In Case You Didn't Know ...

there was an important event in Burlington yesterday.

And, you would not know it if you depended on the Burlington Free Press for all your news about what is happening in ... well, Burlington.

This event was an all-day forum on the future of health care in this state.  A topic of some small interest, one would think, to those people who still buy and read newspapers in Burlington.   Everyone in Vermont knows – or should know – that Montpelier has launched a very bold initiative to reform the way health care is delivered and paid for in this state.  It is a big story, with national implications.  Backers of the initiative promise great benefits; opponents warn of catastrophic consequences.  Many people are confused, uncertain, or consider themselves insufficiently informed on the matter.

Yesterday's event featured  a talk by Sally Pipes who has written three best-selling books on health care as well as numerous essays for publications like the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, & Forbes magazine.  In her talk, Ms. Pipes warned of the consequences should Vermont move to a single-payer health care system like the one in Canada.  This seems especially pertinent since Ms. Pipes' first book was a critique of the Canadian system.  Ms. Pipes proposed a number of alternative policies which, she argued, would produce better outcomes for Vermont.

Another of the speakers at the event was Mr. Joel Allumbaugh of Maine.  Mr. Allumbaugh is one of the architects of a health care reform effort in that state.  As he pointed out, Maine has traveled the same road Vermont took on health care – guaranteed issue, community rating, etc. etc. – and found itself spending more and more money, even as fewer people were insured.  His policy proposals included increased transparency and patient empowerment and the early results in Maine look promising.

There were two panel discussions at the event and among the panelists was Darren Allen, communication director of the Vermont chapter of the National Education Association.  It will no doubt come as news to the editors of the Burlington Free Press that the Vermont-NEA is one of the wild cards in the debate over reforming health care in Vermont and that what Mr. Allen had to say might have been of interest to their readers. 

Other panelists included three Vermont physicians – including the head of cardiology at Fletcher Allen, a hospital located in, of all places, Burlington Vermont.  These physicians were asked if Vermont's health care reform effort might be influencing some doctors to leave the state and discouraging others from moving in.  What they had to say was troubling.  But people who buy and read papers don't care about that stuff. 

One panelist, Wendy Wilton, is the town treasurer of Rutland, the second largest city in Vermont ... but who cares.  Another, Cynthia Browning, is a member of the Vermont House of Representatives.  A Democrat, from Arlington, Ms. Browning is a skeptic when it comes to single payer, largely because she doesn't think its advocates have thought through the question of how to pay for it.  Ms. Wilton shares that skepticism.  But never mind.

Perhaps the decision of the editors of the Free Press  not to send a reporter down to the Hilton Hotel was a simple news judgement. Best selling author ... most high profile political issue facing the state ... prominent doctors warning of possible physician exodus ... elected officials concerned about dire economic consequences of major policy shift.

Nah, no news there.

On the other hand, it seems more likely that the Freeps decided to ignore this event out of ideological bias and arrogance.  It was after all, sponsored by four organizations (including Vermont Tiger) that are (take your pick): "right wing," "conservative," "extreme", etc. etc.  The Freeps doesn't have any truck with people like that and doesn't think its readers should be exposed to the sort of thinking that comes from that side of the political divide. 

One front-page story in today's Free Press is a report from the camp of the Occupy Burlington forces.  The burning question, examined at great length in the article is: Will the protesters pack up their tents and leave because winter is coming?  One reads, breathless, to learn the answer and as a professional courtesy, we won't give it away here.

Thatcher Moats of the Rutland Herald did attend the forum and his story appeared on the front page of that paper.  Moats focused his reporting on Darren Allen and what he had to say about the Vermont NEA's position on health care reform.  The report is behind the paper's pay wall, so we cannot link to it.  But it is a solid, fair, professional piece of work.  It could be argued that Moats might have written more about some of the other participants and what they had to say, but that is truly a matter of news judgement.

But there was a tendentious mention of our sponsorship of the event in Moats' piece. We were identified as a "right-leaning media outlet." 

Maybe we are.  People have called us worse.  But would the Herald ever describe itself as "a left-leaning daily newspaper."  After all, a lot of people think it is.

And as long as we are doing this kind of labeling, what would you call the Burlington Free Press?  After, that is, you have called it "an unserious daily."

Or worse.

Comments

[Jeffery Wellington]

You nailed it!

[D Hawley]

The article gives far too much attention to the BFP. Who reads that thing anyway?

[Ayne Rand]

Bravo

[Pro Growth]

The Tiger needs to post a detailed report of the proceedings at the health care forum. The Tiger must fill the information gap left by the VT Media, left leaning MSM all. How else are we to be well informed if not for VT Tiger?

[mike spillane]

ok-YOU made your point on the free press,but you should have made the point about the forum-that's the story.make no mistake on this key point-providers will leave vermont and that will cause a increase in costs for us all.

[William Boardman]

Sure it should have been covered, that's pretty much a no-brainer.

On the other hand, your description of the participants suggests their opinions ran the gamut from A to B.

How much notice did media have before the event?
And what news hook was offered?
What made this event "news" rather than something more like a teach-in?

[trice]

Teach-in? Mr. Boardman seems to be saying that he and the BFP, its readers, our representatives, and untold numbers of citizens and voters have nothing more to learn about this issue and it's ramifications on our lives in healthcare service and costs; that there aren't already countless examples of how government controlled healthcare destroys the industry and the economies around the country and globe.
Shut-up he argued.

[Bill]

Thanks for covering this important forum.

I get your point , Bill, but since when does the BFP cover any "news?"

The Freeps loves the governor and the governor probably advised no coverage of the forum. Shummy and the Freeps have been trading chits back and forth for some time.

Not only did I cancel my subscription, I stay away from their website.

[Peccable]

Mr. Boardman, as you say,"On the other hand, your description of the participants suggests their opinions ran the gamut from A to B."

That's because the rest of the working alphabet put in useful time elsewhere.

[Dan McCauliffe]

Yesterday's meeting that featured Sally Pipes was a newsworthy meeting and should have been covered. This is an example of BFP censorship. As I mentioned on a VT Tiger post this weekend, they will not publish a "My Turn" submission regarding healthcare that I submitted in August despite repeated requests. And today the BFP announced a new policy that will help further limit access to dissenting opinions:

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20111108/NEWS02/111108024/Note-to-readers-Note-to-readers-Facebook-real-names-coming-to-comments-under-articles-at-BurlingtonFreePress-com?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Many readers were not pleased with this policy.

[Lazarus Long]

So the Freeps is now a shill for Facebook? Criminy, what a bunch of hogwash.

[Wendy Wilton]

Truly hypocrisy at its worst, especially considering the name of VT's largest newspaper: the FREE Press. You can't make this up, right?
I agree the highlights should be written up and put on VT Tiger...for all to see.
How about an Occupy BFP? Wouldn't that be fun? Would they cover that?

[Peccable]

Dan McCauliffe, that's why the MSM is called State run media.
Is the Department of Information soon to get a minister's portfolio.

[Pro Growth]

Vermont Tiger, NOW more than ever.
Tiger editors should now realize that there is a market for a Drudge Report-like VT Tiger which links to the entire spectrum of Vermont Media on a daily basis. I am more than willing to pay for this service- as opposed to paying to read the Rutland Herald, for example.

[Pro Growth]

If Vermont Tiger were to become the "go to" site for Vermont news coverage, i.e., it became the # 1 driver of traffic to VT MSM sites a la Drudge on a nation-wide basis, would it not force the VT MSM to start covering "all" of the VT news and not just "the news they see fit to print"?

[Dave Bellini]

The Freeps is politically correct and fluffy. I thought the health care event would be front page and bought a copy of the Free Press only to be disappointed by their lack of content. But they do have bigger photographs now.

[David Usher]

The Freeps people most likley read this blog. Won't they respond? Perhaps they have no credible explanation. They have covered previous Tiger events, why not this one for all the reasons Geoff proffers? Short of help?

Legacy journalism continues its death spiral. Has the Tiger considered advertising sponsorship?

[Tom Licata]

A culture that breeds dependency does not exact gratitude but rather resentment and anger:

Writ large, Occupy Wall Street.

Let’s now de-occupy Vermont’s media.

Like the young woman who recently began a (modestly successful) campaign to close Bank of America for credit-union accounts, let’s begin a similar campaign in Vermont, possibly titled "De-Occupy Vermont Media," accumulating closed subscription and advertising accounts for the likes of the Burlington Free Press, WCAX, Rutland Herald, Times Argus, etc.

As a believer in liberty and the Free Enterprise System, I have witnessed the ravages of the collectivist ideology practiced both in Burlington and Montpelier. I have also witnessed the Vermont media’s suppression of ideas contrary to the democratic socialism pursued by the likes of Sen. Sanders, Howard Dean, Gov. Shumlin, et al.

And worse, this tread has been growing, rather than not.

A similar snub occurred when former Comptroller General David Walker came to speak in the summer of 2010...nothing from the BFP, WCAX, et al.

This, at a time when we face an economic crisis far worse than that of the Great Depression, measured in our economic standing relative to the rest of the world (when post WWII we had a near economic monopoly) and also in terms of our debt levels relative to our own economy or GDP.

The progressive-democrats and their Vermont media enablers should be careful what they wish for: Greece, Italy, Spain, etc., have all been on the same glide-path.

Geoff, I would be happy to be first in line - should you to pursue this endeavor - to cancel my BFP subscription, and pronto.

A little ticker count on the Tiger’s home page, similar to that of our national debt clock watch, would be both amusing and telling.

Are there any other takers?

[Lupus Nomen]

I agree that the Freeps should have run a story on the Health Care event. It should be news that concern about Shumlin's signature health care initiate is bi-partisan.

However, this is not a case of censorship. The Free Press is a private institution and is free to choose what it will and will not publish. Just as a certain "Humble Correspondent" here at Vermont Tiger is free to refuse to even accept comments on any of his posts...

[Bill]

Whatever it is, not covering the event has the effect of censorship. It reveals more anti-conservative bias from the Freep, as well as their stupidity. Continually ignoring or ticking off 20-30% of the market is bad for business.

The real problem at the Free Press is the absence of ideological diversity. They're all liberals without a clue.

Someone at corporate ought to knock some heads together.

[Peccable]

Lupus, I would agree with you about censorship (province of the Government) except that the MSM became an extension of the Government. Calling them a Tass knockoff is truth to power. (Isn't that a BS term)

"Burlington Free Pravda" belongs on the mast.