I am furious!!! Cinti Enquirer on Jesse Jackson: DU complaints needed

[roseBudd]

Background: Peter Bronson is a very biased partisan columnist who has never had anything good to say about any dems. He worships at the alter of Sean Hannity. Guess who the Enquirer sent to cover the JJ rally in Cincinnati? A columnist NOT a reporter. In my book that is called conservative bias.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041130/COL05/411300368/1080/news01

Let Jackson take lesson from King

By Peter Bronson
Enquirer staff writer

Jesse Jackson was in town Monday to tell us "the election is not over" and urge a crowd of about 100 in Bond Hill to use "litigation, agitation and demonstration" to get a recount.

snip


But then I wondered: On what planet do lawsuits spread hope? Are Jesse, two dozen ministers, a few union leaders and the rest of the crowd the last people who don't know it's over? What good does it do anyone to fertilize anger with rank rumors of fraud? "They conveniently forget that Ohio elections are run locally by bipartisan boards," said Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo.

snip


In my book, fanning unfounded fears that the election was fixed does not uplift the human personality, or the reputation of Jesse Jackson.

and on the editorial page:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041130/EDIT01/411300303/1020/EDIT

It's déjà vu time for election reform

On Monday, Jesse Jackson was in Cincinnati on a statewide swing to demand a recount. Among the grievances: disqualified provisional ballots, vote-count errors, registration snafus and polling-place logjams.

snip

Others are alleging that outright vote fraud handed the election to George W. Bush, comparing us unfavorably to Ukraine. That's nonsense. Whatever our Nov. 2 problems and screw-ups, they're minor compared to nations that do not have our bi- and non-partisan tradition of honoring the people's electoral will.

snip

Besides, the 2004 Ohio result was nowhere as close as Florida 2000, and not even a full recount would give the presidency to John Kerry over Bush.

snip


That's why there's a faint ring of truth when Jackson says, "This is about the integrity of the vote. This is not about the Kerry campaign." But let's be honest: Had Kerry won, would Jackson be holding rallies across Ohio agitating for a recount? Still, the fact that such accusations can be considered shows we still need real voting reform. Congress and the states should settle the disputes over voting-machine technology, voter registration and polling procedures - and provide ample funding to make the proper changes.

Don't use the Letters to the Editor form to submit complaints. Address the editors individually

Enquirer staff contact info for complaints:

http://www.enquirer.com/staff/contact.html

I suggest complaints to Ray Cooklis, David Wells, Byron McCauley, Julie Engebrecht and Tony Lang.

Our most persuasive DUers should contact Ray Cooklis about writing a 400 word Your Voices column addressing the issue.

Ray Cooklis
(M-F, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.) Your Voice, reader contributions [e-mail] 513-768-8525

And don't forget voice mail ;)

[Komrade _azul]

1. I could just diet!

Ohio is a lost cause, I know I have called for rapid recounts across the country but Ohio is a lost cause if the best that can be dredged up to follow the fight is Jesse Jackson, a failed leader if there ever was one.
No it is the progressive wind of the party that must continue the fight even if the election results stays the same. Only by staying energized can the party prosper and keep a spark of hope alive for 2008.

[Eloriel]

9. I am always suspicious of those

who have a need to trash Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and other black civil rights leaders. Is Harold Ford more your style? Or perhaps you prefer Condi Rice and Colin Powell?

IMO such anti-black-leader sentiments stem either from racism (subconscious or otherwise), a DLC mentality, or a full-out rightwing agenda which is inappropriate for DU.

Interesting that one of OH SoS Uncle Tom Blackwell's most "cogent" talking points last night was precisely that -- that Jackson is a failed leader. "Couldn't run and win dog catcher" was his phrase, IIRC, or something very like it.

Whatever your motivation, you're on the wrong side of this argument.

[YellowDoginthehouse]

10. Well said, Eloriel

I agree 100%.

[roseBudd]

16. The issue we need to hammer with the Enquirer is the inappropriateness

of allowing Bronson to cover a serious local news event. He then wrote an opnion piece about the event NOT a news story.

A Cincinnati blogger does a really good job pointing out Bronson's bullshit on a continuing basis:

http://cincinnati.blogspot.com/

Does not appear to be searchable unfortunately.

[righteous1]

20. I disagree

I don't think it has anything to do with rascism. I believe it's political philosophy pure and simple. We hammer Rice, Powell etc because of disagreement with their politics not there race, and to brand another for doing the same is intellectual laziness

[roseBudd]

22. Not racism but unmitigated bias

this was a local news story AND no local news reporter was sent to cover the event. The CASEOhio meeting at the Corryville library was covered by Maggie Downs. The Warren County lockdown was covered by reporter Erica Solvig. The Enquirer let down the public when they chose to not cover this event in a serious manner. They knew what they would get out of Bronson.

Compare these two articles, one a news story the other biased bronson crap about GOP Vote challenger suppression tactics:

Election train nearly derailed at Precinct 8A
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041114/COL05/411140429/1004

with a real news story reporting the same event

Confusion greets voters in some precincts
http://www.enquirer.com/midday/11/11032004_News_mday_voting03.html

[righteous1]

23. Now there you will get no disagreement from me

[googly]

26. Eloriel, you are one smart woman, IMO the best DU's got.

[tbuddha]

2. Heap mountains of evidence on these people

What I do is bookmark every webpage or save articles to a Word Document. I just heap it on. for instance, send this to a reuke:

"Doesn't this reek of fixed election:"

http://homepage.mac.com/duffyb/nobush/iMovieTheater256.html

[BikeWriter]

3. That #### should have his #### in ####! n/t

[roseBudd]

5. Please remind the Cincinnati Enquirer that it was they who broke

the national story of the infamous unprecedented Warren County vote tallyibg lockdown. That the Enquirer then determined that no one in Homeland Security or the FBI had contacted anyone in Warren County.

Remind the Enquirer that it is their job to investigate.

I knew Jesse Jackson would bring both publicity and derision. That's why I was hoping for Judge Nathaniel Jones.

[rodeodance]

14. got an email back from Bronson--He seems proud of his bias!!!

----- Original Message -----
From: Bronson, Peter

Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2004 10:24 AM
Subject: RE: very demeaning story about Jackson visit!!


We disagree, but thanks for the note. However, I am not a straight-news reporter, I am an opinion columnist, so I guess you could say "bias'' is part of my job description.

Best wishes,

Peter Bronson

[roseBudd]

17. email his editor

Julie Engebrecht
(M-F, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.) Local News [e-mail] 513-768-8147

he should care what his boss thinks

[Stand and Fight]

4. Bastards!!!

There is only one way to respond to this -- with wrath and furious demonstration! Time to stop pussy-footing around people and start the heads to rolling! Is there anyone from Oklahoma (or along the way) going to Columbus this weekend? I need a traveling companion for the drive.

[roseBudd]

6. Stand and fight yes, but also vocally oppose the print media

We need to let the Enquirer know that we won't take their partisan right wing excuse for news reporting. This event should have been covered by a reporter not some right wing columnist hack who thinks he is clever.

Bronson column archive ammo:

http://enquirer.com/columns/bronson

He also wrote a column about GOP vote challengers at an African American precinct on Nov. 2. And don't you know he took the GOP vote suppressors at their word. Compare:

Election train nearly derailed at Precinct 8A
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041114/COL05/411140429/1004

Confusion greets voters in some precincts
http://www.enquirer.com/midday/11/11032004_News_mday_voting03.html

[Stand and Fight]

8. Words, words, words....

It's easy to type and write. Obviously talk does not get through to these people -- we've trying to talk to them for four years despite the fact that they stole elections in 2000 and 2002. The time for talk has passed.

[lizzieforkerry]

7. Ok, just spent 20 minutes talking to Tony Lang!

He said Bronson had a Column and an Editorial but was not reprting. I couldn't tell online where the stories were in the paper today. He got pretty nervous though so keep calling!! They didn't send a reporter to cover the story. If I want to complain about that I need to speak with Julie Engebrecht. I don't think the number on the website allows you to leave a message- does it?

[roseBudd]

12. Yes!! I was there. I saw Bronson.

Hopefully he did not see me.

I also scoured my today's newspaper. Bronson's column is the only story about the Jackson rally. There is an editorial but absolutely no local news coverage. This was a local news story and they sent a democrat hater.

Background. Bronson USED to be the editorial page editor. Not sure how or what complaints it took, but about 3 years ago he was made a local news columnist. He uses every local event he can to bash dems. When the VFW convention was in town he plugged Swift Boat Vets. When Springer decided not to run for Senate he used that in to denigrate Clinton.

Julie Engebrecht is who Bronson reports to.

Julie Engebrecht
(M-F, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.) Local News [e-mail] 513-768-8147

[roseBudd]

24. OK I just reread this. Did Lang say Bronson wrote both the column

and the editorial? WTF? Bronson is no longer on the editorial board. Lang, Wells, Cooklis or McCauley should have written it.

BTW Blackwell DID get his bullshit everything went great in Ohio column first published in the Moonie Times published as a guest columnist a week or so ago in the Enquirer. Did not make it online since it was on the page normally occupied by syndicated columnists. But definitely in the print version.

[TexasBushwhacker]

11. I smell a RACIST!

From the article:

"In this case, it was a lectern at Integrity Hall, owned by Steve Reece, father of Cincinnati Vice Mayor Alicia Reece. But it felt like church. "Preach it, Jesse," the crowd called out. "Uh-huh," "Amen," "Tell it," they said, nodding and applauding as Jesse preached a version of the classic losers' lament:

"Today's sermon: We wuz robbed by the refs."

He didn't say it exactly that way. He just advocated a federal investigation of Ohio's election, fulminated about sinister "schemes to suppress the vote" and insinuated that Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell had a thumb on the scales for Bush."

[Straight Shooter]

13. Why are Repubs so nasty and condescending in their arguments?

It's like being on an elementary school playground except the words have more syllables.

Is it even possible for someone of the Repub persuasion to make a point with dignity, to avoid labeling the opposition with childish taunts, to refrain from sarcasm? No wonder they appeal to the lowest common denominator of our society.

The Republicans need help with their out of control emotional outbursts when they feel threatened. My suggestion is to never defend ourselves against their ridiculous diatribes and taunts. Instead, we need to calmly and gently point out to them, as to a child walking in his sleep, precisely what the message is that we are attempting to convey. Remember, psychologically speaking, Republicans in power are like spoiled children who don't want to share their toys, even if they stole them in the first place.

[Patsy Stone]

15. They are just morally superior.

They will tell us what to care about and what not to care about. It's called project and obfuscate. If you say something enough times, it makes it true, or so they think. Sadly, a lot of the time it works with the weak-minded and lazy populace.

In the words of the inimitable George Costanza: "Remeber Jerry, it's not a lie if YOU believe it." :)

[roseBudd]

19. more Bronson BS

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/11/07/loc_bronson07.html

All right, kids, you had your pout - grow up

I saw one of those "Bush was selected, not elected'' bumper stickers on the way to work Wednesday morning, and I thought: If those things aren't scraped off PDQ, we might have to open a whole fresh can of psychobabble.

Anyone who is still habituated to such maladaptive delusions is way beyond passive-aggressive separation anxiety disorder and may need a crisis intervention to avoid complete decompensation.

[rodeodance]

18. I e-mailed Julie Engebrecht-----Lets all do it!!!!

a short memo!!
As noted above in my post --no good to email Bronson (or do both)--as he seems to enjoy the negitive email.

Dear Julie Engebrecht
I am writing about the story by Bronson in your paper today.
When people speak out, including Jackson, about potential voting irregularites, they need to listened to--not mocked and demeaned as Bronson did in his story!!
I wrote him an email--and his response was that he was a columist and proud of his bias!!
This is an important issue--and your paper should send a good reporter to cover these events--not a biased opionist!!
Thank you

[roseBudd]

21. Great! If you are local call and leave a message on her voice mail

Julie Engebrecht
(M-F, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.) Local News [e-mail] 513-768-8147

Remind everyone at the Enquirer you talk to about the Warren County lockdown. Tell them that Bronson failed to report that lawyer Cliff Arnebeck also spoke at the Jackson rally.

http://www.thealliancefordemocracy.org/

Cliff Arenebeck has been collecting videotaped sworn affidavits on voter suppression in Ohio. Mr. Arnebeck said there is prima facia evidence of fraud in Ohio.

The Enquirer's editorial stating there had been no fraud in Ohio without investigating the possibility is BS!

[roseBudd]

25. WCPO video of Jackson rally

For those of you who could not attend the breakfast here is a preview click the video part of the WCPO web page.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/2004/local/11/29/recount.html

[Liberalynn]

28. I e-mailed C. Weiser

Here is the letter: It's been awhile since I've written anything formally and hope it sounds okay. I picked him because the editorial list provided said he was in charge of Federal issue news.

What happened to fair and unbiased reporting? No one is asking you to post headlines all over your paper that the election was stolen. What we as American citizens have a right to expect, however, is a right to hear both sides of an argument presented in an unbiased manner so we can then decide the facts for ourselves. I know in the society we currently live in this may not be popular but it is your duty none the less as a member of the Fourth Estate.

It's funny how the press, politicians, actors etc tell us we have to vote. It is our duty as citizens to vote, rock the vote, every vote counts, and on and on. Yet when it comes to the bottom line very few are willing to stand up for this principle. Do our votes really mean anything if even one or two end up getting counted towards a candidate the voter didn't intend to vote for? If we are going to deem these as "acceptable and excusable errors" then will we too then quit trying to perpetrate the lie then that every vote counts because it is no longer true. Plus if it goes to a person you never cast it for to begin with, it is even worse than it not being counted at all. How is a person supposed to trust that their vote happened to be counted right?

Also I keep reading if the margin is wide between the candidates that means there wasn't fraud. Well hypothetically say a student went in and changed through the schools' main computer his/her science grade to A and left all their other grades C? Does this make it any less unacceptable or unethical. Should the principal suspect more or less that there was tampering to begin with?

What if instead the student went in and changed all their grades and all their classmates grades to As. Should they count on the fact that the principle is just going to accept that the entire class turned into geniuses over night and that he won't check it because it will take too much time, effort, and money to look into the situation?

I'm not saying fraud happened. I don't know. There are points to be made on both sides of the argument.

All I'd like to see is an opportunity to see the arguments from those who feel there were irregularities in the November 2, 2004 U.S. election without seeing them mocked for exercising their democratic right to express concern over such a fundamental right as voting in a true republic.

Why then have Jessie Jackson's statements about concern of election fraud not been handled in such a fair manner by your paper? Why did coverage only show up only on an editorial page where Mr. Jackson's concerns were openly mocked by your columnist?


I think you should take care to present both sides of this issue fairly in the future. Anything less is disservice to the role the Fourth Estate has always had in helping to preserve that which Americans hold most dear which is a government for the people and by the people."

Linda from NY State.

I tried to proof as best as I could before hand but I know there were some grammatical errors.

[Liberalynn]

30. I just got a reply

it said thanks, in small letters no signature nothing else. I don't know I suppose I should say at least it was acknowledged and at least I said what I needed to say but then again I can't help think it's kind of pointless if it is falling on blind eyes.

But then again Susan B. Anthony never got to have the right to vote when she was alive but she didn't give up standing up for the right to vote, and she's a huge part of the reason we have that vote today.

[roseBudd]

32. oops Carl Weiser is Gannet New Service not Cincinnati Enquirer

He probably has no idea what you are talking about regarding the Jackson coverage as he is in DC.

Copy and paste your comments into a new message addressed to editor:
Julie Engebrecht
(M-F, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.) Local News [e-mail] 513-768-8147

While right wing hacks do have aright to write biased columns, newspapers should not be in the business of not providing news coverage of local news events. The Enquirer DID NOT send a reporter.

[Liberalynn]

33. Sorry about

that should have read that list of addresses closer. I will send my comments to Ms. Engebrecht.

ETA: I just sent it to her.

[roseBudd]

34. no biggie. I get that paper delivered so I notice the bylines

Gannett owns the Enquirer so Gannett New Service just means one person writing stuff that all the Gannett papers can use instead of each paper covering a certain beat.

I do notice bylines a lot and two reporters I admire are Howard Wilkinsdon and Dan Horn. For local news editors that seem to care a lot about elections I like Ron Leibau.

[dzika]

27. Emailed and left voicemail. n/t

[roseBudd]

31. to which right wing hack or right wing hack's boss?

Much better if you complain to his boss that they sent a right wing columnist and notr a reporter to cover a local news event.

His boss:

Julie Engebrecht
(M-F, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.) Local News [e-mail] 513-768-8147

[jamboi]

29. Repubs conveniently forget constitution and electoral college when it

suits their purposes. The above statement

"Besides, the 2004 Ohio result was nowhere as close as Florida 2000, and not even a full recount would give the presidency to John Kerry over Bush."

is patently false. We don't need a full recount (as excellent an idea that is), we only need to recount Ohio. That'll put Kerry over the 270 mark and put him in the White House. That's the constitution.

[roseBudd]

35. kick because we need to complain as much as Repugs do

Complain that the Enquirer failed to send a reportere to cover a local new event, the Jesse Jackson Breakfast Rally. Peter Bronosn is not a reporter, he is a biased right wing columnist. In addition the Enquirer provides no balance to counter Bronson

Complaints should be sent to Julie Engebrecht editor [e-mail]

CC David Wells [e-mail]
Ray Cooklis [e-mail]
Tony Lang [e-mail]