Posts Tagged ‘damagnificent seven’

The Associated Press loses its way

Posted: September 12, 2023 by chrisharper in Uncategorized
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By Christopher Harper

The Associated Press, a critical news operation and one-time bastion of political neutrality, has turned leftward in its coverage.

In recent months, the evidence has mounted that the AP no longer stands above the political fray. For example, a recent AP article said that the U.S. Supreme Court had “tossed out the heart” of the Voting Rights Act, when in reality, the court ruled that nine southern states would no longer have to “pre-clear” election law changes with the federal government. The AP lamented in another story that “far-right conservatives” in Tennessee were elected to city council seats. Another news report said that “GOP election tactics” intentionally disenfranchised black voters in Wisconsin.

As a result of these and other stories, AllSides, a group that tracks media bias, has changed its rating for the AP from “center” to “leans left, citing an increase in “word choice bias” and “bias by omission of views” in AP coverage. AllSides said it closely monitored AP content because the organization is “broad and far-reaching.” The AP is by far the largest news organization in the world, with more than 3,000 employees around the globe in nearly 100 countries. The AP provides news and information to more than 1,300 news organizations.

What has changed? 

Last year, the AP announced a series of partnerships to subsidize reporting of climate change, race, and democracy. The Washington Free Beacon reviewed the list of donors, which showed the vast majority funded left-wing political causes. For example, the Ida B. Wells Society, founded by Nikole Hannah-Jones and the suspect “1619 Project,” gave money for “more inclusive storytelling.” The AP is also taking money to fund coverage in its “democracy journalism initiative” and “the intersection of race and voting.” The donors include the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, which also backed Stacy Abrams, the leftist Georgia politician. The AP also got money from Take Back the Court, which advocates expanding the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation spent $2.5 million on the AP’s climate and education reporting initiatives and $400,000 on its democracy journalism initiative. The foundation also funds Planned Parenthood and Advocates for Youth, which promotes transgender ideology. The Public Welfare Foundation, which backs reduced penalties for various crimes, ponied up $200,000.

The Rockefeller Foundation awarded the AP a total of $750,000 to increase reporting “on the increased and urgent need for reliable electricity in underserved communities worldwide.”

Associated Press spokeswoman Nicole Meir told The Washington Free Beacon that the organization maintained “complete control” over content produced through its philanthropic partnerships, and that “no funder has any influence over AP journalism.”

Anyone who’s ever dealt with donors knows that foundations often play an active role in how money gets spent. 

The leftist tilt of the AP is particularly bothersome since the organization hired me in its Chicago bureau in 1974 straight out of graduate school, and I learned from some of the best editors I ever had. The renowned news editor Dick Ciccone, who became the managing editor of The Chicago Tribune, told me: “Get it fast. Get it right. Keep your opinions to yourself!”

–Hat tip to my wife

Hope and baseball

Posted: August 22, 2023 by chrisharper in Uncategorized
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By Christopher Harper

Amid the news of hatred and hurricanes, the Little League World Series and its stories provide a welcome relief.

Even the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals, who played a game during the series, reveled in the purity of the game of young players worldwide.

Held each year in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, which is 15 minutes from my home, the two-week-long championship provides many tales of hope and opportunity.

The best story this year centers on Illia Kolomoiets, a refugee from Ukraine who plays for the Czech Republic.

Until 2022, Kolomoiets and his family lived in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. When Russians invaded the country, Kolomoiets, his mother, and his older brother were part of the 6.2 million Ukrainians who became refugees.

“We evacuated in March of 2022. It was me, my mother, and my older brother. We moved with a friend in his car to help transport them over the border. The journey to Prague took 12 to 13 hours,” he said through a translator.

Now living in Prague, Kolomoiets was part of the Little League team that went undefeated in its qualification stage. Throughout the regional tournament, which took place in Kutno, Poland, at the end of July, his team dominated the competition. The team finished a perfect 5-0, defeating the United Kingdom 16-0, France 4-0, the Netherlands 18-3, Italy 4-2, and the Netherlands again in the championship round 7-6.

In Prague, the 12-year-old outfielder found an outlet in baseball, even adopting a Major League baseball team. “My favorite team is the Pittsburgh Pirates,” Kolomiets said. His favorite player, outfielder Bryan Reynolds, plays for the Pirates.

When asked what the best part of competing in the tournament was, Kolomoiets said, “Being able to face great pitching. I can experience it.”

His coach applauded Kolomoiet’s skills. “It’s Illia’s first year with me,” Arnošt Nešnal said. “I saw that he was a very fast runner who can play any position. He is very good addition for our team.”

See the interview from the Williamsport Sun-Gazette at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIcgUc1LUU4

Investigative reporting still exists

Posted: July 18, 2023 by chrisharper in Uncategorized
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By Christopher Harper

At a time when it is virtually impossible to find a publication that engages in serious investigative journalism, PJ Media highlights one of the best of all time.

Adam Andrzejewski and OpenTheBooks.com provide an ongoing view of government waste and misconduct.

As a former investigative reporter, I commend the operation, whose motto is “Every Dime. Online. In Real Time.” OTB also encourages its readers to “join the transparency revolution.”

A former publisher from Illinois, Andrzejewski, and OTB use the Freedom of Information Act to gain access to various government data and analyses that someone has tried to keep away from prying eyes.

As PJ Media notes: “There are legions of advocacy and activism groups in America that raise hundreds of billions of dollars each year based on claims of working to make government better. But not one of them can match the monumental accomplishment of Andrzejewski and OTB.”

Using federal law and similar laws in many states takes time and effort. Simply put, governments don’t like anyone looking over their shoulders. In most cases, the government will play the waiting game, knowing that a significant delay in providing documents will tire most journalists of the search. The government will often charge excessive amounts to duplicate the information. In other cases, a journalist or private individual must be prepared to sue the government to get the information.

In 2022, OTB filed 50,000 FOIA requests and captured 25 million public employee pension and salary records.

The organization also plans to obtain “data in all 50 states down to the municipal level. We won’t stop until we capture every dime taxed and spent by our government.”

OTB also collects investigative reports from other news outlets, such as Forbes.

Here are the four most recent reports issued by OTB’s investigators and auditors:

—“Earmarks: The Return of the Swamp Creatures.” This analysis dug into the 7,509 earmarks worth more than $16 billion in that massive Omnibus Spending Bill last year. All of those earmarks are on an OTB pin map to enable anybody who wants to see comprehensive details on every one of them.

—“Improper Payments: At Least $528 Billion Wasted During the First Two Years of the Biden Administration.”  Every year, federal bureaucrats issue checks to recipients who are dead, ineligible, or fraudsters. “Since 2004, 27 federal agencies have wasted $2.9 trillion (inflation adjusted to 2022) in improper spending, giving away tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer money every year to people who shouldn’t have received it,” OTB reported.

—“The Militarization of the U.S. Executive Agencies.” The mission of the IRS is to collect taxes legitimately owed by citizens and corporations. So why did the federal tax agency need to spend “$21.3 million on guns, ammunition, and military-style equipment between fiscal years 2006 and 2019? The agency stockpiled 4,500 guns and five million rounds of ammunition.”

—“Export-Import Bank: 2007 – 2021.” Did you know U.S. taxpayers handed Boeing Aerospace more than $66 billion during those years via subsidies for foreign airlines to buy commercial jets and the maintenance parts and equipment required to keep them flying?

It’s good news from PJ Media and Open The Books!

Lower the boom on fireworks

Posted: July 4, 2023 by chrisharper in Uncategorized
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By Christopher Harper

I’ve had it with fireworks!

Like any young boy, I used to relish the days of cherry bombs and M-80s used to drop down school toilets. Watching our animals cower in corners for three or four days each year, I think it’s time to take the displays out into the country or substitute laser and drone shows.

Nearly three-quarters of pet owners in the United States told pollsters that animals get stressed out every Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve. Add major sports victories to the times animals dive under beds in Philadelphia.

Add the 11 people who die each year and more than 10,000 injured last year, and you come up with some decent reasons for dialing back the celebrations.

Part of the problem is that the fireworks industry lacks oversight. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said 43% of fireworks tested last year contained components that did not comply with the law, including faulty fuses, prohibited chemicals, and overloaded pyrotechnic materials.

Fortunately, there are some excellent alternatives to blowing stuff up.

Salt Lake City and a few other cities across the U.S. are opting to trade thunderous fireworks displays for colorful high-tech drone shows this Fourth of July week over fire safety and air quality concerns in dry areas.

Last week, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall announced it was replacing traditional fireworks for Independence festivities and those planned on July 24 for Pioneer Day.

Instead, the city held its first-ever drone show, which it said was an effort to combat the city’s high fire danger and alleviate air quality concerns.

“As temperatures rise and fire danger increases, we must be conscientious of both our air quality and the potential for fires,” Mendenhall said. “The summer holiday shows are a mainstay for Salt Lakers, and we’re excited about adapting to new technology which will provide a safe alternative for our residents and visitors.”

Salt Lake is about as conservative as it gets. But lefties are jumping on the bandwagon, too.

For example, Boulder, Colorado, has swapped pyrotechnics for drones. The city has celebrated Ralphie’s Independence Day Blast every year since 1941, according to the city’s website, at least until the COVID-19 pandemic. [Ralphie is the U of Colorado mascot].

Rather than fireworks being shot into the sky and bursting into colorful patterns, drone shows feature hundreds of illuminated tiny flying machines that execute pre-programmed patterns to music while forming shapes like soaring dragons, city logos, and the American flag.

Minneapolis is opting for lasers, simply because those technologies have been easier to locate than fireworks in recent years.

Fireworks have had a good ride, but it’s time to dial back the shows—just my nickel.

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