BY DAN
KENNEDY
Notes and observations on
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click
here.
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
Journalism, politics, and
Shannon O'Brien. Back in July, when WLVI-TV (Channel 56)
announced it had hired the 2002 Democratic candidate for governor,
Shannon O'Brien, as a consumer reporter, observers agreed that
O'Brien would have to take care not to be seen indulging her
political passions.
"If her first crusade is against
alleged consumer fraud by the Romney administration, then there might
be some questions," UMass Amherst journalism professor Ralph
Whitehead told the Globe on July 11.
So what was O'Brien thinking when
she made a purely political speech before the Worcester Democratic
City Committee last night?
According to this
account (subscription
required) in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, O'Brien
whacked Mitt Romney, the man who defeated her in the gubernatorial
campaign, saying of his fee hikes: "We see now what the truth is
about not raising taxes. It comes a little late for me."
She also dumped on George W. Bush
and praised John Kerry, urging Democrats to drive to New Hampshire
and work on Kerry's presidential campaign.
As for her duties as a TV reporter,
which begin in two weeks, O'Brien -- a former state treasurer -- told
the crowd, "I'll speak up for people who have been ripped off by
businesses and I'll make sure that government is doing the right
thing by them."
O'Brien would be a lot more
credible in that role if she'd refrain from making what
T&G reporter Mark Melady described as "what at times
sounded like a campaign stump speech."
posted at 11:53 AM |
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MEDIA LOG ARCHIVES
Dan Kennedy is senior writer and media critic for the Boston Phoenix.
