It’s easy to slam media outlets and paint them as mouthpieces for the left. It’s harder to produce actual evidence of that claim.
But not much harder.
Right before our eyes, some Idaho news outlets are giving residents a masterclass on bias and narrative-building by omission.
Last week, Idaho Gov. Brad Little announced his opposition to Proposition 1. He is doing the right thing by opposing the radical plan to rewrite Idaho’s election laws and implement ranked-choice voting in the left’s latest bid to turn Idaho blue.
A single media publication, the Idaho Dispatch, announced Little’s decision immediately after the governor posted it. The Dispatch, you might know, is run by Greg Pruett, a longtime conservative activist turned newsman.
The biggest names in Idaho news, including KTVB, the Idaho Statesman, the Idaho Press, and others, didn’t cover it that day.
In fact, they haven’t covered it at all.
A casual look at the Statesman’s recent stories and social media posts shows the news outlet’s priorities.
Thanks to the Statesman, we know Eminem’s daughter is pregnant with the rapper’s grandchild. We also know the Wavytalk Hair Straightener Brush is on sale right now. And, of course, we also know Kristin Cavallari’s custody agreement with ex Jay Cutler has changed.
Yet we don’t know our Idaho governor’s position on a controversial proposition that would toss out Idaho’s long-standing election system.
Of course, we all understand the Statesman gets national news piped in from across the country. It’s standard practice in establishment media operations.
It might be understandable if the Statesman and other publications were not giving any time, space, or attention to Proposition 1. But that’s not what they have been doing.
The Statesman made sure to give space to outgoing GOP Sen. Linda Hartgen so she could endorse the radical proposition.
Ironically, in her endorsement, Hartgen wrote, “Together, we can ensure that Idaho remains a place where every voice is heard and respected.”
But in this critical debate, not every voice is being heard. Media types are actively working to silence or ignore those who oppose upending our functioning election system.
The Idaho Capital Sun deserves a tiny portion of credit for telling you Little’s position. The Sun’s Clark Corbin buried Little’s position in a longer column a few days after the governor made his intentions known.
But even that shows some bias on the Sun’s part.
Last year, former Idaho Gov. Butch Otter announced his support for the proposition, which was at the time merely a petition circulating among voters. Yet his endorsement earned him a headline in the Sun.
Former President Donald Trump caught a lot of flack for telling Americans how media outlets are the enemy of the people. He was right. Delivering only one side of political debates is shameful.
Conservative commentator George Will correctly wrote, “The media's job is to report the news, not to shape it. When they shape it, they're not doing their job.”
Idaho’s corporate media types are clearly not doing their jobs. Media outlets should tell the truth — the whole truth — and let the people decide the path forward on Proposition 1.
The Washington Post's slogan is, "Democracy dies in darkness.” Apparently, Idaho media types want their own kind of darkness to thwart a fair election on a radical proposition in Idaho. Voters beware!
