Moral and Ethical?

Apparently, according to the PNJ, we must ONLY ask if something's moral or ethical if  it's something that suits their ideology and it's something they oppose.  If it's a horrendous practice like killing babies through abortion--something PNJ ideologically support--then the liberal PNJ  shifts away from the moral and ethical implications...and scream "It's Legal!"  See how that works?

PNJ and their "crack" two-person editorial squad are apparently hung up on the question, as it pertains to the county's 401(a) plan, of  "Yeah, well what about the moral and ethical implications of the plan!?!"

Suddenly, apparently, the legality of the plan is unimportant to the PNJ.  They've already determined in their collective pea brains that "they don't like it--legal or not!"

So along comes someone like me that recognizes that the seminal question---the most important question---is whether or not it is legal.  Once we know that--we can take appropriate action going forward to fix the issue if that is necessary.  But now that it is appearing more and more likely that our 25 year established 401(a) is in fact, legal,  the PNJ has a new standard beyond that which they believe we ought to be held to:  Is it moral, and is it ethical??--WHO CARES IF IT IS LEGAL!!

Funny how the liberal PNJ switches stances and standards depending upon the issue.....

Here's an EASY one.  How about abortion?  It is legal, and the PNJ is undoubtedly  pro-abortion based on their uber-liberal bent.  It is currently legal---but never does PNJ ever bother to ask if that practice, the killing of the unborn baby is "moral and ethical"  Nope.  Goes against their politics.  Let's see though--what is a more pressing issue: A.)  greater percentage points in increased dividends on a retirment plan for three county commissioners that ultimately costs the taxpayers no additional funds---or  B.) the killing of millions and millions of babies, legally, in the USA since 1973---including hundreds of thousands in Florida and thousands here in Pensacola?  (You know the answer to this question.....does the PNJ?)

What about this one.  PNJ Cartoonist Andy Marlette, a white liberal, privileged individual, uses the N-Word in his cartoon and there is no backlash.  In fact, he gets monetarily rewarded with a nationally-syndicated cartoon as he even goes after female staffers in Governor DeSantis's office with misogynistic, disgusting personal attacks designed to damage the Republican, conservative governor through and via these very staff members.  Are these actions moral and ethical, PNJ?  I mean, your parent company Gannett de-platformed the creator of the conservative cartoon strip, Mallard Fillmore, because of far less--and then did a gobldygook- laden, gibberish editorial attempting to rationalize and support this cancellation----but Liberal Andy Marlette does far worse and gets a pass?   Is this moral and ethical?  Or is this where liberals get conservative and say  "Yeah, but it IS LEGAL!"

And then there's this:  PNJ and their editors love President Joe Biden, even as his mental decline is accelerating while being actively hidden by the left leaning media.  Under Biden's disastrous leadership at the Texas Border--we now see a spectacle unlike anything I have ever seen in my entire lifetime.  I literally saw Biden's Border police, on horseback, whipping unarmed, helpless black people in a river, beating them back away from the border with what looked like whips (they were leather horse reins, apparently).  These desperate migrants were just trying to cross a river to get to America--and they get treated like this?  Now, all the black migrants are being shipped back to their home countries on planes while the other migrants, the caucasian ones, pour over the border and get asylum in America.  And Biden and the liberals fall over themselves to say this is LEGAL.  And compliant press fellow-travelers like Lisa Savage and Andy Marlette don't question this.  They say "It's legal!!"   (But hey, is it moral and ethical, PNJ?)  Imagine if president Trump had done this--would PNJ totally ignore this?  answer, NO.  But they love Biden, so he gets a pass on this reprehensible spectacle...

Hypocrites and frauds.  Ladies and Gentlemen ---I give you the two-person PNJ Editorial Squad and their patron along with the parent company Gannett!

How Newspapers Fail Miserably and Consistently---Nationally and Locally....

How the PNJ's Story read
once the misleading headline
and my picture was
"clicked" by readers

I hate to sound critical--but sometimes it is warranted.  As I watched President Trump sound off on the media this morning on an interview with Sharyl Attkisson--- it really resonated with me.  He is right to call them out--they have been unfair to him in many ways.  He called them corrupt and dishonest--and in many cases and instances--- they are.  In stories they cover and more importantly in stories they don't cover or how they are covered.  They play favorites and do so blatantly.  I believe he's right and I have seen it locally as well.  So although I don't like to be critical--sometimes it is warranted--so here goes.

At a lunch I attended Friday afternoon with two advertising executives, a discussion of media honesty and integrity began----- even before we talked about the real reason for the meeting which was an altogether different topic....

"I cannot believe they did that to you--I'm pissed off!" stated one attendee.  "I'm thinking about pulling my advertising with them!"  The other reaction I got from another attendee was somewhat more measured---but equally illuminating.  "They did this on purpose--no doubt."

I knew immediately what they were talking about.  "How did you all know?"  I asked.  "We are getting calls about it from people that are calling B.S. on it--plus we saw it" was the joint response from the gentlemen sitting at my table.

I knew what happened and tried to get it fixed as quickly as I could earlier that morning--but obviously it didn't get fixed quickly enough.  "If they saw it online---how many others did as well?" I thought out loud...

WHAT HAPPENED:

How the Hard Copy
 in print story eventually appeared
 on Saturday Morning

At Thursday's regular BCC meeting--I revealed that I had received indisputable, factual information that pointed to a damaging release of confidential documents by one member of the board who I did not name. I had blogged about it the day before--and that post received numerous hits and comments.  I requested the board authorize an investigation into this breach by our newly-created Ethics and Compliance division.  This request received immediate support from the chairman and at least one other Board member-- and so County Administrator Janice Gilley stated she would begin the investigation.

HOW THE PENSACOLA NEWS JOURNAL  PRESENTED THIS

At around 6:00AM Friday, this story was online at the Pensacola News Journal's site covering this request for an ethics investigation.  It was accompanied by my picture--which with the corresponding headline "Bergosh says another commissioner leaked confidential documents; seeks ethics investigation"  was fine.  No problem, so far, so good.

How PNJ Portrayed the story
online for hours and hours
on Friday morning and
into the afternoon ....

How PNJ kept the headline
and switched the picture
 Friday afternoon ....

About fifteen minutes later, though, this story got knocked from the main portion of the electronic site over to the side column--at which point my picture was left but the tag line was changed to "Commissioner allegedly leaked confidential legal documents"  The obvious insinuation/implication for a reader glancing through the site would be that I, Jeff Bergosh, leaked the document.  It was portraying me in a false light, and it was neither accurate nor fair.

HOW I ATTEMPTED TO GET IT FIXED

Horrified-- I called the PNJ Editor Lisa Savage immediately and explained what was going on and why it needed to get fixed.  To her credit, she acknowledged it was problematic and said she would get if fixed. "Thanks for letting me know.  Maggie is changing it right now to a different picture" stated Savage.  I suggested "How about something fair like "Bergosh requests investigation over Leaked Documents" to which I did not receive a reply.  I assumed it was being corrected-- but hours later, I realized it had not been completely fixed....At 10:30 I saw that on the sidebar of the PNJ under "more stories" it still had my picture and the headline "Commissioner allegedly leaked confidential legal documents"  Once again I contacted executive editor Savage, at 10:34 AM and told her it still was not corrected....."Yes, [Maggie] is working on fixing that" was the editor's reply this time.  How long should that fix have taken though?!?

WHAT FINALLY HAPPENED?

After my luncheon ended, I once again checked the PNJ site and they had by that time left the headline in place "Commissioner allegedly leaked confidential legal documents" but had finally pulled down my picture and replaced it with an Escambia County logo (Which I had actually suggested Lisa Savage do on our phone call from earlier in the morning when I first tried to get this corrected).

But how many people saw the misleading headline that was up for hours, how many readers were left with the inaccurate impression (due to the false light in which I was portrayed by the PNJ) that I leaked classified documents?  I am in a hotly-contested primary election with votes beginning to be cast within 60 days---so this sort of portrayal is damaging.  Why did it happen, though?  Why did it take hours to fix once it was brought to PNJ's attention?

More than one person I have spoken with believe it was on purpose.  One in particular had a terse response:

"Come on Jeff--if they wanted to fix it they could have gone into their program and fixed it immediately and easily.."

See the pictures and the screenshots for yourself, on the right.

PAC's ARE TERRIBLE!!!! (Unless They Are Supporting Our Guy!)

According to some finger wagging groups, PACs are bad if they support candidates they don't like.  Or if they are funded by people they don't like.  But do the finger waggers hold their own favorite candidates to this same standard?  (Answer: NO)

Two years ago I was in the thick of the campaign, a really tough one, with two determined opponents.

I worked hard, they worked hard.  I was fortunate that I enjoyed a lot of support due to my work on the school board and due to the fact that I went to 8,634 homes door to door.  That helped a lot.

I was also fortunate in that a group of businessmen that supported my campaign independently set up and funded a PAC (Political Action Committee) to support my campaign and that PAC did some advertising that really helped me in my election.  I was happy that  this PAC only did positive, upbeat ads and I saw not one negative ad from the PAC that supported me.  And I won my election handily.

But negative campaigning is not illegal, and it is very common.

Look no further than the Governor's race and the Senate Race.  One negative ad after another, one by one.  In politics, it is part of it.

Which is why it was especially interesting to hear another local candidate, one that spoke forcefully against PACs during my election two years ago, now apparently has a PAC supporting his own campaign.  Wow!?!  Well, well, well.  It's funny how things change-- and I guess back then, PACs = BAD.  But now, when polls are not looking so hot, PACs= GOOD?!?  (another thing I learned during my election was that these polls done by auto-dialer are actually SPOT-ON when taken over time and averaged-out!)  It will be interesting to watch as the next series of polls come out--it will be interesting to watch what they show.  I also saw, in my election,  that trends, over time, were vitally important to watch (e.g. is a lead widening, significantly in the stretch?)

I ran 6 of these polls during my last race and they were accurate.

I think there will be some sleepless nights for some in the next few weeks, because yes, Gravis polls I did are and were "Spot-On!"

So I wonder if the PNJ will do a story or another cartoon on this interesting turn of events?

Remember, according to the PNJ and Escambia Citizens Watch (who attacked me viciously because there was a PAC that supported me)

PAC's ARE TERRIBLE!!!!! (Unless They Are Supporting Our Guy!)  

Probably not going to get another newspaper article.  Escambia Citizen's Watch will probably now do a 180 and support PACs.  How funny.

Luckily, there was recently a cartoon drawn blasting one local PAC.  Now that both candidates in that race officially have PAC's supporting their campaigns--I think it's time for some.........Drumroll.........Marlette Manipulation.

This cartoon has been altered to reflect the reality of the situation as it relates to PACs in at least one local race

As I've done multiple times previously--I take a cartoon drawn for one purpose, and I use it for a different one.  It is all in good fun.  It's all just a parody  :)