Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy

Analysis:

This article provides readers with nothing more than the amount of money that each of the 4 candidates running for one of Michigan’s Senate race. Despite the fact that the financial disclosures of all candidates are now part of the public record, the reporter does not provide readers with information about who gave money to the candidates, those amounts or what political interests they represent.

Another issue that readers can think about is specific to current Senator Stabenow, in that she has a history as the incumbent and also a history of who has provided campaign money in the past and what interests they represent. Readers should ask themselves if more details about campaign finances is useful for voters?

Story:

Sen. Debbie Stabenow holds a wide fundraising lead in her re-election campaign, according to records released Tuesday, while three Republicans compete to win financial backing critical in their primary.

Stabenow, D-Mich., brought in more than $1.3 million during the last three months of 2005 and ended the year with $5.65 million.

Her campaign spent nearly $350,000 in the quarter.

Stabenow has raised about $8.28 million during the election cycle, far outpacing three Republicans seeking their party’s nomination: Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard and ministers Keith Butler and Jerry Zandstra.

Bouchard, who re-entered the Republican race in late October, reported about $790,000 in contributions for the quarter and has about $750,000 in the bank. His campaign noted it had only two months to raise money.

“This shows that people from across the state are looking for change and want a voice that will represent them – not special interests – in the US Senate,” Bouchard said, calling it “a great start for our campaign.”

The former state senator withdrew from a possible Senate run in February of 2005, citing heart-related issues, but said last fall that he had addressed his health issues and would seek the nomination.

The contributions could help make him competitive against Butler, a former Detroit City Council member who has picked up several endorsements and led the GOP race in fundraising thus far.

Butler, who leads the Word of Faith International Christian Church in Southfield, raised more than $1.4 million in the first nine months of 2005 and had about $765,000 on hand through late September.

Butler’s report for the most recent quarter was not immediately available, and phone messages were left with his campaign.

Zandstra’s report was not to be available until today, but campaign officials said earlier they would end the year with less than $100,000 in the bank.

Zandstra, from Cutlerville, has been on leave from his job as a minister and a program director of a Grand Rapids-area think tank.

The Republican primary is held in August, with the winner advancing to take on Stabenow in the November general election.

Analysis:

The Associated Press story that ran in the Grand Rapids Press did a good job of providing multiple perspectives on this new legislation introduced by Norton Shores legislator, Republican Gerald Van Woerkom. The story is framed in such a way as to pit organic farmers against farmers who use genetically modified seeds. The article also cites two organizations that are siding with farmers, the Michigan Farm Bureau siding with the use of GMO seeds and the Center for Food Safety siding with organic farmers.

Readers would not learn much from this article as it basically just provides both sides of the issue an opportunity to make claims, but there is no real verification of claims from either side. The article does mention that other states and communities have passed some legislation preventing GMO seeds from being used, but does not explore why these states have done so. Another issue that is not discussed is who is lobbying the state legislature, nor the amount of money being spent on this issue. According to the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, the Michigan Farm Bureau was the 40th largest campaign contributor in the 2004 Michigan elections, contributing $142,000 dollars to candidates.

Story:

Seeds of conflict take root in debate over Michigan farming bill
DAVID EGGERT

LANSING, Michigan (AP) – Food is their livelihood.

But for Michelle Lutz, an organic vegetable farmer, and Herb Smith, a planter of genetically modified soybeans, the job requires more these days than simply tending their fields in St. Clair and Monroe counties.

They’re on opposite sides of a budding battle in Lansing over legislation that pits natural, chemical-free crops against genetically engineered seeds. The bill not only is prompting a basic fight for economic viability among growers, it’s raising questions about food safety and who should regulate it.

“We give people a unique relationship with their food,” said the 34-year-old Lutz, whose 80-acre organic farm 55 miles north of Detroit ships fresh produce to 1,000 families every week from June through October. “They get to know who, how, why, where and when.”

Lutz is worried, however, about legislation in the state Senate that would prevent local governments from barring the planting of seeds, including genetically modified crops. Pollen from farms with genetically modified crops can drift onto her Yale-area farm and corrupt the “organic” status of her food, she says.

Five California counties and cities have restricted growing genetically modified organisms since 2004. Fourteen states have since passed laws pre-empting similar measures in their backyards, prodded by large seed companies and an increasing number of farmers who plant their genetically modified products.

Smith, who farms 900 acres near Temperance, says he supports the Senate bill because he could keep planting his engineered soybeans – which have received federal approval – without intrusion from local governments. Because the soybeans are engineered to specifically resist a cheaper weed killer, Smith says he saves about $20 an acre by not using conventional herbicides.

“I wouldn’t sell you stuff out of here that I didn’t think was safe,” said Smith, 76, who first planted genetically modified soybeans in 1996.

Up to 85 percent of U.S. soybeans are genetically modified along with 45 percent of corn. It’s estimated that 70 percent of processed foods on U.S. grocery shelves contain genetically modified ingredients.

“I’m not afraid of change. I’m not afraid of GMOs,” Smith said. “I’m concerned that well-meaning people will pass rules that will destroy farming as we know it.”

Critics worry that so-called “frankenfoods” pose allergy risks to humans, contaminate the natural ecosystem, lead to more chemical spraying and create other unknown, long-term health dangers. Another big concern is government oversight.

Douglas Gurian-Sherman, senior scientist at the Washington-based Center for Food Safety, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lets the agricultural industry decide how best to test the safety of genetically modified seeds.
“It is a classic case of the fox guarding the hen house,” said Gurian-Sherman, a former Environmental Protection Agency scientist who recently testified before a Senate panel in Lansing. Since there are few federal regulations, he says, “the state and local jurisdictions are necessary to protect the public and send a message to Washington that they need to do a better job.”

The bill’s sponsor in the state Senate, Republican Gerald Van Woerkom of Norton Shores, says genetically modified crops generally benefit society by reducing the amount of chemicals in the environment, among other things. But he wants his committee to hold off on voting on the measure until he looks into Gurian-Sherman’s testimony questioning federal oversight.

The Michigan Farm Bureau and other backers of the bill say safety fears are unfounded and federal officials have created proper regulatory checkpoints. Biotechnology cuts down on the use of herbicides and pesticides, which saves fuel and labor costs. It also makes drought-resistant crops that grow faster, produces better yields and reduces greenhouse gases, they argue.

Opponents say the bill isn’t necessary because local governments in Michigan haven’t passed rules against genetically modified crops. Yet farmers, feeling outnumbered as urban sprawl reaches their communities, think it’s only a matter of time before township boards and county commissions meddle in their seed choices.

Tonia Ritter, legislative counsel for the Michigan Farm Bureau, says the emotional issue has split members of her group.

Analysis:

Again the article focuses on the possibility of a tax increase to Grand Rapids residents. Here the Press reporter cites 5 people, Bing Goei with the Chamber of Commerce, City Comm. Rick Tormala, Laura Huey with the Institute for Global Education, Cyndy Viars with Disability Advocates and Kent County Commissioner Paul Mayhue. There were mixed responses on the taxation issue, but only the Disability Advocates representative mentioned anything other than taxes. She was quoted as saying that the “Mayor would need to show residents how they will benefit from a tax increase, especially since they City would offer tax cuts to corporations.” The failure in this article is that they did not present the other proposals from the Mayor, nor explore the viability of such proposals. For an independent reporting on the State of the City address go to the online source Media Mouse.

Story:

Some city leaders doubtful mayor can convince voters to raise taxes
By Dave Murray

GRAND RAPIDS — Mayor George Heartwell issued the call to raise taxes near the middle of his “State of the City” speech Saturday, paused for a response and was surprised by what he heard: applause. While it wasn’t the standing ovation the mayor received as he was introduced to the crowd at the DeVos Place breakfast meeting, Heartwell said he was “certainly pleased” that he wasn’t booed for suggesting that residents need to dig deeper into their pockets to prevent further cuts in city services.

But some of leaders of the city’s business and social service communities said it’s one thing to get some applause from a friendly audience and another to convince voters. “I think that was an indication of our politeness in West Michigan,” said Bing Goi, chairman of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. “I think the mayor is right to put it on the table to talk about it, but raising taxes should be the very, very, very last resort. “He spoke about making government leaner, and I encourage them to keep working in that direction before they want to raise taxes.”

City Commission member Rick Tormala said he doesn’t think there is any way Heartwell can get a tax hike when the city is cutting services but adding to its savings. “I don’t think George Heartwell has the credibility to get a tax increase at this time,” he said. “If he wants to keep the pool open and keep all our firefighters and not keep building up the savings, I’d go door-to-door to help him pass a tax increase. But that’s not what he’s doing, and this is not going to pass.”
Some attending the speech said they don’t think people can afford to pay more when energy and health-care costs are soaring. “I think people are flat-out pinched right now,” said Laura Huey of the Institute for Global Education. “Look at all the things going on right now, and I really don’t think people are able to afford more taxes.”

Cyndy Viars, a systems change facilitator for Disability Advocates of Kent County, noted that Heartwell spoke of tax abatements for businesses but did not touch on helping people in need or groups that assist them. She said people will expect to see added services for increased taxes, and that Heartwell would need to show residents how they — and not corporations — would benefit.

Heartwell did not say which taxes he would raise or how much they should be hiked. Any increase in the city’s income tax or property tax must be approved by voters.

“I think a half-dozen mayoral aspirants are licking their chops at the thought of me even talking about this,” Heartwell joked. He said the city would continue looking for ways in-house to cut costs, but said slashing the city’s work force to cover a projected $8.5 million deficit would decimate services that have already been cut recently.
Heartwell said the city has cut $65 million in spending during the past four years and will have to cut $80 million in the next five years.

Kent County Commissioner Paul Mayhue, whose district includes part of Grand Rapids, said Heartwell risks getting tagged “a tax-and-spend liberal” by opponents, but he said the issue should be discussed. “People continue to see their services cut,” he said. “But the city’s expenses continue to rise, and the revenue side has to come up in some way. This is a challenge to us as a city.”

Analysis:

The article was a preview of Mayor George Heartwell’s State of the City address, where the focus this year was on economic sustainability. The speech focused on several points to improve the local economy, not just raising taxes, such as increasing government efficiency, reduction of municipal services, providing more tax abatements for businesses and creating sustainable industrial parks. None of these elements were discussed in the Press article until the very end of the story on page 2, in the last two paragraphs. Framing the issue as one primarily about taxes was clearly designed to get people’s attention, but why didn’t the Press provide any substantive coverage of the other economic policies that the Mayor was planning on sharing at the State of the City? How does it serve citizens by not providing an adequate representation of local government policy?

Story:

Mayor: GR needs tax hike
By Jim Harger

GRAND RAPIDS — Mayor George Heartwell was to use today’s “State of the City” speech to call for an increase in city taxes.

Unless the state government restores revenue-sharing funds it cut in recent years, Heartwell said the city needs to look at a tax increase or face more drastic cuts in police, fire and recreational services.

The city has cut $64 million in spending in the past four years and will have to cut another $80 million in the next five years, Heartwell said. The next city budget will require cuts of about $8.5 million, he said.

“Everyone who loves this city has been saddened to see the quality of municipal services decline,” Heartwell planned to tell audience members this morning during a breakfast speech at DeVos Place.

“I will not stand by and watch our city decline for want of investment in public services and infrastructure.”
Although Heartwell has floated trial balloons in recent months suggesting he might support a tax increase, today’s speech was to be his strongest call yet for raising taxes.

Any increase in the city’s income tax or property tax must be approved by voters. Heartwell said Friday he doesn’t know if he has the votes on the City Commission to put the question on the ballot later this year. Heartwell also said he has not decided if he will pursue a property tax increase or an increase in the city’s income tax.

Raising the city’s income tax from 1.3 percent to the state limit of 1.5 percent would raise about $8.5 million a year, he said. Non-residents employed in the city would see their rates increase from .65 percent to .75 percent.
Grand Rapids is among a handful of West Michigan cities with such a levy. Walker has a 1 percent tax on residents and a 0.5 percent tax on non-resident workers. Other West Michigan cities with income taxes include Big Rapids, Ionia, Muskegon, Muskegon Heights and Battle Creek.

Heartwell said a 2-mill increase in city property taxes also would raise $8.5 million a year. The city currently generates about $20 million a year for its general fund from property taxes.

A restoration of state revenue sharing funds could forestall the need for a local tax increase, Heartwell said. “But it’s not highly probable at this time,” he added.

Heartwell said he will build the case for a tax increase by convincing citizens the city is operating as efficiently as possible. He said the city already has made strides through its “Administrative Lean Program.” The city will have to make further cuts in its health care and pension programs, he said.

Heartwell tried to strike a positive note in his speech, saying there were signs the region’s manufacturing economy is beginning to regain strength. He also touted West Michigan’s emerging health-care and biomedical sector. Although he did not provide specifics, Heartwell said he wanted to create tax incentives to encourage the development of knowledge-based companies.

He also called for the redevelopment of two soon-to-be vacant industrial complexes as “eco-industrial parks,” in which sustainable business practices and “green” principles would be rewarded with tax breaks.

Analysis:

The reporter in this piece makes some very general statements about what the citizens of New Orleans think about the government response to the flooding of their city. In the piece it is noted that the Federal government had specific warnings in advance of the hurricane of the potential for catastrophic flooding. The reporter notes that this revelation is like a “punch to the gut” of the people hardest hit by the hurricane. He then goes on to generalize that despite this, most of those affected blame local and state officials and that “there is just no time to worry about the political finger pointing.” These statements by the reporter are not backed up by any actual data such as opinion polls. Rather the viewer is presented with statements from two individual residents. The effect of these comments is that it leads the viewer to dismiss the allegations of incompetence by the federal relief efforts because it’s just “political finger pointing” or because the residents most effected are not blaming the federal government. These general statements about what the residents of New Orleans think do little to actually inform the viewer on the events surrounding the flooding and relief efforts in New Orleans. Rather they prejudice the viewer to potentially dismiss the allegations put forward by these US Senate hearings.

Story:

WOOD 8 Newsreader #1 – The US senate committee on homeland security and governmental affairs continues hearings on the government’s response failures during Hurricane Katrina last August.

Newsreader #2 – Today members of the committee focused on a 2004 simulation drill that predicted much of the devastation that Katrina wrought on the gulf coast. Jay Grey has that story tonight from New Orleans.

Reporter – In the aftermath of Katrina even President Bush said quote: I don’t think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees. But documents released Tuesday by senate investigators show somebody should have known. A homeland security memo to the White House just hours before the storm hit says, quoting again; any storm rated category four or greater will likely lead to severe flooding or levee breaching.

Senator Joe Lieberman – Katrina was not just predictable it was predicted over and over again.

Reporter – Other documents dated two days before the storm point to data from a doomsday drill conducted in Louisiana in 2004 and said it should be quote; common knowledge that hurricane driven flooding from Katrina would cause catastrophic problems in the crescent city.

Felthus Blaise (New Orleans Resident) – I know they knew, we knew.

Reporter – And now more than five months since the storm and still struggling from the affects of Katrina this latest information is like another punch to the gut for those working to reclaim their lives and restore their communities. But those hardest hit say the majority of the blame should fall on those that were on the ground in New Orleans, local and state officials who many believe didn’t move fast enough.

Dervin Blaise (New Orleans Resident) – They might not have prevented the homes but they could have prevented a lot of lives from being lost.

Reporters – And while they are angry, most here say there is just no time to worry about the political finger pointing. They must instead focus on the years of work ahead as they try to bring there city back. In New Orleans, Jay Gray, 24 hour News 8.

Total Time: 1 minute 49 seconds

Analysis:

This story has no relevance to West Michigan. Viewers could rightly question what rational WZZM has for running this piece on the local news.

Story:

WZZM Newsreader – The weather is cold, very cold in Lithuania, the temperatures across the Baltic’s and Russia dropped below zero today where they’ve held steady for several days. Swans have gone to warmer waters coming in from a thermal plant along the Baltic sea. And a belly dancing convention refused to reschedule, they promised to perform despite the cold.

Total Time: 25 seconds

Analysis:

This story focuses on the recently announced candidacy of former State Representative James Koetje. Koetje becomes the 3rd Republican to announce their running for this seat, along with Joanne Voorhees and Mark Jansen, making all of the GOP candidates former members of the State House. The article however, doesn’t provide readers with information on Koetje’s platform or voting record while in the House, instead it focuses on a 2002 dispute about whether or not Koetje moved his residence in order to run in a re-districted race. We have documented over the years this type of coverage of elections in reports entitled “An Informed Vote.” One previous example was also a State House race, where the only story that ran 30-days prior to the election was about a yard sign dispute in 2002 – see page 15 of the report. Readers should ask themselves how this type of reporting helps voters make decisions on who to vote for?

Story:

Koetje to seek Sikkema seat

Former state representative will challenge Jansen, Voorhees in Republican primary

Jim Koetje is running again, and he is moving again.

In announcing to several area city councils this week that he intends to run for state Senate, the Grandville attorney becomes the third former lawmaker seeking to succeed term-limited Senate Majority Leader Ken Sikkema, R-Wyoming.

He joins ex-lawmakers Mark Jansen and Joanne Voorhees in what promises to be a competitive Republican primary.

“I look forward to getting back to lend my experience and ideas” to the Legislature, said Koetje, 50, who served in Sikkema’s old House seat from 1998 to 2004.

Koetje raised eye-brows by buying a Walker house so he could run in his redistricted seat in 2002. And even though his Grandville home is in the Senate district, he plans to move again – this time to Wyoming’s “panhandle” neighborhood, where new homes are being built. He says the move is not designed to run out of a populous base or to cut into Voorhees’ territory, but “to get something more accommodating to my family.”

Koetje sold his Walker home last spring, only weeks after his final House term ended. He bought the home to move into the redistricted seat just before the 2002 race, but created a furor when it was learned that he was still making Grandville his primary residence.

Koetje, who intends to sell his Grandville home, said he doesn’t expect residency to be an issue in the campaign.

“I don’t know what people will say, but I’m running based on who I am and what I can bring to the table,” he said. “I’m not intending to engage in any sort of negative campaigning. People will vote for who they believe can do the best job and who represents their best interests.”

Voorhees, of Wyoming, also served in the House from 1998 – 2004, while Jansen, of Grand Rapids Township, served from 1996 – 2002. Democrat Albert Abbasse has also announced his candidacy.

The Senate seat covers much of Kent County surrounding Grand Rapids. With a population of nearly 70,000, Wyoming is the district’s largest city.

More than 60 percent of Koetje’s old districts are in the Senate district’s boundaries, Koetje said.

Koetje’s positions on various business-related committees during his House tenure would serve him well in the Senate, he said.

“The experience will be very helpful in these times where the biggest issue is jobs and job retention,” he said. “The focus of this race will be the economy and jobs.”

Analysis:

This Press story, which ran in the “Briefs” section of the paper on page B12 looked at how much Senate incumbent Debbie Stabenow has for her campaign. Beyond the figure of $5.7 million, the story doesn’t look at what individuals or Political Action Committees have been the primary donors to her re-election bid. The story does mention the source for the amount of money raised by Stabenow, the Center for Responsive Politics, but no details about where the money has come from. According to the site about 80% of the money is from individual contributions and 20% from PAC money. Readers should ask themselves if details on the larger contributors is useful information in an election cycle?

Story:

US Senator Debbie Stabenow heads into the 2006 election year with nearly $5.7 million on hand, her campaign said Wednesday. The Democratic incumbent continues to have a wide fundraising lead over her potential Republican rivals. She raised about $1.3 million in the last three months of 2005 and a total of $5 million for the year. Since becoming a senator in 2001, she has raised $8.1 million, according to campaign records and the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Campaign finance reports for 2005 aren’t officially due until Jan. 31. But some candidates have released early estimates of how much they expect to raise. Three Republicans – Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard and ministers Keith Butler and Jerry Zandstra – are seeking to unseat Stabenow in November.

Analysis:

The headlined reads “Bishop calls for fair distribution of resources,” but the story doesn’t really communicate how or why the world’s resources should be distributed fairly. The article does say that the Bishop referred to Catholic Social teaching of this issue, but never provides an actual source, even though Gumbleton sourced each of his quotes from church documents. The Bishop also cites several statistics, but the reporter never verifies or provides sources for the statistics on poverty. The only concrete example of wealth distribution in the Press article was when Gumbleton referred to the minimum wage campaign in Florida, but Gumbleton also discussed trade policies such as NAFTA and the recently passed trade policy CAFTA. Gumbleton even cited a Catholic Bishops statement from the US and Central American Bishops that was opposed to CAFTA.

This information could have been reported and would be useful to readers, but the Press article instead devoted a full third of the story to Gumbleton’s recent disclosure of being sexual abused by a priest when he was in school, despite the fact that Gumbleton never mentioned this issue at the lecture.

Story:

Bishop calls for fair distribution of resources

By Patricia Mish
The Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS — In one image, an African girl collapses from hunger, while a vulture hovers nearby. In another, an American 4-year-old boy clad in hockey gear prepares to take to the ice.

Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton used the photographs to illustrate the widening gap between rich and poor in a world where a fifth of the population uses 87 percent of the resources. The bottom fifth live in “absolute poverty,” he said.

“The reason it’s an injustice is it need not be that way,” Gumbleton told about 375 people at Aquinas College on Tuesday.

The activist bishop had spoken earlier the same day about another injustice — sexual abuse.
Gumbleton told reporters states should remove time limits preventing victims from suing the church, and revealed he was “inappropriately touched” by a priest when he attended Sacred Heart Seminary High School.

Gumbleton would not name the priest, who he said died 10 or 15 years ago. The first bishop to disclose he was abused, Gumbleton said he was not traumatized by it but felt compelled to speak out. He did not address the issue at Aquinas, focusing his remarks on poverty.

He said God created the world with enough resources for all.

“A few of us have far more than we have a right to when a majority of people do not have enough,” he said.
The African girl is one of 30,000 to 40,000 children who die of hunger daily, Gumbleton said. “Is there any one of us in this room who does not have more than we need?” asked Gumbleton, pastor of St. Leo Parish in Detroit. “I doubt it. If we have more than we need when other people lack the necessities, then we have those material possessions unjustly.”

He cited Catholic social teaching, in which popes and bishops have called for an end to unbridled materialism and a fairer distribution of the world’s resources. He challenged the audience to not only share their resources but to change the societal structures that create the disparity. Gumbleton cited the example of Florida, where voters recently approved a $1 hike in the minimum wage to $6.15 per hour and linked the wage to the inflation rate. “That’s the kind of change we need to make in our whole nation,” he said.

Fielding audience questions, Gumbleton encouraged voters to be informed on all issues. “Just because one party or another party proclaims itself to be pro-life doesn’t mean they’re pro-life,” he said, adding the term means not only opposing abortion but supporting and protecting life.

Tom and Margaret Merkel, who brought their 6-week-old son, agreed. “I’ve never really heard a Catholic come out and say being ‘pro-poor’ was being pro-life,” said Tom Merkel, adding Gumbleton’s talk “does make you want to redouble your efforts to live simply.”

Consolata Sister Zelia Cordeiro said she has heard Gumbleton before and praised his calls for justice and peace.
“To me he is one of our prophets,” she said.