Journalist Moving from Paper to ACLU: A 'Continuation of Her Work'

Newsbusters ^ | January 13, 2008 | Tom Blumer

[CedarDave]

News item:

Burke named executive director of ACLU in Texas

Terri Burke, former editor of the Abilene Reporter-News, has been named executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas.

Burke, 56, will begin work at the ACLU of Texas on Tuesday. Her duties will include lobbying, fundraising, administering the organization and communicating with the public.

Burke said her new job seems like a continuation of her work in the newspaper business.

"I wanted to be a journalist because I thought journalism was a way to further the democratic process," Burke said. "At its heart, journalism is about the First Amendment. All my life, I've been interested in those kinds of issues."

I will suggest that no one in Old Media will think of Burke's move as the least bit odd. Funny, that's not how they saw it in 1998 when the late David Brinkley retired and became a spokesman for a large corporation.

~~snip~~

Isn't Terri Burke's (sic) in conflict with her `image of independence' as a newsperson, and call into question the fairness and balance in her coverage of First Amendment and criminal defense matters during her career? Or does "independence" only become an issue when an ex-newsperson becomes a spokesperson for an eeeeevil capitalist company or an unfavored cause?

[CedarDave]

She was the editor of the now or soon to be defunct ABQ Tribune from 1996-1999.

Just another example of how biased the old media is. As another blogger wrote, "the ACLU often uses the courts not to further the democratic process, but to destroy it."

[Iron Munro]

[kittymyrib]

Hmmm...the free exercise of religion is also guaranteed in the First Amendment, but the ACLU doesn’t seem very interested in that part.
That this flaming Lefty could have made a living in Abilene, Texas, as a journalist just proves that most people pay no attention to the politics of their hometown paper. They pay their subscriptions so they can get the Wednesday grocery coupons. Without those coupons, the print dinosaurs would be extinct already.

[garyhope]

“I wanted to be a journalist because I thought journalism was a way to further the democratic process,”

Silly me, and I just thought that they were supposed to report the actual news, not opinionate (a verb).

The whole so called MSM stinks to, I was going to say to high heaven, but it’s more like a low hell.

Useful idiots all the MSM.

I’m beginning to think that the left is more of a danger to America, Western civilization and the world.

All a bunch of self righteous, hypocritical, authoritarian dictators and fascists.

[garyhope]

And a P.S. and an addenda.

“I’m beginning to think that the left is more of a danger to America, Western civilization and the world than Islamofascism/Nazism.

[Condor51]

"I wanted to be a journalist because I thought journalism was a way to further the democratic process," Burke said.

As someone once said; "Therein lies the problem".

In the good old days there was no such thing as a 'journalist' working for a newspaper - they were 'Reporters'. And they 'reported' the news, they didn't make it. And they didn't go to 'journalism school' neither, they started out as Copy Boys and worked their way up (or out).

'Journalism' and 'Journalists' are the cancer slowly killing newspapers. Bring back 'Reporters' and IMO things would turn around. But no, now they all want to be the next Woodword or Bernstein (who were IMO lying phonies and invented 'Watergate').

~~~ rant off ~~

[CedarDave]

Fox News (which lately has been lurching left itself) discussed Keith Overbite (as Mark Levin calls Keith Olbermann) on F&F this morning. Apparently they (NBC) doesn’t consider Olbermann’s overt hatred of George Bush and the Republicans as a hindrance to his managing the news division at MSNBC.

[capt. norm]

Golly, what a drastic career change that will be for her /sarc.

[Da Coyote]

I have equal respect for both modern journalism and the ACLU: none, nada, zero. There are those of us who create ideas, develop products, and in general contribute to the welfare of the nation. Then, there are lawyer and journalists. This clown(ess) couldn’t get a real job if she tried. What a loon. A good test of abilities would be this: Could the common man do a reasonable job of dispensing justice, or being a journalist? Of course - there would be mistakes, but both practices would progress. Now, imagine a Hillary or this looness as a scientist, an engineer, or a surgeon? ‘Nuff said, and QED. (Oops, my mistake, she could be a global warming “scientist”.)

[muawiyah]

There's no doubt that old gal was a fascist pig from the get-go.

And she hasn't changed a bit with this deviation into the ACLU ~ where she will soon find that the right to have sexual intercourse in a public toilet is considered "free speech" by her employer ~ as if she didn't already have such thoughts herself.

What a strange, pitful life that gal has led.

[jagusafr]

This is precisely what they teach you at UT School of Journalism and other top schools: get in there and be an advocate, not “Find the truth and report on it without your own spin”. Pathetic...

Colonel, USAFR

[Tall_Texan]

There was an ACLU person on CNN this afternoon pretending to support Sen. Larry Craig, claiming some right to proposition sex in public restrooms.

All I could think of was how this ACLU insect would react if Sen. Craig had tried to lead a prayer in a public restroom or set up a manger scene in one. But patrolling the john for gay sex, the ACLU thinks that’s just dandy.

Of course, CNN has this whole debate on for the sole purpose of rubbing Republican noses in it yet again. Had a Democrat been caught, there would be sanctimonious lectures about not judging followed by quickly dropping the entire subject as “nothing to see here”.