Kelly McBride (NPR Public Editor)
RE: Something I heard or read — Ask the Public Editor about ethics
National Public Radio reported with energy on the left-wing effort to remove Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s name from the Georgia ballot. The judge who permitted their campaign to go forward was also mentioned. However, there was an ethical problem. The judge who allowed the crusade to continue was Amy Totenberg. Amy Totenberg is the sister of Nina Totenberg. On Friday morning, reports completely avoided this name. I recorded the Friday morning newscast at 9 a.m. (Eastern).
CORVA COLEMAN: A judge in Georgia will question Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene about her involvement in the rally held before the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol last year.
An association of voters Greene is accused of helping to incite the uprising and she cannot run for office because of this. Greene, who has been cleared of all charges, denounced violence at Capitol but was criticized for her incendiary, often false, rhetoric towards opponents. Still, Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Stephen Fowler reports it is unlikely the voters’ complaint will force Greene out of the campaign.
FOWLER: A federal judge did rule that this complaint process could continue, but it’ll be a high bar to meet to remove Greene. Remember that the final decision is up to the Secretary of States. That’s Brad Raffensberger, who’s facing a Trump-backed primary challenge next month, too.
Totenberg was Totenberg, the “federal Judge” but not the first. The same thing happened Friday morning on Morning Edition. NPR ran a soundbite of Greene complaining I can’t believe This judgeThis case has been reopened and viewed as a fraud by the Democrats to try to win our elections. This exchange followed:
A MARTINEZ It is possible that Greene will be removed from the electoral roll.
FOWLER : Short answer, yes. Greene, who claimed that it violated her right to sue in federal court, sued for blocking this administrative law procedure. A judgeThe court ruled in favor of the continuation of administrative law. However, it will still be difficult to bring this unusual judgment Greene to the ballot. Madison Cawthorn from North Carolina was one of the other attempts to discredit Republican Congressmen. B Trump-appointed JudgeIt was stated that the 14th Amendment’s section is too narrowly written to prohibit former Confederates holding office, and therefore isn’t applicable in today’s context.
Not only did Fowler fail to disclose Judge Totenberg’s name, he didn’t even identify her as an “Obama-appointed judge,” but he then cited a “Trump-appointed judge.”
PS. You made vague reference to “a number of voters” who were mobilizing against Greene, which Fowler identified later as “a bunch of voters”. nonpartisan groupFree Speech for People — which is also known as “Free Speech for People”, does not endorse any political party. Its founder John Bonifaz ran for state office in Massachusetts as a Democrat, and his opponent attacked him as a Green Party supporter. Bonifaz authored books entitled “Warriorking: The Case of Impeaching George W. Bush”, and “The Constitution demands It: The Case in Support of the Impeachment Donald Trump.”
Fowler mentioned efforts to remove Rep. Madison Cawthorn from office, but omit this boast from the group’s website: “Free Speech For People also serves as co-lead counsel in the challenge to Rep. Cawthorn’s eligibility to appear on the 2022 ballot, and in similar challenges filed last week in Arizona against Rep. Andy Biggs, Rep. Paul Gosar, and State Rep. Mark Finchem, who is running for Secretary of State.”
This group, which is left-leaning and partisan …., is very similar to NPR.
Sincerely,
Tim Graham
Executive Editor, NewsBusters
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