Local Media Announces Sarah Palin to Visit Grand Rapids
West Michigan news organizations announced today that former Republican Presidential candidate Sarah Palin will make a stop in Grand Rapids as part of her national book tour.
The Grand Rapids Press put the story on the front page and said that Palin will be signing books at the Barnes & Noble store inside the Woodland Mall. Palin’s book, Going Rogue: An American Life, is supposed to be an expose of her time as a running mate with Senator John McCain in the 2008 Election.
The only source cited about the Palin visit is a HarperCollins spokesperson. Harper/Collins is the publisher of Palin’s book. The company also owns the local Christian publishing company Zondervans.
The rest of the local news media also announced Palin’s visit (WOOD TV8, WZZM 13, WXMI 17 & WOOD Radio) and they all relied on either Press Release information or mimicked what was in the GR Press.
None of the local news outlets mentioned why Palin resigned as Governor of Alaska or what influence she has had with the Republican Party in recent months. Mother Jones posted an interesting piece on Tuesday about Palin’s role in a few critical election races around the country. The article focuses on how her support of a third party candidate contributed to the loss of a GOP Congressional seat in New York that hasn’t been won by a Democrat since the 19th century. The story also suggests that Palin and other national figures may create larger divisions with the GOP, since there seems to be a growing rift within Republican ranks.
It’s unfortunate that none of the announcements in the local news about Palin’s visit next week explored any of these issues, but we’ll keep monitoring to see if anything is reported on leading up to and during her visit.
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 
I am organizing a protest of her visit. Please check it out on Facebook. I think (but am not sure) that it is public and not just on my FB page for friends to see.
First Bush at GRCC (where I am a student) and now Palin at a BOOKSTORE. (Schuler’s is my bookstore of choice, but still…bookstores are sanctuaries and not to be defiled!)
Yet another bizarre part of the Sarah saga. What kills me is that the “book” will sell. She’s been tarted up with taxpayer money. Sex sells. Gossip about infighting with McCain is also gonna sell.