I admit I struggled with whether to write this because I kind of feel like paying attention to the bullshit about John Edwards' "affair" may just draw more into buying the spin . . .
But my local paper has an opinion piece today that just had me reeling. I couldn't help myself.
Here's the piece Rennie's republican spin
after the fold:
I just couldn't believe how this guy spun the Edwards rumor. He failed to emphasize that the National Enquirer is so desperate that it makes shiz up. And as the column went on, Rennie just acted like the allegations were all true. My head was spinning with the fear that the ignorant readers would see this as factual. In fact, Rennie didn't even TRY to emphasize the Edwards rumors were just that.
I was seeing red. I got fired up. And I just sent this LTE off to my newspaper:
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Kevin Rennie, for running a "story" floating around about John Edwards. While Rennie is quick to mention the root of this rumor stems from a tabloid rag (National Enquirer), he fails to emphasize that said periodical is infamous for its fabrications."
"To make matters worse, Rennie proceeds to recount the details of the Enquirer’s "allegations" spanning three grafs – without emphasizing they are just allegations. Those who do not know better may very well interpret Rennie’s accounts about Edwards as factual. Yet, Rennie seems disheartened that "reporters are now ignoring the [ . . . ] story." It is journalism 101 – no reputable reporter puts out a story without two credible sources to back it up. Reporters who fail to do so? Well, they work at rags like the National Enquirer."
"Lastly, Rennie seems almost a twitter -- fantasizing about a rerun of the Dick Morris debacle in 1996 occurring in Denver next month. This time, John Edwards will be the recipient of national humiliation. By doing so, Rennie continues to portray the Edwards accusations as factual ("The love child story is not going to go away"). From where I’m sitting, the story does not have legs (truly, a one year old rumor with no back-up). When a credible periodical publishes an article by a credible reporter with legitimate sources who back things up, I’ll entertain the possibility that this is more than political spin."
"Rennie comes off less as one expressing his opinion and more like a dream weaver."
I don't know if my paper will publish this. They've published many of my LTE's before, but I haven't written in a long time. But I feel a bit better having sent it anyway. What do you think?