Give 'em both barrels, Tom!
The Mitchell Daily Republic provides thoughtful analysis of the Nielson Brothers Polling results released this week on Rep. Kristi Noem's arguably lukewarm support among South Dakota voters. Most other media have not. MDR's Tom Lawrence points out that lack of coverage is exactly what the South Dakota Republican Party has been asking the press for:
The other factor has been a determined effort by the South Dakota GOP to persuade the media not to cover the poll. We received the messages and I know the rest of the state's media did.
Unlike these other journalists, we decided to run our own newsroom and trust our readers. We provided a story that offered all sides and let the readers make their minds up themselves.
Press aides and political leaders pressure the media a lot, and also sweet talk reporters, editors and TV anchors. With some, it works. Believe me, Herseth Sandlin's staff did it as well.
It comes from both sides, but reporters and editors are supposed to know better [Tom Lawrence, "Polls, Politics, and the Press," Republic Insider, 2011.09.21].
Say what you will about NBP's reliability, even if they were wildly off on one poll on the Daugaard&ndashHeidepriem race a year ago, they still nailed the Noem&ndashHerseth Sandlin&ndashMarking race. And beyond that one empirical example, no one has proven an inherent flaw in NBP's methodlogy that makes their polling any less reliable than KELO, that Sioux Falls paper, or any other South Dakota pollster.
Lawrence also notes the apparent hypocrisy of many press outlets in shunning discussion of the NBP numbers but bleating the SDGOP's press releases:
Look at another news report that came out Wednesday. Noem was given an award for promoting ethanol, a press release from her office stated. The Daily Republic got it; I edited the release and we will use it, with a clear label that it came from her office.
The Rapid City Journal placed the slightly revised press release online and credited "Journal Staff." KSFY published a "news story" and Tim Peters actually put his name on this handout.
Others are doing it as well. Beats working, I guess. I spent two weeks on the NBP stories we have published.
Of course, none of these outlets reported the SHS-Noem poll or offered insight into what it may mean. That would take work, experience and insight. It's better to take a handout and put your name on it and not worry about displeasing the people who spoon-feed you [Lawrence, 2011.09.21].
Do take a look at the URL of Lawrence's post, a working title that really works: "What You Are Allowed to Know."
I don't believe the poll but I don't think it's right for Lauck and Shields to supposedly be calling around trying to stop it either.
If they have access to info and want to get their side of the story out that is 100% ok with me but it is wrong to go after reporters in SD.
Ellis and Montgomery are both lame in my opinion. I would like to see Davide Montgomery return to form and start asking Noem hard questions instead of being a Noem and Thune mouth piece since they outed that college paper he wrote a few years back.