Media Partisanship
The Inquirer, like most lefty newspapers, usually makes at least a feeble attempt to make its partisanship seem non-partisan. Today, however, they didn’t cover their tracks very well. They ran a front page story about how former Philadelphia Eagle Jon Runyan receives a tax break (an agricultural exemption) on part of his 20 acre property.
Several points:
1. The article describes him as a “Republican candidate” for the house.
Is he, in fact, a candidate? I’m not so sure he actually is. He definitely said back in November that he’s going to run. But I don’t see anything since then indicating that he has officially declared. An insignificant detail? Perhaps. Or maybe this is an article that would never be run about a non-candidate and they think his “candidacy” provides some cover against charges of publishing a hit job.
2. The headline on the Inquirer’s website reads “Donkeys give GOP’s Runyan a Tax Break”. The dead tree version’s headline reads “A few donkeys help N.J. Republican qualify for farmland”.
Jon Runyan is certainly a well known local sports figure. But you’d have to be a bit of a news junkie to be aware that he is (or is going to) run for Congress. Particularly since his final football season just ended last Sunday and he hasn’t done any campaigning yet, most people know him as a sports figure not as a politician. So wouldn’t a non-partisan headline describe him as “Former Eagle” rather than a Republican?
3. Where’s the story?
There’s no allegation of illegal activity, unethical activity, insider deals, influence peddling or any other kind of funny business. It’s a front page story targeting one person who is making use of a legal and common feature of the NJ tax code to lower his tax bill. This is newsworthy…how?
4. Where were they before?
Where was the Inquirer when Obama was busy appointing people, like his Treasury Secretary, who actually broke tax laws? Did they report on it? Yes, a little. But did they give it equivalent billing given the relative prominence of their roles? Um, no. Did they scrutinize or harass Gov. Corzine’s tax returns? He was a very wealthy guy. I can guarantee he used all kinds of legal tax techniques to reduce his tax bill. Funny, I don’t recall such a story.