Astroturf

Local media thinks you'll fall for it again

It really is tiresome. Every few months, local media airs a puff piece about a new “grassroots” organization committed to fighting “extremism” in Idaho politics. Supposed journalists, who see it as their solemn duty to criticize true conservatives, simply take the claims of these groups at face value, serving more as stenographers than reporters.

Take Back Idaho. The Idaho 97%. Defend and Protect Idaho. Now, Idaho Leaders United. They’re the same people over and over, yet media acts as if they are simply regular citizens suddenly concerned about the rise of so-called extremism.

They claim to be Republican, but they only ever attack people to their right. Folks like Tommy Ahlquist and Gary Raney have little bad to say about the far left progressives in this state, but they have plenty to criticize about conservative Republicans. They would have you believe that porn in libraries and transgender surgeries for minors are just normal common sense ideas, and anyone who fights back is a radical extremist.

I’ve written a lot about this already, so I don’t need to repeat myself. Click the two links above to refresh your memory. Then read what I wrote for Idaho Freedom Foundation this week:

Corporate media has generated numerous news stories over the past few weeks about a purported new group aiming to combat "extremism" in Idaho. “Idaho Leaders United looks to root out extremism,” wrote Teddy Feinberg at the Idaho Press. However, these stories presented the group's statements at face value, neglecting the contextual analysis they would typically provide if the organization were conservative.

In the absence of responsible journalism from the corporate media, it is up to us to delve deeper into the story.

The individuals showcased in the group's promotional video are portrayed as ordinary Idahoans weary of political extremism. However, a cursory examination reveals that they are the same political actors who have long been striving to shift Idaho's political landscape to the left.

Click here to read the whole thing.