Faced with an avalanche of bad publicity after years of funding conservative causes in relative anonymity, the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers, Charles and David, are fighting back. Full Story »
Posted by Jon Mitchell - via The Politico (Politics)
This is a report on the Kochs' reaction to recent scrutiny. In spite of having been threatened with arrest while waiting to eat, the reporter provides a straight forward and objective story on the subject and avoids value judgements and a hatchet job.
This article appears to fairly discuss Koch Brothers current effort. The only point not included is that Charles and David Koch's father Fred Koch was a leader of John Birch Society. So, for two generations this family has worked on the very right side of politics. The question now is if they can put the genie back in the bottle.
The author seems to have clearly referenced, cross-referenced and cross-referenced again their subject matter and sources. While there certainly seems to be an underlying defense of POLITICO throughout the article, it is overall well-balanced and seems to be using experts and research to bring credibility to the subject it is bringing forth.
Koch's media operations are well presented, as well as the preventativve measures taken to insulate the policy making from those that haven't got the money to join in. Fascinating.
A more enterprising story would have included information about the source of the Koch brothers' wealth.
Right wing political forces from Koch to Murdoch are, in the end, billionaires only because other people buy the products they sell (or in the case of Murdoch, also the products that their advertisers sell).
Anonymous sources summarized some key processes, yet we sense and trust the veracity of this reporting. A "next step" hinted at in the article: look beyond the compelling news hook of the protested conference to examine WHAT the critics seek to change (such as limiting the type of political spending spree that the Kochs went on) .
I think this is a great story, but the writer could refrain from using statements like: "...with a breakfast at the pricey resort that hosted it here in the Palm Springs suburbs." Is knowing the resort is "pricey" relevant to the story or aiding in the image of "fat cat billionaires"? I think it's these subtleties that sway coverage of a story.
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