‘Just a brief shout-out to Messenger reporter, Michelle Monroe for her outstanding coverage of Republican Senatorial challenger, Len Britton’s appearance at a local St. Albans Senior Center Thursday. ‘Girl did her fact-checking and caught Mr. Britton telling tales, several times. Deftly combing through the talking points and aided by the good offices of FactCheck.org, Moody’s and other sources, Monroe put the lie to Britton’s claim that the new health care law in Washington will add 16,000 IRS officers for enforcement, and other favorite righty refrains about the state of the economy under Obama. Definitely worth a read, if you can get your hands on a copy of Friday’s paper (not available online).
Monroe’s stellar journalism puts the independence back in this independent newspaper and gives me new reason to subscribe, despite some considerable differences of opinion with the editor. He has a gold-mine in Monroe and I have a hunch he knows it! Imagine that: real honest to goodness fact-checking in a Frankling County paper!
I even appreciated the featured quote from Mr. Britton (describing the Constitution):
The greatest document mankind has ever created, next to the Bible.
I’ll add a link if, and when, one becomes available.
When do we start taking bets on how long she lasts at a rightwing-centric place like the St Albans Messenger? If she’s going to fact-check, especially GOP candidates, I see an unfortunately quick tenure there for her.
Not to take away from what sounds like a great piece and a great job on this story!
Fact-checking journalists- kinda like honest mechanics or ‘decent’ politicians: you know they’re out there, though it seems increasingly hard to find ’em!
I think factcheck.org might be the one
I thought god wrote it.
I have been a source for Michelle Monroe’s reporting on Lake Champlain issues and an admirer of her coverage on the Bourdeau Brothers–big players in the Big Agriculture business (feed and fertilizer dealers, creditors, etc.) in the state with a sketchy record that isn’t all that farmer friendly.
She is thorough and proactive. She doesn’t just wait around for the usual partisans to call her with some spin. She goes out and looks for stories–especially those that have a real affect on people, but that are flying under the radar screen.
Much of her reporting is of statewide interest. Unfortunately, the Messenger’s limited circulation area and lack of robust online presence deprives some of her best reporting from having the impact beyond Franklin County that it should. I am very glad that GMD is promoting her coverage on this issue and I hope other opinion makers will start paying more attention to her reporting.
To compensate this perfectly reasonable comment for the inexplicable “0” by “Leftierules”.
The Constitution:
Not So Much.
The Constitution never was, and isn’t today, popular with “mankind.” Wide swaths of the U.S., a majority in some polls, are offended by many of the liberties protected by the Constitution. The more conservative you are, the more likely you will be to loath Constitutional freedoms.
The Constitution was written by liberals.
The Constitution was written in the face of conservative opposition.
The dynamic, of a Constitution under assault by illiberal forces, has played out for over 200 years. Conservatives have a well-established track record of — if not a genetic disposition toward — savaging the liberties and liberal values recognized by the U.S. Constitution.
A conservative Republican praising the Constitution is like a vulture honoring road kill.