Blog @ MoreWhat.com

The inflammatory tactics used by ‘journalists’.

sensational or deliberately false reporting

sensationalist journalism

Yellow journalism is a pejorative reference to sensationalism or unethical
or unprofessional acts by the news media or journalists.

The four references above were provided in case you need them. The following references are from other media around the country reporting on the Concord Monitor’s style of journalism regarding their scare tactics against Mitt Romney.

Liberal N.H. newspaper slams Romney
Dec. 24, 2007
CONCORD, N.H., Dec. 24 (UPI) — Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has been lambasted by a liberal New Hampshire newspaper as someone who “must be stopped.”

New Hampshire paper: Romney ‘must be stopped
CNN International - Dec 23, 2007
(CNN) — In unusually stark language, the newspaper in New Hampshire’s capital calls former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney “a phony” and tells its readers …

NH Newspaper Calls Romney “A Phony”
The Associated Press - Dec 23, 2007
MILFORD, NH (AP) — The Concord Monitor broke with political tradition Sunday, telling readers in the state with the first presidential primary why they …

The more characteristic endorsements of candidates from newspapers around the country was always a curious tradition.  Maybe the Concord Monitor is too embarrassed to endorse their real choice and prefer to attack another candidate with misinformation.

Concord Monitor Waffles on Biden
Boston Globe, United States - Dec 18, 2007
Today’s (12/18) editorial in the Monitor was fairly glowing about Senator Biden’s knowledge and experience across a range of issues, not just foreign policy …

Biden on Front Page of Monitor
Boston Globe, United States - Dec 19, 2007
Today’s (12/19) Concord Monitor has a front-page story by Ethan Wilensky-Lanford about Senator Biden, an outgrowth of his meeting with Monitor editors and …

Maybe this paper referred to as liberal should obtain a 527 standing before they use freedom of the press to promote their political viewpoint.  Even endorsements as usual seem to take unfair advantage of ‘the press’ credentials of what appears in this case to be crossing a thin line between ‘journalism’ and paid campaign advertising masquerading as journalism.  Editorial or not, the information proposed as fact can certainly be challenged.  Perhaps the editorial author would like to subject every public word attributed to him to the same sort of practice displayed by the Concord Monitor.

This same strategy was wasted by other opponents of Mitt Romney.  One of the few things that Giuliani has said during the campaign that made sense was something to the effect that people have the right to change their minds and if a mistake is made to correct it.  An idea abandoned by participants in campaigns due to the ease of attacking each other based on evolving positions from evolving conditions.  Elected officials in a republic represent the people but are not required to act on the opinions of the public.  This also means they may have a personal opinion but will adjust it based on changing conditions or that they decide to honor an overwhelming response for another choice presented by constituents.

A more current example would be the reports of individuals who opposed the troop surge in Iraq but now that it is working are willing to continue with it or better yet, now support the pursuit of victory.  Things change and the audacity of those like the Concord Monitor to try and influence an election by publishing their version of the truth is certainly objectionable and worse, dishonest.  Not something to which real newspapers aspire.

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