Iowa man joins protest against Obama and health-care reform

He had no plans to throw bricks, issue death threats, spit in faces or scream racial slurs. But Randy Millam, 52, intended to make a scene, so he woke up early Thursday morning to prepare for President Obama's visit. Full Story »

Posted by Kelly Garrett - via NewsRack (Health Care), Publish2 (Politics), Washington Post , Wil Kristin (t), miker1717 (t), David Wardell (t), Salvador Sala (t), David Fox (f), Subramanya Sastry (f), Kaizar Campwala (f), Joey Baker (f), Jon Mitchell (f), Phylora Uppman (f)
Dwight Rousu
1.9
by Dwight Rousu - Mar. 29, 2010

I would consider this an example of badly biased journalism. Giving a front page spread to a small minority outside the meeting, and repeating illogical charges with the megaphone of the Washington Post and absolutely no fact-checking of the ridiculous charges seems an exhibition of extreme right wing bias.

Riot wing nuts get the front page, while the WaPo puts anti-war protests inside the back page in a footnote.

See Full Review » (13 answers)
Lynn R. Willis
3.6
by Lynn R. Willis - Mar. 26, 2010

This is a nicely done piece on one laid-off worker's frustration with the economy/national focus/etc. The author has done the homework necessary to put some background and personalized information into this feature without bias. There are no surprises here; Mr. Millam seems clearly to be an embittered product of the globalization of his job at Kraft and of slanted television news and talk-show hyperbole. None of this is the President's fault, of course, but Millam's pain is palpable.

One can only urge patience in situations such as these. The Obama administration is doing what it can, but the damage that gave Mr. Millam (and countless thousands like him) his current state of misery was done long before Mr. Obama entered the Oval Office. One can only hope that cool heads will prevail; it takes only one deranged nutcase (remember Oklahoma City) to plunge us all into chaos -- and worse.

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Frederick Lawrence Churchville

This is a story that was entertaining and told the side of the protester in good detail. However, if one was looking to be informed about the issues surrounding the piece, I would advise looking elsewhere.

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Fabrice Florin
3.9
by Fabrice Florin - Mar. 29, 2010

Insightful story on a day in the life of a Tea Party activist, documenting his protest against big government during President Obama's visit to Iowa. This report is factual, fair and well-written, providing an informative account of what Tea Party supporters are thinking, without any attempt to denigrate or interpret their viewpoint.

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Barry Grossheim
3.6
by Barry Grossheim - Mar. 29, 2010

Captures the frustration felt by many who make up the Tea Party but doesn't attempt to get at what the man profiled actually wants. Is being against everything actually a political position? Can this point in our history which was decades in the making actually be blamed on a President who has held office for just over 1 year?

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Kelly Garrett
3.7
by Kelly Garrett - Mar. 29, 2010

An account of a day in the life of a Tea Party protesters. The author works hard to focus on descriptions of the events without adding much interpretation. A very different view of the Tea Party than is often seen in the media these days.

See Full Review » (12 answers)
TaylorAdams
2.5
by TaylorAdams - Apr. 5, 2010

This story seems to be suffering from a bit of an identity crisis. Is it a profile of a tea party member? That's great, and as that, the piece would work wonderfully, but the focus is a little ambiguous for that. The writing is thoroughly complementary towards the subject, and attempts at balance are too subtle.

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Hannah Martin
2.4
by Hannah Martin - Apr. 5, 2010

In terms of adding a human element to the story of healthcare, this piece succeeds, however, it really does little in terms of telling the news story at large.

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Michael Rougeau
1.7
by Michael Rougeau - Apr. 5, 2010

Quality journalism requires research and multiple sources. This article has neither.

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Lawrence Pious
2.5
by Lawrence Pious - Apr. 5, 2010

The story is poorly sourced. It only shows the plight and perspective of one person and is purely a profile piece of a "tea party" member. The reporter should have made this much clearer at the top of the story and present this in that light rather than a legitimate and knowledgeable person regarding the issues discussed.

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Jessica Borges
1.8
by Jessica Borges - Apr. 5, 2010

The story isn't interesting. There was no climax; nothing happened. It was very one-sided. There could have been some input from an opposing side. The concept is interesting but it could have been improved if something actually happened.

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Jonathan Raymond
2.6
by Jonathan Raymond - Apr. 5, 2010

I think how you view this article will depend a lot on whether you agree with Millam or not.Standing on its own, it kind of is what it is - a little profile of a frustrated American-turned-Tea-Party-advocate. But it's hard to understand why Millam, specifically, is important. It feels limited in scope. Also there is no such thing as a 24-hour energy drink.

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Mark DiSalvo
3.5
by Mark DiSalvo - Apr. 5, 2010

This is the type of profile I'd expect of the Washington Post in regards to Tea Party and Conservative complaints against the healthcare bill. You could say this is a necessary portrait for Post readers to be exposed to, however, you could also say this a back-handed shot at Obama's opponents. Certainly not groundbreaking journalism or creative by any means. The fact that I'm questioning it so much may indicate this story's merit.

See Full Review » (4 answers)

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