Bad, Bad Santa Fe New Mexican

[Helga Scow Stern]

I just had to write them a letter when I found not a peep about the protest of "about a thousand" in front of the capitol yesterday:

Dear Editor,

Words can hardly express the profound sense of disappointment upon opening the paper this Sunday morning and searching but not finding one word about what happened over by the Roundhouse yesterday. How, by any sense, is the event of close to a thousand people with signs coming out together on the capitol lawn on Saturday at noon, not news in Santa Fe?
Say it isn't so, that you are not one of those zombie papers, like the big ones, who follow hidden constraints protecting corporate interests, as if hundreds of thousands of ordinary people protesting in every capitol city in the country yesterday were taking part in some foolish, misguided, marginal activity not worthy of even a word, not a single image.

Today's paper is tainted. All other news in it seems hardly worth reading in the face of this betraying silence. And that disingenuous AP report, four short paragraphs on page 2, presenting itself as clarifying the truth while couching what's going on in Wisconsin in terms of the governor's concern about the budget rather than an ideologically-based, corporate-backed all-out attack on worker rights, just insults further. If this "assessment" is an attempt to bring light to overshadowed facts, why does it leave so much out? Why doesn't it mention the reports that the governor isn't satisfied that the unions agreed to his budget cuts, but that he won't stop until he's destroyed their ability to collectively bargain? Why does this piece, coming out at this time, instead of mentioning the peaceful, remarkable upwelling of support around the country, indeed around the world, for the Wisconsin besieged, omit some of the most important details that have gotten people mobilized, such as, if Governor Scott Walker is so interested in a balanced budget, what are these claims that he gave corporate welfare tax credits to the tune of 60 million just ahead of this so-called budget crisis?

Please continue to do what, until this dark day, you have been pretty good at, reporting the news accurately and without bias as much as is humanly possible.

[onethatcares]

1. that is a well presented letter

kudos to you. I hope it gets published.

[lunatica]

2. Excellent letter!

May it put the editor to shame.

[rusty fender]

5. Nothing can shame The New Mexican

Believe me, I've tried. Sometimes they get it right.:banghead:

[Helga Scow Stern]

7. I am beginning to get that feeling...

Their lead letter to the editor today was anti-union. I am holding my breath that in a day or so they will print the slew of letters they must have received from outraged readers for their blackout of the, I was told, 1000-strong protest here Saturday. They strive to appear balanced. We'll see. They do some good reporting on what our new Tea Party governor is trying to pull. I am starting to get that head-banging feeling....
Thank gods for the internets.

And the Journal is worse, isn't it?

[stevedeshazer]

3. +1

[Helga Scow Stern]

4. Thanks for reading...

usually they are good about presenting various points of view. Maybe they will report it on Monday.

[rabs]

6. Ah ha, that explains it ...

Last night I logged in to the New Mexican to read up on the demonstration in Santa.

Nothing.

Nice letter, thanks for posting.

[Helga Scow Stern]

8. I was eagerly looking for news from it too....

Even though I live and work close by, I could only get there after 1:30, when the crowd was thinning. Both parking lots were still pretty much full, and I was told by people who had been there from the beginning that they saw no counter protesters, and they estimated the crowd at around 100.