Galli’s “reporting” consisted of regurgitating a very poorly written piece by the far right, Bradley funded “news” organization – Wisconsin Reporter. Then to make matters worse, the ONLY person who Galli talked to to get a viewpoint was Nick Novak, the former republican party field organizer and current spokesmouth, from the even further right, even more right wing funded MacIver institute.
In the interest of fairness, I contacted Mr. Galli to clear up, not only why was a first graders artwork a relevant news story in a half hour newscast, BUT also to figure out how Nick Novak was even remotely relevant to the story.
The response was very interesting:
Mr. Simpson:
Our protocol here is to direct inquiries about broadcast and published material to News Director Joe Radske. His email is jradske@wkow.com.
I can tell you as a reporter involved with the story you reference, I stand by my work. I can also tell you on every story we endeavor, we make every effort to include the perspective of all pertinent parties.
Thanks
So the reporter who relies on access gives none, and the “protocol” is to go through his boss first when you have a question.
Which is interesting from the person who just ran a “news” story where he did NOT go through the said persons boss or follow protocol whatsoever. This is apparently what passes as “reporting” in our modern day media.
I of course, could have contacted Nick Novak to get a quote about Tony Galli’s reporting, but Mr. Novak holds no relevance whatesoever. Which leads my to my next email.
I did follow “protocol” and contacted Mr. Kovak and asked how Mr. Novak, a republican spokesmouth, who lives and works in Waukesha, was a “pertinent party”.
Jeff,
Thanks for your email. I’m confident that Tony reached out to both sides in the story. While the school district and the teacher did not appear on the air, their side of the story was presented.
Now I see why the press let’s politicians double talk and avoid answers, since they are also masters at it!
The question that was never answered is not, Why was Mr. Galli too lazy to contact someone within the Madison School District that was actually involved or had a relevant interest, The question is how many sides do you have to have before you actually find one that makes Mr. Novak a relevant opinion?
One that appears will never be answered.
Luckily for you, the viewer who demands more, you have a choice! You can get answers from your consumer choices –
http://www.channel3000.com/
http://www.nbc15.com/
http://fox47.com/
I know it will be a long time before local ABC news will be on my television again. As long as they consider Maciver and Wisconsin reporter experts on our local public schools, they are not really a newscast anyway.
In the interest of fairness, I should point out that Tony Galli did call me regarding this story before it aired. At the time he called, I didn’t know anything about it and told him so. He invited me to call him back after I had looked into it.
Once I had, there didn’t seem to be anything to be gained by bringing
more attention to what I thought was a non-story and I did not call him back.
Ed Hughes, President, Madison School Board
Thanks Ed. It is funny that Galli never mentioned it then went and god Nick Novaks take on it. I am sure if the School Board president wasnt qualified at the time to talk to him about it, I have no doubt that Novak was fully aware of the whole situation thus making him an expert.
Little school kids drawing pictures of the governor in jail and appearing to bleed in teachers’ union-afflicted Madison public schools, how is it not a story? As a thought exercise, let us imagine that students at a choice school draw President Obama in jail or being tortured. Your indignation would know no bounds.
David, feeling ok? It took a few days to respond. I was worried about you.
She did a perfect job of explaining what happened in class and why and how the drawings came about. Imagine that some people who love their teachers and public schools have had discussions about Scott Walker going to jail. not really much of a stretch there. As for the “appearing to bleed” nice stetch.
As i said in my original story. My daughter got a great job on her spelling test. Why isnt that a story? She already has a leg up on Don Pridemore.
As for if a choice school did such things….Not sure if they have an art program but they do have a choir program that did not seem to draw the ire or interest of any of my righty friends.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uDihYmhsMA
We also know that there is no way the right would do anything political in schools.
http://www.teapartyperspective.com/2012/06/04/waukesha-students-stand-with-walker/#!
you make your hypocrisy too easy to see.
Besides if you want to dig into it…looking at some of those pics of the person in jail. It kind of looks like Scott Suder. maybe we should find out who drew it and test them for psychic abilities!
Nice tap dancing, Simpson. Addressing the issue, not so much. Can you tell the difference b/w a 17-year old high school student and a 6-yr-old child? Is one acting in defiance of the unionized authority and the other hoping to please that authority figure? No, probably not. Happy sequester.
ive addressed the issue in two blog posts now. There is no issue. There was no policy broken and the lesson was learned.
If there was a problem a parent would have called the principal and dealt with it. It did not happen. End of story.
the difference between a 17 yr old and a 6 yr old? Many differences but all are influenced by many things around them from their teachers, to their parents to their clergy to peer group etc….
The difference in this video appears to be that one drew pictures and the other engaged in that horrible sin of singing without a permit .
Egads!
Jeff, I asked a direct question. If school children drew a picture of Barack Obama being jailed or tortured, what would be your response? Would that be newsworthy? You refuse to answer.
Instead, you cited an example of high school students in Waukesha defying their unionized teachers to think for themselves — not first graders following the rote example of their brainwashers.
Not newsworthy? The Waukesha incident was well publicized.
The difference is that it wasn’t organized/led/encouraged by the system.
The irony here is that you are feeding the hunger for school choice — for freedom to think for oneself instead of in lockstep with the aggrieved union hegemony. At heart, you are a Stalinist, Simpson.
No one drew a pic of Walker being tortured so it is not relevant to answer, a jailed President obama , depending on the circumstances. In reality though I could care less what anyone elses kid but mine draws in art class. Its between the kids, parents and teachers. Not kids, Parents, teachers and WMNJ’s.
I do find it hilarious that to sing the praises of scott walker is to have “independent thought” and to protest him is union indoctrination.
The Waukesha incident was publicized?? suuure it was….
and it wasnt organized/encouraged by the system?? RIGHT….it was completely encouraged and organized and led by the system…just a different system. one thats ok to push politics on kids as long as they think like you.
i am not sure how many times you can put into a comment that singing the Governors praises is the only possible way to have independent thoughts. Which is hilarious coming from the party of ALEC.
Do you think the first graders at the Madison teachers union school were punished for their Hate Walker drawer-ings or do you think they were praised? Do you think the H.S. students were encouraged by their teachers or acted independently of those teachers, who control their grades? And please tell me what horrible fate awaits if I disobey the ALEC orders emanating from my tooth fillings.
But I’ll take your non-answer as recognition that both the Waukesha H.S. and Madison elementary school incidents were both news worthy, which totally rebuts your original post.
(Jeff, this is too easy.)
Speaking of easy :
1. Were the first graders punished or praised. My guess is probably neither. Every assignment isnt pleasure/pain, punish/praise. Im guessing they had the discussion and moved on to the next lesson.
2. Do i think the HS students were encouraged by their teachers from the private school? maybe not teachers but i bet their chaperones.
3 what horrible fate awaits you if you dont listen to ALEC? thats easy none. your insignificant. However we saw what happened when Scott Fitzgerald the supposed leader of the Senate. He was a non ALEC member for about 5 minutes. he let it out of the bag then was immediately brought back into the fold.
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/224909152.html
Im guessing there was a combination of the masters speaking and fitz the elder realizing that he couldnt think for himself.
Paranoid much? Do tell me what horrible fate awaits Scott Fitzgerald if he “crossed” ALEC (to play into your stereotype)? Thumbs broken? Knee-capped? All-day pass to Wally World revoked?
Ask him…he is the one that sprinted back to the shadow groups membership.
My guess would be lack of funds, loss of speakership and a huge migraine from having to come up with thoughts of his own.
Who knows he might be like Bud Fox and lose his girlfriend
Lack of funds? How much did ALEC contribute to Fitzgerald’s campaign? I find no contribution listed. Not even Rep. Taylor alleges that ALEC funds campaigns. “Loss of speakership?” State Senate does not have speaker — he is majority leader. You mean his fellow GOP senators would vote him out? Is that called democracy? As for “thoughts of his own,” how about leading the way? Give us a thought that doesn’t come out of the WEAC handbook. BTW: did you know that ALEC’s best practices has no precedents for ACT 10?
Right they dont fund campaigns, or run ads, or control any purse strings. Thats why they have so much power, by using friendly suggestions. Proving the old adage that you catch more flies with honey than vinear. Thanks for the refresher.
As for ALEC & Act 10:
Wisconsin’s Budget Repair Bill: Wisconsin
Governor Scott Walker took a cue from the ALEC corporate wish list and
introduced a radical bill in February 2011 to cripple public employee
unions. Wisconsin Act 10 inspired months of protests and has been subjected to a series of legal challenges.
Wisconsin’s 1959 collective bargaining law was the first for public
employees in the United States, and the first law of any kind that
granted teachers the right to organize. Walker’s efforts to undo the law
took some creative writing and strong-arm tactics that put 100,000
people in the streets on multiple occasions in the winter of 2011.
There is no ALEC bill that mirrors Walker’s proposal, but the
Wisconsin bill does comport with ALEC’s sweeping anti-union agenda,
which includes decades of support for “Right to Work” and “Paycheck Protection” legislation, and other measures to disempower and defund unions. On collective bargaining, ALEC’s “Public Employee Freedom Act”
declares that “an employee should be able to contract on their own
terms” and “mandatory collective bargaining laws violate this freedom.”
This ALEC bill and the “Public Employer Payroll Deduction Policy Act” prohibit automatic payroll deductions for union dues, a key aspect of the Walker bill.
These bills are designed to financially cripple the key financial
supporter of Democratic candidates just in time for the 2012
presidential election. The co-chair of ALEC’s Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force currently is State Farm Insurance. More interestingly, other committee members include Macquarie Capital and Cintra USA.
These foreign firms are critical proponents of the privatization of
public services and have rushed to purchase bridges, toll roads, and
other public assets of financially stressed state and local governments
so they can provide formerly public services on a for-profit basis.
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/07/10880/alec-bills-wisconsin
Our friends at PR watch have that covered.
You need a refresher course on what democracy is. It is not a shadow group of corporations dictating policy behind closed doors at 5 star resorts.
Here are a couple original thoughts that i dont think are in the weac handbook(im not a member so i dont know for sure) –
If you write a law that sends $500,000 of taxpayer money to your good friends then you should go to prison not be promoted.
if you promote said person you have absolutely no interest in actually governing nor are you a fiscal conservative.
Oh, Jeff, this one is a keeper: “Thats why they have so much power, by using friendly suggestions.”
The Power of Friendly Suggestions. I’m certain the Democrats will propose a law banning friendly suggestions on the grounds that it unfairly rewards ideas and persuasion instead of their customary top-down diktat.
Oh, Jeff, this one is a keeper: “Thats why they have so much power, by using friendly suggestions.”
The Power of Friendly Suggestions. I’m certain the Democrats will propose a law banning friendly suggestions on the grounds that it unfairly rewards ideas and persuasion instead of their customary top-down diktat.
Now you dont understand democracy Or Sarcasm. Gotcha!
Jeff, I’m trying to make an honest man of you. If ALEC has no campaign contributions to give or to withhold, if it does not knee-cap dissidents, then how does it keep its members “in line”? You had a chance to answer that question a few posts ago and all you could offer was “friendly suggestions.” Which is very much the case. ALEC is a voluntary organization; it’s like a buffet: you can take what you want and leave what you don’t. Sorry to burst your conspiratorial bubble.
Really, find me the link online then of Convicted felon Scott jensen speaking at the recent ALEC conference in Chicago. I would LOVE to hear him speak.
To say that they have no campaign contributions and offer up no money is dishonest even for you.
Alec being a “voluntary”organization is a joke also. Future Governor Chris Taylor had to pay a grand from her own pocket….yet the rest of the delegation on the R side. got “scholarships”.
We also know that the way Fitz the elder came running back to the fold its hardly voluntary.
Maybe if there is no conspiracy, you can enlighten us to what Wild Bill Kramer did down there under the influence that caused some members of his own party to consider him unfit to serve in leadership. It must have been horrendous because we all know they actually voted Robin Vos in so it had to be something worse than what Vos does on a daily basis.
More and more desperate, are we, Jeff? Mike McCabe has a wonderful website detailing campaign contributions. Show me the ALEC contributions. And tell me how ALEC forces membership if it isn’t voluntary? Now, WEAC used to force membership. Even if you took the option of opting out you still had to pay “fair share” dues. Just ask convicted felon Chuck Chvala. BTW: if a conviction has been overturned, it is as if that conviction never happened. You’ve been schooled on that before but liars lie. It’s what you do.
David,
Im starting to feel sorry for you. Its friday night go to a movie. go get a drink something. Rumor has it you have a wife….go take her to dinner. I recommend Bandung –its awesome.
As for the Alec Contributions lets see they take our republican contingent to a 5 star restaurant and wine and dine them….Then of course the ALEC members, such as the Koch brothers spend millions upon millions to elect these guys. Are you denying that the Kochs or the widow Hendricks has not financially contributed to any republicans campaign?
I recommend taking a day off from the hate screechers Vicki mckenna and checking out the great work that our friends at PR watch has done.
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/07/10887/cmd-special-report-alecs-funding-and-spending
Maybe after dinner tonight you and your wife can sit down and watch this awesome Bill Moyers expose – I even have the link for you
http://billmoyers.com/segment/united-states-of-alec/
FYI, convicted felon Chuck CHvala disgusts me ALMOST as much as convicted felon Scott Jensen. The difference of course being that Chvala is not trying to stealo our kids public education money unlike his counterpart.
If I had my way, I would put Chavla / Jensen in a cell together and leave them there.
PS: No one has ever in their life been forced to join a union. That little rant of yours was so full of lies, distortions and mistruths that you might have set a record.
PS: i recommend the Pad Thai .
“Steal our kids’ (possessive, Jeff) public education money.” Priceless. How about letting our kids and their parents choose their schooling instead of being forced by the Big Government Borg into the one-size-doesn’t-fit-all schools?
BTW: have we given up on ALEC and now are turning to the Koch Bros? Are we denying that international financier George Soros finances Democrats? You conjure more boogeymen than a zombie movie.
Dave……Need another restaurant choice tonight? Id recommend The Merchant – any restaurnat that kicks Scott Walker out means they care about having a nice atmosphere.
Maybe if you ate better, you would not spew so much BS.
We do let parents choose, its called school choice. Google it…works quite well.
Ummm thats likesaying have you given up on the Packers and are now focusing on Aaron Rodgers.
PS; i love the Star Trek reference. Let me guess you think you are the federation. i would say your more like Renegade Romulans who had to much Ale.
Pss: Yes no money at all is funnelling in Via ALEC – http://www.wisdc.org/index.php?filter=+Search+&from=–&to=–&name=Walker%2C+Scott&state=AL&module=wisdc.websiteforms&cmd=searchadvanced
Holy crap. Put down the bottle for once and get a life, Blaska, you drunken idiot.