Konkol Idiocy

Mark Konkol is a Complete Idiot

By Jim Vail

Anti-union corporate media hack Mark Konkol

First - Mark Konkol, a disgraced former Reader editor who constantly writes how much he hates the Chicago Teachers Union and Core, is an idiot.

Second - Core, who is blasting Members First for teaming up with the CTU-hating Chicago Tribune (Wishing for a Hurricane Katrina in Chicago), has benefited from a puff piece by the Chicago Magazine that lauded VP Stacy Gates as the heir to the CTU throne.

The Chicago Tribune owns the Chicago Magazine!

I have written about the corporate media who circle like sharks around the Chicago Teachers Union and the upcoming election May 20. Members First, the leading opposition caucus, has generated a lot of media attention from the Chicago Tribune, NBC News, WTTW TV and WGN. Core, who leads the Chicago Teachers Union, has cried foul about outside interference, but has also generated favorable media coverage from the Sun-Times, Wbez Radio and now the Chicago Magazine.

The latest story featured Stacy Gates like she was some fashion model ready to take over the city and lead us all to the promised land. It was a bit nauseating, especially the part about Gates being the heir apparent to be the next CTU President. Especially disgusting since Core has been lamenting about outside interference in this election.

"Heir apparent? I guess the votes of 25,000 members on May 20th is a forgone conclusion. Glad the media knows the pulse of our members," Joey McDermott, REAL Caucus candidate for CTU VP, wrote on fb.

Of course, Mr. Konkol beat me to the punch and called this all out in his April 25 article because anti-union writing is his thang, and pointing out any flaw in the CTU business is his modus operandi.

First, the title of his article in Patch was a joke: "Did Magazine Get Used By Davis Gates To Influence CTU Election?

Hello!, as my affable colleague says when I point out the latest absurd thing I heard. Everybody is playing somebody. The Chicago Tribune is presenting two sides of our ruling class: 

1- the cold hard conservative face of the business world that hates unions, especially vocal minority-led ones like the CTU who get results. 

2- the social/racial justice liberal face that needs to make concessions to black lives after massive protests exposed the ugliness of a country ruled by police brutality.

Konkol is a curious choice for the rulers to present as the face of anti-CTU and Stacy Davis Gates. This journalist was fired from the Chicago Reader back in 2018 for running an extremely racist picture of Gov. J.B. Pritzker with him seating on a black lawn jockey. 

Adeshina Emmanuel, who wrote the article that criticized the Gov for his subtle racism, strongly opposed the cover art and said Konkol initially suggested they include a full spelling of the N-word in the headline.

And this is the guy calling out Stacy Davis Gates? WTF??

But that's how it is - former disgraced criminals, bigots or racists who get fired after a public outroar slime their way back into a job because the criminal, racist bigot bosses always need them to put out their poison.

Mark Konkol won a Pulitzer Prize and I am not surprised. The ruling class always awards their lackeys for work on behalf of their crimes. The NY Times is Exhibit A - they have won how many Pulitzers and on the record lied to lead us into the disastrous Iraq War. That's who wins these top prizes.

Konkol more than that is just an ugly person. The Reader staff cheered after he was fired, tweeting out, "Ding Dong, the Wicked Witch is Dead."

Former music editor Philip Montoro said that Konkol, "shouted me down in meetings, berated me, insulted me, and disrespected and alienated longtime freelance contributors."

Boy, what a guy to be calling out the CTU and the follies of our Core VP Stacy Davis-Gates.

Almost makes you want to vote Core just to spite their racist hatred.

Still, the article in Chicago Magazine certainly had a number of teachers and union members scratching their heads. Core is a political beast that will use the corporate media as much as any powerful political machine hell bent on winning this election.