Late yesterday afternoon Minnesota media was rocked by the announcement that Tom Weber, one of Minnesota Public Radio’s marquee names, was being reassigned because he is in a romantic relationship with far left Rep. Peggy Flanagan, who happens to be the lieutenant governor candidate of Democrat Tim Walz. Both, of course, are far left activists only under different guises. Weber cheerfully served as Master of Ceremonies for terrorist affiliated Minnesota CAIR’s banquet while Flanagan was added by Walz because of her environmental, and other, extremism.
Oddly, MPR stated that Weber will remain on the air in his current position until January 22. Why hasn’t he been immediately reassigned to other, non-political matters in that taxpayer funded liberal propaganda outfit? One media observer noted on Twitter that Garrison Keillor was promptly terminated upon news of his sexual misconduct.
Apparently the rationale is that this sexual misconduct is by consent and so MPR can move more slowly and quite differently. This is speculation on my part because MPR has said nothing more nor responded to the inquiries publicly made by others.
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Minnesota media has long been seen as liberally biased and, at times, nakedly partisan. The coverage of their stories invariably tilts toward a leftist or progressive narrative while masquerading as straightforward. It’s anything but.
In addition, what local media chooses not to cover is often as important as what it does cover. Whether it’s the regular national embarrassment of Keith Ellison or imported terrorism, you can count on them simply to ignore or downplay the story.
In one infamous incident from the 2012 presidential election cycle, a MPR reporter tweeted what he had meant to send as a DM or direct message, which is private. He whined that Clint Eastwood was mocking President Obama and that this was absolutely terrible.
When this became public he lied and said his Twitter account had been hacked. No one believed him, which is in keeping with not believing reporters generally. MPR itself lied, supported his “hacked” account excuse and said a team of “social media editors” was being assigned to the reporter, which never materialized. Naturally, with the current President, the reporter is as biased and dishonest as his peers, locally and nationally.
When a reporter took a buyout from one of the two Twin Cities newspapers last year, Gov. Dayton, on behalf of all Minnesota Democrats for years of bias and flacking, declared an actual day in her honor. This is what constitutes Minnesota’s “adversarial” press. It was and remains embarrassing. Local media remain pleased with themselves.
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National media debased and disgraced themselves during the campaign of Donald Trump and after his victory. The American people hold them in low regard and for this they have no one to blame but themselves. Minnesota media followed suit and obtained the same results. They are now seen merely as a propaganda arm of the Democrats. Trump’s victory destroyed media’s power to select our president, however, and for this they’ll never forgive him. Or us, really.
I couldn’t care less who Tom Weber or Peggy Flanagan sleep with as long as they leave children and animals out of it. I feel the same way about everyone else, frankly, whether public or private people. I think we are exhausted, if not repulsed, in hearing about people’s sex lives.
The significance of this affair lies in the fact that it cements the preexisting narrative of Minnesota media being in bed with the DFL. Before, that was but a metaphor. Now, it’s a concrete incarnation of it. Does anyone seriously believe that a local reporter would end up having a sexual affair with a Republican official? Not impossible but surely unlikely.
There are some good reporters in town and it might come as a surprise to have that said by me. But it is true and this affair hurts their reputation. I’d hardly name those reporters because coming from me it would do them no favors in their profession. It is true nonetheless. I know that many of them are enraged at this development because of the damage it has and will continue to do.
It shouldn’t, however, take a tawdry affair for Minnesota media to attempt some degree of introspection and ask why they have lost the trust and confidence of the public they purport to serve. Now that it has happened, the only question is if they will.
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In addition to Alpha News, John Gilmore is also a contributor to The Hill. He is the founder and executive director of Minnesota Media Monitor.™ He blogs at MinnesotaConservatives.org and is on Twitter under @Shabbosgoy. He can be reached at Wbua@nycunarjfza.pbz.
Photo credit: Pioneer Press
John Gilmore
John Gilmore is an author, freelance writer & former opinion columnist for Alpha News. He blogs at minnesotaconservatives.org & is @Shabbosgoy on Twitter
