Underreported stories of 2009
My column takes a look at a trio of under-reported stories of 2009. It was hard to pick just three, of course. FoxNews.com has its own list here. What’s on your list?
Related end-of-year notes: A few of my Cone of Shame 2009 awards.
***
Under-reported stories of 2009
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2010
Most news outlets end the year with extensive reviews of their top headlines and scoops. But the stories they didn’t cover deserve much greater attention. Journalistic sins of omission are often far more damning and more telling than sins of commission.
Let’s start with President Obama’s ongoing radical czar problem. Until Bay Area Marxist agitator-turned-green jobs czar Van Jones resigned in September, most Americans hadn’t heard of him. Mainstream newspaper readers and network news viewers were left in the dark about his cop-killer-supporting activism, his endorsement of nutball 9/11 conspiracies, and his advocacy of using capitalism-sabotaging environmental policies as “the engine for transforming the whole society.”
Fox News, talk radio, and conservative blogs pounded Jones’s embarrassing public record for months until the White House and its press corps enablers were forced to acknowledge the firestorm. Only after Obama threw Jones under the bus did New York Times editor Jill Abramson confess that the Fishwrap of Record suffered from “insufficient in-tuned-ness” She promised better coverage of Obama scandals.
So, what’s she waiting for, pray tell?
Obama has appointed unaccountable czars by the mile whose statements and policies have yet to hit national media front pages. The “Safe Schools Czar,” Kevin Jennings, is a far Left activist whose organization GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) is infamous among parents’ groups for promoting explicit, outrageously age-inappropriate sexual lessons in the classroom. GLSEN’s recommended reading for teens includes pamphlets promoting leather bars and public sex in parks and lurid books describing incest, rape, adult-child fantasies, and essay collections in which one author recounted playing “sex therapist” at the age of six “sex therapist” with a five-year-old friend, and exploring “our sexuality to its fullest.”
GLSEN’s corporate sponsors include Eastman Kodak, Ernst & Young, PepsiCo, and Time Warner. Eastman Kodak defended its sponsorship as an expression of its commitment to “diversity.” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan also said he stood by Jennings earlier this year, before this material was exposed in-depth on Fox News, talk radio, and conservative blogs. Where are the vaunted watchdogs of the Fourth Estate to follow up now?
Liberal journalists were also AWOL on the Obama White House’s U.S. Attorney nomination debacle in Denver. What, you hadn’t heard of it? You’re not alone. Nominee Stephanie Villafurte withdrew earlier this month after Colorado Republicans, immigration enforcement activists, Denver Post investigative reporter Karen Crummy, and Denver talk show Peter Boyles raised bright red flags about the culture of corruption in her office.
Villafuerte is entangled in the railroading of Denver Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Cory Voorhis — whom federal prosecutors tried to punish after he blew the whistle on sweetheart deals for criminal illegal aliens during the 2006 gubernatorial campaign. A jury acquitted Voorhis of all federal charges. He’s trying to get his job back. At least one of his supervisors has admitted lying. Villafuerte served on the-Democrat gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter’s campaign team while on leave from the Denver D.A.’s office and from all Denver Post news accounts was deeply involved in the witchhunt against agent Voorhis.
Villafuerte and the Justice Department evaded critics as long as they could, but when U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, pressed DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano for answers on Villafuerte’s meddling, the stonewall crumbled. There’s still a raft of unanswered questions about the cover-up and the feds’ dangerously lax policies toward criminal illegal aliens.
Speaking of the corrupted DOJ, where’s the heat on crime-coddling Attorney General Eric Holder for his continued obstructionism in the New Black Panther Party Election Day voter intimidation case? In a highly unprecedented move, Holder and his political appointees dropped default judgments against the NBPP’s billy-club wielding thugs who threatened white poll workers and voters in Philadelphia last November. The non-partisan U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has demanded answers and issued subpoenas to find out why the cases were abandoned after the Bush administration had won them. The DOJ has ordered its employees not to comply or cooperate. And over the holidays, the DOJ veteran voting rights section chief who originally handed the case was unceremoniously evicted from the D.C. office and moved to South Carolina.
One of the NBPP bullies was a local Democratic official. Another of the defendants, NBPP head Malik Shabazz, has decried the probe as a racist “political witch hunt” against Holder.
Grievance hustlers are counting on liberal journalists to give them cover. A nation of cowards, indeed.
See what others have said
Note from Michelle: This section is for comments from michellemalkin.com's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that I agree with or endorse any particular comment just because I let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with my terms of use may lose his or her posting privilege.
Trackbacks
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Categories: Immigration,Media,Stephanie Villafuerte,czars
Doug Ross @ Journal
» Don't Bogart Those Poll Numbers: Barbara Boxer's Campaign Is So Depressing, Her Aide Was Caught Smuggling Pot Into the SenateConservatives4Palin
» Obama Couldn't Even Get 1200 People to Come to a Free Event in Cleveland on a College Campus Without Begging (Update)Ed Driscoll
» Barbara Boxer to Unveil New Campaign Theme SongEd Driscoll
» It’s Deja Coakley All Over AgainAmSpecBlog
» The Success of a Failureprotein wisdom
» Jerry Brown embraces his inner Pelosi [Darleen Click]
I keep hoping that I will wake up and find the past fourteen months have been a bad dream.
The election of a guy who has spent close to $2mm to keep his citizenship and school records away from the people that put him in office. His election aided and abetted by a national press, who did everything they could to squash the Republican candidate and promote the Dem.
Out of control deficit spending by the federal government on things like loaning our money to financial institutions that likely should have collapsed anyway, using coercion and threats to force some of them to take the money.
Take over of auto companies and firing of their officers. Implementing caps on salaries of certain financial executives, a takeover of the health care industry despite the specific and public instructions of the people, unprecedented corruption at nearly every level of the federal government.
Anarchists, avowed communists, promoters of GLBT education in ELEMENTARY schools and union thugs being not only popular guests at the WH but actually being appointed to powerful positions in the federal government without the oversite of the criminals in Congress.
I could go on and on with dozens of examples of how our beloved United States of America is being dismantled by the very people sworn to protect it.
Please, please. Somebody pinch me please?
Acorn is the number one . On film yet MSM looks the other way !
I am sure that we can continue to trust the news media to only report fair and impartial news events that echo only the facts and not bias of any sort.
Especially the CBS News which was honored by the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) with multiple 2009 National Edward R. Murrow awards for excellence in journalism to Katie Couric as anchor-person of the nightly CBS News.
I just find it a little confusing that Katie is bestowed such honors and accolades when CBS news and anchor-person Katie have been running DEAD LAST, I repeat D E A D-L A S T in the ratings.
Oh, I forgot, it is the liberal way to heap honors and accolades on people for doing nothing. Yes, ok now, I understand. I am sure that Katie’s Nobel Peace Prize is being prepared as I write.
The ghost of FDR has returned. I’m all for hope and change now. Change in 2010!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Neither Obama nor the MSM see anything radical about the czars. No surprise as to why there is no concern about vetting.
An AG does no sneeze without the President’s approval. So EVERYTHING Holder has done has come from guess who?
My vote for most under reported story: The effort to hide records of the history of Barack Hussein Obama. The effort says volumes.
***
No need for the AMERICAN PRAVDA (not “MSM”) media to report anything negative about Comrade Obama (PBUH). A few more “leg tingles” will fix everything.
***
And I think Michelle Malkin should stop wasting her time reporting on unimportant news like terrorist attacks, gay agenda education Tsars, corrupt politicians, etc.
***
She needs to get “on topic” and cover more real stories that are important to the American People. Like how cool The Messiah looked on the beach as he handled the Jihadi “man caused disaster” non-event. Or what great fashion sense our FLOTUS Michelle Obama showed with her burka swimsuit!
***
Happy New Year, all.
***
John Bibb
***
Your sequel will write itself…
Happy New Year !
Personally, I love the fact that a tiny little Asian woman has more BALLS then the entire mainstream media COMBINED!
Thanx MM
***
HI VNTNRSE–#9. Good comment–but Michelle Malkin is not a tiny little Asian woman. She is a loyal American Patriot. Her ethnic background is not germane.
***
John Bibb
***
Good morning John, I’m married to one of those Loyal American Patriots that is also a tiny Asian woman, and who is also a very fiery and vocal defender of our Republic. I grant you that ethnic background is neither germane nor required in situations like this, but it never ceases to amaze me that such little fireballs of patriotism as MM and my wife could and would tear a Keith Olberman limb from limb verbally and psychologically and walk away with such finese and beauty, having shredded the left wing arguments of non-patriots with such deftness that said leftists are sputtering and name caling and reduced to tears.
MM, again, thank you for your hard work and consumate professionalism!
Oh, and John, thank you too for appreciating the gist of what I was trying so poorly to state. I deeply appreciate ALL that Michelle does to keep her fingers on the pulse of the nation and to keep us so well informed on her observations.
***
HI AGAIN VNTNRSE–#11 AND #13. My wife came from Mexico 40 years ago–she has been an American Citizen for a long time. One of our two sons–both Docs in Phoenix now–asked what they were–Gringo, Hispanic, Mexican, etc. My answer was always American first.
***
Many of those who immigrated to our country–or are first generation born here persons–have a much stronger vision of the greatness of our country than those whose families have lived here for many generations.
***
Ditto for those who have served in our Military overseas. Both groups have seen how much better a life we have here–economically–and in our relations with each other.
***
Many have seen real oppression, violence, discrimination, and genocide personally. Most really appreciate the advancements our forefathers gave us through their sacrifice on many battlefields. And our more recent Citizens do not want our country to throw away our way of life to copy these failed governmental systems.
***
John Bibb
***
The more common term for “insufficient in-tuned-ness” is LIAR, Lying Canine-female, Typical LIE of the Lamestream Media, Mentiroso. But it is New Year’s Day so I will be polite and not call her a Liar. But the Ministry of Truth serves their Leftist masters well.
===
Rush Limbaugh fans hoping for an update on the condition of the popular talk radio host who was rushed to the hospital with chest pains this week may have to wait a little longer.
Share
Doctors are unable to determine the cause of the talk show host’s chest pains.
Both the hospital and Limbaugh’s camp have remained mum on his condition today, one day after a spate of statements and press releases said he was “resting comfortably” and undergoing a battery of tests.
Hospital officials, however, scheduled a news conference for 4 p.m. ET.
So with Van Jones, Kevin Jennings, and Stephanie Villafuerte, at least part of the media was successful at exposing the stories and stopping these appointments.
Eric Holder will clearly be a different story. It is one thing to dump a down the org chart functionary, but a high ranking Cabinet member. That one will be tough.
Is this supposed to be about the failure of the New York Times and the other relics of the ossified old media? Or should Michelle have written this as a victory for 21st century journalism? (Well, batting .750 in these cases.)
I’d think the latter. The Times continues to become more and more irrelevant in circles outside the old guard intelligentsia.
On a recent episode of 30 Rock, this exchange took place when Alec Baldwin’s character wanted to know how to deal with a difficult actress: (and, yeah, I know Alec Baldwin’s politics suck, but he rocks as a TV character actor.)
Advice giver: “Lie to her, coddle her, protect her from the real world.”
Jack Donaghy: “I get it! I’ll treat her like the New York Times treats its readers.”
And that is about as accurate as you can get regarding that old rag. No one wants any bad news about the administration they’ve chosen. The NYT certainly won’t be delivering any to them.
Has it been on yet? I waited at 4:00 Eastern, but had to turn off the TV. Any news???
http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2010/01/rush-limbaugh-im-ok.html
I googled and found this. Great news!
2:30 PM MST (Phoenix) He is dressed and standing with his Doctor at the Hospital. I guess he is going home now. Rather limited details but he isn’t dead.
Feed from ABC News and Rush friend Walter Williams
No Heart Disease for Rush Limbaugh
Radio Host Says He Is ‘Grateful’ Tests Revealed No Serious Problems
Rush couldn’t wish to be in a better hospital than the Queen’s Medical Center. They are the best in the state for heart diagnostics and treatment.
Whew! If some committee of Obama supporters had to decide whether Rush was to receive treatment or not (under the government plan) I don’t need to speculate what their decision would be.
“He’s over-weight, he smokes cigars, he’s from flyover country, and he’s a conservative. Four strikes……”
Six Strikes…… also male and white.
The only reason these are the underreported stories of 2009 is because the underreported story of 2008 was that Obama was a radical, fascist, Marxist, race-monger with zero qualifications for the job and an army of fellow travelers behind him.
Of course, it didn’t help that Dubya and the Stupid Party had thoroughly disgusted the electorate and they ran a terrible candidate (i.e. McCain) whose only goal in 2008 was to deny fellow Republicans the nomination, having had no stomach to battle his good friends the Democrats.
For me the unreported story of the year was the complete surrender of the alleged MSM watchdog status to the needs of the Democrat party. Their shameless non-reporting of stories right under their nose and overt liberal bias has finally destroyed any remaining credibility they had with a huge segment of the public and they will never get it back. Makes me shudder to recall how bad things were just 10 or 15 years ago with regard to getting good news.
The MSM is dead! Long Live the New Media!
Here’s another under-reported one: some kind of scandal concerning the temperature of the earth…
Surely (Shirley)you can’t be serious?
I was told by a Nobel Prize winner the science was “settled.”
/sarc
Precisely. I gauge a person’s patriotism and love of America by what they call themselves: American, ’nuff said; hyphenated something or other, with America last, also speaks for itself.
You value most what you work hardest to get. Just another reason why amnesty for illegals is bad.
Nothing feels better than touching down on American soil!
Exactly! That is why these new immigrants are warning us about the changes the Dems are trying to make, particularly those from former eastern bloc nations.
Nobody reinvents the square wheel (except, apparently, liberal socialist Democrats).
Those are all important stories that have been underreported or unreported. But they all point to the biggest story of 2009, that has likewise been ignored.
I’d wager that never before in the history of the U.S. presidency have such high hopes and expectations been disappointed so rapidly and so thoroughly.
The fact that millions marched on D.C. under the cloak of Tea Parties and nobody elected to office saw any of it, taking no notice of it. They ignored the fact that it was conservatives, liberals, and independents all gathered for one purpose. How blind is that?
First lesson learned in 2010….
Never, never, ever follow a link from happyscrapper.
A major underreported story of 2009 is how corrupt the scientific establishment has become. Here is an article on this subject by a Virginia Tech professor emeritus. “Emeritus” means he is officially retired and doesn’t need any grant money.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig10/bauer1.1.1.html
In exposing the fraud of artificial global warming and the Orwellian behavior of its protagonists, Michelle nibbles at the overall picture of an unethical science establishment that Prof. Bauer more fully exposes as thoroughly corrupt. This is understandable, since she is a political reporter and not a science journalist. Therefore, I hope Prof. Bauer proves enlightening. Questioning things is the start of the scientific method.
My days and nights in the waters off Vietnam in 1975 and 1976 launching A-4 light attack aircraft and F-8 fighters, in my very humble opinion indicate to me that I know a tiny bit about what I speak of, especially when we off-loaded the aircraft in order to make room for refugees from the evacuation of Saigon.
just a little bit….
I’d classify the CRU revelations as underreported.
Obama supporters said it was unfail to assign “guilt by association” when it came to Rev. Wright, Bill Ayers, and the corrupt politicians he hung out with in Chicago. Then they cried racism when anyone objected to his radical policies. Now they say he’s not responsible for the past actions of the Czars in his administration, as if he had no idea of their history before he picked them.
But he can’t claim that his Czars and advisors were just “people in the neighborhood”. He picked them himself. It was his doing. They are a reflection of his own policies and agenda.
Obama, himself, gave us permission to judge him by three things: his policies, his words, and his actions. His supporters have no reason to complain when we do just that.
Rocketman,
Did FLOTUS, Michelle Obama, really wear a Burka Swimsuit?
For me, one of the top stealth stories is the seductive creep of Nannystate’ism.
Was watching my 12-yo niece ride her new bike on the lawn and her neighbors chaffing us for her not wearing a damn helmet, and can’t ride the car front seat with your parent (like kids did since time immemorial) because the seat belt and child seat lobbies have gone berserk. They already tell her try not to meat at school and are out to even ban it there with soy substitute, thank you Nanny Bloomberg. What’s next?
James Greenidge
Queens NY
Wonder where our socialist trolls are….
Why aren’t they challenging the points of article?
Oh, that’s right,…because they can’t.
Another big story not being covered is the complete dismissal of contract law by this administration and the lacky congress. Makes it hard to function when you don’t know if your contract is going to be valid, wether it is a mortgage contract or a bond fund investment.
Long and noteworthy, but hardly any attention was ever given to the Hate Crimes Legislation we got tacked on to the last defense authorization bill. Hardly a soul raised issue with the religious rights and freedom of speech violation contained in it. Not only against anyone who may have issues with gay marriage, but also would extend to…wait for it…the religion of perpetual outrage.
News flash from msnbc.com this morning:
…8 days later. The man is a genius! Not to forget…it’s not only what they underreport report, but also what they don’t bother to report, completely screw up, cover up, spin, delay, misread…
Ditto here. My wife is also Asian. She probably knows more, and visited more sites, about American history than the average citizen. She struggles with English and understanding our history, but she never quits. Like with many immigrants, they take pride in their new country and the liberty it gives them.
James, I had to smile @ your post. I have two children who are younger than your niece, and are riding bikes on a flat, dead-end road in a small residential area. They haven’t worn helmets, not b/c of negligence, or to make a statement. Glenn Beck nailed it when he gave his analogy of the football/rugby players in US vs. Australia. All that high-tech gear leads to more risky behavior (US), instead of feeling the immediate consequences of one’s actions and adjusting one’s behavior accordingly (Australia). I’d rather them get a few bumps and scrapes and learn how it feels, followed by thinking for themselves about how to avoid an accident the next time. I never wore a bike helmet (never heard of such a thing when growing up). Didn’t have seatbelts in my parents’ ’64 Impala, either.
I’m with you, I vote for Nanny-state creep. It covers a LOT of territory.
Michelle I submit my pick for the under reported story of the year to be the “Knoxville Murders”
How the MSM could ignore this is unconscionable
Good Work Michelle
God Bless and Hapy New Year
Coldest Winter all over the northern hemisphere due to global warming might do.
***
HI AGAIN VNTNRSE #31. Thank you for your service to our country. My Dad was a Navy navigator on a cargo plane in the South Pacific during WW2. My brother was Air National Guard, and I was an Army draftee from 1964–66. An engineering degree kept me out of the swamp–I was sent to White Sands to work on radars, missile launchers, and instrumentation.
***
You Navy guys don’t need to have any VERY HUMBLE OPINIONS–I worked with a lot of good military and ex-military people in my career. You Navy and Marine guys are the best. I wish my physical condition–bad eyesight and leg injury–had been good enough to get me into the Navy.
***
I remember the shameful events you describe as we tried to save a few of the Vietnamese who trusted in our country–and were betrayed by our “democrat” / liberal / socialist / statist / marxist / communist congress after the fall of President Nixon. It should have been B-52 time–Presidents Reagan or Teddy Roosevelt would have taken care of the problem when the “rats came out of the woodwork”. Failure to supply the South Vietnamese as promised and failure to bomb the conventional invasion from the North caused that disaster.
***
And Comrade Obama (PBUH) is sending the same message to our enemies now. Anyone supporting the U.S. attempts to save their countries from the Islamists know that their heads will be on a pike when The Messiah cuts and runs soon. Deja Vu all over again.
***
John Bibb
***
***
HI WILLIAM #35. No–I didn’t see any photos of Michelle Obama in a Burka–just Rocketman sarcasm.
***
However, it might be a fashion improvement!
***
John Bibb
***
Now that would be a GREAT lead off story for 2010.
Lunch bags/close the school lunch programs. A couple of hundred of the hardest men in Phoenix carried their lunch to work. I made it through 12 years of school with a Roy Rogers lunch box-high school and all.
Happy Trails
FLOTUS and POTUS both need a burka in my humble opinion….it would indicate to the rest of the country and world just what religious affiliation they most identify with, and tell us precisely why he wants to hand-cuff our military, while freeing our enemy the terrorist jihadist to do what they wish, expecting to go to a civilian court and receive a civilian lawyer with American rights that should not and would not be granted real military detainees who do not ascribe to the tenents of this country and as such do not deserve the rights of an American citizen!
Instead they get onto the Food Network and Iron Chef to make the rest of the country suffer a food borne illness.
(Hey! I can say that! It makes my wife and I sick because we refuse to watch one of our favorite shows!
)
I didn’t read all of the posts, but, the biggest story in my tiny little mind is when “Hope & Change” turned into “Hoax and Shame.”
Not that we didn’t know that from the beginning.
LOL!!!
Way to coin a phrase!
That was my pick also next to the shameful ignoring the Memphis murders.
Gods blessing on you and your family for the next year Mrs. Malkin.
OT: Who knew the great Ray Stevens was one of us?
You are gonna love this one!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc_-L4fyLUo&NR=1
I agree jangar, the Hate Crimes Legislation bothered me too.
Also, the Villafuerte/Voorhis story is not over. Please pray that Cory Voorhis, the ICE agent who exposed the Governor’s secret plea deals, will prevail in his current lawsuit to get his job back, back pay and attorney’s fees awarded.
Off topic:
Been getting many calls from credit card companies.
Finally connected the dots.
Each credit card that sends a paper bill can charge you one dollar for each bill sent to you. (they say so many more rules, postage, etc. will cost more to bill) that will be twelve extra dollars for each credit card that you own. You should make payments online to save this one dollar each month.
Also take your money out of big banks and put in trusted community bank…Do not give o’s banks your money……
Dang! Where’s this global warming we’re supposed to be suffering under?
“Grievance hustlers are counting on liberal journalists to give them cover.”
All libs and minorities enjoy this cover on a daily basis from our glorious liberal wacko media.
The most under-reported story of 2009 is the success of the MSM and Obama minions in preventing any discussion of the mystery presidents past. He came from nowhere, has hidden his real birth certificate and a long list of records, virtually all of which pertain in one way or another to his citizenship.
There is far more evidence that Obama was born in Kenyan than in Hawaii, and yet even Conservative talking heads will not engage in any discussion of even the possibility that Obama is not Constitutionally eligible to be POTUS.
Fear and its effect on freedom of speech are the number one most under-reported stories for 2009………..