There is a new blog in town dealing with media corruption – Freedom from The Press. Here’s a recent post which agrees with my assessment that the Spokesman-Review covers for the criminal activities of its owners.
Ron the Cop
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Spokane, WA – A City Held Hostage
by sthompson.Spokane is a beautiful little town with a very ugly public relations problem. As a one-newspaper town, the public, and all forms of the corporate media rely on The Spokesman-Review for accurate reporting of the news.
Has The Spokesman-Review acted in a responsible, ethical manner when covering issues or elections that directly impact their private business interests?
A few years ago The Spokesman-Review hired a new editor, Steven A. Smith. Mr. Smith inherited some very messy problems that were created by the previous editor Chris Peck and the newspapers owners, Betsy and Stacey Cowles.
The issue was downtown redevelopment of River Park Square, a retail mall owned and operated by the Cowles. The plan was to use public and private money to pay for the renovation of RPS. Proponents of the project included the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce. At various public meetings and events, the Chamber would send officials who were all sporting ‘I Love Downtown’ buttons attached to their lapels.
The chief spokesperson for the RPS deal was the developer herself, Betsy Cowles. Ms. Cowles would show up at public meetings calling those who opposed the RPS deal, “naysayers”. The opponents of RPS were mere citizens who believed in fiscal responsibility and accountability from their elected or appointed city officials. Ms. Cowles and her supporters would often say that this proposal is the only plan that will ever be placed on the table. We either take it or the downtown core will die.
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