Why Is A Fargo Forum Reporter Working On Behalf Of A Soros-Funded Liberal Group?
The big news earlier today was a report claiming that North Dakota deserves an “F” grade on the issue of government accountability. What was odd, though, is that unlike other reports like this issued by the various think tanks and policy organizations was that this report wasn’t just covered by Forum Communications reporter Teri Finneman, she actually wrote the report for the organization.
The report, called the State Integrity Investigation, was sponsored by Center for Public Integrity, a group that has taken $1.2 million from George Soros in the past and has been described in the LA Times and the New York Times as a “liberal group.”
So why is an “objective” newspaper reporter generating content for a left-of-center group? Then reporting on said content? All contemporaneous to the launch of the Democrats’ 2012 campaigns this weekend where they (particularly gubernatorial candidate Ryan Taylor) made this very issue a central plank of their campaigns?
It all seems very…cozy. But even if there’s no collusion going on here, there is definitely an appearance of impropriety.
I have my criticisms of North Dakota’s government, but I don’t think the report Finneman wrote was fair. In fact, I think it will set back the cause of government accountability in the state by quite a bit simply because it criticizes the state for things (such as legislative accountability) the state does quite well while ignoring real problems.
And we need to ask some very pointed questions about the apparent collusion between Forum Communications and this group.
Tags: center for public integrity, george soros, North Dakota News, ryan taylor, teri finneman
