Over the last year+ I have noted the lack of conservative viewpoints being chosen as ‘filler’ articles for state/national issues in the Appeal Democrat. Having been assured that the staff’s priority is to be politically fair and balanced the product continues to be liberal dominant. With the local voting majority conservative their voice is not being represented.
Small market newspapers are dying. They are a lifeblood of the local community and should be supported. Without them we lose awareness of issues that most directly affect us: many of which would not be carried by the larger media outlets. The present AD staff is doing an exceptional job covering local issues with in-depth research and thorough presentation. But why am I unable to find a conservative friend or family member who takes/reads the AD? Because it fails to provide meaningful coverage representing their points-of-view on state/national issues.
With the large number of national news networks to draw from an “Other View” inclusion on Jan 6th was a radical left wing op-ed by Scott Maxwell from the Orlando Sentinel titled ‘Total government control: The DeSantis/drag queen philosophy’. The conclusion was that DeSantis doesn’t want parents to decide what’s appropriate for their kids because he wants to prevent their exposure to drag queen presentations to minors: concluding this as misguided ‘government control’. Is it the AD staff’s opinion that extreme biased articles like this really represent interest and values of our community?
Some conservative issues being completely ignored:
— exposing the disaster at the southern border!! To date there has been no coverage in the AD reflecting the failed border management influencing drugs, sex trafficking, violence, unlawful immigration, contributions to homelessness, etc.
— exposing arguments challenging the sham Jan 6th Capital investigation: waste of taxpayer dollars, unlawfully incarcerating attendees, ignoring the killing of unarmed Ashy Babbit by an officer not held accountable. Failing to hold Ray Epps to account for aggressively inciting rioting into the capital caught on multiple videos.
—the failure of the FBI to follow through with the Hunter Biden computer findings.
— the significant investigative journalism connecting China and money laundering/influence-peddling to the Biden family.
— the Elon Musk Twitter file dumps exposing so much evidence of government/big tech collusion and corruption.
I continue to challenge the AD staff to use journalistic responsibility to fairly represent the conservative viewpoint balanced with the left. Paper circulation might increase and improve its survival.
