Yet Another Incompetent Right-Wing Media Pundit/Boob

It's really simple, Phil... (0.00 / 0)

Paul Keep flushed it, and Cindy Fairfield's just standing around watching it finish swirling down the drain. This is the paper that added the racist and homophobic Mallard Fillmore to the comics page to "balance out" Doonesbury.

WARNING: CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENTS AHEAD.

In addition to adding Steve Gunn, the Chronicle resurrected the bridge column after an outcry whimper from a certain demographic and recently made their font size bigger so that same demographic could continue to read the Chronicle. Meanwhile their online offerings are tragically bad and they have no local news to speak of. The Chronicle is chasing a demographic that is quickly dying out (the over-70 set), and they seem blissfully unaware that they're not long for this world.

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by: PerfectStormer @ Mon Nov 23, 2009 at 14:25:48 PM CST

Friends in Muskegon Feel the Same Way (0.00 / 0)

Found this on the Muskegon County Democratic Party's website.

CHRONICLE BIAS: THE CASE OF STEVE GUNN - by Chris Kilgroe

11/20/2009 Steve Gunn, a former Chronicle reporter, was recently given a weekly commentary column at the Chronicle. He uses the column exclusively to advocate against local Democratic office holders and candidates, the Michigan Democratic Party and particularly against the MEA and the SEIU as bargaining representatives of school system employees.

Now that could be a legitimate advocacy position, except that Gunn is not an issues advocate. He is a political staffer of a Grand Rapids anti-union, anti-Democrat PAC. He also aspires to paid work on the political campaigns of conservative Republican candidates.

Currently Gunn's other job is Communications Director of a Grand Rapids political action group called the Education Action Group. The group collects political donations and spends the money on election campaigns attempting to defeat candidates who are Democrats or supporters of the MEA or the SEIU.

Cindy Fairfield, the Chronicle's editor, has attempted to defend Gunn's hiring as attempting to provide balance to the Chronicle's editorial viewpoint balancing the columns written by Dave Kolb.

There's a big difference: Steve Gunn is not an issues advocate like Kolb was as Editorial Page Editor and remains as a columnist. Kolb argues for issues on the national level and attacks Democrats as well as Republicans. Gunn only wants to make unsubstantiated charges and persuade voters to vote against Democrats or supporters of organized labor in Michigan. His articles often state positions but he doesn't justify or prove them. It should be labeled "paid advertising".

Case in point: Gunn's most recent full-blown campaign advertisement for Pete Hoekstra's gubernatorial bid. Gunn trashes the other GOP candidates and pompously dismisses our current Lieutenant Governor -- "poor old John Cherry" -- as a joke. Never a mention of Pete's security breaches as House Intelligence Committee Chair. See Rachel Maddow link, above ( -- Ed.)

How is that Chronicle employees may not have bumper stickers or give to political campaigns - but can work for Republicans and a Republican special interest group?

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by: philgoblue @ Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 06:33:35 AM CST

We in Muskegon have known Steve for years (0.00 / 0)

as a biased political "reporter" -- giving much ink to local Republicans and conservative issues, and misquoting and short-shrifting the Dems.  All with a "who, me?" smile.

After the purge at the Chronicle, Steve was hired back and promoted to a position where he can freely vent his bile against the Democrats in the name of "balanced opinion".  

He reports, we deride.

But, rather than calling for his termination, which has fallen on deaf ears, I believe the better route is to nail him with the facts each and every time he speaks.  Send off that email immediately after each and every column.

To discredit him seems much more effective than to silence him.

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by: gauchiste @ Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 08:11:05 AM CST

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