Chicago Sun-Times Not a Legitimate Source for Working People
By Jim Vail
Sometimes you wish you could say something once and the person listening would immediately get it. Or maybe two or three times.
But we know in the world of teaching, it doesn't work that way. Whether you are at home with your kids, at school with your students or in the office with your colleagues, you need a lot of patience, and hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel with what you're trying to get across.
The Chicago Sun-Times, my dear fellow teachers, working people, the 99% who bother to read this corporate newspaper - is the ENEMY!!!
The owners represent the 1%. But of course, they want to wrap their sickly arms around us plebians and do so by funding a local paper that reports local news.
And use it to shape and poison people's minds.
The Sun-Times, a champion of privatization schemes, Bruce Rauner and charter schools, is now on the attack to discredit the Chicago Teachers Union, orders straight from the top.
The latest is its recent attack, an almost silly intelligence-type report on the enemy, entitled "THE WATCHDOGS: How Chicago Teachers Union spends its money."
Their 'investigative' reporters Chris Fusco and Tim Novak look into this union group and where it spends its money, how much the top officers are paid - actually President Karen Lewis falls down a few ranks and takes sixth place. Administrator and former UPCer Lynn Cherkasky-Davis is tops with $233,071 and Annette Rizzo, who at least helped get Core first elected and yours truly worked with during that exciting time to unseat the corrupt UPC, is second at $205,221.
Then they dig into an internal union issue I always had reservations about airing out in public - union nepotism via the Potter family. Jeeze, these dudes even go back to remind us 'old timers' that CTU chief of staff (or whatever the fuck he wants you to call him) Jackson Potter hired his mother to do lots of lucrative legal work for the union.
Well, one. Is she getting the job done? Do her rates compare to other labor lawyers (any bidding process involved?).
Hell, Jackson Potter and Core won. The union is no longer a disgrace as it was earlier under the UPC and its internal battles that the Sun-Times also made fun of with front page headlines.
But I never got around to asking those questions of Mr. Jackson.
As a reporter, I should have. No body is above the law.
Congrats Sun-Times on that one!
But how about now taking a nice hard look at the CPS Chief Forrest Claypool and his team of highly-paid CTA - whoops, I mean CPS - bureaucrats. How much resources do they have? Can they afford to waste tax payer dollars or do we just trust them.
Or how about an intelligence report on the Bruce Rauner empire and how he bought the last election. Or all the companies and individuals who paid to put the embarrassing mayor in his position?
A newspaper is supposed to be the fourth branch of power to keep the other branches in check.
The Sun-Times doesn't do this. In fact, just the opposite, they provide safe propaganda for the powers that be.
Now how many more times do I have to say class - The Sun-Times is not a legitimate source, and read with caution! They are in fact our enemy!
By Jim Vail
 |
| Yes, the Chicago Sun-Times is broke when it comes to being a real newspaper for the public. |
Sometimes you wish you could say something once and the person listening would immediately get it. Or maybe two or three times.
But we know in the world of teaching, it doesn't work that way. Whether you are at home with your kids, at school with your students or in the office with your colleagues, you need a lot of patience, and hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel with what you're trying to get across.
The Chicago Sun-Times, my dear fellow teachers, working people, the 99% who bother to read this corporate newspaper - is the ENEMY!!!
The owners represent the 1%. But of course, they want to wrap their sickly arms around us plebians and do so by funding a local paper that reports local news.
And use it to shape and poison people's minds.
The Sun-Times, a champion of privatization schemes, Bruce Rauner and charter schools, is now on the attack to discredit the Chicago Teachers Union, orders straight from the top.
The latest is its recent attack, an almost silly intelligence-type report on the enemy, entitled "THE WATCHDOGS: How Chicago Teachers Union spends its money."
Their 'investigative' reporters Chris Fusco and Tim Novak look into this union group and where it spends its money, how much the top officers are paid - actually President Karen Lewis falls down a few ranks and takes sixth place. Administrator and former UPCer Lynn Cherkasky-Davis is tops with $233,071 and Annette Rizzo, who at least helped get Core first elected and yours truly worked with during that exciting time to unseat the corrupt UPC, is second at $205,221.
Then they dig into an internal union issue I always had reservations about airing out in public - union nepotism via the Potter family. Jeeze, these dudes even go back to remind us 'old timers' that CTU chief of staff (or whatever the fuck he wants you to call him) Jackson Potter hired his mother to do lots of lucrative legal work for the union.
Well, one. Is she getting the job done? Do her rates compare to other labor lawyers (any bidding process involved?).
Hell, Jackson Potter and Core won. The union is no longer a disgrace as it was earlier under the UPC and its internal battles that the Sun-Times also made fun of with front page headlines.
But I never got around to asking those questions of Mr. Jackson.
As a reporter, I should have. No body is above the law.
Congrats Sun-Times on that one!
But how about now taking a nice hard look at the CPS Chief Forrest Claypool and his team of highly-paid CTA - whoops, I mean CPS - bureaucrats. How much resources do they have? Can they afford to waste tax payer dollars or do we just trust them.
Or how about an intelligence report on the Bruce Rauner empire and how he bought the last election. Or all the companies and individuals who paid to put the embarrassing mayor in his position?
A newspaper is supposed to be the fourth branch of power to keep the other branches in check.
The Sun-Times doesn't do this. In fact, just the opposite, they provide safe propaganda for the powers that be.
Now how many more times do I have to say class - The Sun-Times is not a legitimate source, and read with caution! They are in fact our enemy!
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