Sunday, February 19, 2012

Fallout For Wisconsin Reporter

A couple of days ago, I exposed the quasi-campaign Scott Walker campaign site Wisconsin Reporter for what it really was - a group funded by the Koch Brothers and steered by Walker campaigners and fund raisers.

In just one day, there's already been some fallout because of this.

First, many friends and readers of Cog Dis sent me emails with tips and additional information. Things like, while I mentioned that Phil Prange and Nick Hurtgen are brother-in-laws to each other, it's Prange's sister that's married to Hurtgen. Or things like Prange also provided seed money for WisPolitics and played a major role in it until it was sold to the Capitol Times a couple of years ago.

But by far the largest ramification is that it apparently helped spur the Democratic Party of Wisconsin to send out a letter to all of stations and newspapers around the state, warning them of the inherit bias and questionable reliability of anything coming from the Wisconsin Reporter:

Wisconsin Reporter Letter

I hope this will inspire people to play the watchdog on their local stations and newspapers and to call them out when they use the propaganda spewed by the Wisconsin Reporter and other groups of its ilk. Taking back the state from the corporate interests that are trying to make it into an oligarchy includes making sure that we keep the corporate media in check as well.

21 comments:

  1. I am most curious about Wisconsin's wealthiest families lately. (Consider the Kohler connection to our friend Mr. Thompson.) Is there a connection to a closed/ sold department store chain here? Or is the name pure coincidence? I'm wondering if there is, well, almost like an elite "family" business class of people in Wisconsin?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kohler Co. and the Kohl's department store chain are totally unrelated, although both are Wisconsin-based.

      Delete
  2. Here's my big question. You're a blogger who doesn't have any more contacts than a typical reporter. Why are you able to make the connections and then expose this outfit as rightwing bias, but reporters and newspeople, who do this stuff for a living and have their reputations on the line, can't do this? Wouldn't you think that if they were going to actually quote someone they would know where the quote was actually coming from. Lamestream media, indeed. More like Lazystream media.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Buckyblue- That's what blows my mind too. Capper rightfully deserves a lot of credit for the work he puts in to expose these liars and the connections to corporate oligarchy, but where the hell is the "regular" media on this? Why do people working for free do better at journalism than the ones who are getting paid to do it?

    Oh wait, I already know that answer. In today's lazy-ass media, ACCESS > JOURNALISM. It's all about maintaining relationships instead of telling the truth. Heck, how do you think Paul Ryan keeps getting allowed back on TV with the failed BS he keeps spouting?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wingnut welfare positions pay more than actual journalism jobs and there is much room for advancement up the ladder of prevarication and corruption. As a bonus there is also the potential for rubbing elbows with the elite. Therefore, many working in the news business do not want to burn their bridges to this possible stream of cash if need comes to it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. don't forget to continue discussing wtmj radio's continued failure to abide by it's license's requirement to broadcast in the public interest by serving as mere propaganda outlet. the most blatant example was sykes' unquestioning repetition of walker's blatantly false statement that gov. doyle signed the capco bill that walker himself supported.

    ReplyDelete
  6. So let me get this straight, you guys find one biased paper and it upsets you this much? You should be in the other sides shoes for a while, that would build your tolerance for media bias. One more thing, you hate corporations and wealthy business entrepeneurs, but you want more jobs in WI? Who, in your world will provide these jobs? You drove mom and pops out years ago with oppresive tax and regulation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you're not going to read what is written, you might not want to comment. It makes you look more than a tad foolish.

      Delete
    2. I will admit, my smartphone did not allow me to read the letter from the democratic party, but after reading it and reviewing some articles from the Wisconsin Reporters website I stand by my comment. I have seen more bias from the JS than I saw on their site. I dont use them for my daily news but apparently many people do or the dems wouldnt be "calling the kettle black".

      Delete
  7. Imustbearacist = Charlie Sykes?

    Just wondering...

    -HH

    ReplyDelete
  8. I agree with buckyblue. Why the bloggers and not the regular news media?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Face it, folks. MSM won't be around much longer. Subscriber rates are falling, ad prices increasing. RW interests purchase the ad space, pressures sales to influence editorial and news functions. Pretty soon the advertisers are directing the content. That's why fewer and fewer people are subscribing to newspapers or listening to radio. I'm retired for pete's sake and I never watch the news anymore. I get my news first (and faster and more accurately) from Twitter. Soon most people will. That's the deathknell for papers and for radio. Goodbye Sykes and Glenn Beck.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Those who do not have a viable platform to stand on always what to censor their opposition.

    I would want everyone to spread their message and may the best message win.

    I despise communism, socialism and censorship. Maybe that's because I escaped from Hungary as a youth to experience the bounty of Capitalism. I am 1000 times wealthier here than I would have been there.

    Fight for censorship, comrades!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Spread it all.
    Spread misrepresentation, what the hell, spread outright lies.
    Spread hate, that can lead to power and money. Hate might even lead to another profitable civil war.
    Spread Santorum. http://spreadingsantorum.com
    Spread Romney. http;//spreadingromney.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Imustbesomething: my concern is not media bias, but a lazy media that quotes sources without knowing anything about them. My understanding is that most mom and pop shops were not taxed out of existence but Walmarted out of existence. American's addiction to cheap stuff made in China did them in.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Point taken. But everybody sees bias in things they dont agree with. So who is qualified to name which sources are unbiased?
      lazy media? have they unionized? lol. Maybe collective bargaining would help their work ethic.
      Maybe Walmart has had its influence but there's always a niche left unfilled by department type stores. I don't shop walmart, I find products are far better at the specialized type stores. I do use Sams club, but it doesn't seem to be hurting pick and save to much.
      No, I think the fact that a specialized store runs on a tighter profit margin makes them more affected by regulation and taxation. Here is a good article, dont worry, I doubt the JS reporter will ever use it as a source since it wont fit their agenda.
      http://chiefexecutive.net/best-worst-states-for-business
      Interesting that WI is on the fast track upwards, how do you think a change in the governor will affect that?

      Delete
    2. Interesting that WI is on the fast track upwards...

      Funny, the actual stats from the feds and the state show that to be quite the false statement. WI is dead last in economic activity and six straight months of jobs losses. And Walker's 250K jobs? He's on pace to create only 28% of that number in four years, and that's only because of the gains that remained from Doyle's budget.

      Delete
  13. You should post some of these actual stats showing WI dead last in economic activity. Seems that would re-enforce your slanted views. Walker doesn't make jobs, he makes the conditions better to create jobs and promote new business start ups.
    I do enjoy how all the good things are credited to Doyle, and all the bad results of his tenure are Walkers fault. It does amuse me slightly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Too lazy to do your own research or even just read a post or two?

      For economic activity, well, looky there.

      And for the Doyle vs. Walker job record, read'em and weep.

      Delete
  14. I'm glad you dug these up, I would have never have thought to look at the federal reserve bank of Philadelphia's website. And you fail to give a source for the other graph. So, assuming your data is irrefutable, what will the new governor do to improve the states economy? Re-instate collective bargaining? Regulate and tax the large corporations? They are doing that to our south and judging by the governors new budget in Ill it doesn't seem to be working out so well. Tell me where my logic is flawed?

    ReplyDelete