Fox32 Chicago reporter attacks Breitbart.com over Paul McKinley
Chicago media hasn’t adequately gone after Robin Kelly’s alleged ethics violations, so don’t attack the messenger of that reality
Jeremy Segal of Breitbart.com did a post on February 28, which we linked to, about skewed reporting from local media in Chicago about Paul McKinley, Chicago Media in Panic Mode Over McKinley IL-02 Primary Win:
It’s no secret that the Chicago media is no friend to conservatives, but a recent report from Fox Chicago’s Mike Flannery, where he compares GOP primary winner Paul McKinley to “Spanky the Clown” borders on unhinged animosity.
Flannery filed a video report recycling the news that new media outlets have reported for the last month (the candidate placed it at the center of his campaign) that Paul McKinley, GOP nominee for the Illinois Second District congressional seat, is an ex-offender. McKinley, who spent time in prison for armed robbery in the 1970s, has paid his time, speaks openly about the program “Street Repentance,” and is seeking to repay his debt to society through his activism.
Flannery is hitting back, devoting an entire segment on his Sunday show this morning to attacking Segal and Breitbart.com:
Chicago News and Weather | FOX 32 News
Looks like Breitbart.com has hit a nerve, and with good reason.
Flannery’s reporting on Kelly’s alleged ethics violations has not been anywhere near as robust as his reporting on McKinley’s record. There were a few questions to her about the possible ethics violations in a February 22 report focused on her refusal to engage in more debates, but the freestanding Flannery report with a headline about Kelly’s problems was posted on March 1, the day after the Breitbart.com post complaining about the lack of coverage.
Moreover, the few seconds in the video report about McKinley denying his criminal record are misleading. The entire segment indicates McKinley was objecting to Flannery trying to “label” him based on his record (McKinley says that’s “your mind”). In the original full interview, just after the few sentences included by Flannery, McKinley goes on to discuss his campaign theme of being an “ex offender trying to prevent the next offender” and how he is best suited to address those issues.
(Added, here’s a more complete excerpt)
Moreover, McKinley has been upfront about his record — so Flannery appears to have attempted to portray McKinley’s denial in a way which was not fair.
It’s getting hot in the 2nd Congressional District. Hopefully the local media will turn up the heat on Kelly over her alleged ethics violations.
UPDATE: Via Anne, McKinley denies being invited on Flannery’s show.
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Comments
“Hopefully the local media will turn up the heat on Kelly over her alleged ethics violations. ”
Right. Not if they want to keep their jobs in that town.
“A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that –
We’d put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat.”
These are lines from Ernest Thayer’s “Casey At the Bat”. We have same chances of Casey hitting a home run, or the Cubs winning the Series, as we do of the local media doing their job. Slim and none, and Slim left town ages ago. So with two on, two out and down by two in the bottom of the Ninth, Casey strikes out on three pitches. Predictable.
Today’s Bonus! Who is President 0bama’s favorite White Sox player?
What kind of person would denigrate Paul McKinley and for the sake of politics?
He used his “response” to hate on Breitbart and McKinley more. . .
It’s funny. Prof I bet you get better ratings here on LI than that guy does on TV. I bet that hurts.
One might even consider this type of reporting racist (It’s not Saturday, is it?), except that it’s leveled against a Republican, and therefore ok.
Media, thy name is hypocrisy!
Ha ha Flannery! How’s it feel to work for FOX NEWS!? Couldn’t get in a LEGITIMATE channel?
What a novel concept for Chicago. Run reformed criminals instead of politicians who are criminals.
If a man cannot find redemption for his past from the people of Chicago, then it won’t be found anywhere. I imagine that the Machine is scared of him because he connects with a lot of people who live lives looking for redemption.
As I’ve stated before, the Machine Media’s only interest in Mr. McKinley is too destroy him by repeating the felon line over and over. It’s likely that in the eyes of many in that district, the story or redemption would hit close to home and he would be seen as a street thug done good. The only issue is that there’s a R next to his name. If it was a D, he’d be shoe-in for whatever office he was running for.
As for the Spanky the Clown comment, Flannery should realize that every damn politician in this town is a Spanky the Clown, including Tiny Dancer and our clownish “shoot out the street lights” Police Supt, McCarthy.
Illustrating Chicagoland Idiocy, Mayhem and Stupidity at heyjackass.com.