The
notion that some political people are touchy enough to pick up the telephone
and scream at an editor about how their reporter is out of control?! Rauner isn’t
the first, nor will he be the last. The real issue is more that the paper was willing to consider giving in!
THE
IDEA THAT it isn’t the primary concern of the electorate that a reporter may be
treated badly while on the job? Some people probably think that’s the way it
should be, and the Springfield-based Capitol Fax newsletter points out that
this story doesn’t seem to be catching on amongst the public.
And
the concept that other news organizations seem to be reluctant to pick up on
this story to make sure people become aware of it? That would require work.
Particularly from weekend crews consisting of lesser-experienced reporter-type
people.
It
was just easier to put together a straight-forward factual story that said the
Sun-Times was one of several newspapers across Illinois (dailies in Belleville,
Peoria and Springfield, to name a few) that added on to the list of
publications that are officially telling us to vote for Rauner over Gov. Pat
Quinn come the Nov. 4 election cycle – of which early voting began Monday.
As
for the fact that one of those endorsements has a questionable backstory? I’m
sure some weekend editor types view inclusion of that angle as somehow
editorializing or expressing a personal opinion.
BESIDES,
GETTING INTO the inner workings of the news business is usually one of the
issnes that news organizations do very badly. The fact that Crain’s Chicago
Business actually put together a detailed account of how Sun-Times statehouse
correspondent Dave McKinney hired his own investigator to look into the
circumstances by which the Sun-Times reacted to complaints about his reporting
on Rauner makes them the exception.
That
story is gaining traction amongst government geeks who take every blow of the
electoral process seriously. The rest of the population probably won’t find out
much about this issue. It certainly didn't come up during the Monday night debate between the two candidates -- except for Rauner to briefly rant about unfair news media reports without going into specifics.
As
for me, I read that Crain’s account. It just seemed way too predictable that
the Rauner campaign would react badly to a story that made him look arrogant.
If
anything, it is because of this reaction that I have problems with candidates
of business backgrounds who think they can run for a top political post and go
about telling people how they will run government like a business.
IT
CAN’T BE done. Government is NOT a business. And a political person can’t just have
someone “fired” for their impudence. Which is how Rauner’s behavior in this
whole matter plays out.
The
real way a political person can gain favor with a reporter-type is to show that
they realize good and bad press is natural, and that becoming all temperamental
at a “bad” story is wasted time and energy. Sadly, Rauner isn’t unique in this
way!
Reading
the Crain’s account about Rauner reminded me of a passage from “Boss,” the
biography by then-Chicago Daily News columnist Mike Royko who summarized Mayor
Richard J. Daley’s attitude towards the news media.
“He
dislikes reporters and writers, but gets on well with editors and publishers…
If he feels that he has been criticized unfairly, and he considers most
criticism unfair, he doesn’t hesitate to pick up a phone and complain to an
editor,” Royko wrote. “In general, he views the papers as his enemy. The
reporters, specifically.
“THEY
WANT TO know things that are none of their business, because they are little
men. Editors, at least, have power, but he doesn’t understand why they let
reporters exercise it,” Royko wrote.
Be
honest. If Royko were alive today, he could have recycled that passage in
reference to Rauner’s behavior. Perhaps with an explanation about how some
things in electoral politics just don’t change.
And
if people don’t pay attention, then perhaps the ballots they wind up casting
will be nothing but their own fault.
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