The Peoria Journal-Star’s fawning coverage of state Rep. Aaron Schock has long been a running joke in Springfield. I don’t blame Schock in the least. If he’s able to get that sort of “homer” coverage, then more power to him. It’s entirely the paper’s fault.
The Journal-Star’s own political reporter was apparently incapable of writing a follow-up to Bernie Schoenburg’s column yesterday which exploded a gaping hole in the paper’s original coverage of Schock’s official congressional campaign announcement. The task was instead given to a Statehouse scribe.
That was probably a good idea. As the Peoria Pundit notes about the author of the original story, who failed to include the stunning revelation that Schock would sell nuclear missiles to Taiwan if China didn’t help the US deal with Iran…
PJS reporter Karen McDonald… also attended the [GOP congressional candidate] McConoughey press conference where her single question was to ask McConoughey, essentially, “Oh yeah? Well what’s YOUR position?”
The reporter in question was assigned to do another story on Schock for today - the sort of piece that the Peoria Journal-Star has excelled at over the years…
Instead of discussing laws with his peers in Springfield or discussing platforms for his congressional run, state Rep. Aaron Schock had to answer to students Thursday at Roosevelt Magnet School, where he served as “principal for a day.”
A group of about 100 students asked Schock about his grades in school, future goals, the city’s jaywalking ordinance and, perhaps most important to them, whether he gets national holidays off as a state representative.
Yep. She had him right there and didn’t ask him (or at least didn’t report) about his Strangelovian idea to destabilize the world. That pretty much sums up everything that’s wrong with the Peoria Journal-Star.
Now, to the question: Does your local paper skew its coverage in favor of any particular politician? Explain.