Sun-Sentinel Reporter Neglects to Mention Political Party of Sheriff who Pled Guilty to Corruption

NewsBusters ^ | September 6, 2007 | P.J. Gladnick

[PJ-Comix]

This has been happening so much in the past few years that it is reaching the point of redundancy to report on it. A politician is caught up in a major scandal and/or corruption. The media dutifully reports on it but leaves out one key factor. The political party of the fallen politician. And can you guess which political party is ALWAYS missing from these reports whenever such an affliliation is conveniently purged from the news stories? That is your Blue Book exam question, boys and girls. If you had answered "Democrat" you would have been absolutely correct. Such was the case today when Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reporter Paula McMahon conveniently neglected to mention anywhere in her news story the political party of disgraced Broward County, Florida Sheriff Ken Jenne who pled guilty to federal corruption charges involving tens of thousands of dollars he allegedly received from sheriff's office contractors and employees:

Former Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne left federal court on Wednesday barred from voting or holding public office, unable to own a gun and required to submit to random urine tests.

It was a humiliating end to a 35-year career in public service that made Jenne the county's top law enforcement official and a political powerhouse.

Jenne pleaded guilty on Wednesday and could be in federal prison before Thanksgiving: His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 16 before U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas. He is free on $100,000 bond and needs permission to travel beyond Key West and Fort Pierce.

Ms McMahon continues to lay out more details about this sordid corruption scandal involving former Sheriff Jenne but the "D" word continues to be missing even though she described Jenne as a "political powerhouse." As is often the case, the political affiliation of a county sheriff is not nearly as important as it would be to most other elected officials. In the case of Jenne, however, politics were at the very center of his professional life since he was a career politician. In 1978 Jenne was elected to the Florida Senate where he was to remain for the next 18 years, eventually rising to the position of Senate Democratic Leader. In 1998, Jenne was appointed as Broward County Sheriff by Florida Governor Lawton Chiles to succeed the previous sheriff who had passed away. The sheriff's office is generally acknowledged to be the most important political position in Broward County and career politician Jenne was certainly not shy in playing politics which is why neglecting to mention his Democrat  affiliation in McMahon's story is so noticeable by its absence.  

Okay, boys and girls. One final question for your Blue Book exam. If former Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne had been a Republican, do you think this fact would have been mentioned in Paula McMahon's Sun-Sentinel story? I won't give you the answer now but you will earn bonus points in correctly guessing whether his political affiliation as a Republican would have been mentioned in the first or second half of the news story. Thank you, class. And tomorrow's lesson will be on how the term "Culture of Corruption" is applied to only one of the political parties. 

 

[PJ-Comix]

Ken Jenne. A sheriff with a winning smile...NOT!!! The amazing thing about Jenne is that he is unable to muster up a genuine smile. I once saw a Jenne campaign brochure featuring a photo of Jenne with the most pained smile imaginable. It looked like he was struggling to get the edges of his mouth into a generally upward position. What got to me was that this was a campaign photo and they had plenty of time to get Jenne to work up a smile. Yet they still failed.

[PJ-Comix]

Broward FYI

[Red Badger]

...they had plenty of time to get Jenne to work up a smile. Yet they still failed.

All they had to do was wave a hundred dollar bill in front of his face............

[Red Badger]

I lived in Froward county when old Butterball was sheriff........

[Ken522]

Are there many democrats in Broward County?

[Moonman62]

Broward county is 100% Democrat. The few Republican officials switched parties a few years ago because it’s the only way to get elected. There are quite a few articles on Jenne in the Sentinel. Not one mentions that he’s a Dem.

[PJ-Comix]

Are there many stars in the sky? BTW, at one time Broward was HEAVILY Republican. In 1964 this county gave its vote to Barry Goldwater. Things have changed. However, if poltitics are ignored, this is actually a great place to live. Otherwise I wouldn’t stay here.

[Paradox]

THANKS PJ! I had been thinking about this, as the Jenne thing has gotten a ton of coverage down here as of late. I had wondered about his party affiliation, and the ole rule of thumb came to mind (if a corrupt official's affiliation is NOT mentioned, he is most likely a Democrat..). But then I figured being Sheriff, he officially HAD no affiliation and left it at that. Besides, could the MSM be so obvious? Well, turns out they are! I shoulda figured.

BTW, I live Broward, but you are right, infested with Democrats..

[King of Florida]

Not that I want to be fair to the Scum-Urinal -- it is a two-bit newspaper filled with third-rate journalism and editing, and is overshadowed by the far-better (yet far from perfect) Miami Herald -- but yesterday's lead article by Paula McMahon actually covering Jenne's Tuesday resignation (in other words, the main news story, not a follow-up piece like the one being complained about here) mentioned that he was a Democrat in its second sentence:

For more than half his life, Ken Jenne was the consummate politician, holding a series of powerful positions and steering himself into the most influential job in Broward County.

Shrewd, smart and uncommonly charming, the Democrat seemed destined for greater things. Many thought a federal or statewide office — even the governor's mansion — was in his future.

Broward sheriff's resignation ends three-decade career in politics

[Moonman62]

Shrewd, smart and uncommonly charming, the Democrat seemed destined for greater things.

But look at the sentence in which the dirty word is contained. I looked through Michael Mayo's lead article on Jenne and the profanity wasn't in their either.

[PJ-Comix]

There was also a Michael Mayo story about Jenne that also failed to mention political party.

[King of Florida]

One can be "shrewd, smart and uncommonly charming" and still be a dirtbag. Look at Klintoon. And Mayo is a columnist, not a reporter.

Again, I'm not defending this piece of fishwrap.

Also, the target audience here in South Florida knows he's a Democrat. Every pol in Broward is. The only reason I'm represented by a Republican rep (Lincoln Diaz-Balart) is because the bulk of his district is in west Miami-Dade. But for the matter of a few blocks, I could be in Debbie Whatsyerproblem-Schultz's district.

[Clemenza]

I had the displeasure of meeting Ken Jenne following a press conference when Broward sued the gun manufacturers a fews years back. What a scumbag.

[Clemenza]

Broward has been the most heavily Democratic County in the state for the past 20 years.