of what they lost to Typhoon Haiyan and challenges they still face. The death toll may hit 10,000. FULL STORY

• U.S. Marines arrive | How to help
• Survivors seek help at airport  
• Survey the typhoon damage  
• Photos   | Reaction | Share stories

 Fox

• AP

  'PLEASE HELP': US, world race to get aid to Philippines typhoon victims

  AID FROM THE US and around the world begins to arrive in the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, but destroyed transport links and the presence of looters makes reaching its intended recipients a challenge.
• Hagel sends troops to aid humanitarian efforts | HOW YOU CAN HELP | Unlikely birth cheered amid typhoon tragedy
• Filipino-Americans cannot contact relatives | PHOTOS: Typhoon leaves trail of destruction

It's refreshing to see an international focus in the news, especially on these two networks ... given that CNN focuses almost exclusively on trivial nonsense and since Fox is almost all about making President Obama looking silly.

But that it takes an international tragedy that killed thousands to get these networks on the same page is just sad.

How do SEE bias in the news?

Open your eyes.

Here is one example, from Fox News:

ObamaCare's red state rate squeeze

• Reuters
• STUDY FINDS OBAMACARE premiums will be highest in states that did not vote for President Obama, prompting some lawmakers to say it proves 'law picks winners and losers' across the country.

"Study finds Obamacare premiums will be highest in states that did not vote for President Obama ..." ???

So this "proves" that the "law picks winners and losers"???

What?

First, a law cannot pick anything.

Second, premiums go up or down based on a lot of factors, one of which is NOT the candidate for President voted for by citizens.

In fact, one factor that determines rates is whether state governments decided to expand Medicaid. When they did, rates did not increase (or not as much). Then they didn't, rates increased (and increased more).

Turns out, red states generally did not do this, whereas blue states did.

So, the law did not pick winners and losers. The voters in states pick winners and losers.

And for some reason, some voters pick to lose. And keep losing.

Which costs them more money.

Google it.

But at least those same people have an entire news network to tell them it is not their fault.

Fox distorts research on anti-bullying program ....

.... for a purely partisan purpose to create, yet again, the impression that conservative views are being repressed by liberal establishments. Like schools (lol).

From this article:

Fox News attacked efforts to restrict school bullying by describing them as attempts to limit conservative free speech and misrepresenting a study on the effectiveness of certain anti-bullying programs.

During the October 20 edition of America's News HQ, Fox's resident pro-discrimination crusader Shannon Bream invited Fox News contributor David Webb and radio host Mark Levine to discuss whether efforts to combat school bullying "suppress" conservative students' right to free speech:

As Levine points out, both Bream and Webb fail to distinguish between acts of bullying - which typically target an individual and involve personal attacks - and purely political speech. It's unclear how a student speaking in favor of the Second Amendment would be punished under a school's anti-bullying policy so long as he or she avoided making threats of violence against other students.
Bream also grossly mischaracterizes a recent University of Texas, Arlington study, which found that certain school programs to combat bullying might backfire by teaching students new ways to bully their peers. Both Bream and Webb cite the study as proof that anti-bullying policies are cumbersome and generally ineffective.

In reality, however, the authors of the UT Arlington study stated that their findings should be used to develop more aggressive and sophisticated anti-bullying efforts:

The study suggested that future direction should focus on more sophisticated strategies rather than just implementation of bullying prevention programs along with school security measures such as guards, bag and locker searches or metal detectors. Furthermore, given that bullying is a relationship problem, researchers need to better identify the bully-victim dynamics in order to develop prevention policies accordingly, [Seokjin Jeong, lead author of the study,] said.

The study also found that a lack of supportive involvement from teachers increased the risk of bullying victimization, further highlighting the importance of school involvement in efforts to combat bullying.

Fox's segment comes just days after the network appeared to participate in Spirit Day, an event meant to show support for victims of anti-LGBT bullying. The network has a history of downplaying or ignoring the impact of bullying against LGBT youth and mocking attempts to protect students from harassment at school.

_________________________________

This reminds me of the stories Fox runs each and every year about the war on Christmas.

Yet, each and every year, we have another Christmas. And people freely celebrate it without any interference whatsoever from the government, or the media, or even private for-profit businesses who choose to say "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas" just to be inclusive (as Presidents Obama, and Bush, and hell even the sainted President Reagan, did on their holiday cards).

Shoot, look what Fox News says about putting a dog on the front of a holiday card!

I, for one, see what is going on here. Fox News has a delusion of persecution. And they're just trying to suck the rest of us into it.

Two days later and it's back to the scandals

... for Fox News.

Only two days after a deadly tornado, Fox News has returned to its pre-storm coverage of the scandals associated with the IRS, etc.

AP/Fox News

Top IRS Official Pleads The Fifth

BREAKING NEWS: Lois Lerner, director of IRS division that targeted conservative groups, invokes her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and refuses to answer questions during testimony this morning before House hearing on agency scandal.

Official Says Choice to Use Planted Question on Scandal 'Bad Idea' | VIDEO: Groups Suing IRS

FOX NEWS POLL: Voters Say Gov't 'Out Of Control' | FOX NEWS POLL: Majority Thinks White House Knew About IRS

Imagine if the network had focused such attention on the numerous scandals during the previous presidential administration.

Imagine if the network focused its attention now on the harmful acts of white-collar and corporate criminals, the people who nearly collapsed the entire US economy (and would have if not for taxpayer bailouts). Yeah, what about those?

I'm not excusing the acts of IRS or Justice Department or State Department. But I am saying such things have been going on for many, many years. They've even made the news.

Just not Fox.

Until now.

And it's all politics. That's pretty disturbing coming from a "fair and balanced" source of information, from a channel that claims to report and let "you decide," and from the most watched cable news network in the country.

Media bias: A case study

This is easy.

Turn on MSNBC today. Watch what they are covering.

Then turn on Fox News. Watch what they are covering.

I bet it's not the same thing. Nor is it being covered the same way.

On MSNBC this morning, they were covering President Obama live talking at and to Planned Parenthood's National Conference. He was talking about women controlling their own health care decisions.

At the very same time, on Fox News, there was a panel discussion about President Obama's investment in electric cars and whether this is an appropriate use of taxpayer resources. No live coverage of the president nor discussions about how Planned Parenthood actually does far more than provide abortions.

This form of bias--what to cover and what not to cover, as well as how to cover it--is the most significant source of bias in the news today.

When it comes to crime we see the same thing--some forms of crime are coverered and others are ignored. Only MSNBC and Fox News typically cover and ignore the same kinds of crimes.

Every once in a while, a person has courage

... and says what he feels to be the truth, RIGHT on the air and RIGHT in your face.

You know the story of the Benghazi attacks. Or at least part of it. You've heard about it in the news, right? If not, GOOGLE it.

And one network has been hyping it over and over and over again, even as the others have let the story go.

So when that network (Fox News) had an interview on Monday with an man who has covered the military for a long time, they probably had no idea he would basically dismiss them as a wing of hte Republican party (his words, not mine).

That interview ended rather abruptly on Monday after he took not one but two jabs at the network hosting him.

Co-anchor Jon Scott interviewed Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Thomas Ricks, who has covered the military for decades, about his new book The Generals. Scott asked Ricks weigh in on the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi and Sen. John McCain's criticisms of Amb. Susan Rice.

"I think Benghazi was generally hyped by this network especially," Ricks said. He added that he thought McCain seemed to be "backing off" from criticizing Rice since "the campaign [was] over."

"When you have four people dead for the first time in more than 30 years, how do you call that hype?" Scott said, pushing back against Ricks' characterization of the network's coverage.

Ricks compared the situation to security contractors who were killed in Iraq. He described the attack in Benghazi as a "small fire-fight" and added, "I think the emphasis on Benghazi has been extremely political, partly because Fox is operating as the wing of the Republican Party."

At that point, Scott thanked Ricks for his time and ended the interview after about 90 seconds.

UPDATE: According to the New York Times' Brian Stelter, a Fox News staffer told Ricks he was rude following the interview. Ricks said that he thinks the hit lasted "about half as long as planned."

Watch it here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/26/fox-news-interview-guest-network-wing-republican-party_n_2192506.html?utm_hp_ref=email_share

It's election day and ...

... this is the lead story on Fox News right now:

FUNNY BUSINESS IN PHILLY
GOP officials booted, Black Panthers return — and Obama at polling site?

New Black Panthers Return to Scene of 2008 Polling Station Confrontation

First Election Day Votes Cast as Romney Battles on, Obama Goes Home

PREDICT THE ELECTION: Take Your Best Shot at Predicting the Final Electoral Map | VIDEO: Electoral Map Still in Play

North Carolina Poll Worker Allegedly Tells People to Vote Democrat | US Election Closely Watched Abroad

Election Day User's Manual | Unions Under Fire for Voter Roll Allegations | OPINION: Vote Comes With Responsibility

Oregon Elections Worker Fired After Allegations of Ballot Tampering | Biden to Run in 2016? | CANDIDATE TRACKER

THE COUNTRY DECIDES: Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly Bring You Complete Election Night Coverage Starting at 6PM ET

So let's get this straight, according to Fox, there are allegations of irregularities on election day, and ALL of them are against Democrats or people who vote Democratic.

But don't worry, because on the same website, Fox News has its bias alert ready to go:

BIAS ALERT:
Campaign 2012 Coverage Unequal — and Unfair?

• OPINION: Worst Spin Since 2008

OPINION: Media Makes Outrageous Romney Claims Days Before Election

FOX BUSINESS OPINION: America... Let's Not Wreck It

But the problem is, the only bias they see is that against their chosen candidate.

This is supposed to be a news organization!

You think they will ever turn their bias alert on themselves?

Wanna see BIAS in the news?

Today I went over to Fox News to see what they were saying about the debates and whether it influenced the polls. Most news organizations I've heard have reported that Romney's debate win did not move the polls in a meaningful way.

Yet, today Fox News disagrees. And it is the lead story! Here is what the front page looks now now, October 5, 2012 at 4:30 pm:

Click on the word surge and the story takes you here: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/05/battleground-polls-tighten-in-aftermath-debate/

There Fox News suggests Romney has closed the gap between he and Obama, including in some key swing states.

But what I noticed on the front page was stunning.

It seems Fox News has started pointing out what they persceive to be bias in the media in its "BIAS ALERT" feature (they use capital letters, all red, to show examples). See the image below for what it looks like. I've circled two examples on today's Fox News website, which appear just below the lead story shown above:

The two stories I've circled suggest that, according to Fox News, bias in the news occurs when a reporter makes a point that suggests he or she is one-sided (and that a politician is biased because he offers a reason or excuse for Obama's poor performance in the debate).

In the first case, a Romney surrogate called the President lazy and the reporter "suggested" that he take it back (or at least that is what Fox news actually says on the front page of its website). To Fox News this is bias. But in fact if you read the story (here: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/05/andrea-mitchell-suggests-romney-surrogate-take-it-back-after-calling-obama-lazy/) she did not "suggest" anything. According to the story on Fox News itself, the reporter "asked" him if he wanted to take the comment back, probably in order to clarify his comment. Asking and suggesting are not the same thing, right? Heck Fox News doesn't really know what to call it, for they also say she "nudged" him to take it back.

Perhaps it is Fox News that is biased?

Don't think so? Well, notice the "story" below that. It is titled, "Liberals 'Freak Out' Over Obama's Debate." No bias there, right? That's a fair story to Fox News, I guess.

Finally, check out the top stories under the lead story on Fox News -- the one titled, "Surge" from the same Fox News web site today:

 

I've circled it to make it easier for you to see. Here, Fox News is taking stands on three separate political issues, offering their own interpretation of the facts. When they offer opinion labeled as opinion, that is appropriate. But when they offer it as news, this is not reporting. It is bias.

Right on the front page of Fox News.

Only notice they don't put, in large red letters beside it, "BIAS ALERT."

"We report. You decide." Right.

"Fair and balanced." Suuuuuuuuuuuuuure.

More on bias in the news

Talking heads in the news can be principled in their criticism of or disagreement with a policy of a leader. In this case, they would be critical of or disagree with that policy no matter who the leader was, regardless of his or her political party.

OR, they can be critical of it and disagree with it only when it is pursued by someone they don't like or want to be in power. In that case, their disagreement would not be principled but instead would be partisan.

And we expect the talking heads in the news to be nonpartisan. So when we see clear evidence of them being partisan--in this case, when people say one thing during one Presidential adminstration and then contradict themselves during another Presidential adminstration--we should be shocked.

But we're not. At least when it occurs on Fox News.

Because Fox News is not news. It is partisanship in favor of one party at all times. Maybe you should tell that to your doctor, or dentist, or any other business in a public place that is broadcasting this nonsense.

And why do we have to rely on a comedian to show this to us?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/18/jon-stewart-conservative-hypocrisy-middle-eastern-democracy-video_n_1892946.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#sb=860952,b=facebook

Now, for those of you who do not buy it, look up who owns the network, who runs it, and to whom they give their money. Then come back and tell me how they are "fair and balanced." They report, you decide. Right.

Comparing MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News today ...

Here is the lead story on MSNBC.com today:

Romney, Obama
face challenges
in home stretch

First Read: With 50 days left before Election Day, both candidates are in a less-than-comfortable spot with debates yet to come.

Here is the lead story on CNN.com today:

Romney to retool his campaign message

After a week of GOP handwringing over his comments on anti-U.S. protests in the Muslim world, Mitt Romney is refocusing his message on the issue his advisers think will decide the election: the economy. FULL STORY

• Romney to appeal to Hispanic voters
• Obama, Romney duel over China
• LIVE: Obama campaigns in Ohio

And here is the lead story on Fox News.com today:

Reuters

Libyan Intelligence Challenges Obama
Account of Deadly Consulate Attack

EXCLUSIVE: Libyan intelligence source tells Fox News that contrary to Obama administration claims, there was no demonstration outside the US Consulate in Benghazi before last week's attack that left four Americans dead, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens. Anti-American protests, meanwhile, urged on in Lebanon by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, above, spread Monday to more Muslim nations.

URGENT: US Diplomats in Beirut Destroying Classified Documents as Protests Spread

Tunisian Police Surround Anti-US Protest Leader Inside Mosque | Anti-American Protests Erupt in Afghanistan

POWER PLAY: Divide Over Cause of Libya Attack Echoes Reaction to 9/11

GOP Leaders: Obama's Foreign Policy Led to Mideast Attacks

OPINION: Obama's Chickens Coming Home to Roost | OPINION: Keeping Americans Safe Amid Mideast Violence

No, there is no bias in the news. That is what we'd like to believe.

Or if there is, it is liberal bias. That is what people say they believe.

Then explain to me the lead story on Fox News being a story critical of Obama Administration claims that is followed up by stories and an op-ed claiming that the attacks were even Obama's fault.

Stunning.

How the news varies by TV network

Start off with this image ...

Now go to CNN and the lead story is:

Deadly quake hits Italy

On Fox News it is about a man in Pakistan who helped the US get Usama bin Laden and yet President Obama will not help him as he faces 33 years in prison!

I've noticed Fox never misses a chance to slam the President. Well, this President anyway. Interesting how the news varies by network!

On MSNBC, the lead story is about the potential danger to Mitt Romney of hanging out with Donald Trump.

Yes, there is bias in the news. And most often it is what stories they choose to focus on and how they are packaged.

And on BBC, it is about Syria. So if you want to learn about the rest of the world, that is your source.

Arguments about the President

Recently Newsweek magazine ran two opinion pieces about President Obama.

The first by "conservative-minded Independent" Andrew Sullivan (here) argued that much of the criticism Barack Obama has received has been unfair and ignorant of the President's actual record as well as his long-term view of politics. It also outlined Obama's major accomplishments. Sullivan concludes:

"If I sound biased, that’s because I am. Biased toward the actual record, not the spin; biased toward a president who has conducted himself with grace and calm under incredible pressure, who has had to manage crises not seen since the Second World War and the Depression, and who as yet has not had a single significant scandal to his name."

So this author admits his bias and thus his subjectivity. But he also offers facts that can be checked and/or refuted.

Newsweek got some criticism for the title on its cover--something like, "Why are the President's Critics So Dumb?" (the title of the article was: "Andrew Sullivan: How Obama's Long Game Will Outsmart His Critics.")

To make up for it, in this week's edition, there is an article titled: "David Frum Strikes Back at Andrew Sullivan on Barack Obama." In this article, David Frum (here) argues that Sullivan is wrong, that President Obama is wrong for America, and that Obama must be defeated in order to save the country.

He argues: "You don’t have to succumb to ideological fever or paranoid fantasy to see that the Obama administration is dragging America to the wrong future: a future of higher taxes and reduced freedom, a future in which entrepreneurs will innovate less and lobbyists will influence more, a future in which individuals and communities will make fewer choices for themselves and remote bureaucracies will dictate more answers to us all."


You can (and should) read both arguments to decide the truth for yourself. But when you do this, you should be looking for those facts to refute the original argument.

What I noticed very early on in the second piece by Frum a serious problem. On the first page of the article, Frum writes:

"Employment at the Social Security Administration is up by more than 6,000 since 2007, or 10 percent. In fact, hiring is up across the federal government, by 15 percent since 2007." Frum is using
these data to argue that Obama is thus BIG GOVERNMENT (ruuuuuuuuuuuuuun!).

One major problem with these data? Obama did not take the oath of office of President until January 21, 2009 (if you forgot you can see that here).

When a person starts an argument using data (from 2007) to smear a man that did not become President until 2009), it calls into question his motivation and even his entire argument. And this is a nice example of subjective bias in the media.

 

 

The defintion of bias in the media

Today, one day chosen at random, shows the following stories on a single network's website, all of them with a negative view towards Democrats:


1)

Just Plane Wrong: $300G
In Unpaid Taxes Revealed

Dem Sen. Claire McCaskill says she didn't duck taxes on plane she partially owns, but the GOP isn't buying it

2) 

Health Care Law Continues to Create Controversy

3)

Obama Under Fire

Should president be vacationing during crises? 

4) 

Invisible President?
 Newt Gingrich rates President Obama's crisis management

5)

Violent Rhetoric in Wisconsin

 AFL-CIO's Richard Trumka promises 'you ain't seen nothing yet'?


And the number of negative stories about Republicans?

ZERO.

So here is your challenge. Search the web to find out who owns and who runs the Fox News network and see which party they are tied to and how.

Then tell me whether you really believe Fox News is "fair and balanced" as it claims to be?

Local news station shows its bias

Check out the title of the story:

Tax Referendum Hijacked.

The story refers to a local event, held last night, whereby citizens turned out by the dozens and asked the county commission to pass a quarter cent sales tax increase to help with education.

Where did the local news get the idea that the event had been hijacked?

One commissioner--Nathan Miller--said this: "That is a great question and I don't have the answer.  I guess the school got wind that for some reason they felt this money could go to them when they asked us for a million dollars and they showed up in force. I'm still behind the resolution that it goes for debt if we have it at all...it kinda got hijacked, I think."

And then the local news just runs with it, not even considering how it demonstrates their own bias in favor of the same party that is represented by Miller.

Is HIJACKED really the right word to use when citizens show up to demand funding education? After all, a HIJACKING is what happened on 9/11!


Tax Referendum Hijacked
Watauga Commissioners may have felt a bit hijacked in their public hearing on their proposed quarter cent tax referendum.  Two weeks ago, it was a debt issue.  By last night, it was an education issue—the tone set by commissioner Jim Deal, who was not present for the vote two weeks ago,
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