I'm taking some hits locally because of my coverage of the Pennsylvania primary race on my principal blog The Pennsylvania Progressive. I traveled this week to cover Hillary Clinton's first two events and I'm being accused in some comments and emails of tilting my coverage for Hillary. This is because Rep. Tom Caltagirone, the Berks County Chair for Hillary hired me to do some consulting for the local contest. I disclosed this relationship on my blog in two places, the bio of me in the "About" section and in a front page article.
In spite of this I was accused by a local Obama supporter of failing to disclose. That is a bald faced lie. Ethics require me to disclose any financial relationship with someone I am covering. I did so. I emailed this person after she posted the comment and corrected the record then I posted this article on TPP:
I'm receiving some emails, comments and phone calls about the lack of balance of coverage on the presidential race. Readers are asking why it's all Hillary. Here's why: the Obama campaign isn't contacting me or many other bloggers. I can only give you the information about events that's available to me. I'm running around eastern PA covering events and I have no time to go dig up the info. The Obama people have yet to contact me in any way, shape or form. I'd love to tell you where and when their events are, my site traffic says you want this information. I simply don't have it.
I'd love to cover their events too but that takes press credentials. I'd love to be on their media conference calls too but I'm neither invited nor informed. I can only do what they allow me to do and they don't seem to be aware there are blogs in Pennsylvania. This, in spite of the fact I went to Philadelphia on March 1st, to Obama HQ and introduced myself to the staff. I also signed up at the press section of their website a couple months ago when it became apparent we might be a factor in this contest.
I'm not sure what more I can do. I can live blog their events, and I'd love to, the bottom line is I cannot. If you'd like me to contact them and request they contact me.
The facts are this:
I have informally given advice to the local Obama group, for free because I have close friends there who came to me for advice. There was no formal relationship and no consulting involved, just a request from a friend to a friend. The Obama campaign had the identical opportunity to engage my consulting services as any other. Rep. Caltagirone reached out to me, something, considering our recent conflicts, which will shock some. We both are strong believers that you work together where you have common interests. In this case I want to see a Democrat elected president. I like both Clinton and Obama and feel either would make a great leader. The bottom line is this: one hired me and one didn't.
Many bloggers are also consultants. As long as we disclose this relationship it is alright. I have done that.
The Obama campaign ha snot contacted me in any form to cover their campaign. I registered with the press section of their website some time ago and even went to Philadelphia and visited their headquarters and introduced myself to their staff. I'm not sure what more I could have done to establish a relationship for covering their campaign. I know of no other Pennsylvania blogger who has been contacted by the Obama people.
Here's the bottom line: the Obama staffers are ignoring the blogs. They have made NO effort in outreach and made NO attempt to allow us to cover their candidate. Without information and access I and other bloggers can do little for them. That is their choice, not ours.
Now there is an email going around accusing me of intentionally slanting my coverage for Hillary because I'm being paid to do so. That is false. This email was sent after I corrected the record with the author of the email. She lied and she knew she was lying. If you look at my coverage of the two events it is quite straightforward.
I have written quite extensively on the presidential race and wrote good things and bad things about both candidates. If you review my coverage thus far I've been harsher on Hillary than Obama, if you check the facts. Either campaign can purchase advertising on my blogs if the think that can sway me, I assure you the amounts involved aren't nearly enough to tilt my coverage due to dollars.
Being paid some consulting fees actually enables me to cover BOTH campaigns, if the Obama people desire such coverage. I called Cynthia Baughman, one of the local Obama volunteer Co-Chairs, for information about local Obama events so I could give them some coverage. When I went to LA Fitness where they planned doing voter registration the company said they weren't allowed to have the group there. I have tried covering some Obama events and did so. I wrote two articles about their Philadelphia leadership training, both very positive.
It costs me money to travel around Pennsylvania and cover these events. My small consulting job is paying those bills. Here's the worst part of this false email: if I do cover an Obama event and post video clips of Barack exciting crowds, it's funded by the local Clinton job. This will actually help their candidate if they ever invite me. The danger of sending these lies is that this action could wind up being very counterproductive for the Obama campaign.
The downside of my schedule is that covering this national race provides no or little time for local government coverage and writing on this blog. Please bear with me, I can only do so much. I can't be everywhere and cover everything. Please visit The Pennsylvania Progressive for coverage of the primary, I am trying to do the best I can to cover both campaigns.
