Compare and Contrast
Just an open post. I thought it might be interesting to get feedback and thoughts about these two news stories that are both reporting on the same set of facts:
[div style="float: left; width: 50%;"]Our local fish wrap here in Miltown saw it this way:
http://www.jsonline.com/business/einhorns-contribution-to-walker-could-trigger-paytoplay-rule-t57t0k7-182683161.html
in the first report.
[div style="float: right; width: 50%;"]The same factual elements -- and other, related and pertinent items -- were reported the next day, here:
http://cognidissidence.blogspot.com/2012/12/one-would-think-walker-would-be-better.html
in the second report.
Both stories have these four paragraphs at their common core:
[div class="excerpt" style="margin-left: 1em; border: 2px solid #6600cc; border-radius: 0.4615em; box-shadow: 6px 6px 6px #999999;"]Conservative Milwaukee financier Stephen Einhorn and his wife, Nancy, donated $25,000 to Gov. Scott Walker a month before Einhorn's firm won a contract to manage $1 million of taxpayer money, potentially triggering federal "pay-to-play" conflict of interest rules.
Einhorn's Capital Midwest and two other companies were chosen by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority from a field of six applicants to invest $7 million of federal money in state businesses, particularly those in low-income communities. After an inquiry by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the two $12,500 contributions from the Einhorns, a WHEDA official said the agency is holding off on releasing the money to Capital Midwest until the firm resolves questions about the federal rule.
"They've got to get this answered before anybody's comfortable making any kind of final release," said John Hogan, WHEDA chief operating officer.
Hogan said WHEDA kept the selection process free from political influence. His comments were echoed by others who sought the money - including those from firms that didn't win. But some of the fund managers also said they had explicit policies in place to prevent political donations from creating a real or perceived conflict of interest.
= new reply since forum marked as read
