Rightwing Newspaper Chain Astroturfs Duplicate Anti-ACORN Editorials Across Several Papers

A reader alerted me this morning to these misleading, inaccurate, propaganda anti-ACORN “editorials”, duplicates of which have been appearing, unbylined, in a bunch of papers under different headlines. Before I was able to get to them, it looks like Muriel Kane at RAW STORY was able to jump on it. (Thankfully! Since I’ve been busy with both today’s Green News Report today, and putting together tonight’s Mike Malloy Show!) . Here’s the lede from Kane’s coverage today…

When you read an editorial in your local newspaper, your natural assumption is that it expresses the views of that paper’s staff and reflects local concerns. This, however, does not appear to be the case with the many small-town papers owned by Ogden Newspapers, Inc.

On March 31, an editorial headed “ACORN can’t distract public from the truth” appeared in the Fairmont Sentinel, published in Fairmont, MN. It was bylined by Gary Andersen and Lee Smith, the paper’s publisher and editor, and it slammed ACORN as a “front for liberal politicians” that has been involved in “illegal actions.”

That original publication seems legitimate enough. But over the next few days, the same editorial started popping up elsewhere, with no byline and under a variety of headings. On April 3, for example, it appeared in the Minot Daily News of Minot, ND under the heading, “Good riddance to ACORN.”

On April 5, it was in the Williamsport Sun-Gazette of Williamsport, PA, headed “ACORN victim of its own transgressions.”

These papers have one thing in common. They are all owned by Ogden Newspapers of Wheeling, WV.

Like the GOP’s years-long hit-campaign against ACORN, the GOP’s ACORN “voter fraud” fraud, and their ACORN “Pimp” Hoax, these “editorials” are similarly faked propaganda, meant as a part of that same, blatant, shamefully partisan, anti-Democratic and anti-democracy scheme. See RAW’s full story here.

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And in related-ish news, the audio archives from last night’s Malloy Show, in which we covered (as I was guest hosting) the anti-ACORN “Pimp” Hoax scam in some detail — including a pretty tough live interview with ACORN’s CEO Bertha Lewis — are now posted here for download and/or online listening.

5 Responses

  1. I think, Brad, that what we are seeing in these small town papers is strikingly similar to what has occurred in radio, where the desire to minimize cost and maximize profits has eliminated local news and opinion.

  2. Here’s a sample of the headlines used by various “news” outlets to sell this compulsory piece of corporate propaganda:

    Fairmont Sentinel
    ACORN can’t distract public from the truth
    http://fairmontsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/507987.html?nav=5005

    Minot Daily News
    Good riddance to ACORN
    http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/538079.html?nav=5004

    The Intelligencer Wheeling News-Register
    ACORN Brought Trouble on Itself
    http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/535967.html?nav=511

    Leader Herald
    ACORN may be back
    http://www.leaderherald.com/page/content.detail/id/521189.html?nav=5005

    Trib Today
    Most will gladly say ‘bye, ACORN’
    http://www.tribtoday.com/page/content.detail/id/535686.html?nav=5007

    Times Observer
    ACORN’s demise
    http://www.timesobserver.com/page/content.detail/id/529189.html

    The Express
    Thankfully, this ACORN won’t grow into an oak
    http://www.lockhaven.com/page/content.detail/id/517322.html?nav=5004

    The Sun Gazette
    ACORN victim of its own transgressions
    http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/541549.html?nav=5004

    Messenger News
    Goodbye ACORN — good riddance
    http://www.messengernews.net/page/content.detail/id/523583.html?nav=5087

    Notice how different the headlines are. The propagandists evidently put a lot of effort into avoiding detection. And failed.

    This is wholesale journalistic fraud. Literally.

  3. I think, Brad, that what we are seeing in these small town papers is strikingly similar to what has occurred in radio, where the desire to minimize cost and maximize profits PROPAGANDA IMPACT has eliminated accelerated the takeover of local news and opinion.

    I had similar sentiments, Earnest, but living in small town bible belt Pennsylvania, where the churches are preaching an Anti-Obama/Anti-Socialism message, it occurred to me that this is a great medium for keeping the base properly misled. Mr Scheaffer knows more about keeping us “simple” folk in the fold.

  5. While the Democrats stand around loping their mules, following the rules and holding out olive branches…….the right-wing has bought up and control 91% of the “public airwaves”, especially radio…and those same “day late and a dollar short” liberals, can’t figure out why there is so much hate and hate speech floating around “out there”……the nincompoops!