Patriot Paul writes to WFYI regarding Jim Shella & Indiana Week in Review

Copy your letters to Jim Shella and/or WFYI and we'll publish them if you like.
mail to: statehouserevolt@gmail.com

Yellow Journalism from the Shella Show

Much as been blogged in the aftermath of the Indianapolis 'Revolt at theStatehouse' Rally held on March 25th. As several heads of Taxpayerdelegations from various portions of Indiana gave their troubledexperiences with their local government that doesn't seem to beresponsive to them, Jim Shella, political reporter for channel Wish-TV arrived with microphone for interviews.

The channel 8 film clip interview that played Wednesday evening followed by Friday's airing'Indiana Week in Review' with the same clip and remarks by Shella weresome of the worst yellow broadcast journalism I can remember.

Billed as a politically non partisan speaker event, there werenevertheless tables of information by various groups and politicalparties intent on proselytizing converts to their respective parties, including the Republican Libertarian Caucus, Libertarian Party, and the Campaign for Liberty group. Mr. Shella seized upon this floor area for quick interviews, later edited and aired to show those unflatteringtable representatives' halted and impromptu comments as the meat of his broadcast, rather than the subject matter of multiple speakers who each spoke of grievances with their government. Missing the over arching theme of accountability and transparency in government well documented in advance, Mr. Shella violated fundamental values of objective reporting through focus of what can be only described as majoring in the minor, tantamount to criticizing tribes of Indians while ignoring news of a Boston Tea Party in progress.

Admittedly, there is bias in all of us. We all see through colored glasses. But this exceeded elementary reporting 101 with commentary that demeaned citizens who spoke and who attended.

The basics of who,what, when, where, and why were trashed in favor of discrediting those on the floor who had other agendas. With a broad brush, he and most ofhis panelists piled on and treated the story as a rally that went bad.

Further, the Friday program was saturated in an elite smugness that was suffocating. I'll not watch this tabloid again. WISH-TV and IndianaWeek in Review's backers should be ashamed of being represented this way.

Paul Wheeler
Marion County

Open letter to WFYI regarding Jim Shella and Indiana Week in Review

Greetings,
I attended the Revolt At The State House that Jim Shella discussed on Indiana Week in Review. His comments did not reflect the reality of the event. Shella colored it as a failure to the other pundits on the panel. It was sickening to watch the other pundits, who did not attend the event, to agree with him as if his decree is the reality of what happened. The reality is that Shella spends a lot of time with legislators and lobbyists who color HIS opinion.

We were there to talk about the myriad of ways that legislators and lobbyists work against the common person. And I always thought I could count on Channel 20 to be there as a voice of the common person.

Shella said the taxpayers were unfocused, yet a college newspaper reporter (who took the time to read the media release and interviewed speakers and organizers) was able to understand the event's focus.

See Purdue Calument newspaper: http://www.pucchronicle.com/home/

Unlike the college newpaper journalist, Shella neglected to interview a single speaker or event organizer. I know because I was one of the organizers. Yes, the event covered a lot of topics but that is because there are many taxpayer groups around the state that are being walked over by their local representatives on different issues. The point of the event was to pull all the voices in one room wrapped around the common theme of lack of transparency in government.

Shella was overheard by numerous people calling the taxpayers names such as "nutcase" and "whackjob". This is hardly appropriate behavior for a news professional.

I watch public television often. I like the programming. I was planning to will my Meridian Kessler home to public television upon my death because I don't have children and I want to make sure something good is done with my estate.

As long as Jim Shella is on Channel 20, I refuse to ever give a penny to public television.

Jim Shella continues his taxpayer bullying on Indiana Week in Review

As if Shella's Wednesday night media assault did not satiate his taste for malice directed at taxpayers, tonight he foolishly brought it up again on Indiana Week in Review, a political round up aired on both WISH-TV 8 and public television WFYI in Indianapolis.

Attorney, former lobbyist, and expert on public funding, Gary Welsh wrote an excellent analysis of Indiana Week in Review which aired tonight. The program airs again on Sunday.

Advance Indiana writes:

Later, host Jim Shella continued his tirade against a Revolt At The Statehouse rally organized by private citizens petitioning their government about a number of grievances, including the continued public subsidies for the billionaire sports team owners and the CIB bailout. "Can a rally fail?" Jim Shella asked. Schwantes, who wasn't even present for the rally because he lives and works in Columbus, Ohio, concluded it lacked focus. He did not hear a single speech, but could repeat what others told him about it. Ketzenberger attacked it for lack of a theme. "It was a nice crowd but not large enough," he added. He was not present for the rally. "A group of thespians looking for an outlet," political hack lobbyist Mike O'Connor said. "It missed the mark." This is the same guy who worked as Chief of Staff to Mayor Bart Peterson, whose administration helped create the whole CIB financial mess. McDaniel observed it had a "common theme." There were people there who favor less government and don't want to pay higher taxes he commented. McDaniel watched the rally from the floor above."

We recommend that in addition to continuing to voice your concerns to WISH-TV that you also write letters to WFYI about the programming. Public television is supposed to be for the people's concerns, not a place to promote corporate welfare for billionaires...or is it?

Before you write your letter to WISH TV and WFYI, read the entire analysis by Advance Indiana. It is obvious that Shella is complicit with lawmakers' scheme to steal your wealth, via taxation, for the further enrichment billionaires and that they will stop at nothing to get into the pockets of every person in the state. Afterall, look how easy it was to get Marion and the donut counties to cough it up.

Please snail mail or fax your letters and feel free to post them here too if you like.

WISH TV
1950 N. Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202.
Fax: 317-704-8748

WFYI - Public Television
1630 N. Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317- 614-0476
Fax: 317- 633-7418
Don't forget that public television holds frequent telethons to ask for public donations. Be sure to let WFYI know very clearly, that you will never donate unless they air broadcasts that educate the public on the problems with corporate welfare and the CIB bailout.

And to think, because I have no children, I was going to bequeath the proceeds from the sale of my house to WFYI in my will. This changed my mind.

REVOLT NEWS COVERAGE: Compare "hit piece" done by WISH-TV Channel 8's Jim Shella to unbiased coverage around the state

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CHANNEL 8's COVERAGE by political reporter Jim Shella
http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/politics/Group_host_Revolt_at_the_Statehouse_20090325 .
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The original Channel 8 report which aired at noon was scrubbed from the internet by 6pm on Wednesday, March 25th. Notice how there are two date stamps on the Channel 8 coverage? He came back from the event after laughing at us, calling us "whack jobs" all day and headed straight to the editing room to put together that "hit piece" against taxpayers.

Now, compare Shella's report to other unbiased coverage around Indiana:

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-in-xgr-taxpayerrally,0,3795629.story

INDY STAR
http://www.indystar.com/article/20090325/NEWS0501/

WIBC
http://www.wibc.com/news/Story.aspx?id=1075529

COURIER PRESS (Evansville)
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/mar/25/protesters-revolt-at-statehouse/

GARY POST TRIBUNE
http://www.post-trib.com/news/elections/1496175,ga-rally.article

Yesterday, an email list we saw suggested a boycott of WISH-TV advertisers like statewide grocer to the masses, Marsh Supermarkets who is also a big sponsor of the Indianapolis Pacers. You will recall from listening to several of the rally speakers, that taxpayers have a big problem brewing with a push to make taxpayers bailout the billionaire team owners of the Colts and Pacers.

Shella's television coverage gave no mention of the sports bailout.

WISH TV Jim Shella of Channel 8 News laughs at taxpayers

WISH-TV hit Job: Bankrupt Country, Losing Your Property and Corporate Welfare Are Funny to Jim Shella?

Click to read the link above to see another explanation about what Jim Shella of WISH-TV Channel 8 news did to the taxpayers at Wednesday's rally.

HFFT covers what is happening behind the scenes with Channel since the hit piece against taxpayers aired on Wednesday 6 o'clock news.

Kerry Beard posts pictures of Revolt

Thanks Kerry for doing this for us!

Here are pictures from Kerry's Facebook page!

Democrat leaning blog, IPOPA, raises ire against CIB Colts Pacers bailout

From Hoosiers for Fair Taxation:

I've only got a minute to post right now, but read this over at Indy's Painfully Objective Political Analysis. They are pointing out how everyone is going to get socked for bailing out the Colts and the Pacers.