It’s not often that conservatives have many positive things to say about the main stream media—especially California’s newspapers. But based on its recent reporting, I think the LA Times deserves some credit. In recent months, the Times has done some great investigative journalism and uncovered lots of government corruption—exactly what we want our media watchdogs to do.
First, back in June the Times reported on the welfare cash card abuse. Over $1.8 million was withdrawn from ATMs in casinos—a complete waste of taxpayer money.
Second, the Times exposed the City of Bell salary and pension scandal in July. The scandal was so huge it grabbed headlines across the country. At a national political conference I attended just a week after the Times broke the Bell story, everyone was talking about it and considered it the clearest example of the disgust with government waste that is fueling the voter revolt this election cycle. One need only mention the word “Bell” and any political observer or taxpayer immediately recognizes it as the poster child of abusive, fraudulent government waste.
In August, the Times compiled a database of Los Angeles-area teachers and evaluated their performance—something the school system should be doing. So outraged were the teachers unions that they protested outside the paper’s offices. Any time you tick off the unions, you must be doing something right. The paper has even given positive coverage to the new documentary “Waiting for Superman,” a withering evaluation of teachers unions’ campaign to stop school reform.
Just yesterday the Times reported on the latest welfare scam, where “the needy” have withdrawn $69 million in welfare funds from ATMs around the globe at exotic vacation spots. Apparently welfare recipients were enjoying the shows and gambling in Las Vegas, taking trips to the exclusive Hawaiian Island of Lanai, hitting the clubs in Miami, and taking luxury cruises to South America and China.
As a result of all this reporting, government officials have been swift in their response to the public outrage. Governor Schwarzenegger disallowed the use of welfare cards in casino ATMs. Attorney General Brown is investigating the Bell pay scandal and State Controller Chiang is finally examining the exorbitant pay and pensions. Legislators have introduced bills in response to the welfare abuse and are calling for greater oversight and transparency in local government compensation. Granted, a lot of this is just political grandstanding in an election year. Either way, taxpayers will be better off because of increased transparency and accountability.
Kudos to the LA Times for serving as a watchdog for taxpayer money and providing valuable information to the public about how their government and schools operate. The newspaper deserves credit for bringing national attention to such serious issues, especially in a state facing a $19 billion deficit.
I hope other media outlets are paying attention and follow suit. Want to improve your sagging readership numbers? Do your job as a watchdog, break stories, provide information to the public, and watch your credibility and readership rise.
October 6th, 2010 at 12:00 am
LA TIMES is smart…due to cultural shifts, the mass cash only economy in LA, local chronism and corruption the hand writing is on the wall…no one will read the paper in this chaotic MAD MAX society. LA TIMES is a beacon of civilization and maybe the last stop before the abyss…