Media Bias

From where I sit, the claims of "media bias" are true. Before being elected to office in 2009, I was ignorant of how lacking in facts the game of politicking was and how shamelessly the "news" papers ignore the truth and shape people's opinion with their pens. 

In the East Hampton Supervisor race of 2007, the Republican challenger had asserted the Town's finances were in trouble. The Democrat incumbent called the challenger's claims "Micky Mouse accounting." The newspaper of record did not investigate the charges, the Republican challenger's warnings were painted as political jargon, and the Democrat incumbent won.  

The town was in fact in trouble to the tune of almost $30,000,000.00; money primarily siphoned off of the Community Preservation Fund.  In 2009, after the District Attorney came in and discovered the truth, the Republicans won a majority on town board. The Republican majority was able to refund the missing $30,000,000.00, reduce taxes by almost 17%, and keep most of the services of the town intact, all without any involuntary layoffs. Two services were cut: leaf pick up and the after school homework club.  Newspaper articles, editorials, letters to the editor, and bloggers bemoaned the cuts.

Two years later, in the 2011 campaign, the Democrats ran on a heavily advertised promise of restoring the leaf program with slogans like "bag the Republicans and we will bag your leaves. We promise."

The Democrats were elected into office ( in a 6 person run for 2 available seats). Come budget time though, not one peep, not one word, not one request was made to add back in any aspect the leaf pick-up program.

In the latter half of 2012, when the budget was discussed, there was no mention of restoring leaf pick up. The budget passed and there was not one peep, not one word, not one mention made in any newspaper article, editorial, letter to the editor, or even a blog bemoaning the failure to restore the programs.  

Now, a new campaign is afoot for the 2013 election cycle.  

This past week, the local paper of record, printed an editorial excoriating the Republican administration for making deep cuts to social services in Town, which cuts they claim have harmed our citizens. The editorial did not demonstrate any such harm; it just made the statement.  

The day after that editorial, the prime contender for the Democrat nomination for Supervisor, held a choreographed press release announcing his interest in running. Featured front and center in the announcement were those who had previously headed up the now defunct "homework club."  While no promise is yet being made, the subliminal promise is "vote for us and we will restore the social services decimated by the Republicans."  

My bet is that those services will never be restored, but will be used, like the leaf program, to coax the public along with promises, stated or not, that all their needs will be met if they just vote for the Democrats.

This failure to report or investigate by our newspapers only misinforms the public. The public deserves better and we all must start demanding that reporting separates fact from opinion and that elected officials stand by their promises.