Thursday, May 31, 2012

How a real newspaper covers a Congressional (Senate) race

It has been amazing to see how a real media outlet covers real controversy in a congressional race, this one for the U.S. Senate.

In Massachusetts, Senator Scott Brown is going to face a tough re-election in the fall as Massachusetts is about as Blue as they come.  There, the democrat heir apparent is Elizabeth Warren, an Obama and DNC favorite to pick up that seat for the democrats.

There's just one little, teeny problem in that march to the January Senate swearing-in.  Elizabeth Warren has a few shall we say, umm, character issues, and a feisty, left-wing democrat primary opponent in Marisa DeFranco.

Now, it would be easy enough for the Boston Herald and other media outlets to watch the coronation of Elizabeth Warren as the democrat nominee and then dutifully cover the fall campaign as a side note to the Presidential race.  That is, of course, what the Cincinnati media would do with such an opportunity.

But in bare-knuckles Boston, the media is actually covering the political race like....a political race, and giving credence, or at least respect, to the underdog Marisa DeFranco's challenge. 

We link just today's stories from the Boston Herald making the race exciting to watch, and fun to read about.  Here, here and here.

  • In Massachusetts, lying about one's heritage is news.  Elizabeth Warren held herself out for years as having Native American heritage, when that heritage is questionable at the very least.  
  • In Massachusetts, lying about breast-feeding is news.  Elizabeth Warren announced that she was the first breast-feeding mother to take the Massachusetts bar exam, when that was not true.  
  • In Massachusetts, dodging additional debates is news.  Elizabeth Warren has been dodging four additional debates on top of two already held with her primary opponent. 

Now we would ask the struggling local media, wouldn't you sell more newspapers, get more listeners, have more viewers, if you covered the exciting and in some cases dirty, messy back and forth of political races like it was really interesting, and enthralling and important?


Just askin'.

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