The Governor's office has gone to war with the Associated Press. And that may have as far reaching implications as the current chaos at the Roundhouse where the Senate pulled out of the special session leaving the House still working to come up with a tax bill. The Trib's Shea Anderson handles the analytical chores on the guv's latest problems there: abqtrib.com
But I want to focus on the war with the AP whose stories are carried by newspapers, radio and television nationwide. In other words, this news agency is an agenda setter. It is conservative in its approach and few politicians choose to tangle with it. Mostly because it get its right, and when it gets it wrong, it is quick to correct. Here's the meat of the dispute as written by Julie Ann Grimm of the Santa Fe New Mexican:
Governor's Office Blasts Contingency-Fund Story
A spokesman for the governor is blasting an Associated Press report that gave details of how Gov. Bill Richardson has spent money from a $90,000 contingency fund. The head of the state's AP bureau, however, said people deserve to know how the fund is used."Our story implied no wrongdoing," said Julie Aicher, AP's Albuquerque bureau chief. "We felt it was a public service to see how taxpayer money is being spent from this fund, which was tripled this year."
The story, which was written by veteran AP Capitol reporter Barry Massey and appeared on the front page of Thursday's New Mexican, said the governor used a contingency fund to buy cigars, Starbucks coffee and overseas meals, among other things. Billy Sparks, Richardson's spokesman, issued a statement Friday afternoon that called the report false and misleading and said it was intended to embarrass the governor. "Simply put, it's classic yellow journalism," Sparks said.
Massey's story quoted Sparks as saying Richardson had reimbursed or would reimburse the fund for some purchases, such as newspapers and coffee. However, Sparks refused to show AP proof of the reimbursements, Aicher said. (Full story: www.santafenewmexican.com)
"Yellow journalism?" Wonder how the AP boys in New York and D.C. feel about that? This is the latest in a series of pieces from the AP's Massey that has jarred the Guv's staff. The most recent was how he paid for a trip to a meeting in Reno. At first Big Bill refused to say, but the pressure was too great and out came the details. The bottom line in the report above is that the Guv refuses to show proof of the reimbursements, but insists the story is over the line. Fellas, you can't have it both ways. EVERYTHING you do in connection with his public office is going to be under scrutiny. Could not the Guv simply have said the Legislature needs to detail just what he can spend the money on, and meanwhile he's spending it on items he believes fits in with what the law intended? Or is somebody looking for a fight?
Bottom Line: There's a new trend in New Mexico politics: skepticism of Big Bill from the Legislature and the press. Will the public follow? Forget about the "honeymoon" being over, if this keeps up we're headed for divorce court. Someone needs to stop the bleeding on the Fourth Floor of the not so merry Roundhouse.