A public radio reporter in West Virginia was sacked after she reported on the abuse of people with disabilities in state-run facilities. Her report posed a political embarrassment for West Virginia’s Republican governor, Jim Justice, whose former senior aide is now the top executive at West Virginia Public Broadcasting. That ex-aide wound up firing the reporter. For the news-consuming public, this case serves as a warning sign of the dangers when news organizations fall under the control of political actors.
The Post-Dispatch’s founding publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, warned of such political meddling when he stated in his Platform that journalism must “always be devoted to the public welfare, never be satisfied with merely printing news (and) always be drastically independent.” Without that independence, predatory plutocracy can and will find a way to control coverage and manipulate the message to serve elite interests.
The West Virginia story so rankled National Public Radio that it devoted a segment on Feb. 13 to the case, exposing the political conflicts of interest at its sister network that appeared to have been behind the firing of reporter Amelia Knisely. Ironically, the West Virginia network carries National Public Radio content, including the “Morning Edition” segment where the national piece aired. It also subscribes to the guidelines in the NPR Ethics Handbook and the Code of Integrity for Public Media, which mandate guarding against political influence in news coverage or even the appearance of such influence.
West Virginia’s public broadcasting system relies on state funding for about a third of its budget, and Justice has worked hard over the years to cut that funding. His administration also holds sway over the appointment of the system’s board of directors. In October 2021, the board fired the radio network’s chief executive and hired Carl Antolini as the replacement. Antolini previously served as Justice’s communications director — a connection far too close for comfort to allow for the network’s objective, independent coverage of Justice’s administration.
Late last year, Knisely reported about physical and verbal abuse of patients at state-run facilities for the disabled, and 11 days later a federal investigation was announced. Embarrassed, the state health department demanded the story’s retraction. Antolini reportedly was livid and ordered the network’s news director to conduct a scripted interview with the state health secretary — a close friend of Antolini. The interview included softball questions reportedly dictated by Antolini.
Some might argue that news organizations have welcomed Democratic political operatives into their fold without questioning the ethics, such as ABC News’ hiring of President Bill Clinton’s former press secretary, George Stephanopoulos. That appointment absolutely raises questions of objectivity, but Stephanopoulos has no control over news coverage, nor can he fire ABC News reporters.
Therein lies the difference. West Virginia Public Radio crossed a big line, and its listeners will pay the price by being less informed about their state government’s questionable practices.
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