Bias in Not-For-Profit Online News - PEW Study

The question of bias in "news" is like being asked ... "Do you still beat your dog?" On The Media: Ideological Bias at Non-Profit News Organizations takes up the story via a Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism. The report  investigates The New Landscape of NON-Profit News Sites.

My quick take away from their story is how incredibly tiny (2 and 3 people, sometimes with one reporter) these organizations are. Second the more "funders" you have the more "independent" you are. Lastly PEW is advising us all to be informed and asking these organizations to be more transparent about agendas and funding!

Two asides -

1. Why did OnTheMedia not include any direct links to the PEW study ... I had to go looking!
2. The PEW site has a three-way interface to the report, the data and a guide.

The links are worth following ... and interestingly harder to set up than usual to make it more certain they will remain correct and active over time!

#Bias in #Not-For-Profit Online #News - #PEW Study

Who is Luther Olsen? I think he likes school vouchers?

It appears from the "special interest" groups supporting Luther Olsen that he is all in favor of public schools ... but is he really?! Just watched an ad (6:20pm, WISC-TV, 7/28) put out for him by "The American Federation for Children" ... take a look at their website ... excerpt below .. click for site ... sure not a local group ... more out of state money pouring in to support him!

The American Federation for Children is a leading national advocacy organization promoting school choice, with a specific focus on advocating for school vouchers and scholarship tax credit programs. The American Federation for Children is a 501(c)(4) organization. We are affiliated with the American Federation for Children PAC, a political committee that supports and opposes state-level candidates for elected office, and we work closely with our educational partner, the Alliance for School Choice, a 501(c)(3) organization, to promote the benefits of—and the need for—school choice.

Luther Olsen supported by Out-of-State "Club for Growth 

William A. Gates: Looks who’s getting out-of-state backing - Mail Bag CapTimes

Read more: http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/mailbag/article_57dfb1b7-b541-51d5-b156-80d4c703ceae.html#ixzz1TRgzJZFs

Thunda in Wisconsin - video reminder

Remember back when there was "Thunda Round the Rotunda" as loud as our summer thunderstorms ... let's vote in the recalls ... so the message gets through!

#Thunda in #Wisconsin Around the Rotunda - Square #2011 - video reminder

TPM: Simac? Is This Wisconsin Republican Running From Her ‘Nazi’ Name-Calling Past?

7/26 From the Talking Points Memo 7/26 - (to see click title)

What do you do when you're a tea party organizer with a history of inflammatory comments comparing America's public schools to Nazi Germany? If you're Wisconsin state Senate candidate Kim Simac, the answer may be liberally apply the delete key to your online past.
Simac is the Republican candidate in the Wisconsin recall election in state Senate district 12, which means she's hoping to unseat incumbent state Sen. Jim Holperin (D). Thanks to the strange political dance that is the Wisconsin recall process, Simac will face Holperin in a general election contest later next month.

Shaping Opinions - Pessimist or Optimist ??? From Slashdot

The original Slashdot entry can be seen by clicking the title!  I have included most of the description here! It provides further references to the source! Hmmmm! What do you think?  Are we "unshakeable" or is the TeaParty?

An anonymous reader writes "Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have found that when just 10 percent of the population holds an unshakable belief, their belief will always be adopted by the majority of the society. 'When the number of committed opinion holders is below 10 percent, there is no visible progress in the spread of ideas. It would literally take the amount of time comparable to the age of the universe for this size group to reach the majority,' said SCNARC Director Boleslaw Szymanski. 'Once that number grows above 10 percent, the idea spreads like flame.' The findings were published in the July 22, 2011, early online edition of the journal Physical Review E."

Shaping Opinions - Pessimist or Optimist ??? From Slashdot  -- #Guns #NRA #Parkland #NeverAgain #PinkHats #MeToo

Luther Olsen supported by Out-of-State "Club for Growth"

Just saw two ads back to back (Channel WISC 3 about 6:15pm Sunday 7/24) ... the first attacked Fred Clark and the second said Luther Olsen was a wonderful politician being attacked by out-of-state special interests!  That inspired me to rerun a sort of negative/truthful add about Olsen .... who do you believe?

 Fred Clark .... need to recall Luther Olsen ... video

The Club for Growth sponsored the attack ad on Democratic Candidate Fred Clark  ... ironically there is no one on their Board of Directors from Wisconsin ... so an out-of-state special interest group is indirectly supporting Olsen by attacking his Democratic opponent ... how funny is that?!

Here is a list of the Club for Growth Board members  ... see anyone from Wisconsin ????

Board of Directors

JACKSON T. STEPHENS, Little Rock, AR
Chairman

THOMAS L. RHODES, New York, NY
Chairman Emeritus

RICHARD GILDER, New York, NY
Chairman Emeritus

HOWARD RICH, Philadelphia, PA

FRAYDA LEVIN, Mountain Lakes, NJ

KEN BLACKWELL, Cincinnati, OH

JOHN CHILDS, Vero Beach, FL

CHRIS CHOCOLA, Bristol, IN

Who are these people ??

One person, George Mitchell, from Whitefish Bay, WI is on the Leadership Council of Club For Growth.

This OnMilwaukee.com has some additional insight -

In 2005, the state group took in $94,950, according to campaign watchdog Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. Most of that came from four donors: $25,000 from retired Racine businessman Fred Young and $10,000 each from Wausau paper company executive San Orr, Milwaukee school voucher advocate George Mitchell and conservative Sheboygan businessman Terry Kohler.

Update: WPR & WPT - WisconsinMoneyMatters (Schools Impact)

This new site, an arrangement by Wis Public Television and Wis Public Radio, is about important public policy issues in Wisconsin.  We should all follow them, encourage them, promote them (i.e.,Twitter) so that our fellow Wisconsinites and even a broader audience get a perspective about what is going on in the state.

School districts, collective bargaining being changed are a couple of recent topics.  I am afraid that you can rely on Governor Walker, the Fitzgerald boys, the Republican Party and TeaParty along with Senator Johnson and Representative Ryan and Sensenbrenner will all do what they can to prevent any message they do not like from continuing!

Click on the title to see more about them!

Watch the full episode. See more Here and Now.

Update: #WPR & #WPT - #WisconsinMoneyMatters (Schools Impact) #Vouchers #wiunion #wivote #voterId #Gogebic #walker

Beware Corporate and Political Greed

Forget the Eisenhower warning about the Military-Industrial Complex ... we have known the problem forever and must always be cautious of the latter-day minstrels of new and better.  This article in pictures and words could only be better if it was a video and narrated ... wish that was legal.  But a greedy corporation would come after me if I did it!

Take a look and read!  Think U.S. and Dick Armey, Tom DeLay and Paul Ryan!

FP: Europe's Economic Meltdown: How Did We Get Here?

#Corporate Greed #GOP #GriftersOnParade #Walker #1% #elites vs #wwJd #AARP #47% 

Fred Clark .... need to recall Luther Olsen ... video

No toSchools, Yes to VoterID, No to Safety Net ... all things that Luther Olsen's votes has stood for!

Walker in Beloit 7-18-11 - Anti-Fitzwalkerstan Rally -Video

The last time I checked this video taken in Beloit, Wisconsin of an anti-Fitzwalkerstan rally attended by Governor Walker had about 14,000+ views.  What was significant to me were the comments left my many viewers ... both negative and positive!  At least we may be listening to each other ... maybe some of us will start thinking again about what our personal and collective interests really are?!

I hope!  Take a look at the comments by going to the YouTube site!  Don't get angry ... start thinking about what positive things you can do and do them!

Madsion.com - Unemployment benefits at risk under GOP move 7/26 still in limbo

Do you know one of these 40,000 people?  Do you think they do not have a job because they are too lazy to look for a job?  Do you think they will thank a Republican if they manage to keep their home or avoid bankruptcy?  Do you think they have health insurance?

Unemployment benefits at risk under GOP move

... The extension, which amounts to $88 million in federal benefits, was estimated to help up to 40,000 out-of-work residents. Passing it was recommended by a state council that oversees jobless benefits. ...

Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/state_and_regional/article_8490f31c-d66a-57e6-b35e-0ea071495ae3.html#ixzz1SkO2fLZp

The Atlantic - GOP Could Retain House Majority, Even With Voter Anger in 2012

A very unpleasant prediction ... better vote everywhere!

In recent years, it hasn't been hard for House campaign committee officials to identify their list of most vulnerable members on the other side of the aisle. Going after Republicans representing Democratic-leaning suburbs has been a key element of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's strategy to win control of the House. Likewise, the National Republican Congressional Committee is accustomed to pursuing moderate Democrats with relish.

But this year, the game is different. After three consecutive wave elections, the House caucuses have become much more ideologically homogenous: There simply aren't many Democrats left representing the rural, conservative heartland or, conversely, many Republicans in the inner suburbs. Blue Dog Democrats are struggling to remain relevant, having lost more than half of their members to last year's midterms and others, such as Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.) to retirement.

#MSNBC / #WSJ Poll July 2011 (7/20): 25% An overwhelming majority? #TeaParty

Speaks for itself ... see page 14 .. click title to see the whole thing!

HART/McINTURFF Study #11310 --page 14
JULY 2011 NBC News/Wall Street Journal Survey
QF3 Do you consider yourself a supporter of the Tea Party Movement?

+ Results shown reflect responses among registered voters

NPR: Medical Panel Recommends No-Cost Birth Control

Where do you think Paul Ryan, Ron Johnson, Scott Walker, Alberta Darling, Luther Olsen would stand on this issue??

From NPR - click title to see/listen ...

Will all health insurance plans soon have to offer all FDA-approved forms of prescription contraception at no upfront cost to women? They will if Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius accepts the recommendations released today from an expert panel of the Institute of Medicine.

The study — released a day early — actually calls for eight additional services for women to be added to the list of preventive care patients should be offered with no cost-sharing. The new services include annual "well-woman" visits; screening of pregnant women for gestational diabetes; screening for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV; more support for breast-feeding mothers; and counseling and screening for possible domestic violence.

WI 1848 Forward: #NPR: #Medical Panel Recommends No-Cost #Birth Control

Freedom of what? Internet Magna Carta and Personal Space: TED and NYTIMES

Compare and contrast ... here in Wisconsin our Republican controlled legislature will not let the public take videos or pictures of their proceedings ...

From the NYTIMES:  Creating Art via Webcam, Secretly

Cyberspace may be vast, even infinite, but every centimeter of it is being contested by businesses, botnets, governments, lawyers, artists, technologists, ethicists, soldiers, scientists and spies, among others. So far, the territory appears to be ungoverned by any power except brute force or ingenuity, and then only fleetingly. Invisible hackers can take over the Web sites of Murdoch papers for a few hours; Apple’s lawyers can shut down an art exhibit with sternly worded letters to server hosts; pirates can confiscate music, movies and writing without the slightest nod to intellectual property rights; big businesses can force the removal of parodies that embarrass them. Hosni Mubarak can try to unplug the Internet, but a disconnected country quickly turns out to be as unendurable for the powerful as it is for the powerless.

From TED:




WI 1848 Forward: Freedom of what? Internet #MagnaCarta and Personal Space: #TED and #NYTIMES #NYT #47% #99% vs #1%

Freedom of What?

From NashuaTelegraph.com

Suspects, witness dispute police version of July 1 arrest in Nashua

There is always more to the story ... arrested for video taping!  Makes you wonder about the Sam Mayfield arrest in Madison (later dismissed) -

From the source -

...All three say Gannon didn’t resist arrest, only turned his back and began to walk away from the detectives after being told he wasn’t under arrest.

“I didn’t have time to resist,” Gannon said.

The two detectives were on him immediately, he said.

He and the other two witnesses said police overreacted to his wisecrack.

“I blew his ego with that comment. By all means, that detective was unglued,” Gannon said.

It also probably didn’t help Gannon’s cause that he told police he was videotaping the incident with a small Kodak mini camcorder. Videotaping police got Gannon arrested before. ...

Upd#4 6/11 - Citizen Management - Capitol Police Style - Monday evening WORT interview

Paul Ryan's version of the "700 Club"

2 x 350 = $700 ... wine with HedgeFund fundraiser!

Paul Ryan Wine Tasting Protest at Racine Office, Tuesday July 19th from Matt Brusky on Vimeo.

WI 1848 Forward: Paul #Ryan's version of the "700 Club" #elites vs #47% #1% #Janesville

Hopper vs King Debate Video 7/18?

Hopper is he really anti-jobs and mostly ideological  - for the time being let's ignore his poor judgement in his life commitment choices?  What do you think?

Walker's War On Rhetoric: Persuasively Misrepresent Tax Increases

Governor Walker is quoted as saying ...

"Under our budget, the average property taxpayer will save $700. It is my hope that savings like this will help keep more people like that custodian safely in their homes."

The JSOnline Politifact rates that statement false (7/7) -

If he meant a $700 tax cut compared to the past bills, that’s not in the cards at all. The state’s nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau projects the typical homeowner would see a $55 increase in two years compared with 2010.

And even if he meant $700 less of an increase, his assertion is not based on an apples-to-apples comparison of his budget vs. the old law. The real figure is not yet known, but we do know that the approach Walker cited was designed in a way that puffs up the "savings."

The claim, with its shorthand presentation, rates as False.

WI 1848 Forward: #Walker's War On Rhetoric: Persuasively Misrepresent #Taxes Increases and Decreases - #Regressive

JSOnline 7/15: Dem poll: Darling, Pasch in dead heat in Senate recall

I seem to recall reading that Darling has been raking in money, putting up billboards and secretly pushing tobacco for kids, etc.  Can't fool all the people all the time ... I guess! Click title for story!

July 15, 2011 

Madison -- Sen. Alberta Darling is in a dead heat with her Democratic challenger in next month's recall election, according to a new poll released by the Democratic party.
Darling (R-River Hills) slightly trailed her challenger Rep. Sandy Pasch (D-Whitefish Bay), who had 47% of likely voters to Darling 46%, a difference that was within the poll's margin of error.
The poll done for Democrats by the Mellman Group showed that Pasch has closed the gap between her and Darling from another survey done in May that showed Darling with a 9 percentage point lead.
The poll surveyed 350 likely voters and was done on July 13 and 14. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
The recall was sought against Darling and five other Republican senators for their votes supporting Gov. Scott Walker's legislation eliminating most collective bargaining for public workers. The election will be held on Aug. 9.

Darling and Olsen Campaigns are Smoking ... do you recall

Wisconsin Senate recall candidate David VanderLeest dismisses legal problems

 From the Post Crescent - 7/8

Police and court records show David VanderLeest, 34, of Green Bay has been arrested on at least four occasions dating back to 2006, mostly for offenses that include disagreements with his ex-wife, Rachel Gerritsen, 42. ...

VanderLeest, who also organized petition efforts to recall Hansen, will face the Green Bay Democrat for the 30th Senate seat on July 19. It's the first of nine elections this summer across Wisconsin that could change the balance of power in state government.

Not the "least" of his problems?

State Senator Larson explains Redistricting ... Democracy Republican Style

See Senator Larson on YouTube -

A previous post ...
One of FAB14 Wisconsin State Senator Chris Larson says thanks

Sen. Olsen - Hoax - Recall Baraboo - Sam Mayfied reports on video

Nine Wisconsin State Senators, including six Republicans and three Democrats, are running in recall elections this summer in response to voter outrage over the questionable process used when Republicans cast votes on the bill to strip public workers of their unions. Tuesday's Democratic Primary will determine which challenger will go on to face the incumbent Senators in the general election next month. In each of those 6 senate districts, there are two names on the ballot: one is a candidate with a history of running and voting Democratic and one is a Republican running as a so-called “protest candidate”.  Both are listed as Democrats. ...

From the website Toward Freedom ... click below to see ..

Taking it to the Ballot Box: Video Report on Wisconsin's Recall Election Primaries

By Sam Mayfield -

Darling and Olsen Campaigns are Smoking ... do you recall

"Darling" of Big Tobacco Promotes Kid-Friendly Tobacco Products

 From PR Watch .... 

At the end of May, as the Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee (JFC) worked day after day and late into the night voting on changes and amendments to the state budget bill, Joint Finance Co-Chair Alberta Darling (R-River Falls) quietly slipped a small provision into the massive budget bill that has received little attention.

What's wrong with Governor Scott Walker ... recall campaign video

What's wrong with Walker ... listen to someone who knows him up close and politically!

Sheila Harsdorf: Not On Our Side, Not Anymore ... recall campaign video

Sheila Harsdorf ... should she be recalled?

Send Sen. Kapanke Packing - recall campaign video

Should Kapanke be recalled?

Luther Olsen: Off The Hook - recall campaign video ... what do you think?

Luther Olsen ... should he be recalled?

WI Recalls to Come - Maps / Districts

Courtesy of

United Council of UW Students com@unitedcouncil.net
reply-to		unitedcouncil@gmail.com

More Elections to Come ... download for reference

Let's take a peek at the Calendar:

Election Dates: July 12 and August 9th, WI State Senate Districts:

District 2 : Map of the District - De Pere, Shawano, Kaukana
-near UW-Fox Valley and UW -Green Bay

District 8: Map of the District -UW-Washington Co.

District 10: Map of the District - UW- River Falls

District 14: Map of the District -UW-Baraboo

District 18: Map of the District - UW-Oshkosh

District 32: Map of the District - UW-Lacrosse

These areas will have an election on July 12 and August 9th, are you in one of these Districts, are you near one of these UW Schools?

Read More about the July 12/ August 9th elections.

More Election Dates: July 19 and August 16, WI State Senate Districts:

District 12 - District Map:  Near UW-Marinette

District 22 - District Map: UW-Parkside

District 30 - District Map: UW-Green Bay and UW-Marinette

That is all the elections until the September Primary.

Read More about the July 19/ August 16th elections.

NPR: What The 'New Normal' Means For Americans

From the NPR story ...to listen click title ...

...
And the heart of the problem is job creation. Crescenzi and his colleagues argue that the U.S. economy could actually grow 2 percent a year without adding any new jobs. That's because the productivity of current workers is rising at about 2 percent a year.

"In other words a company can produce 2 percent more goods and/or services a year even if it doesn't increase the number of people it employs," he says. ...

#NPR : What The 'New Normal' Means For Americans #2011 

Democracy Addicts - "We're Still Here"

One to get you started ... and how to participate ... click title for vimeo site

Jen's Video for the We're Still Here Project from Democracy Addicts on Vimeo.

NPR: As Income Gap Balloons, Is It Holding Back Growth?

Greed is good? NOT!  A perspective on the implications of inequality of incomes.  How deregulation has led to current  problems and other ideas.  After 1933 banking crises disappeared until the 1980s.

Hear the story and see the transcript at NPR ... click on title!

NPR ... 

"This inequality is destabilizing and undermines the ability of the economy to grow sustainably and efficiently," she said. Income inequality, she continued, "is "anathema to the social progress that is part and parcel of such growth."
The income gap in the United States has ballooned: It's wider than any time since 1928, in the days before the stock market crash triggered the Great Depression.

WI 1848 Forward: #NPR : As #Income Gap Balloons, Is It Holding Back #Growth ? : #47% #99% #Obama #Dems vs #1% #Elites

7/8 Journalist Sam Mayfield ... Capitol Police Citizen Management Dismissed

TWEET from 7/8 -

@samayfield sam mayfield
"Charges and fine were dropped. Attorney Lester Pines rocks! Case closed. Now, back to our regularly scheduled program...lets make a movie!"

 What it began as ..

6/17/11 #SamMayfield - Star #Reporter of #CapitolPolice Citizen Management - #Walker WI

 

Upd:4 6/11/11 - Citizen Management - #Capitol Police Style - Monday evening #WORT interview

 WORT interview link (starts short bit in)

Flash: Tea Party Gives Up Drinking Tea

Based on disappointing economic news that firing public workers, restricting unemployment benefits, blocking stimulus packages, increasing taxes on the poor and preventing the young and old from voting has failed to stimulate the economic recovery they have resorted to drinking Kool-Aid to maintain their ideological continence. The vast amounts of Kool-Aid being drunk has however caused incontinence.

Madsion - Capitol Hill - After the Fire 7/2