Attorney General Drew Edmondson is apparently very popular with Oklahoma’s lazy media. Our continuing investigation into the media’s appalling silence in the “poultrygate” scandal has turned up another interesting development.World publishing Chairman Richard E. Lorton donated $2,000 to the Edmondson re-election effort last year. Coincidentally, Edmondson also won the World’s endorsement. The AG’s republican opponent James Dunn was outraised and outspent almost three to one in the race and was soundly defeated in a landslide. (61% -39%)

Again we ask the question: Why would Mr. Lorton and KSWO executives feel so compelled to jeopardize their respective organizations’ journalistic integrity by supporting financially a political campaign that was in no danger of being defeated? You would think credible news organizations would keep an arms length distance from a candidate running for re-election, especially a candidate currently involved in a controversial lawsuit!

Are there any real Oklahoma journalists out there? Outside of the stories reporting on Edmondson performing his official duties, we would be curious to know the Lexis/Nexis search results of Edmondson’s and James Dunn’s mentions in the Tulsa World last year. Please send in confidence to our tipline.

Yesterday we commented on the Tulsa World congratulating themselves on their wins in the “B” category of newspapers.

An alert reader notified us that the World had actually been named the state’s top newspaper in the “A” category. The Community World – an insert to the the World – had the wins in the “B” category.

Our reader surmises that the insert – that is not a separate newspaper – was deliberately entered to compete against smaller, independent newspapers to “hike its win count.”

They continue by offering enlightening comments on the Tulsa World and plagiarism, conflicts of interests, and lazy journalism:

“Plagiarism–the World loves to put other news organizations’ work in its pages, but won’t credit the source even if it was a major investigation. Don’t see that problem with real newspapers–just last night the Telegraph in London credited the New York Times for a key international story, even though the Times’ contribution was relatively minimal. The World is a swamp of conflicts of interest, ethics violations and, most sinister, editorial crusades designed to line the pockets of the publisher’s family and save them from their bad real estate investments. The Gaylord family is cleaning up its act; the Lorton family is a disgrace. Nice catch.”

They continue:

“Ask anyone who works in emergency services how often the newspaper runs material two days after the fact, without using the updates provided by the agency, then refuses to correct the resulting errors. It is a standing joke!”

As predicted here yesterday, top state media labored to minimize the damage to Attorney General Drew Edmondson. Most did exactly what we said they would do: ignore the story altogether, as is the case with the Oklahoman. A quick scan of the paper’s Internet site found no mentions of the the story.

As for the Tulsa World, they missed the point of the federal hearing altogether. Reporter Curtis Killman, who “covers” the poultry issue, completely ignored the implications of the hearing, as outlined here yesterday. Killman and the World made sure that readers are not subjected to the messy little details in the Marie West lawsuit, the ticking time bomb which threatens the poultry suit. That’s like a newspaper sending a reporter to the Super Bowl and getting a story about Prince’s new shoes.

So all in all, the Edmondson apologists had a pretty good day: ignore, obfuscate, miss the point and, most of all, refuse to tell the whole truth.

As predicted here yesterday, top state media labored to minimize the damage to Attorney General Drew Edmondson. Most did exactly what we said they would do: ignore the story altogether, as is the case with the Oklahoman. A quick scan of the paper’s Internet site found no mentions of the the story.

As for the Tulsa World, they missed the point of the federal hearing altogether. Reporter Curtis Killman, who “covers” the poultry issue, completely ignored the implications of the hearing, as outlined here yesterday. Killman and the World made sure that readers are not subjected to the messy little details in the Marie West lawsuit, the ticking time bomb which threatens the poultry suit. That’s like a newspaper sending a reporter to the Super Bowl and getting a story about Prince’s new shoes.

So all in all, the Edmondson apologists had a pretty good day: ignore, obfuscate, miss the point and, most of all, refuse to tell the whole truth.

The state’s major newspapers and wire services face a quandary today. For months, the state’s top press organizations have all but ignored allegations of corruption in Democrat Attorney General Drew Edmondson’s office in connection with the poultry lawsuits. Today, their attempt to shield Oklahomans from the truth gets harder.

The Oklahoma Political News Service reported in December that Mike Turpin attempted to kill an unflattering report by Oklahoma City television reporter Ali Myer. Meyer embarrassed Oklahoma’s lazy capitol and print reporters with her monumental 10-minute piece on how the lure of riches prompted abuses of power by top officials in the attorney general’s office. The capitol press corps’ response to being owned by a TV reporter was to pretend it didn’t happen.

A report such as Myer’s in almost any other state in America would have resulted in a press frenzy, and certainly investigations by authoritative figures, especially considering that Democrat political hack Mike Turpen, who stands to make millions of dollars from the poultry suits, tried but failed to kill the story. To our knowledge, not even one press organization even attempted to investigate Myer’s claims, or even Turpen’s outrageous attempt to muzzle a respected reporter.

Even more curious was the lack of response from state Republican officials, which many seasoned political observers simply chalked up to inexperience and fear of Edmondson.

Despite the fact that arguably the nation’s worst press corps continues to ignore a potential scandal with national implications, the poultry cases could begin to unravel today in Tulsa federal court. The allegations of corruption on a massive scale, (and some other actions by AG officials so unbelievably grotesque that decorum does not allow us to present the information here) did not escape the attention of the lawyers representing the Arkansas poultry companies. They want Edmondson back under oath so that they may pursue the myriad of misdeeds that Myer’s report exposed.

So while the state’s major media sees, hears and speaks no evil on today, OKPNS readers can get a preview of the fireworks. Click here to see the pleadings that Edmondson and his allies in the media don’t want you to know about. Especially note how that they couldn’t buy West’s cooperation, and how the AG attempted to get West to destroy public documents, which is what happens when a public official knows the press won’t lift a finger to expose him.

Click here to read Tyson’s Motion to Compel.

Excerpt:

One of the conditions that the Attorney General attached to his settlement offer was that Ms. West “would have to take confidential documents and have them destroyed.”

The state’s major newspapers and wire services face a quandary today. For months, the state’s top press organizations have all but ignored allegations of corruption in Democrat Attorney General Drew Edmondson’s office in connection with the poultry lawsuits. Today, their attempt to shield Oklahomans from the truth gets harder.

The Oklahoma Political News Service reported in December that Mike Turpin attempted to kill an unflattering report by Oklahoma City television reporter Ali Myer. Meyer embarrassed Oklahoma’s lazy capitol and print reporters with her monumental 10-minute piece on how the lure of riches prompted abuses of power by top officials in the attorney general’s office. The capitol press corps’ response to being owned by a TV reporter was to pretend it didn’t happen.

A report such as Myer’s in almost any other state in America would have resulted in a press frenzy, and certainly investigations by authoritative figures, especially considering that Democrat political hack Mike Turpen, who stands to make millions of dollars from the poultry suits, tried but failed to kill the story. To our knowledge, not even one press organization even attempted to investigate Myer’s claims, or even Turpen’s outrageous attempt to muzzle a respected reporter.

Even more curious was the lack of response from state Republican officials, which many seasoned political observers simply chalked up to inexperience and fear of Edmondson.

Despite the fact that arguably the nation’s worst press corps continues to ignore a potential scandal with national implications, the poultry cases could begin to unravel today in Tulsa federal court. The allegations of corruption on a massive scale, (and some other actions by AG officials so unbelievably grotesque that decorum does not allow us to present the information here) did not escape the attention of the lawyers representing the Arkansas poultry companies. They want Edmondson back under oath so that they may pursue the myriad of misdeeds that Myer’s report exposed.

So while the state’s major media sees, hears and speaks no evil on today, OKPNS readers can get a preview of the fireworks. Click here to see the pleadings that Edmondson and his allies in the media don’t want you to know about. Especially note how that they couldn’t buy West’s cooperation, and how the AG attempted to get West to destroy public documents, which is what happens when a public official knows the press won’t lift a finger to expose him.

Click here to read Tyson’s Motion to Compel.

Excerpt:

One of the conditions that the Attorney General attached to his settlement offer was that Ms. West “would have to take confidential documents and have them destroyed.”