The last two weeks delivered massive audience numbers across the Center’s news network: nearly 400,000 people in the last two weeks alone. This is a reflection of the strong coverage delivered by our 60 reporters in the field, including reports from the Democratic National Convention, the Republican National Convention, the campaign trail, Wasilla Alaska (home to Sarah Palin), and numerous Congressional races. Our capacity truly spans the globe: as I write this one CIM reporter is in Alaska, while another is in Afghanistan reporting from the frontlines with US forces.
Some standouts to pay particular attention to: our reporting on Gov. Palin, investigations of the New Mexico and Michigan Secretaries of State revealing grave election preparedness problems, and covert attempts by oil and gas interests in Colorado to elect far right legislators in favor of unimpeded oil and gas exploitation.
The highlights are below.
Best,
TWI attracted a record number of 114,000 unique visitors in a single day on Tuesday Sept. 2, with close coverage of the Republican vice presidential nominee, Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin.
One key was managing editor Laura McGann, an experienced hand at covering Alaskan politics, who went to Palin’s home state and quickly outpaced most of our competitors. McGann was among the first to question Palin’s self-styled image as a reform candidate, noting that her first efforts as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, were to fire the city’s police chief and librarian and then hire a lobbyist (with ties to Jack Abramoff) to bring in federal earmark funds. Her reporting was picked by New York Times columnist Frank Rich, among others.
In Washington, congressional reporter Mike Lillis pored over documents that McGann sent back and discovered evidence of then-Mayor Palin crowing about her city’s success at winning federal earmarks. “We did well!” she trumpeted, just as Sen. John McCain was criticizing the small town’s “objectionable” earmarks. The revelation drew hundreds of comments from readers in a matter of hours.
Arizona correspondent John Dougherty, meanwhile, took a revealing look at Sen. John McCain’s “deep and complex” ties to indicted former congressman Rick Renzi this week. Before Renzi was charged on 35 counts of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering, McCain backed legislation pushed by the Congressman that doomed a wild Arizona river – and also directly benefited Renzi’s family, Dougherty reported.
David O. Williams pulled the curtain back from a mysterious conservative advocacy group known as the Western Skies Coalition, which has been sponsoring ads to portray pro-oil Republicans in state Senate races as champions of alternative energy. Williams went on to report that the organization’s executive committee includes former Colorado governor Bill Owens and President George H.W. Bush’s drug czar,((added comma)) Bill Bennett.
Jason Kosena captured how GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin energized a crowd of 10,000 to 15,000 people in Colorado Springs during her first visit to the state just two days after the close of the Republican National Convention (RNC).
TCI’s coverage of the oft-neglected campaigns for the state Legislature continued with a look at the seesaw contest in suburban Fort Collins’ House District 52 between incumbent Democrat John Kefalas and former incumbent Republican Bob McCluskey.
Iowa Independent was recognized for its prescience, as fellow Douglas Burns won readers’ attention for predicting back in June that Sarah Palin would become the GOP vice presidential nominee. Burns’ commentary brought in a wave of new readers in a matter of hours.
Jason Hancock pointed out a little noticed feature of the Republican Party platform: a call for an end the federal government’s mandate that gasoline contain ethanol – a stance that puts nominees John McCain at odds with both the Bush administration and Iowa Republican leaders.
Dien Judge followed up with an interview of State Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey who said the issue wasn’t even discussed at the party’s convention.
Lynda Waddington continued her groundbreaking coverage of the investigation of Agriprocessors, the kosher meatpacking company that is under federal investigation for employing and exploiting undocumented immigrant workers. Federal agents, she reported, have executed another search of Agriprocessors offices.
Eartha Jane Melzer reported on concerns being raised by voting-rights advocates about Secretary of State Teri Lynn Land’s harsh voter-ID restrictions, which could suppress voter turnout, particularly among minorities and the poor. Melzer went on to document Land’s previous rulings – such as attempts to close registration offices in minority neighborhoods in 2004, when Land was Michigan co-chair of the 2004 Bush/Cheney campaign.
Michigan Messenger laid out the story of John McCain’s landlord in Michigan: the law firm of Trott and Trott, which specializes in housing foreclosures. From people forced out of their homes, complaints abound about the firm’s hardball tactics.
Ed Brayton responded swiftly to the addition of Gov. Palin to the GOP ticket by pointing out that she advocated the instruction of creationism in Alaska’s public schools. Readers responded in high volume to Brayton’s dissection of Palin’s argument that both creationism and evolution should be taught out of “fairness.”
Minnesota Independent also generated record traffic with its close multimedia coverage of protests in the streets outside the Republican convention. Highlights include Andy Birkey’s report on the arrest of 102 people after a rock concert, Birkey’s video on Paul Schmelzer’s video of the brief detention of three antiwar activists and a week’s worth of dramatic photographs.
Trip Jennings reported that New Mexico election officials are still scrambling to repair broken voting machines with just 60 days left until the presidential election.
NMI also broke the news that Tom Noel, newly appointed state elections director, was quitting his post, after a flurry of Republican complaints of a conflict of interest because Noel’s father-in-law is Democratic Congressman and senatorial candidate Tom Udall.
Joel Gay filed a timely and revealing portrait of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin whom he knew from his days in the Alaska fishing business.
On the eve of the Republican National Convention (RNC), Marjorie Childress reported that leading Hispanic national organizations were going after Sen. John McCain about his party’s platform on immigration.
Department Of Good News
New Mexico Independent: Atrisco out to prove cynics wrong
Iowa Independent: Iowa praised for work toward new energy economy