ACTIVIST THREATENS TO GO AFTER MEDIA …
A battle is raging in the South Carolina Lowcountry between businessman/ citizen activist Skip Hoagland – whose exploits we referenced here – and several local chambers of commerce.
Hoagland is also mixing it up with the local mainstream media – whom he accuses of being complicit in an array of local scandals.
The root issue? A dangerous nexus between the chambers – which are pseudo-public special interests – and the local governments which often co-mingle funds with them.
We’ve written extensively about such shady deals in the past, by the way …
Anyway, one of Hoagland’s allies – independent journalist John Buchanan – is dropping some heated rhetoric in conjunction with this battle, which he says has already led to “preliminary inquiries” by law enforcement, inquiries which “will soon become full-blown investigations that lead to indictments.”
And if you think those are fightin’ words, just wait … Buchanan says Hoagland will go after the media if they fail to do their jobs and start covering the scandals fairly.
If Sarah Borton and Gina Smith — the reporter who brought down former Governor Mark Sanford for s sexual misconduct and deceit — do not step up and do the right thing, then they too will be held accountable. Skip will sue them, and their parent company McClatchy Newspapers. So their fate is up to them.
The end game, or Armageddon if you choose to see it that way, is at hand.
And instead of being dismissed as a bad guy or an abuser, Skip Hoagland will soon become recognized as the courageous and righteous hero that he is.
Have his tactics sometimes been extreme? Absolutely. Have mine? Absolutely.
But when fighting crooks funded by public money, extreme tactics are sometimes required.
God bless America.
Damn … somebody took their vitamins.
You know, we’re all about getting apoplectic – but we try not to get apocalyptic in our coverage. We also try not to refer to people who do right as “righteous heroes.”
Nor would we ever want to be referred to thusly …
But we feel Buchanan’s frustration when it comes to these dubious entities – and the manner in which they are consistently coddled by the mainstream press. And we hope the pressure being applied on them by citizen activists like Hoagland ultimately results in better behavior with our tax dollars.
Although we won’t hold our breath on that …
10 comments
“Anyway, one of Hoagland’s allies – independent journalist John Buchanan – is dropping some heated rhetoric in conjunction with this battle, which he says has already led to “preliminary inquiries” by law enforcement, inquiries which “will soon become full-blown investigations that lead to indictments.”
Gosh…this reminds me of this:
“Good morning everyone-it’s Elmer Fudd.
The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce (MBACC) has more important things to worry about than me asking questions. I believe in our Constitution and our Freedom of Speech.
The real story- which is coming out- involves the court-ordered investigations of the MBACC and prominent business owner’s hard drives, email, etc. MBACC was in arbitration over these issues recently. They will have to explain their policies regarding the restrait of trade and fair competition.
This is the same group of people who orchestrated the $205 million 1% Ad TAX and “its passage through Myrtle Beach City Council.”
I’ll ask a few more questions. Is the press going to report what happened surrounding the deadline (Monday, Sept. 7th at 5:00 pm) to produce the court-ordered information to a local law firm? What was turned in? Hard drives? Emails? Phone logs?
Those wascally wabbits!
MBACC officials filed the defamation suit on Sept. 4, claiming Fudd publicly reflected the chamber in a bad light by posting false and inaccurate statements about the organization. They filed the motion Oct. 2 to compel the Sun News to reveal Fudd’s registration information.”
http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/11627483/mark-mcbride-named-as-controversial-elmer-fudd
and this…..
By Tonya Root – troot@thesunnews.com troot@thesunnews.com
An Horry County jury ruled in favor of Myrtle Beach area lobbyist Mark Kelley against The Sun News and investigative reporter David Wren on claims Kelley was defamed in articles written in 2010 about campaign contributions made a year earlier.
The jury awarded $400,000 in actual damages and $250,000 in punitive damages against the newspaper and Wren. The jury deliberated for more than four hours before reaching unanimous verdicts on the two types of damages.
Kelley filed the suit in May 2012 against Wren and The Sun Publishing Co., seeking actual damages to compensate for “his loss of and/or damage to his good name, his personal and business reputation,” according to the suit.
Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article16666328.html#storylink=cpy
and the beat goes on….
” and the beat goes on….”
Stealing one of my bits. Dang you all to flippin’ heck, pogo!
o pogo, what are we going to do without you?
A reporter not doing the “right thing” is hardly grounds for a lawsuit. The Courts would be clogged from now till doomsday, if so.
Tell me about it.
What’s up with these loons crying about lawsuits that have zero merit?
Sad.
Does this guy know pogo?
Is there a sympathetic party in this?
What Will is not telling is that Hoagland in locked in a pitched battle right now with the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, over several issues.
He’s right on the law, in most of what he’s doing and saying. The bit about suing the papers is more like political theatre than anything else. We shall see what issues therefrom.
The piece by Buchanan was too much like idol worship for my taste.