The Media and Soares

A few days ago we promised a look at how the media relates to DA Soares. We’re looking at two media outlets, WTEN, the ABC television outlet, and WAMC, the regional public radio station. We are regular listeners and supporters of WAMC.

WTEN reporter John McLaughlin had a very important news story a few months ago. It addressed the consequences of an earlier case handled by DA Soares, when a person charged with more than 20 misdemeanors for reckless driving was out in the community soon after. This time the defendant’s reckless driving killed an innocent 18 year old man, a bystander. If you caught that story, you also saw the reporter’s appreciation for the real lives we live in this community. It could have been any of us. How does this happen when they already knew it would?

Also a few months ago, WTEN and other news stations had stories on the raids on area drinking establishments to catch underage drinkers. These raids were done by the DA’s office and state agencies, without any involvement or KNOWLEDGE of the Albany Police Department. All the intricacies and details of these circumstances are handled best by retired newsman Ed Dague on the blog he writes for the Times Union. This is the web address: http://blogs.timesunion.com/eddague/index.php?paged=2 . Among several other issues, Dague points out News 10 reporter Latricia Thomas was alone in having grasped the real issue: Was public safety put at risk by the failure of good working relationships between the DA and the APD?

WAMC, the local public radio station, is shamelessly biased as a supporter of DA Soares, whatever. The station runs free ads by DA Soares explaining why he values public radio, providing him regular lovely opportunities to be heard and accepted by area listeners, completely separate from his work in the community but highlighting his position as DA. No accountability, no questions.

WAMC president Alan Chartock, head of the news station, has described DA Soares as a man of “impeccable integrity”. In a recent issue of the Legislative Gazette, Chartock declares “David Soares…has more integrity in his pinky than most in his position have in their entire bodies.” To go further, if you find this quote at the Legislative Gazette, http://www.legislativegazette.com/publishers_corner.php, and click on the author’s name, it will take you to a page at WAMC. A question: Have you ever heard the president of News 10 judging the character of any area politician on the airwaves?

Touching briefly on two other media outlets, we’ve noticed the diversity at the Times Union newspaper — many reporters providing an assortment of perspectives and stories. We’ve also found that the North Country Gazette, a paper most would consider conservative, covers issues related to the DA that other stations miss.