On May 4, The Recorder published the AP’s coverage of the Indiana primary. The bias and untruths in it demoralized me. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump were the winners, yet the headline excluded Sanders’ name. Accompanying photos were of Trump and Cruz. Sanders’ name first appears in the fourth paragraph where we’re told he “eked out a victory” despite beating Clinton by 5.4 percent. Funny how Hillary Clinton wins primaries by far smaller margins (Missouri by 0.2 percent, Massachusetts by 1.4 percent, Illinois by 1.8 percent) yet nobody ever writes that she “eked out a victory.”
In the same sentence we’re told that Sanders’ win won’t do him any good. True or not, there’s no way to know that until it’s over. Sanders is favored not only to win the upcoming Oregon, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and possibly California primaries, but the chance he’ll win by big margins increases daily based on what polls and studies show: The more people learn about Sanders the more they like him.
The opposite is true for Clinton. (Search on: Young women are unfollowing Hillary Clinton more than any other 2016 candidate). With time on his side and possibly big wins, it’s quite possible neither candidate will enter the convention with enough pledged delegates to secure the nomination.
The fifth paragraph begins with pure speculation worded as solid fact: “Clinton and Trump now plunge into a six-month battle for the presidency” even though a Clinton/Trump match-up looks pretty unlikely if one considers even one of the possible turns this election could take. Should the FBI investigation of Clinton force her out, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), which above all else wants to get rid of Sanders, may then nominate a replacement Establishment Corporate-owned Democrat, resulting who knows, maybe a Biden/Trump match-up.
A bit further into the article we learn that Clinton has “92 percent of the delegates she needs” which is a flat out lie. As of May 6, she has 1,700 pledged delegates, or 71 percent. The 92 percent is only achievable by including superdelegates which is misleading and unethical. Misleading because superdelegates can switch their allegiance at any time and history shows they often do, unethical because the DNC chairwoman has asked the media to stop including superdelegates.
So why do superdelegates switch? Let’s look at Utah, where Sanders won nearly 80 percent of the vote. Despite that, Utah’s four superdelegates are still backing Clinton. But as elected officials, they know they will be voted out if they incur the wrath of 80 percent of their voting constituents. Right now, superdelegates in states Sanders has already won by a landslide are facing relentless demands to honor the will of the people, and some already have switched. Those wishing to remain in office will surely do so before or at the convention.
I understand that The Recorder did not write this article. What I can’t understand is why they published it. I bought a subscription to The Recorder because I was so impressed with the accurate, fact-based coverage of the NED pipeline. I know how extraordinary their reporting can be. Perhaps they feel the presidential race is not a local issue so why not let Big Media cover it?
For starters, Independents, Sanders’ base, make up the majority in western Mass., and given that Sanders won 70.4 percent of the primary vote in Franklin County and 63 percent in Hampshire County, The Recorder owes it to its readers to publish unbiased accurate articles on Sanders, even if they must write them themselves. After all, local media across this country has been doing exactly that throughout this election. Were it not for local media in Kentucky or Wisconsin and the Internet, I would have never seen the 20,000 people who flock to a Sanders’ rally, never heard his detailed plans for the many crises we face, and would have never read about the picket lines he joined in many states. Hell, if not for local coverage, I’d hardly know he was running!
I am a big believer in redemption and second chances. So my faith in our local paper will be restored if I no longer have to read biased, untruthful Corporate Media coverage of this election. I would be thrilled to see any of these breaking stories in future issues of The Recorder:
The FBI investigation of Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state. It’s not going away.
The rampant election fraud and resulting protests and lawsuits in New York and Arizona.
The probability of the DNC nominating a replacement if Clinton is indicted.
The DNC’s refusal to take action on Clinton’s money-laundering of campaign funds.
The power of Independents and un-enrolled voters and potential birth of a third party.
The polls showing that Sanders dumps Trump every time. Please publish them!
The role the media has played in creating Trump.
The liberal and conservative ruling elites’ willingness to sacrifice this country to retain power, our system of legalized bribery, the demise of our democracy, the extraordinary rise of the Political Revolution — these are the stories I hope to see delivered to the people of western Massachusetts.
Anna Fessenden lives in Ashfield, where she produces a line of artisanal breads called AnnaBread.