You know, it's fascinating. I've been doing RaisingKaine for just about three months now, and I've already gotten more "tips" and other information about the Kilgore family's Scott County "Boss Hog" machine than I've seen in all the newspapers of Virginia combined. I've asked around, but I've never gotten a satisfactory answer to the question: WHY wouldn't the Virginia media be interested in the Kilgore family's shenanigans in Scott County? I wonder: are there no in Virginia political correspondents who aspire to be mini Woodwards and Bernsteins anymore? None with any curiosity, initiative, or chutzpah left? Nobody who works for a newspaper that supports serious investigative journalism? Does it require a wee wittle blogger like me to do the digging on this story?
OK, fine, I'll dig. But first, I want to understand what the hell is going on with the Virginia media and its complete neglect of Jerry, Terry, Willie Mae, John Jr., John Sr., Betty Pendleton, and the whole bunch of corrupt Kilgore cronies in Scott County.
Well, guess what? Turns out that one of the largest circulation newspapers in the state of Virginia (the Richmond Times-Dispatch), and several smaller ones (the Charlottesville Daily Progress, Manassas Journal Messenger, Bristol Herald Courier, etc.), are all owned by one big corporation: Media General. So what's the problem? Boy, am I glad you asked!
Turns out that in 2004, NONE of Media General's 27 daily newspapers endorsed John Kerry for President; they all either endorsed George W. Bush or, in a couple of cases (i.e., the Tampa Tribune), made no endorsement at all. Sounds like a pattern here? Yeah, doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure THAT one out. Can we say "right wing media bias?"
But it gets worse. In late March 2005, Diana F. Cantor was nominated to the board of directors of Media General. Who?s Diana F. Cantor, you ask? Well, for starters, she?s the wife of U.S. Representative Eric I. Cantor (R-7th district). Cantor, who's been in Congress since 2000, is already the No. 4 Republican in the House of Representatives. He's chief deputy whip, responsible for maintaining party discipline and raising money. He's also on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which writes tax law among other things. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, "that's an important assignment -- one that gives Cantor a leg up in soliciting contributions from big business..."
Interestingly, Media General is also "working very, very hard to get federal antitrust regulations overturned." You think having friends in high places like Eric Cantor and Jerry Kilgore might help Media General achieve this goal?
And just to add a little more juice to this story, Eric Cantor is a close ally of Jerry Kilgore -- both in pushing right wing policies and also in helping Kilgore get elected governor. Interestingly, Cantor and Kilgore even receive campaign contributions from some of the same big companies -- Altria Group (tobacco products, etc., McGuire Woods (law firm), Dominion Resources (power company) and Wachovia (banking, financial services).
What does this all mean? First and foremost, that much of Virginia's print media is controlled by one Republican leaning media conglomerate -- Media General. Second, that the wife of a close Kilgore political ally - Congressman Eric Cantor - has been nominated to the Media General board of directors. Third, that all this makes the lack of Scott County Kilgore corruption coverage by Media General newspapers just a tiny bit suspicious. And fourth, that this whole situation demonstrates EXACTLY why we need a free media in this country -- as a "check and balance" on the power of government and big business.
Unfortunately, with only one or two exceptions (e.g., Laurence Hammack's excellent piece in the February 20 Roanoke Times, "Small-town election, big-time trouble"), we don't have such a media in Virginia. Instead, Virginia's newspapers been failing miserably in its most fundamental job with regard to the current governor's race. Specifically, they have NOT been covering the Gate City mayoral election vote-rigging scandal, and they have NOT been covering the Kilgore's shenanigans in Scott County. Does the fact that the Virginia media is largely controlled by one right-wing media conglomerate have anything to do with this?
Things that make you go, "hmmmmmm..."