Posts Tagged ‘Health’

WFRV reports…

“Beneath the chants of people rallying for health care reform in Green Bay, were the voices of protestors.Yet most of the 400-plus people at UW-Green Bay on Wednesday, told Congressman Steve Kagen he has their support.” Source: Kagen holds ‘less heated’ session at UWGB – WFRV Green Bay: Northeast Wisconsin News, Weather and Sports

Yet WBAY has a different take…

“Hundreds of people packed a UW-Green Bay building for what was supposed to be a pro-health care reform rally with Congressman Steve Kagen. But many came to voice disapproval of the legislation, and emotions ran high at a rally drawing cheers and boos.Groups of protesters lined up outside UWGB’s student union at least an hour before the health care rally even began.

The protests remained peaceful outside but set the stage for what became at times a heated debate inside.

More than 400 people packed the student union — so many that organizers had to expand the room to let everyone in.” Source: Health Care Reform Rally Turns Into Noisy Debate – WBAY-TV Green Bay-Fox Cities-Northeast Wisconsin News:

The fix is in — Jenna Sachs at WFRV wins today’s Engebretson Award for Excellence in Journalism…

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• NBC-26 launches ridiculous attack on character (brvanlanen.wordpress.com)

Check out the entertaining email exchange I had with Kristoffer Engebretson, who had the unmitigated gall to lecture me on journalism and what constitutes a story. Evidently, his idea of what constitutes the story has changed dramatically since he decided that an ex-Republican housewife expressing her thoughts at a “listening session” was the makings of a big expose on Republican plants.

Last night I received this email invitation from President Obama’s “Organizing for America” (a mailing list that I stunningly have not been removed from since I was recently outed as a Republican town hall plant):

Heather –

I wanted to send you an urgent invitation to an important health care event with Rep. Steve Kagen tomorrow, Wednesday, August 26th.

He’ll be talking to constituents and gathering feedback on the need for reform. Whether you ask a question or show your support with a sign, attending this event is a powerful way to show where you stand and thank those in Congress who are fighting for reform.

I hope you can join us. Here are the details:

What: Health Care Event with
Rep. Steve Kagen

Where: UW Green Bay – Phoenix Room
2420 Nicolet Drive
Green Bay, WI 54311

When: Wednesday, August 26th
Arrival Time: 5:00 p.m.
Start Time: 6:00 p.m.

RSVP

Please arrive as early as possible to the event, and make sure that the most powerful voices in this debate are those calling for real reform, not angrily clamoring for the status quo.

RSVP here:

http://wi.barackobama.com/GreenBayTH

Thanks,

Dan

Dan Grandone
Wisconsin State Director
Organizing for America

P.S. — Before the event, please print off a flyer to display and make sure that your support is visible.

Assuming Kristoffer Engebretson would find evidence of people being influenced to attend these events (the only question he had for me, and one he repeated 6 times in hopes that my answer in the negative would change), I forwarded him the email, adding “Here you go, Kristoffer. You’ve got your story; I’ll look forward to seeing how you expose all the plants at this event tomorrow…”

My sarcasm is obvious, which is why I was so surprised that he responded. His response, however, is even more surprising:

Heather,
It’s a rally for pro health care reform and pro public option. This is not a listening session. There will be no question and answer format. There will only be speakers.
The people who will be there (from both sides) will be voicing how they feel loud and clear. And I know people from both sides will be going, check out our story from today.

By the way, an email asking people to show their support is not a story. Emails like this on both sides of this issue have been going out since the begining of the debate. It’s a way of letting people know what’s going on.

But if you have any concrete evidence showing the liberals are paying people to come or are trying to sabotage the event, please let me know. That would be a story.

Kristoffer Engebretson
NBC 26 Reporter

I couldn’t resist straightening him out on the facts. Again. (Why do I keep finding myself in the position of having to teach this journalist the basics of journalism?):

Kristoffer,

Nowhere in the “Organizing for America” invitation does it say anything about a “rally”. What it does clearly state: “He’ll be talking to constituents and gathering feedback on the need for reform. Whether you ask a question or show your support with a sign, attending this event is a powerful way to show where you stand and thank those in Congress who are fighting for reform.” Sound like a listening session to me. What’s interesting to me is how you know that it is a rally, and that there will be no question and answer format. I’d also love to have you explain how the Congressman plans to gather feedback when “there will only be speakers.”

And don’t you dare lecture me on journalism and what qualifies as a story. You’re right, emails like this are not a story; they’re nothing more than American Democracy at work. An ex-Republican housewife designing websites out of her home and networking online with potential clients wasn’t a story either, but you used spit and duct tape to patch together one Google search performed by another news crew, one screen shot, a portion of a private conversation between myself and a member of that other news crew, and my response to a question that was never aired, and made it a story anyway.

Now I’m actually handing you proof of a situation where people are being “influenced” to go (you remember that question? After all, you asked me that 6 times), and now all of the sudden you’re telling me it’s not a story.

Stunning. But then, you’re not one to allow the facts to get in the way, are you?

Heather Blish
Just a Mom From Down the Street

I’ll let you know if he responds.

Update: he did, and it’s a hoot! Read the second installment here.

At last! A journalist with integrity who is willing to do a little homework! Amanda Carpenter writes in today’s Washington Times…

“Heather Blish was shocked when big-name television personalities labeled her as a Republican operative after she made an impassioned plea to her congressman to quit letting Washington intervene in the free market during a town-hall meeting.

Mrs. Blish, a graphic designer, quit volunteering for the Republican Party last year because she was so disillusioned with Republican politics.

“The Republican Party wants nothing to do with me any more than I want anything to do with them,” she told The Washington Times.

But that didn’t matter to the local NBC reporter who aired the television piece about Mrs. Blish that was picked up by left-leaning outlets far and wide as evidence of dirty politics. ” Source: Hot Button – Washington Times

Ms. Carpenter goes on to say…

“It all began with a segment by Kristoffer Engebretson, a television reporter for the local NBC affiliate, who covered Democratic Rep. Steve Kagen’s meeting in Kewaunee, Wis. The TV spot was teased by a desk anchor who warned, “There were allegations of opponents being planted in the crowd” at the town hall.

Mrs. Blish was presented as a top example of such nefarious activities. Mr. Engebretson said Mrs. Blish “introduced herself as just a mom from a few blocks away not affiliated with any political party” but that information about her on social networking sites, such as Facebook, “showed something different.”

Mr. Engebretson strongly suggested she wasn’t truthful, citing information he found on LinkedIn.com, a business networking Web site, showing she had worked as vice chairman of her county’s Republican Party and volunteered for a Republican candidate in the past.

“Again, Blish introduced herself as just a mom with no affiliation with any party,” he emphasized again in the report.

“The Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC embraced the story during a show dedicated to exposing Republican operatives’ intent on disrupting town-hall meetings for political effect. “Ta-da! Journalism!” the host declared, smiling broadly, after showing the local news package. “Congratulations to Kristoffer Engebretson of that local station in Green Bay for going the extra step to find out what was behind the incivility in his town rather than just covering it like a ping-pong match.” Read the rest of this entry »

From of all sources, the New York Times…

There was a rare sight along the motorcade route as President Obama arrived here Thursday to talk about health care: a protest.

In what was perhaps a surprising sight for a president accustomed to an enthusiastic embrace wherever he goes, Mr. Obama was greeted by several hundred protesters who, judging by their signs, oppose his economic policies and efforts at overhauling the nation’s health care system. Some of the signs read: “No Health Care,” while others read “No Socialism” and still more declared, “Taxed Enough Yet?”

Mr. Obama is here for a town-hall style meeting, where he will make for revamping the nation’s health care system, his highest domestic priority. Mr. Obama has argued that cutting health care costs is critical to the economic health of the United States. But a key element of his proposal, a call for a government-administered public plan that would compete with private sector insurers, is drawing intense opposition from Republicans. The American Medical Association, the nation’s largest doctors’ group, said Wednesday that it, too, opposes a public plan. Mr. Obama will travel to Chicago on Monday to speak to the A.M.A. Source: Protesters Greet Obama in Green Bay – The Caucus Blog – NYTimes.com

Maybe ramming socialized medicine down our throats may not be as easy as you thought, Mr. President…

From their website…

“”The current healthcare system is broken and you’re in denial if you would disagree with that position,” said conservative talk show host Jerry Bader, who acknowledges the current health care system isn’t working. But on his WTAQ show he criticizes the Obama plan to add government-run health care into the mix. And he’s organizing a demonstration during the president’s visit.

“Letting the government run it is not the answer,” said Bader.

Bader has had more than 4,000 hits on his Web site set up just this week in advance of the President’s visit. He hopes his group’s presence outside Southwest High School with signs will send its own message and weigh in on the health care debate.” Source: President Obama support and protest

As of this posting, the site has served 5,488 pagviews since Monday morning at 10 — so much traffic it brought down the server early today after a mass mailing done by Americans for Prosperity…