Newsroom takes unusal steps to "counter the big lie"

[KayF]

WITF in Pennsylvania

https://www.witf.org/2021/01/28/witf-is-connecting-these-lawmakers-to-their-actions-on-the-election-fraud-lie-heres-why/

So, as part of WITF’s commitment to factual reporting, and because many who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 have said their goal was to overthrow the U.S. electoral system and government, we will use language in our reporting to show how elected officials’ actions are connected to the election-fraud lie and the insurrection.

Here are two examples:

“Sen. (name), who signed a letter asking members of Congress to delay certifying Pennsylvania’s electoral votes despite no evidence that would call those results into question, today introduced a bill …”

and

The congressmen who voted against certifying Pennsylvania’s electoral college votes are eight of the commonwealth’s nine GOP representatives. The one who did not vote for that is U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican who represents the Bucks County-based 1st Congressional District.

We understand this may be an unusual decision for a news organization to make. But, these are not normal times.

We are not taking this approach lightly, and will apply it for lawmakers who took at least one of these three actions: signed on to a Texas lawsuit aimed at invalidating Pennsylvania’s election; signed on to a state House or a state Senate letter urging Congressional representatives to object to or delay certification; and voted against certification. The list of lawmakers is here.

[Pantagruel]

1. Good policy!

Make the GOP insurrectionists OWN IT!!!

[teach1st]

2. Thanks for posting! Here's a working link

Thanks for posting this, but your link didn't work in any of my browsers. This one does:

https://www.witf.org/2021/01/28/witf-is-connecting-these-lawmakers-to-their-actions-on-the-election-fraud-lie-heres-why/

[KayF]

4. fixed link in OP thanks! n/t

[efhmc]

3. That is absolutely amazing.

[The Roux Comes First]

5. Journalism! Hurray!! We Hardly Knew Ye!!! (nfm)

[Squinch]

6. They act like this is a big act of heroism. This is called reporting.

This is what they're SUPPOSED to be doing.

[Lucky Luciano]

8. Now they'll be called MSM Bolsheviks!

[JHB]

10. You think they haven't been calling them that for years?

[Lucky Luciano]

13. "They're not even pretending anymore ZOMGGGG!" or something like that.

[Nitram]

22. Squinch, journalistic standards have been very important in gaining the trust of the public. No one

expected the unprecedented situation in which we've been for the last four years. Yes, the media need to adopt new standards in response. But don't blame honest reporters and editors who were not trained or ready to handle news reporting in the present era. Eventually they all started to use the word "lie" in conjunction with Trump. That was a difficult decision based on existing journalistic best practices, but they did it. This PA newspaper has done a brave thing, and hopefully has establish a model that other organizations can adopt. Give credit where credit is due.

[Squinch]

23. Operative phrase: "the last 4 years." I would argue it's been more like 5 1/2.

And no, it was not brave. It was self-evident and it should have been done years ago.

And PS: the public absolutely DOES NOT trust the journalism community, mostly because of their idiotic both-siderism, and their stubborn refusal to call things what they clearly are.

[Indykatie]

26. How Many Other Media Outlets Are Doing It? In This Environment It is Unusual and Deserves Praise.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

31. This is beyond reporting. They are saying they'll attach those

seditionist acts to those legislators names whenever they mention them in unrelated news, if I'm understanding this correctly.

[Squinch]

37. Identifying salient points about the subject of a story is just a standard of normal reporting.

The fact that someone has fomented insurrection against the government of the United States is certainly a salient point.

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad this one outlet in Pennsylvania is doing this. But EVERY serious media outlet should have been doing this ALL ALONG! This is in no way a shining example of "journalistic standards" as another poster suggested. The journalistic community has been omitting the truth for 5 1/2 years. That is shameful, and it makes us all take them less seriously.

[malaise]

7. K & R

for truth

[halfulglas]

9. Now for the next step.

During the roll out of Biden's Build Back Better, when infrastructure projects are commenced, they should also start with "Congressman so and so, who voted against this project, will cut the ribbon, or attend the groundbreaking, etc. of the new etc." During the recession I would be so pissed off at Congressmen who voted against EVERYTHING smilingly cut ribbons and taking advantage of publicity when they fought tooth and nail against a project.

[flying_wahini]

11. A hearty YES to your idea! Halfulglas

And welcome to DU!

[chowder66]

25. +1

[yonder]

30. Good idea. That chest thumping is not far removed

from 45 taking credit for anything positive despite having nothing to do with it.

[lagomorph777]

12. That leads to very awkward run-on sentences. Maybe just label them "pro-insurrection?"

Define "pro-insurrection" in a footnote on each article, as the three actions they list.

Also could keep an overlapping list of "clear and present danger" congresscritters, the ones who are packing guns.

[Oldem]

14. It rubs their noses in it.

Maybe these misbegotten spawn are past training, but they aren't past punishment, ridicule, and accountability. Kudos to WITF.

[bucolic_frolic]

15. Progress is made - we have a name for it - the Big Lie

and I see that term being used on MSNBC now, so others are probably following suit.

Using the term should infuriate MAGA Land, but also puncture some MAGA illusions.

Reality's a bitch.

[KayF]

16. we have to keep using it

the way the Big Lie works, it takes years for the damage to be done. It festers.

[wnylib]

17. Love the station's call letters.

They seem so approppriate for what the station is doing.

[dchill]

18. Refreshing, isn't it?

[Takket]

19. "We're going to do our job"

Is basically what this says. There was a time when journalists reporting the facts and letting people decide what to do with them wasn’t controversial. Now the gop has worked the refs and convinced the media their job is to report anything they say as fact even if is a lie, and then let people decide based on the misinformation.

[Squinch]

28. This.

[BobTheSubgenius]

20. Pulitzer!!!

That is 100/100!

[Nitram]

21. Excellent reaction. The media needs to adopt new ways of reporting that do not amplify

right wing propaganda and lies, while putting on record every single time, what we are actually dealing with.

[msfiddlestix]

24. Outstanding. I hope this sets an example to all news operations across all news outlets.

NYT, WaPo, USA etc plus all of the Cable news outlets.

[PatrickforO]

27. Good news indeed. Thank you for posting. n/t

[Hulk]

29. So this is one local news channel in Pennsylvania?

If so, I know it's something, but it's not much

[FakeNoose]

32. NAME them and SHAME them - Pennsylvania has a Repuke problem

Thank you and great job WITF - the public broadcasting channel of Harrisburg, PA.

[niyad]

33. KNR

[Teddy Beer]

34. Bucks County? That's the Home Base of M. Night Shyamalan!

And, seriously, who is better qualified to make a documentary about our Twilight Zone 2020 election and the twisted state of our politics? Hell, he wouldn't even need to write a script, but just show the Republicanuts on actual recordings!!!

[radius777]

35. The seditionist right has long escaped accountability,

and it's about time the media started calling them out on it.

[Springerjjhicka]

36. Keep it up