On the bright side, it’s good to see some original local reporting in a Montana newspaper. On the downside, I’m not sure that staging dramatic PR photos and offering an entirely uncritical look at a group that advocates a racial war against minorities is entirely appropriate.
This is an astonishing article. In it, Becky Shay, the reporter, allows a self-described member of the Montana Creators Assembly to:
- claim that his movement is non-violent, despite copious evidence to the contrary.
- disavow involvement in racially motivated hate crimes.
- promote his organization’s web sites.
- pitch his 14 track pro-white CD.
And then the pictures. What could be a nicer gift for a young member of a right wing hate group than professionally produced, propaganda-style photographs? What news value do these photographs serve, other than to sensationalize the story and sell papers?
There’s no context for this story nor justification. The story tries to assert significance by connecting the group to crime in Billings, but the best that Shay musters is some arrests eight years ago and two assaults that “may” be related to skinheads. Call the Pulitzer people!
Do I really think the Gazette article is going to lead to a membership spike in the Montana Creators Assembly? Probably not. It’s not like people who would join are likely to be avid readers, for one thing. But there is a reason they seek publicity like this—to draw naive or confused kids to their web sites—and this article facilitates that, without even a modicum of balance. There’s not one bit of information about the history of violence that characterizes the Creator movement, not one quote from an organization like the Montana Human Rights Network, and not one statement from anyone who’s been the victim of a hate crime or targeted by one of these racist groups.
This story demonstrates either an incredible lack of judgment or an even more astonishing cynicism. Nazis do sell newspapers after all, especially when you’ve got great art.
Article by Don Pogreba
Don has written 1332 posts for us. He is an English and debate teacher in Helena, MT. When not writing here or working on debate handbooks, he is writing about educational issues at Prairie Pedagogue.
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Don, have you written Ms. Shay or the Gazette about this?
i second the question. a letter to the editor is much needed, and i think that you should write precisely what you displayed here – the lack of balance is appalling.
Professionally done white-supremacist photos are exactly what Montana newspapers need more of.
It’s really quite sickening. I third the question, a letter to the editor would be a good idea.
seems like only 10 years ago or so Billings enjoyed a great reputation for tolerance with everyone supporting jewish families. what kind of newspaper prints something like this without some serious blow-back from the community. Who. What. Where. Why. How. where is the point of view for tolerance? what about just basic journalism 101? Balance people! talk about being oblivious to the community you report on! keeeeerist!
If I understand your balance argument, Don – if the Gazette were to do an article on the community involvement of Montana Human Rights Network and what they do to serve Billings, and the State promoting diversity and racial equality; they should get a quote from the Creator’s group as counterpoint?
It’s a fair question, but based on a false assumption, I think.
If the Gazette ran a story about the Human Rights Network’s work, they should interview critics, but not advocates of racial holy war. That would be ‘balanced’ in the sense that modern journalism strives for, and responsible.
There is quite possibly a legitimate news story about white supremacist movements, but giving a marginal, fringe hate group license to advocate its views with kid glove treatment certainly seems less about news than sensationalism.
I’d suggest that it’s our job as the community, the readers, to be critical – not the reporter. It’s an arguable position for sure, but I don’t think the reporter should be the one attacking this group – and to ignore its existence is a disservice to the community.
I understand your point about adding context from an opposing viewpoint, but that leads me back to my question above.
I guess I just don’t think this article is as heinous and irresponsible as some are making it out to be. The interviewee, perhaps – but not the reporter nor the paper.
But I can’t get past two questions.
1) Is this person newsworthy enough to give this kind of attention to? There are hundreds of crackpots with theories ranging from Holocaust denial to belief that aliens control the federal government. Does each of them deserve a platform to explain his/her views? Given that the subject of the interview could/would not quantify his movement’s membership and there has been no demonstrated increase in racist incidents in Billings, what makes his story matter?
2) Doesn’t the reporter have an obligation to print accurate information when the interview subject claims something that is false? He claims the movement is non-violent, but the ADL and the MHRN and the federal courts have all disagreed with that claim.
Of course you’re right, Pogie. There is NOT A THING newsworthy about this pathetic, misguided, probably mentally sick nineteen year old. And to give him THAT much newsprint is bizarre. It IS sensationalism at is finest. But worse, it’s also CREATING the news. And that’s what newspapers should NEVER do. Create the news. Must’a been a slow news week, so the Gazoo decided to liven things up. That’s WAY wrong.
Here’s what I’m thinkin’. Some dink at the Gazoo heard about this sumprenit and thought, “Aha! I see a trend! We got a Black president, so there’s just GOTTA be lot’s of growing resistence to him out there in there in Inbred Land! ‘Sides, we need balance. Black president, white nitwits! Perfect balance!”
So, this moron at the Gazoo scoops the story, and the story stirs controversy, and the controversy becomes news! And the news sells papers! Gawd! I don’t know which is sicker, the inferior lily white dink, or the Gazoo? I report, YOU decide.
1. Ignoring them does not make them go away. The bright sunshine of public exposure often works as a decent disinfectant. It’s good for Montanans (some of whom can be rather insular at times “this doesn’t happen in Montana”) to realize that groups like this are in our neighborhoods.
2. I had actually never heard of this particular group before (admittedly, I don’t spend any time researching hate groups) but has this particular group [Montana Creators Assembly] actually been identified by ADL and MHRN as violent? If so, then there’s a good case for it. If not, then there’s nothing to refute what he says.
For what its worth, and without rehashing a lot of my past position as political PR flack, I will say that I’ve seen a number of occasions where demonstrably false information was allowed to stand unchallenged and uncorrected by a reporter. However, I’ve known the reporter who wrote this particular article for a number of years and she’s among the best. If he misrepresented himself, and she knew about it – it would have been reported. I guarantee it.
1. So, every crackpot gets this kind of coverage, because it would be good to know about them? I look forward to the in-depth series on Moon Landing Conspiracy theorists and Holocaust Deniers. I just don’t buy it. There is no reason to believe this kid or his organization needs to be promoted.
2. A tiny little bit of research would have shown Ms. Shay what the Creativity Movement is about. Here’s a sampling.
From the MHRN (www.mhrn.org/publications/specialresearchreports/speakingvolumes.pdf)
From the ADL (http://www.adl.org/Learn/ext_us/WCOTC.asp)
From the Southern Poverty Law Center (http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=529)
From the New York Times (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02E1D6143FF933A0575BC0A9649C8B63)
From Political Research Associates (http://www.publiceye.org/racism/white-supremacy.html#WCOTC)
1. This wasn’t an in-depth series by anyone’s yardstick. Regardless, I think it was a gutsy piece of straight-up journalism; you disagree. Fair to say it’s going to stay that way.
2. Point well made, and well taken.
And with that, I’ll bow out and leave you the final word ‘cus it sounds like the kids are all asleep and that’s my cue to do the same. Thanks for the back&forth Pogie, I enjoy it as always.
Absolutely. Thanks for dropping by. It’s been a good break from grading.
Grading??? Pogie, I thought that you were SMART enough to be governor! Now I guess not. You should’ve majored in P.E.!
As a member of the group your talking about… RAHOWA!!
Oops.
I edited the link on your name.
Sorry I’m so late in responding on this. Is it really possible that everyone who has been so critical of the Gazette failed to notice the sidebar that accompany the main story? Here’s a link: http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/01/08/news/local/26-alert.txt
It ran alongside the story in the dead-tree edition, and online it appeared directly below the story. Maybe we should have made the connection clearer, but there it is. So there’s your view from the other side of the fence.
Meanwhile, God forbid that we should run a story about a group that offends anyone’s sensibilities.
I did see the sidebar, which doesn’t address any of the concerns about this group that I have. Why in the world wouldn’t the story mention that Creator movement has a history of violence, when one of the claims of its spokesman was that the movement was non-violent?
What warranted coverage of a movement that has no apparent members, other than the young man featured?
Why no biographical details of this young ‘professional’? Did he graduate from high school? Is he attending college? Working in a professional field?
Does the Gazette typically stage news photos like the ones in the article?
The concern that I (and others) have is that the story wasn’t complete. It’s one thing to say that readers should make up their own minds, but not when the story only presents one side. You shouldn’t do that for politicians, and you certainly shouldn’t do it for neo-Nazis with delusions of grandeur.
that was cute pogie! you just eliminated the whole pro white community with that 3rd grade act heheheheheheheheheheh idiot link hehehe idiot link
lets arrange a meet pogie and we’ll see what kind of link i give you -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_Degree_Murder
Oh no! Not an anonymous death threat from someone too cowardly to post his name on the Internet! What ever will I do?
Oops. I edited your link again.
Isn’t a threat of violence against the law? WAIT! The ALL NEW racists are AGAINST VIOLENCE! Must be the OLD, BAD racists!
Quote; “To be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society is no one ‘s definition of Mental Health” – Osho
2010 and 2011 look around
we will be in your town.
Like any of you nitwits can use a calendar.
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