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Opinion: Disappointed in North County This Week for political ad on front page

Posted 11/6/18

I have to say that my wife and I were disappointed to see the big ad on the Oct. 31 – Nov. 6 issue of North Country This Week (let’s not pretend that this was just an honest service announcement) …

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Opinion: Disappointed in North County This Week for political ad on front page

Posted

I have to say that my wife and I were disappointed to see the big ad on the Oct. 31 – Nov. 6 issue of North Country This Week (let’s not pretend that this was just an honest service announcement) paid for by a politician currently running for re-election covering the North Country This Week logo.

In this day and age when the lines between journalism and paid political advertising (propaganda) are continually growing thinner we need to be making a strong effort to show restraint in front of big money intended to manipulate voters. I think we all secretly think we are more or less unaffected by advertising.

But this isn’t what the numbers say. Corporations and politicians wouldn’t be spending the vast sums of money on it if they only thought advertising was effective. The way this ad looks makes me suspect that NCTW is making an endorsement without just coming out and saying it.

Up until seeing this we have been enjoying the good coverage of the local races This Week has provided. What gives? Is North Country This Week sneaking in an endorsement? What if Clinton or Trump paid to have their name scrawled over the masthead of the Wallstreet Journal or the New York Times? Would we not consider that a manipulation? I’m not even a Democrat and seeing this kind of bias (and, don’t kid yourself, that’s what it is) gives me a nauseated sensation.

We all need to remain vigilant in our quest to keep money from obscuring truth. How many This Week readers will now be questioning the objectivity of anything they have read there? How many of those will begin dismissing future publications as not worth the time?

We don’t want to see bias in journalism whether or not it is in favor of the candidates we like. We like and need this paper, but only as long as we can have faith in it’s integrity.

Let’s keep something clean and good and real. We need to do better.

Cory Vineyard

Potsdam