Powerline has a perfect example of why so many people are distrustful of the media.
We wrote here about a story in the Chicago Sun-Times by columnist Jennifer Hunter, reporting on a plaintiffs’ lawyers convention in Chicago. The five principal Democratic presidential candidates addressed the convention, and Hunter’s story was on the lawyers’ reaction. Her article was headlined “GOP Lawyer Sold on Dems;” it featured Jim Ronca, a well-known plaintiffs’ lawyer from Pennsylvania, who told Hunter that he was a Republican. Hunter breathlessly reported that this “staunch Republican” was so impressed by the Democratic candidates that this year, he would not only vote for a Democrat, but would actually contribute to the Democrat’s campaign.
Trouble was, it turned out that Ronca is in fact a long-time Democrat who has contributed mostly, although not quite exclusively, to Democratic candidates for a long time.
So Ronca, a smart lawyer, made a fool of Hunter, a not-so-smart reporter. One might think that this would be grounds for a correction; but not, apparently, at the Sun-Times. Instead, Jennifer Hunter wrote a defiant follow-up column attacking Republicans. No, not Ronca, the fake Republican who lied to her; real Republicans.Read the entire post to get the reporter’s full reaction. Instead of admitting she was lied to and correcting the record, she got indignant and attacked those requesting a retraction.
