The estimable Bruce Murphy ran an important story earlier this week laying out why, the wailing of Charlie Sykes & Co. aside, the Journal Sentinel's news pages appear to have it in for Jim Doyle.
That means undercovering Green's opposition to embryonic stem cell research:
For months, JS reporters have been telling me that the newspaper will under-cover the stem cell research issue because it would hurt Mark Green, the Republican challenger to Gov. Jim Doyle. Green opposes embryonic stem cell research, and Doyle backs it, as do most voters, polls show.
JS reporter Katherine M. Skiba has written extensively about the dispute between Congress and President George Bush over a bill to fund embryonic stem cell research. Last week, she did two stories about Bush’s veto of this legislation. But Skiba typically ignores or buries the fact that Green voted against this legislation, which passed by big margins in both the House and Senate.
As well as selectively covering who gets money from, or meets with, whom:
The JS has also been checking the Doyle administration’s inner documents and staff calendars in its effort to question major campaign contributions received. A July 7 story headlined “Timing of Doyle gift questioned” merely told us that former administration secretary Marc Marotta met with a Philadelphia attorney on the same day the lawyer donated $10,000 to Doyle. So who was questioning the gift? Both State Elections Board head Kevin Kennedy and State of Wisconsin Ethics Board attorney Jonathan Becker were interviewed, and neither offered criticism. The only critic was state Republican Party Executive Director Rick Wiley, who was quoted accusing Doyle and Marotta of “lying” and “arrogance.” This is a front-page story?
More recently, the JS gave front-page coverage to the fact that six officials from the HNTB company, which has gotten contracts to work on the Marquette Interchange, donated more than $17,000 to Doyle. There was no evidence of any quid pro quo, just the usual smelly donations that grease all levels of government.
Meanwhile, Green has collected buckets of money from special interests, who doubtless appreciated many of his votes in Congress. So is the JS on a campaign to look at his e-mails and staff calendars to connect those contributions to any meetings he or his staff had with special interests? No.
Murphy goes on to say that the Journal Sentinel may well endorse Doyle "given the politics of its editorial board" (not that newspaper endorsements matter all that much -- coverage is far more important in that it shapes perceptions). Which could be true. But the JS has shown a soft side for Mark Green before.
From 10/26/98:
Two years ago, voters in the 8th District selected television anchorman Jay Johnson to succeed their longtime representative, Toby Roth. Johnson has done his homework in those two years, but not enough. He has compiled a conventional, liberal Democratic voting record.
We give our support to Republican Mark Green. A member of the Wisconsin Assembly since 1992, he is a responsible legislator who works well with and is taken seriously by his Democratic opponents. A former chair of the GOP caucus, Green has shown a talent for leadership. While we disagree with some of his positions on abortion rights, for example Green is not a slave to ideology.
Can anything be worse than a "conventional, liberal Democratic voting record"? Green "not a slave to ideology"? Pardon our laughter, please. Obviously the make up of the editorial board has changed since these howlers were penned. But institutional crushes die hard. And the tenor of the coverage is suggestive.
Also from the wayback maching, coverage from the 98 race shows Green thought Social Security reform was cool before Bush was president:
From a 10/29/98 AP story that ran in the Journal Sentinel:
The way to save Social Security is to create a personal savings account for every American that would accumulate tax-free interest and dividends, House Speaker Newt Gingrich said as he campaigned Wednesday for Republican congressional candidate Mark Green.
The change in the Social Security system can be done because with average economic growth there could be a $3 trillion surplus in federal government revenue by the end of the next decade, Gingrich said.
Preserving Social Security to provide for the growing population of senior citizens in future decades has been a major issue argued by Senate and congressional candidates in Wisconsin this fall.
"Elections make a difference," said Gingrich, flanked by Green and former U.S. Rep. Toby Roth, who formerly held the 8th District seat. Green is challenging Democratic Rep. Jay Johnson in Tuesday's election.
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Green, in his speech at the rally, accused the pickets of trying to intimidate his followers and attempting to scare senior citizens about the future funding of Social Security.
"As long as I am in Congress, we are pledging Social Security money will be used for one thing and one thing only Social Security," Green said.
In an interview, Green said Gingrich had asked to come to Wisconsin to campaign for him.
"The fact that the speaker believes in the race is delightful," Green said.
We should ask Mark Green when that $3 trillion surplus is gonna kick in. I'm not terribly confident right now.
Posted by: grumps | July 27, 2006 at 12:52 PM