And, this surprising observation from Michelle Malkin:

[AnnInLa]

I know I shouldn't be visiting over there, but was just peeking...honest! The rest of this post is from her site:


ANOTHER CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST PAY-OFF
By Michelle Malkin · April 08, 2005 03:00 PM

If you've actually read my work, unlike, say, the entire Left side of the blogosphere, you know how hard I came down on the Armstrong Williams/Maggie Gallagher controversies. Government subsidies for conservative columnists are as odious as government subsidies for crucifix-defiling "artists."

Now, comes word of yet another right-leaning columnist getting paid to flack for a Republican administration's policies:

BOSTON (AP) - A columnist for the Boston Herald has been awarded a contract worth up to $10,000 from the administration of Gov. Mitt Romney to promote the governor's environmental policies.

Charles D. Chieppo began working with the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs on Thursday. The contract calls for him to assist agency officials in writing op-ed pieces and internal documents.

Chieppo writes a general weekly column for the Herald, where he is paid per article. He told The Associated Press on Friday that his request to perform the outside work was fully vetted by the state ethics commission and the Herald.

"The issue, as I understand it, is disclosure," he said. "I have fully disclosed everything to everyone involved."


Disclosure is not the only issue. Perception matters, too. Do we really need another paid partisan hack to confirm what the liberal MSM already unfairly assumes of all conservatives in the media--that we're all on the payroll of the Republican Party and incapable of independent journalism?

Take off the Bad Idea Jeans and show better judgement, people. Crikey.

[Kerrytravelers]

1. Wonder what reich-winger paid Malkin to "leak" this info before the

MSM attacked the poor rethuglians.

[candy]

7. It was in The Boston Globe today!

[leveymg]

2. A $10,000 Gov't contract? He must really be a Chieppo.

Oh, that's right. The job isn't in Iraq.

[MichiganVote]

3. I think this woman is incapable of much more than indep. jounalism

The ability to produce 'journalism' at all is what comes to mind.

[pretzel4gore]

4. Crikey! That's cursing!

the bitch curses like a sailor! It's enough to redden the face of a stevedore! Hardened prison rapists would BLANCH hearing talk like that! Even a demon in hell wouldn't use a word like 'cr***Y!
sheese!
"Cursing is a feeble mind expressing itself forcefully" (sign seen in high school)

[gollygee]

5. Why would she consider this an unfair assumption?

"Do we really need another paid partisan hack to confirm what the liberal MSM already unfairly assumes of all conservatives in the media--that we're all on the payroll of the Republican Party and incapable of independent journalism?"

If Kerry were President and we heard about liberal pundits one after another being on his payroll, she would be #1 on the list assuming they all were. Why wouldn't we assume all conservative pundits are on the GOP payroll? It's not like the ones who have been caught were worth that much money - it's not like they would have been specially targetted. The only reason they would have been offered money is if all or most conservative pundits have been offered money. I don't think anyone said, "Ok folks, let's choose three people to distribute our talking points for a fee. I know! Let's go with Armstrong Williams, Maggie Gallagher, and Charles Chieppo. That'll do it!" They would have contacted hundreds of people. Those three have just been the only ones caught so far.

[neuvocat]

6. And she makes extremely broad overgeneralizations.

Apparently that is the mark of a very honest and intelligent woman.

/sarcasm off

[bloom]

9. Seems to be what conservative pundits like to do

regardless of gender.

I.E. "Horowitz now says leftists are dangerous and “filled with hate” because they believe they can create a perfect world."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3450327&mesg_id=3450327

[tanyev]

8. Bad Idea Jeans?

:wtf:

The potential for tasteless jokes is mind-boggling.

[Hardrada]

10. HEY, MICHELLE MALKIN!

Insert obscene German phrase here.