(MI) Yes, Some Were Bussed In For Jackson Health Care Rally Last Week

Jackson Citizen Patriot / MLive ^ | 08/19/09 | Chris Gautz

[Kieri]

Chris Gautz column: Yes, some were bused in for health-care rally in Jackson last week by Chris Gautz | Jackson Citizen Patriot Tuesday August 18, 2009, 11:46 PM CHRIS GAUTZ

Several readers have criticized the Citizen Patriot's coverage of last week's health care rally outside U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer's office, where hundreds came out — both to support and oppose — President Barack Obama's reform plan.

The chief criticism was that we failed to mention that some supporters were bused in from around the state.

It is true, and it wasn't included in the original story, but not because we were trying to slant coverage. The simple truth is it was a difficult fact to nail down.

You're reading this story today because Tuesday I was able to confirm with the Service Employees International Union that it rented vans and encouraged people to carpool to the event. About 100 SEIU members attended, from as far away as Muskegon and Detroit, said Zac Altefogt, a spokesman for SEIU Healthcare Michigan.

While covering the rally last Thursday, myself and another reporter were told by several opponents of the reform plan that supporters were bused in. But we did not see the buses that night and were unable to pose the question to the supporters' organizer before our deadline.

We left it out of the Friday story because we cannot print speculation as fact.

On Friday, we followed up with Organizing for America, which put out the call for supporters to attend the event. OFA state director Aletheia Henry assured us that her group had not bused people to the rally.

We wrote a short follow-up Saturday and thought it was resolved.

Then this week, some readers e-mailed us photos of supporters standing in front of a bus from Trinity Transportation parked several blocks away near Family Video, 1111 W. Ganson St.

My colleague followed up with Henry. We told her we understood OFA hadn't chartered the buses, but we wondered if she knew who had. She refused to answer the question and then hung up the phone.

Seems like an overreaction to a news organization simply looking for a straight answer.

I give credit to SEIU for not being ashamed to let the community know they used mass transit to get their members to the rally.

As Altefogt pointed out to me, health care is not just a Jackson issue. His union has members statewide, and they wanted to participate.

In the end, it doesn't matter if participants walked, drove or took a bus. Everyone has the right to come to a rally and express his or her views.

Earlier this month, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said some of the anger demonstrated at congressional health-care town hall meetings was manufactured by groups who oppose reform. He went on to say he thought Republican operatives were attending these meetings to give the appearance of widespread outrage.

So I can understand why local Republicans were upset that we "left out" any mention of Democrats busing people here to give the appearance of widespread acceptance of health reforms.

But in such a politically charged debate, we have to be careful about printing anything we cannot confirm.

I'll always opt for being right, rather than being first.

[patton]

Yeh, I recognised it - we ate at the Roxy a few times.

[GOPJ]

My colleague followed up with Henry. We told her we understood OFA hadn't chartered the buses, but we wondered if she knew who had. She refused to answer the question and then hung up the phone. Seems like an overreaction to a news organization simply looking for a straight answer.

Dems are so used to playing the press for fools, they were probably "taken aback" that anyone would ask. Shall we assume this reporter will be reprimanded by his liberal boss? There's a reason dems get a pass from the press...

[GOPJ]

My colleague followed up with Henry. We told her we understood OFA hadn't chartered the buses, but we wondered if she knew who had. She refused to answer the question and then hung up the phone. Seems like an overreaction to a news organization simply looking for a straight answer.

Dems are so used to playing the press for fools, they were probably "taken aback" that anyone would ask. Shall we assume this reporter will be reprimanded by his liberal boss? There's a reason dems get a pass from the press...

[GOPJ]

Maybe Chris Gautz should send a copy of this to some of the larger more established papers - they haven’t been able to “see” this either. And some of the people feeding the big papers are the same ones renting the buses. Makes ya wonder...

[CSM]

Local coverage ping.

[Oldpuppymax]

So it was too difficult for a “journalist” to discover something that everyone else knew??!! But naturally there was NO INTENT to cover-up!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Robert A Cook PE]

No - DON’T cool your temper.

You see, the “impartial” - very-careful-to-confirm-everything writer of this article, deliberately put out the “official message” (a lie!) from Obama’s press chief that the REPUBLICANS were bussing in people and inciting the yelling ... which, strategically became “violence opposing healthcare reform.”

But here, four, five days AFTER the initial reports, despite clearly parking away from the event to hide the busses and after every potential excuse in the sun to cover the Obama’s socialists, the writer can only just barely mention the fact that, yes, democrats were being bussed in to the town halls.

THAT’S prejudiced reporting.

[dalebert]

i want my money back

[GOPJ]

The chief criticism was that we failed to mention that some supporters were bused in from around the state. It is true, and it wasn't included in the original story, but not because we were trying to slant coverage. The simple truth is it was a difficult fact to nail down.

... About 100 SEIU members attended, from as far away as Muskegon and Detroit, said Zac Altefogt, a spokesman for SEIU Healthcare Michigan.

Dem "rent a crowd" finally covered by a member of the press.

[GOPJ]

ping

[Darren McCarty]

What a shock. Those bastids always bus people in.

[444Flyer]

Thanks J.

“Union Pensions Getting BIG Payoff From Obamacare”

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2316064/posts

“SEIU “Corporate Campaign””

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2316119/posts

“Hitler had his SA brown shirts, Obama has his SEIU purple shirts, but who are these thugs?”

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2313317/posts

[444Flyer]

“Town halls burst with Obama ‘plants’ donors, health care lobbyist, SEIU members, fake doctor”

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2315761/posts

[GOPJ]

Thanks for the pings... if you have a list - please add me. Thanks.

[Deb]

They “...couldn’t print speculation as fact.” Really? Really. Whatever happened to “some people say”? Or “sources speculate”? Or, “it has been alleged”? You know, the stuff they say when they needed to trash George Bush or other Republicans.

[ErnBatavia]

I'm still cooling my temper before I craft a response to this.

Suggest an above-the-fold front page "expose" of the 'rat tactics.....seriously. Balls out.

[new cruelty]

But in such a politically charged debate, we have to be careful about printing anything we cannot confirm.

I take this to mean that they will never print anything that comes from the left?

[GOPJ]

But here, four, five days AFTER the initial reports, despite clearly parking away from the event to hide the busses and after every potential excuse in the sun to cover the Obama’s socialists, the writer can only just barely mention the fact that, yes, democrats were being bussed in to the town halls. THAT’S prejudiced reporting.

True - but this little podunk newspaper is still scooping the big papers - who still haven't figured it out...

[444Flyer]

I’ll definately let you know if I start one.;-)

[cripplecreek]

I got curious about this Trinity Transportation and found that they seem to have had illegal alien smuggling problems with their freight hauling division in the past.