Taking the low road

 

Both the Fish-wrapper and Seeing Red AZ

We have made it a point to refer to the Arizona Republic either by its given name or using the innocuous “the daily” or simply “the paper.”  Ridiculing it with pejorative nicknames, based on philosophical disagreements, has not been our style. Today, we veer from that established policy, because we have no choice.

The Fish-wrapper seems a fitting moniker.

We’ve read the myriad articles, and wonder what the editors did with the ear-funnels they used to ensure all staffers were on the same page.

Sunday brought us these headliners:

Crime and immigration: Mesa Police Chief George Gascón assures us that illegals are not overly involved in violent crimes. His double-page column is retitled Rethink immigration hysteria on page two.

Police chiefs united in voice of reason: Reporter Joe Garcia informs readers that “These law enforcement leaders simply want to do their job, and that is–I’ll say it again–to catch crooks, not cooks.” He is referring to the chiefs who are at odds with the rank-and-file officers who want greater discretion in apprehension of illegals.

Cop: “We’re basically policing Mexico” by columnist E.J. Montini. Same porridge, reheated.

New Petition will join hiring-sanctions fray:  Governor’s Office Reporter Matthew Benson enthuses over Pacheco’s attempt to jam up the employer sanctions verification process with half truths and nearly concealed unsavory alliances buried at the end of the article.

The Plugged-In bleaters: Not only inundate, but hammer readers with left-leaning views.

Joe Arpaio has become a ditto-head for Thomas:  (That’s Andrew Thomas, the elected Maricopa County Attorney and the elected County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio) by editorial writer Linda Valdez She complains that the sheriff and county attorney are working amicably with one another doing the jobs the people elected them to do. She ends her article by saying,” there is nothing more indicative of the perverse nature of today’s immigration debate than the image of our tough-guy sheriff turning himself into a ditto-head for Thomas.”

After treating readers to a boatload of this tripe in one single issue, they actually have the nerve to editorialize on behalf of the Free Flow of Information Act, under the headline The Issue: A Free press - Keep government accountable’

The Sunday October 14, 2007 publication, as none before it, has earned the Arizona Republic a new name: The Fish-wrapper.