One of the principals in yesterday's LB 700 press conference (see earlier post) had these comments about the double standards and otherwise shameful actions of our area's MSM --Well friends, we and the LB 700 story are being blacklisted I believe in terms of media coverage. I only saw it once on Ch. 10 last night at 6 p.m. and only a brief listing of terms on Ch. 7 at 6 and nothing on either 10 or 7 at 10 p.m.
The Omaha World-Herald (OWH) and Lincoln Journal-Star (LJS) are worse. Martha Stoddard basically did the very least she could to get away with saying she covered the story. Now if she wrote more and it was edited out, my apologies Martha. Imagine if this had been a press conference called by the University of Nebraska Medical Center or Nebraskans for Research and its supporters of a clone and kill bill. No, I don't even want to imagine the stories that would ensue. Basically, there was one quote in Martha's story from Greg reading the statement, she listed the groups on the statement and everything else she could have pulled out of "file footage." Another OWH reporter interviewed both Greg and I yesterday about the "terminology" surrounding the debate. She may have called Chip too. I believe we will have the same situation on our hands that they do in Iowa, they are trying to call Iowa's cloning statute a "stem cell initiative." Nice.
And the LJS??? Well, I was concerned when two, count em' two, Capitol reporters for the LJS were told that the main office was sending someone and we got Bob Reeves, the religion reporter. Greg said he had a personal interview and I can only ASSUME there will be a BIG story in Saturday's VALUES SECTION, tucked behind the grocery ads. C'mon guys, UNMC doesn't call a press conference and get the Religion reporter and absolutely NO coverage of its press conference the next day and possibly being relegated to the religion page on SATURDAY? Or will there be a story sooner? Inquiring minds want to know and I will be calling the LJS this morning.
This is not how our fetal tissue press events went down. Now they have a game plan and UNMC is calling the shots. Don't doubt for a minute that they call in every chit and sidle up to every friend they have in the press (I'm talking the big guys at the top, not the reporters.) That reminds me, look for UNMC/ Nebraskans for Research to do their own "press event" soon where they will get oodles of good press.
Okay, to quote the actor in Network News, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" I will politely inquire of at least the LJS. The OWH all we can do is call them on the carpet when they start writing ad nauseum about NFR and UNMC's statements.
