ABANDONING THE ‘UNBIASED’ MYTH, ONE TWEET AT A TIME
“It is insulting that as the most massive transfer of wealth in decades is happening through scribbled notes in the dark of a Friday night this is what @lisamurkowski’s public affairs account is tweets out.” – Alaska Public Media radio reporter Zachariah Hughes to the world of Twitter on Dec. 1, criticizing Sen. Lisa Murkowski because she had sent a Twitter message celebrating an agreement that prevents unregulated high seas fisheries in the central Arctic Ocean.
To be fair to the senator, Murkowski also sent these Twitter messages on Dec. 1:
“Today marks World AIDS Day – a day to honor and remember all of those who have lost their lives fighting this terrible disease. Over 1 million people die every year from AIDS related causes; I look forward to a day when that number is zero. #WorldAIDSDay”
And this…
“Tonight I cast my in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, comprehensive tax reform that aims to encourage the economic growth needed create jobs and generate wealth, while reducing taxes. #TaxReform”
Hughes picked up on just the one, however, for a left hook:
It was not the first time in a week that he’d found fault with the senator over the tax reform package. On Nov. 30, he argued with her about who would get the most benefit, rich or poor:
And a day earlier, Hughes brought sarcasm to bear in making fun of the senator over her stance on opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge at any cost (tl;dr means “too long, didn’t read.”):
In his defense, Hughes’ beat doesn’t cover the Senate routinely, and he generally keeps his bias in check on the city and state issues he does cover. Whether his opinions and observations on national tax policy and Sen. Lisa Murkowski will hurt his credibility with public radio listeners is doubtful, as the “likes” and “retweet” record reflects broad support from his followers on Twitter.
