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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