To the editor:
Is Brian Freiberger a MAGA mouthpiece, or just lazy? I was stunned to read what should have been a page one news story on the federal government shutdown (10/02, “Federal Gov. Shutdown; state given 7 more days), and find only the views of Republican Jack Bergman on the shutdown. Freiberger saw fit to print 22 lines of Bergman’s caustic rhetoric, blaming the Democrats (of course). Referring to a Continuing Resolution he supported, Bergman said that “Democrats tried to load it up with $1.5 trillion in spending for their radical, far-left wish list.” More: “You didn’t send me to Washington to play in their swamp games,” and “Those seeking to undo the America First agenda are willing to shut down the government and create chaos to push forward their radical priorities.” This was all on page one. So, as I went to page 13, I expected to see a quote from a Democratic representative, Elissa Slotkin, for example. Shockingly, there was nothing. Apparently “Equal time” is not a concept with which Mr. Freiberger is familiar; he only saw fit to post the Republican’s views. Whatever happened to fair and balanced reporting in a news story? Note that Freiberger obtained Bergman’s rhetoric from his September newsletter. I guess he couldn’t be bothered to interview anyone for a story of such significance? Did he not feel it worthwhile to look at any Democrat’s newsletter? Please work to ensure fairness and non-partisanship in your news reporting, your readers deserve better.
Philip Greene Northport Editor’s note: Freiberger sought comment from Rep. Bergman, but received no reply.
