“reports” on the Tea Party in Montpelier yesterday, being a companion piece to happyfeet’s comment, here.
This morning, after driving Aidan to school, I heard VPR’s mention of the Tea Party rally at the State Capitol. Top billing was given to some approximately twenty people who were from S.O.S., Save Our State, who handed in fake tax returns suggesting that higher taxation would result in fewer essential state programs and their related jobs being cut. After that, it was mentioned that a larger group were there holding a “so-called Tea Party.” At the website, one of these activities was reported, and it wasn’t the one represented by several hundreds.
Here is my email to VPR:
Is there even an article on the Tea Party protest in Montpelier on this site? I noticed that in your mention on the radio today, you, as did the Burlington Free Press:
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20090416/NEWS03/90416002/-1/NEWS05
gave top billing to the twenty or so people there wanting to Save Our State through more taxation, when there were several hundreds protesting the increase in taxation. Is this objective journalism? You people should be ashamed, but I’m sure you’re not.Just who is it you’re chartered to serve?
You’d think that the immediacy of such a rally might be well conveyed by radio, transmitting the sounds and the thoughts of the participants, but you’d be wrong, apparently. I’m sorry to use up space here complaining about VPR–revelations that will hardly shock anyone reading this–but I’d just like to say that I will do my best not to patronize any of their underwriters, just because VPR sucks.
VPR explains:
Good morning, Mr. Collins:
Thank you for your note and I’m sorry you were disappointed in our report this morning.
Just to give you some background, we often rely on The Associated Press to supplement our own reports. The story you referred to was based on material we received from the AP. Unfortunately, there was no mention in that story about people who opposed raising taxes.
A producer here recognized the omission and gathered enough material to make clear that there were two different points of view expressed at the Statehouse yesterday. Also, we had a separate report about a similar rally at the New Hampshire Statehouse.
We strive for balance in our reporting and made every effort on a tight deadline to do that this morning.
Thanks again for being in touch, and thanks for listening.
Ross Sneyd
Well, that explains it! VPR is located in Colchester, VT, less than an hour’s drive from the State Capitol in Montpelier, where later in the day the Legislature passed the funding bill.
Via happyfeet in the comments, WE’RE NUMBER ONE!
oh. The dirty socialist media must have coordinated the message sate-wide.
I dunno, Dan. It seems like you’re listening to Public Radio all wrong, expecting it to describe the universe we actually live in. I think you’re supposed to take it as fantasy, like reports from a hyper-douchey alternative universe where socialism works and everyone is a pretentious twat.
oh. Oops. We had no idea the dirty socialist Associated Press propaganda might could be misleading. But you have to admit it’s all rather clever, no?
I feel like number two, frankly.
It was very nice of Ross Sneyd to get back to you with a sincere explanation.
Sorry, I effed up the link on #5.
It’s almost like VPR are in training to work for the BBC:
*
Good morning, Mr. Collins: The AP ate our homework.
Fixed that for you.
My Reply to their reply: TOOLS!!
No, no, I keed. Real inspired reply below…
Happyfeet, please feel free to craft your version of the NPR response to my questions … or Dan or anybody else.
Also, we had a separate report about a similar rally at the New Hampshire Statehouse.
Oh, they heard some rumors about some goings-on, eh?
No, Michigan is Number 1!
Dear NPR.
(hocks a loogie on the letter)
Thank you for your consideration
Meanwhile, Tea Party Participants beware:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30238492/
“WASHINGTON – The National Security Agency intercepted private e-mail messages and phone calls of Americans in recent months on a scale that went beyond the broad legal limits established by Congress last year, government officials said in recent interviews.
“Several intelligence officials, as well as lawyers briefed about the matter, said the N.S.A. had been engaged in “overcollection†of domestic communications of Americans.”
Ignoring the partisan or editorial issues of this incident, this still raises a huge question: What is the value of a public station that simply parrots what is already pervasive in privately-owned media, namely, AP reports? Why are the people of Vermont forced to pay for that which they already have?
Thanks, Abe, that is something I did not know.
And Silver Whistle, I find it difficult to believe that an Irishman would write such a thing. I theorize that it must have been an Irishization of the common Sicilian surname, Cannoli.
And all of those people who attended a tea party will have phoned and e-mailed and texted and twittered and talked to their neighbors and family and friends and their workmates, and swapped photos and impressions of their day.
And all of those people – those that attended and those that only heard about it – will watch their TVs and read their newspapers and go “WTF!”
This isn’t like the MSM bias in Iraq or even in Washington. This happened just down the road. They were there, or their friends or family were. They think this is important and the gatekeepers think it’s only worthy of a few childish dirty jokes.
The MSM have really screwed the pooch this time.
oh. Hey BJ. I got diustracted by that dirty socialist newspaper Dan linked. Check it…
ok so much for property rights and then there’s this wackyness…
Vermont is gay.
oh. link for the bat one.
*distracted* that should be… now I’m trying to decipher this nonsense…
liberation ecology and backyard mushroom protection
To borrow a phrase from Insty: They’re not journalists. They’re just on the other side.
oh… *production* I meant – I’m distracted all around this morning…
Dan,
That was so typical of the Beeb’s output – if you have a strong stomach, click some of the related articles on that linked page. Slobbering man-love. Now there’s a name for a non-Outlaw! band.
Balance requires making the little protest as important as the big one. In fact that big protest is “oppressive” to little protests, and ought to be ashamed.
… but this in that last story is what has dazzled me…
Vermont is seriously flaky.
Cannoli – heh! Nice one.
There aren’t any publicly held corporations in VT?
@23 Heh.
In all caps, no less: HEH!
A terse missive, indeed!
And a shockingly guarded reply!
Best efforts, all apologies, now deal, in summary.
Click and Clack’s response would’a been funnier.
Ever since Clinton in 1992 this has been newspeak for tax and spend. He started the whole, government “invests” taxes when they spend the money. Obama is the biggest “investor” ever. Just don’t ask about ROI.
Liberation Ecology? WTF?
Later on the communities will have their “Liberation Kudzu Day” for the bunnies. Next week will be the the once a year “Liberation Soap and Trim.” Ivory only, please!
Sorry, Dan, but this is about as big a disincentive to moving to Vermont as I can conceive. After all I might move next to one of these unicorn feeding empty headed socialist ideologue nabobs!
Well … unless I was armed, of course.
Dan, I hope you didn’t expect VPR reporters to go outside on a day when rednecks, racists, gun owners, and non-moderates were walking around. They’d be exposed to the great unwashed! Think of their children!
!
My beloved state of Vermont, where I was born in brought up … when I go back to visit, despite its beauty, it get sad. I recognize it as home and I know you can never really go home. But this is different. It’s like watching a visually lovely movie that has a creepy dreamy feeling to it.
Of course, I can’t say where I live now is not headed in the same direction — New Hampshire.
Anyway, it is good to hear there was something happening in Vermont yesterday.
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is helping private landowners manage and enhance Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) habitat on their lands
Hey, Vermont, give us back our damned bats!
I did a Google search on some of the roughly 250 people who signed the SOS Tax Hiker Rally petition. Not shockingly, the vast majority of them were government employees or in academia, people whose income relies on your taxes. In other words, THEY WERE MOTIVATED BY PERSONAL GREED. I’m guessing not a single one of them paid excess taxes even though they are permitted to.
A list of foresters trained to apply these guidelines
Read: hippies.
a department biologist
Read: fascist bureaucrat.