LETTER: What media overlooks

By: | Inside NoVA
Published: September 19, 2009

On a regular basis, the News & Messenger regularly prints editorial articles and cartoons on pertinent issues, often ridiculing one view or the other, but doesn’t always print the real news to back it up.
This past week, this newspaper published an editorial page article about the resignation of Van Jones, President Obama’s Special Advisor for Green Jobs but said not a word about the appointment,
performance, and irrational angry statements of Jones, a self-avowed communist.

Jones is not the only missed opportunity. This paper and others remain silent on the president’s long-standing and close relationship with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.
Our president promised ACORN a role in forming his agenda, a promise he kept. ACORN is a bad organization. They are corrupt.

They admitted to 400,000 fraudulent voter registrations in Florida and are under investigation for the same in at least 14 states. Until the Census Bureau booted them, ACORN was set to play a major role
in the 2010 census. For those not familiar with recent video evidence, ACORN was exposed as an organization that supports prostitution, fraud, tax cheating, international trafficking of minors for
prostitution, and other illegal activities. Yet, our paper as well as other major newspapers and network television news remain silent on this issue.

So much for the watchdog role of the press. There’s more. The president appointed Mark Lloyd as the newly-created FCC Chief Diversity Officer.

At a media conference, Lloyd made clear that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s control of the media is a good thing, a position consistent with his written declaration that government is the only
institution that can manage communications to the public.

Similarly, the Senate confirmed Cass Sunstein as White House Regulatory Czar. This wacky guy believes animals should have a right to sue humans and are entitled to court-appointed counsel. At least
Virginia’s Senator Webb took a stand against this wackiness and voted against the confirmation while Senator Warner voted for Sunstein, proving more loyal to his party than Virginia.

A newspaper demonstrates bias by silence especially when silent on national issues impacting our lives.

LEO GRASSILLI

Woodbridge