Media Bias and the Brady Bunch

What do you call a publication that publishes an organization's press release as if it were a news story? You don't call it a newspaper, and what ever claim Salem-News had to the title just went down the toilet.

Salem-News published a story on Tom Coburn's [R-OK] amendment to the Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights Act of 2009 which would repeal the gun ban on National Park Service and National Wildlife Refuge System land. It says that if local and state laws allow the carrying of firearms and a park is within that locality or state then carry is legal inside that park. Except you would never know this by reading the story in the Salem-News.

The "story" is the equivalent of the blood in the streets arguments pushed by the Brady Bunch when the Florida Legislature originally passed concealed carry. That's not surprising since the "story" was provided by the Brady Bunch. At the bottom of the piece was this: "SENT AS A COURTESY OF THE BRADY CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE". Maybe that line should have led the story to avoid a conflict of interest? Maybe it should have been clearly labeled as an op-ed? Maybe someone should have done a fact check prior to publication? Maybe the editors at the Salem-News need to look for other work since determining the difference between propaganda and news is clearly beyond them.

H/T to Firehand