The worst behaving members of Congress get more attention than their colleagues
State tourney, NCAA tourney lead a big weekend of basketball in Capital District
By Ken Tingley
Perhaps this explains the behavior of Rep. Elise Stefanik.
A new study found that “name-calling, partisan bickering and provocation dominate the political news cycle to the exclusion of substantive coverage about the actual work of Congress.”
The study found most “hyper-partisan” members of Congress received an average of four times as much coverage as the most bipartisan members of Congress.
For instance, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene received 10 times more coverage during the 2022 election cycle than Nebraska Rep Don Bacon, even though Bacon was in a tight race and Greene was not.
Greene appeared in 335 news items in major news outlets while Bacon appeared in 34.
The study was a joint effort by the Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University and Starts with Us, a non-profit group that seeks to counter excessive partisanship in American politics.
They concluded if you want the attention of the news media, be partisan. If you want even more attention, be outrageously partisan.
That might explain why the messaging of our congresswoman is one way on social media, but the tone changes dramatically in her newsletter to constituents.
The group launched a petition last weekend challenging news outlets to interview at least one bipartisan politician on a constructive legislative issues by the end of April. It also called on each outlet to create a recurring column or segment on bipartisanship by July 4.
“How do we know that there’s not a market for bipartisan problem-solving when it’s not being covered,” said Starts With Us CEO Tom Fishman to The Hill.
It’s something you’d like to think is true, but the reality may be much different.
Readers regularly told me when I was editor of The Post-Star there was too much bad news in the newspaper even though we made a regular effort to not only report “good news” stories but to give them front page play. When I reminded readers of those stories, most did not remember reading them.
It’s why television stations lead with crime and accidents. It is better for their ratings.
But maybe Americans have reached a saturation point with politics. One YouGov survey last year found 87 percent of Americans were tired of partisan politics and only 40 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of either political party.
“I believe most Americans want their elected officials to work together to do what’s right for our country,” Florida Republican Gus Bilirakis said in the report. “They expect their leaders to have courage of conviction but have also grown weary of the grandstanding and petty bickering that too often characterizes contemporary politics. They wants results.”
I hope Rep. Stefanik is paying attention to the part about “grandstanding and petty bickering.”
I hope national editors are too.
They are all being pulled into the argument instead of conversations about solutions.
The Hill pointed out that the New York Times covered Marjorie Taylor Greene 84 times in the two months around the election. It covered Rep. Matt Gaetz 15 times. Bilirakis got no coverage.
Too many members of Congress are not there to solve problems, but to become celebrities and further their proximity to power.
Does that sound familiar?
But the news media has to do its part and be the adult in the room.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day
Basketball, beer and Erin go bragh!
What a great combination for today as I head to Albany to take in the NCAA Tournament.
Earlier this week I had a nice surprise from my friend Patrick Barber. You may remember my interview with Patrick, a Fort Ann native, who once considered a run for Congress. After that interviewed, Patrick surprised me with by baking me some penguin cookies. Baking cookies is a hobby.
Patrick’s mom delivered another delectable delight this week with St. Patrick’s Day cookies.
I’m sure they will go perfectly with green beer.
Big basketball weekend
For 36 years, Glens Falls hosted the New York State Public High School Athletic Association state basketball tournament.
That run ended in 2016 when it moved to Binghamton. Glens Falls High actually won the championship there in 2019. But the tournament is back again this weekend.
The tourney was scheduled to return in 2020, but the pandemic claimed it in 2020 and 2021. It finally returned in 2022 and will be back this year at Cool Insuring Arena, but North Warren is the only local team playing.
The state tourney will have basketball competition from down in Albany where the NCAA Tournament will be played on Friday and Sunday.
Saint Mary’s plays Virginia Commonwealth followed by Connecticut and Iona afterward in the first session at 2 p.m.
The second session includes Drake against Miami (Fla.) and Indiana against Kent State.
The winners play on Sunday.
Tick season
With the melting of the snow comes tick season and the fear of Lyme Disease.
If you have not seen the documentary “The Quiet Epidemic” mark your calendar for May 21 at the Charles Wood Theater in Glens Falls.
“The Quiet Epidemic” was the top documentary at the Adirondack Film Festival this past fall and was directed by two young filmmakers with local connections - Lindsey Keys and Winslow Crane-Murdoch.
It is the definitive documentary on Lyme Disease. The showing will be sponsored by the Lyme Action Network.
After watching all the Academy Award-nominated documentaries this year, I thought “The Quiet Epidemic” was as good as any of them.
Not real news
Last Saturday, The Post-Star included a roundup of stories that had been passed around on social media that were not true.
This is valuable information for all of us.
I hope this will be a regular weekly feature.
Well written. I believe that the news media needs to be much more selective in their political coverage. Stop covering the grandstanders and cover what really matters!
As usual ( now), positive reinforcement for poor behavior. Decorum went out the window when Trump started with the insults and name calling. Professionalism is a list art for the Republican Party. If they didn’t get the notoriety, they wouldn’t do it but you are right- they get the coverage so go for it. If doesn’t matter how mean, cruel or low they have to go. Pitiful models for our younger generation because we glorify bullies now.