Filed by Brad Friedman from Diebold Country (Plano, TX)…
There have been some first class examples of horrendous journalism in the wake of CA SoS Debra Bowen’s historic attempts to begin righting the e-voting wrong late last Friday Night. (You can see a bunch of them for yourselves linked in John Gideon’s ‘Daily Voting News’ yesterday.) In story after story, Election Officials — most ubiquitously Steven Weir, Registrar of Contra Costa and President of the California Assoc. of Clerks and Elections Officials (CACEO), but many others as well — and Voting Machine Spokesliars are directly quoted making one demonstrably false statement after another.
The majority of the journalists covering the beat don’t seem to have a clue that they are being lied to, or how to counter it. A good start, however, would be to improve the ratio of Vendors/Elections Officials quoted to the number of Election Integrity advocates quoted. In many of the stories, there is barely a peep from the EI folks, who actually know what’s going on (versus the Journalists who don’t, and the Election Officials and Company Employees who are willing to lie to them). There is also a dearth of reporting on the opinions of actual voters and how they feel, since they are the ones who will be most notably affected by Bowen’s long overdue changes to the Golden State’s voting system.
Of all the stories we’ve reviewed since Friday, however, this Sunday piece from John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle easily takes the cake for the most atrocious reporting, perhaps ever.
In his incredibly unbalanced, anti-Bowen article — featuring the biased, misworded, and unsupported headline “Touch vote machine ban hurts counties” — Wildermuth offers an astounding bit of “reporting” on Bowen’s new restrictions for Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) touch-screen voting devices made by Diebold and Sequoia. In order to marginally meet federal requirements for a single disabled accessible voting device in each polling place (even though Bowen found that these systems do not meet such requirements), she’s ordered no more than one such DRE device be used per polling place in counties who wish to deploy them for disabled voters.
Hold onto your hats, because Wildermuth, incredibly, mis-reported the point this way (emphasis added)…
That’s not a major problem for the counties that use touch-screen machines simply as a way to meet the federal requirement that disabled voters be able to cast ballots unassisted. But forcing every voter at a polling place to use a single machine could cause voter gridlock on election day.
You read that correctly! Wildermuth is suggesting that Bowen’s ruling would require “every voter at a polling place to use a single machine”!
He follows up with this point, apparently as mis-directed by the reprehensible John Tuteur, Registrar of Voters for Napa County, this way…
Who should be more ashamed of themselves, Wildermuth or Tuteur? Tough call.
We’ve come to expect Tuteur to be willing to say absolutely anything, to lie and mislead any time he opens his mouth, as he demonstrated last week in Sacramento when he gave a statement at the Public Hearing held by Bowen concerning her “Top-to-Bottom Review” of voting systems. Puked Tuteur at that hearing:
No, sir. Shame on you, Mr. Tuteur for your willingness to deceive voters, media, and the public at large about your willingness to deny them their right to a fair, accurate, secure, reliable, and transparent democracy.
But we expect that from him. On the other hand, we expect the media to deconstruct such nonsense, instead of reporting it as fact as Wildermuth incredibly did in his SF Chronicle article yesterday. For that, Wildermuth easily wins The BRAD BLOG’s “Most Atrocious Reporting of the Moment” award.
Wildermuth did not respond, so far, to our emailed query for comment or explanation of his “report,” but we’d certainly welcome an explanation as to what the hell he thinks he must have been talking about. We didn’t bother to contact Tuteur, as we’ve heard more than enough bullshit out of him by now.
You can, however, contact either of them yourselves, right here…
John Wildermuth, Staff Reporter, San Francisco Chronicle
jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com
John Tuteur, Napa County Registrar of Voters
707-253-4321 or elections@co.napa.ca.us
No comment for this weasel.
Gotta be paid off, no other reason to be that god damned dumb.
Never ascribe to malice what can best be explained by stupidity.
Which is not to imply that either are acceptable in a County Registrar of Voters or a journalist.
Top notch reporting by you though, Brad.
Both here and on the Christine Craft Show just minutes ago.
Thank-you so much for this commentary, Brad. I have been a SFChron reader for 23 years. I love my local big city paper, and become catatonic when it’s late. However, the SFChron’s coverage of the election integrity issues around both the 2000 and 2004 elections has been totally absent. I must have written around two dozen letters to the editor about this issue over the past several years, but nada has come of it. Their letters department has printed MANY of my letters on other issues, but never one on election/voting issues. Therefore, I come to the conclusion that the reason they haven’t printed my letters on this topic is because they’re not interested in investigating it, for one reason or another.
I don’t even respond anymore to pieces like the one you’re responding to here. So … you go boy!
Pat, PLEASE don’t back out.
Write those bastards, Make a Comment. Publish anything that proves (WITH FACT) they are “anti voter rights advocates.” And by proxy Constitution haters.
It’s high time to loose the politeness with these scummy motherfuckers who publish this misleading propaganda bullshit.
Fuck them all, by doing something about it..
You want an example of what I SENT?
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Hello John Wildermuth, Chronicle Staff Writer,
Wow .
John you should have your press pass revoked. Your not a journalist,
your a propagandist. And although you still have the right to say
whatever lies you want to say and present it as real news journalism, you should not be allowed to carry a press pass.
Why would you listen to the RoV’s and EVM manufacturers who are
diehard against getting rid of these cracked machines and
simultaneously ignore what scientists, programmers and voter rights
advocates have proven.
Tutor cut the crap, you know what your saying is utter nonsense.
We already print paper ballots. I wouldn’t trust you in a central
tabulator room all by yourself ever.
Your just liars and too chicken shit to respond.
Fuck you god damned “anti voting rights advocates.”
To the Chronicle editors, the actual top to bottom review
information is available on the Secretary of State’s website.
http://ss.ca.gov If you continue to print lies and misinformation I
reserve the right to make you look like the scummy constitution
hating fucking liars you are. I worked my ass off to give you the
right to vote, and I still will even though you apparently hate it,
and the US Constitution.
No more fucking politeness.
Enough damage to the country has happened.
I swore an oath to defend against people like Tutor when I was in
the USAF, and I did not serve to see liars, murders and thiefs
destroy my country.
The people are on to you now. Your not going to get away with this
bullshit with out being caught and labeled exactly what you are. If
this makes your whole fucking newspaper become unprofitable, then
good fucking riddance. How could you DARE mislead the people like
this!?
Phil –
Thanks for taking action. That said, though you’ve had it with “fucking politeness” as you mentioned, I’d strongly urge you to do your best to muster some up anyway when contacting such folks. Lest you offer them reason to ignore when they might be inclined to do so already.
My .02 for whatever it’s worth. Which is not necessarily worth anymore than anybody elses, of course 🙂
What about somebody calling him, asking to take him out to lunch, and just use that time to find out what the heck is up with this crazy reporting? Face to face, remind him of what it is to be an American, a good citizen… see if he really wants to help the fascists, or if a little personalized nudge might snap him out of it.
No,just no comment here. 🙂 I called C-span this morning and asked the guest geek what he thought about the recent news in California,and if he knew of the Diebold dorks in Iowa. He went on to say something like the straw poll really doesn’t matter much,and then he corrected himself,and I went back to toast and bacon. btw, I’ve never called any talk show before and I was stunned at how ridiculously nervous I was. My heart felt like it was gonna come out my ears. Go figure.
This guy is destined to be the head of the MSM some day.
The MSM management can save lots of money on prescriptions that the others take to numb their brains, and they desperately need to save money, so I expect him to rise rapidly in the ranks.
I predict that he will be the father of newspaper rage. Oops … to late to predict that … huh Phil? 🙂 We have road rage, parking ticket rage, and now we will have newspaper rage.
This guy is a natural.
So, either they DON’T report on e-vote machines, or when they DO, it’s misinformation! What does THAT tell you???
Re Brad’s comment #7. I totally agree. Let’s not attack Wildermuth. There’s always a story behind the story, and I’m sure there’s one here. Every single time I have contacted a Chronicle staff reporter about a disagreement I have with their story, I have always found myself in an enlightening exchange. This will never happen, if you can’t keep your mouth out of the gutter. No sane reporter would ever respond to a vicious written attack.
Just keep in mind that reporters are, in the end, people who like to look into things and write about them. That’s your common ground. Stay there, and you’ll learn a whole lot more than you will if you focus on your disagreements.
Democracy NOW!
Tuesday, August 7th, 2007
Freedom Next Time: Filmmaker & Journalist John Pilger on Propaganda, the Press, Censorship and Resisting the American Empire
“Ironically, I began to understand how censorship worked in so-called free societies when I reported from totalitarian societies. During the 1970s I filmed secretly in Czechoslovakia, then a Stalinist dictatorship. I interviewed members of the dissident group Charter 77, including the novelist Zdener Urbanek, and this is what he told me. “In dictatorships we are more fortunate that you in the West in one respect. We believe nothing of what we read in the newspapers and nothing of what we watch on television, because we know its propaganda and lies. Unlike you in the West. We’ve learned to look behind the propaganda and to read between the lines, and unlike you, we know that the real truth is always subversive.” ”
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/07/130258
http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/demand/2007/aug/video/dnB20070807a.rm&proto=rtsp&start=10:45
My letter to the shill:
Dear Mr. Wildermuth,
I’m actually glad your piece in the Sunday paper about Sec. State Bowen’s ruling on vote “counting” machines was full of distortions, and false statements (I don’t know if you even know enough about this situation to characterize your remarks as lies). During this time in America where election theft is the norm, and not enough people know about it, it is helpful that “reporters” such as yourself write articles so patently duplicitous that even braindead bushbots can see through them. Plus, drivel this egregious really fires up election security activists and you can be assured that your dreck-loaded screed will find wide dissemination among the thinking people in America (I’ve already forwarded it to everyone on my list).
To summarize: thank you for writing this patently obvious hit-piece, devoid as it is of facts, as it will make it easier, not harder, for election security activists to do the work of restoring as system of actually counting the votes in America so that we can improve our chances of averting the sprint to fascism that is so evident today.
Patriot
P. S. I hope you write more “keep the fascists in power” drivel of this type; it is proving helpful to patriots like myself.
P. P. S. I also hope you are being paid sufficiently well for the personal and professional hit your credibility and integrity are taking. If not, you are a fool as well as a shill.
#7 Brad,
well, I find it really hard to muster any politeness and sit by and watch garbage like John Wildermuth’s daily propaganda come out. that letter I showed you is done. It’s sent, read, archived, deleted, whatever. With all the facts that have been shown about how dangerous all these electronic voting machines are, there can be but one reason they refuse to publish the truth. It’s no longer a question of if they don’t understand, they understand just fine, they’re corrupt and that’s why they do what they do.
However, I do respect you Brad, and because you suggest I show some restraint, and try to be respectful–even when they do not deserve respect. I shall take your advice and do so in the future. The past is the past, I can’t take it back, my personal anger can and did have a foul mouth. I had to do something. This is why I have not written Senators lately, I can’t seem to tone it down.
If only people in the media would do the correct thing, then I could have a cooler head, and a respectful communication. You could call it EVM burnout, EVM PTSD, I don’t know what you call it, there is legitimate anger involved, if I were to bottle these resentments in, it would not be healthy. I will search my heart to find a slightly toned down method of calling these people on the carpet.
I never took a psychology class, so I never learned how to socially manipulate people. I am actually glad I didn’t. I do know that eventually I need to let resentments go before they completely destroy me. On the other hand how do you let resentments against corruption who daily break their oath of office go, that you yourself swore an oath against?
It may be time for me to take an extended hiatus on these problems and let some newer cooler heads deal with it.
So far what I have seen is nothing but, “This victory will not be televised.” attitudes. It’s no wonder I snapped in that letter. What was the public comment video 6hours and 53minutes and all the corporate mainstream media does is slice and dice edits from the “pro crackable electronic voting machine Registrar of Voters” and the “electronic voting machine manufactures” while they simultaneously leave the counter argument/pro voting rights advocates out.
I will print me a little paper and tack it to the wall right in front of me, it it will say,
”
Make shit happen.
But Be Nice.
”
Every time I send an email out I will look at that paper before I hit send.
Sorry if anyone here was offended by my example.
It’s a serious issue I take seriously.
~phil
From my comment #13, the key sentence:
“We believe nothing of what we read in the newspapers and nothing of what we watch on television, because we know its propaganda and lies.”
In a “free society”, they bank on people believing what they read in the newspapers. So, propaganda works BETTER in a free society! Because people trust what they read!
Big Dan #16
That dove-tails well with Noam Chompsky‘s discussion with a pal:
(Concerning the institutionalization of deceit).
Phil, dude, it’s cool man. Sometimes you gotta drop the “F” bomb. The diseased whores at the Chronicle and all MSM will not reconsider their treason if you just ask nicely or call them the pieces of shit that they are.
Let em have it, I say, if it makes you feel better. The result will be exactly the same, nada.
May I suggest a healthy outlet for your rage. Make a BIG sign saying:
“Wildermuth Lies
Democracy Dies” and march up and down the public sidewalk in front of the newspaper.
Oh, maybe you’re not a bay area cat, well…u get the idea. Get out in the street. Until we can take over ABC/NBC/CBS, Nationalize the airwaves THAT WE OWN…….we must become the media, to a much greater extent than playing keyboard jockey. As much fun as that can be, the good it does is ephemeral.
Make a sign,maybe get a friend or 2, walk on busy streets with lots of free literature to pass out for the benumbded masses.
Our anger is our fuel. Our burning rage should propel us into the street. Alone at first if need be, but try it…..I been picketing my Rep to sign HR 333 to impeach Cheney, and WOW! The positive response has been inspiring, motivational and a lot of fun. Then we grow, small groups become angry mobs demanding things, pushing the envelope of non-violence abd civil disobedience
POWER TO THE PEOPLE, right on