Roswell newspaper needs to admit bias against Foley

By Whitney Cheshire

The Roswell Daily Record: Breaking, making or faking the news? Shouldn’t newspaper publishers disclose their political contributions if they cover politics?

As some of you may remember, I frequently wrote about the hot and heavy political environment in Chaves County during the 2006 primary election. One of the most interesting aspects of that campaign season was how involved the Record became in the game.

There were complaints about the Record unfairly printing some letters to the editor and not others and leaking its endorsement of a local candidate, Mike Kakuska, to a blogger in advance of its printing.

Those were strange times.

Given that the Republican Party is healing from its contested elections, it would have been nice to close the door on that sad saga of Roswell politics. But no. When state Rep. Dan Foley was arrested in June for rushing out on a basketball court to assist his son, the newspaper jumped into the political fray, again.

The problem isn’t that the paper chose to cover the incident. The problem is how it chose to cover it.

For example, the June 25 article about the arrest was reasonably balanced until reporter Richard Jacques wrote, “This most recent incident comes on the heels of a claim that Foley has allegedly used bully-tactics in the past. (The ACLU) recently considered legal action against Foley and others named in a lawsuit… (for demanding that someone) leave the Legislator’s Dining Room…”

Now look: A guy allegedly gets kicked out of the legislators’ private lunchroom, gets his feelings hurt, and the ACLU considers suing Foley for it? And then that’s used by the Record to establish a pattern of bullying behavior?

Give me a break.

And there was the June 27 article – infamous for the arrest mug, complete with tobacco stain, and the breakout headlined “other notable incidents” that included a reference to Foley writing a note in 2001 about another representative’s vote on a piece of legislation being the end of his career. This was my favorite line: “Rep. Godbey was understandably upset when he learned of the note.”

Understandably upset? Who understood? The reporter? Come on. I thought readers were supposed to form their own opinions.

Word choices slant articles

But let’s talk about “admitting” things.

Did you see the “gotcha” article about Judge Clyde McKee, who was in line to preside over the Foley case? He gave $50 to a Foley campaign years ago, and his son is a friend and supporter of Foley. My favorite line in the article stated that the judge’s son supposedly “admitted” to contributing to Foley’s campaigns.

Admitted.

Folks, all joking aside, people admit to murder, not having made political contributions. Talk about a reporter imposing guilt on someone.

How about this line from the article: “Foley allegedly verbally threatened the commissioner.” I’m not being nit-picky here, but why is state Rep. Dan Foley referred to as “Foley” while the other dude gets to be “the commissioner?”

One sentence assigns him guilt, and another makes him illegitimate. Folks, this is atrocious.

Because it’s not just these two sentences, or this one article, or even this entire arrest episode. There’s a long history of both in-your-face accusations and subtle word choices flowing from the Record that paint Foley the way the newspaper wants him to be viewed. The Record uses its news and editorial pages to get there.

The Record’s incessant and lopsided coverage of these so-called altercations, in which the newspaper blames Foley for everything and everyone else for nothing, reads like a hall-monitor’s transcript from a bathroom spitball fight.

This is supposed to be news? I think not.

Disclosing publisher’s campaign contributions

So, why? Why is the Record so interested in writing a screenplay for High School Musical III? And making Foley the bully? You’d have to ask Publisher Dana Beck.

The newspaper already wrote one excessively defensive editorial acknowledging all the criticism. But nowhere in that editorial did Beck admit to her own bias.

According to followthemoney.org, Beck contributed money to Mike Kakuska’s failed 2006 primary campaign. She did so at a time when her husband was the publisher, when she had an active roll at the newspaper, and when the family-owned paper was under the gun for its political coverage. The same year, she also contributed hundreds of dollars to Gov. Bill Richardson’s re-election campaign. Her paper endorsed Richardson over Republican challenger John Dendahl. Politicalmoneyline.com also shows that Beck contributed $1,000 to Richardson’s presidential campaign this year.

McKee gave $50 to Foley nine years ago, before he was a judge.

If this is about admitting bias, doesn’t the publisher of the only Roswell newspaper, which has a circulation of more than 12,000, have some responsibility to do so as well?

Richardson has appropriately defended Foley’s right to have his day in court, saying, “My relationship with him has improved significantly. He deserves his due process.” But the Record has called on voters in Foley’s district to “think twice” before voting for him again. It has falsely claimed that Foley cost Chaves County state capital outlay dollars. It has refused to acknowledge that he was exonerated of unfounded accusations like the famed “request” for an F-16 flyover or the firing of a former state employee.

The newspaper has shamelessly and falsely used Foley’s hard-nosed (and dare I say effective) political style to paint him as being physically violent. It has said it doesn’t believe that the charges leveled against him now are a result of him trying to protect his son.

It’s hard for the average person to wrap his or her brain around the fact that Roswell’s only source for print political coverage may be tainted. But I’m going to toss out the idea that this is likely the case.

Disclaimer: Save your comments about my own personal bias, because I admit to it. I am a Foley supporter. I admit that I have worked for him in the past and would do so again if he asked me. I admit that I consider him a good friend and a good public servant. I admit that I’m offended by the Record’s characterization of Foley and the many, many people who support him. And I admit that I want to see Foley exonerated in this mess. But for that, we’ll all have to wait and see.

Cheshire, AKA the Wednesday Morning Quarterback, is a media relations and campaign consultant in Albuquerque. Her column runs every Wednesday. You can learn more about her by clicking here. Contact her at wednesdaymorningqb@comcast.net.