Why Journalism Is Dying: Bachmann lies go untold in Startribune

In case you missed it, Congresswoman Bachmann had her first townhall forums since she was first elected in 2006, some 27 months ago. We can debate later on whether or not these were actual forums or just fact free taxpayer paid re-education events.

The Big E over at MPP contacted the Startribune writer for the Bachmann "coverage".

"This was a breaking story," he told me. "This was not the place of analysis of the scholarship of what they said or lack thereof. We don't have the space to do that kind of analysis."

"Analysis of the truth of what they are saying would make a tedious article," he continued.

So the Startribune doesn't have the time nor the space to report the truth?

They have plenty of time and space to talk about cleaning cabins, ridding them of mice and getting them ready for the upcoming cabin season but no time or space to expose a member of Congress with a fetish for lying?

What's the role of a newspaper then? What should a real journalist be doing?

Fortunately, Google gave me a few ideas on what the role of a newspaper is.

Newspapers keep the people informed about the political activities of their government. They give in detail the statements of speeches made by the rulers at public meetings of on the radio of television. They also report the activities of political parties and leaders. Standard newspapers criticize the policies and statements of the government or of the political parties in a fair (just) way.

But according to Bill McAuliffe, the coverage of Bachmann's first townhall forum in 27 months in office, was not worthy of the time or the space to actually fact check her and her taxpayer funded speakers statements. It would be too tedious?

I'd expect a journalist like Bill McAuliffe to expose a lie by any member of our Congressional delegation, Democrat or Republican.

It's not like were asking him to fact check a city council budget discussion in Maple Lake. This is a member of Congress, one of 435 elected leaders in the House. What these people say carries a lot of weight, people listen to members of Congress.

Honestly, I'm more ticked off about what Big E reported than the fact that Bill McAuliffe failed the readers of the Startribune. It's the nonchalant attitude of it all that really pisses me off.

Consider my dead tree subscription to the Startribune cancelled.