Waukesha County's Ill Use Of The First Amendment

[TexasTowelie]

This is just a short take on something that appeared in today’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel…journalists Daphne Chen and Rory Linnane wrote a telling article about COVID-19 and Wisconsin nursing homes. I am not going into that topic directly…but a little aside that appears in the text.

But when trying to find out information about COVID-19 issues with nursing homes in Waukesha County…this transpired:

In Waukesha County, where nine people have died from coronavirus, health officials confirmed “more than one outbreak in long-term care” but would not specify the number of cases or whether the positive individuals are staff or residents.

“You are asked to not contact me, or any other Waukesha County Public Information Officer, or our Health Officer, with additional questions,” wrote county health department spokesperson Linda Wickstrom in an email last week.

WTF? The first amendment provides for freedom of the press and that particularly includes the right and necessity to ask questions of public officials…and to get accurate responses on the behalf of the general public…who on their own wouldn’t have access to the information.

And what exactly is a Public Information Officer for but to provide information to the public including the press?

Read more: http://bloggingblue.com/2020/04/waukesha-countys-ill-use-of-the-first-amendment/

[live love laugh]

1. Indicative of cover ups to minimize the numbers especially in red states

including faulty tests.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-11/false-negative-coronavirus-test-results-raise-doctors-doubts?sref=DOTC0U32&cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_content=business&utm_medium=social

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. Yup. Coverups make the outbreaks worse, not better. Dead bodies hardest to coverup. Relatives. . nt

[gab13by13]

4. I agree but

Trump doesn't give a darn about dead bodies as long as they aren't counted as Covid-19 deaths.

[modrepub]

6. Statistical Analysis on Number of Deaths

Many moons from now I hope someone goes back and reanalyzes all of this. I suspect there's a lot more deaths from this than what is being reported. Would be pretty easy to look at the "natural" death rate based on long term averages and see the spike starting in February or March (and beyond) to gauge the real impact of COVID-19. Too bad most journalists don't have the tools or resources to do this type of analysis. And would the Repuglicans even care (aka, same response to global warming stats/arguments).

[ancianita]

3. Red counties. File a FOIA & lawyer up. Then run Democrats against the county hierarchy.

For the next Democratic governor, keep a list of those who "followed orders" and those who gave them, across counties; later, either eliminate those positions, or rename them and then rehire.

[gab13by13]

5. People need to know this information now.

If I had a loved one in that nursing home I would be contacting that Public Information Officer daily. I hope to hell they aren't allowing sick staff to work, that is criminal.

[Blue Owl]

7. That Waukesha County is a boil on Wisconsin

That needs to be lanced