WNAX Skews Animal Cruelty Discussions to Fit Big Ag’s Anti-HSUS Narrative

SDFACT is the South Dakota group working to end South Dakota's embarrassing status as the last state in the Union not to treat cruelty to animals as felony. (North Dakota left our cheese standing alone last week.) SDFACT is all SD, grassroots South Dakotans trying to do right by our critter pals.

When Tri-State Neighbor's Barry Amundson mistakenly conflated SDFACT's South Dakota efforts with the oft-maligned Humane Society of the United States, SDFACT's Shari Kosel corrected him, and Amundson quickly struck the false line from his article. That's decent journalism.

But Big-Ag lobbyist WNAX runs without compunction the preferred industry narrative that animal cruelty laws are the doings of bogeyman outsiders, not your conscientious South Dakota neighbors. I quote in full to make clear WNAX's nefarious misrepresentation of the discussion taking place in South Dakota about animal cruelty:

South Dakota is the only state in the nation that doesn’t have a felony charge for animal cruelty. That has prompted the Humane Society of the United States to push for more restrictions.

South Dakota Legislators however didn’t pass any penalty this session.

Senate Ag Committee Chair Shantel Krebs of Renner says she’s working with the State Vet r [sic] in reviewing state law on that issue and will meet next month to begin that process.

Krebs says South Dakota needs to stay ahead of the curve to avoid attacks from activist groups who may launch a ballot initiative.

She says some type of compromise can be reached on animal cruelty penalties that avoid making it a felony. She says South Dakota shouldn’t have to follow what other states are doing ["South Dakota Officials Reviewing Animal Cruelty Laws," WNAX, 2013.04.26].

For the umpteenth time:

• Shari Kosel is a South Dakotan.
• SDFACT is made up of South Dakotans.
• The discussion happening with lawmakers and state officials is happening because Shari Kosel and other South Dakotans pushed for it.
• Shari Kosel and SDFACT are not "attacking" South Dakota; they are "attacking" the sociopathic violence that drives certain individuals to torture and slaughter pets.
• The Humane Society of the United States is not involved in SDFACT's effort to make animal cruelty a penalty.

WNAX may be Big Ag's Big Friend, but on this issue, WNAX is not a friend of honest journalism.