Is a local blogger determining media agenda in Kansas City?
Summary: A local blogger has now become the driving force that is shaping the editorial agenda media outlets such as the Kansas City Star cover.
In my view...
IT STARTS WITH TONY'S BLOG AND THEN MORPHS INTO 'JOURNALISM' By John Landsberg, BLC,10-14-2007 It is an amazing phenomena that just a few years ago could never had occured. But in today's Internet age, a single blogger has become the driving force in determining the journalistic agenda for Kansas City's newspaper, radio and TV outlets. (See TONY'S KC A MEDIA FORCE.) Yes, I am speaking about Tonyskansascity.com. Tony is Tony Botello, 33, who lives with his mother in Kansas City. His mom is Rita Valenciano, the leader of a group called the Coalition of Hispanic Organizations. We have profiled Tony in the past. His blog is outrageous. He hates gays ("he calls them "gheys,') surburbanites, whites, women are calleed "broads" or worse. He is Hispanic and is pro-illegal alien and pro-minority. He despises KCMO Mayor Mark Funkhouser and has helped keep the Mayor's Parks Board appointment of 73-year-old grandmother Frances Semler, a member of the Minuteman Defense Corps, on the front page of the Kansas City Star for months. And when the Star covers something TV and radio outlets are quick to follow. Star reporters read his site daily and often spend hours trying to find out if an item he wrote is true or not. They are flattered if he compliments them; hurt if he disses them. But the important thing is that they listen to him. If he makes a statement--no matter how outrageous---reporters stop everything to verify it. Newsradio KMBZ-980AM provides him a weekly forum where he provides his views on anything he desires as the station would any legitimate journalistic source. Talk radio station hosts in town read his column daily and use his outrageous views as normal fodder for callers. The Star's Web site links to his blog as a credible source. The only local talk show host who refuses to mention TonysKC by name is KCMO-710's Chris Stigall. He feels giving Tony exposure only helps give him credibility. As far as we know Tony has no real journalistic credentials. But he has a loyal and dedicated following who are more than willing to take an item on his site and carry water for his views. When he wrote an unsourced article on his site (see BLOGGER JOURNALISM) that said the Hispanic group La Raza simply used the Semler controversy strictly for PR purposes and was going to hold its convention in Kansas City, the media jumped. Leading Star reporters were put on the story. As it turned out, Tony's own mom told the media her son's blog was a "joke" and totally wrong. She was amazed people took him seriously. He said his story was true. The media covered the issue as if it were legitimate news. As it turned out, his story was wrong and La Raza announced it was pulling the convention from KC. Tony's latest agenda is trying to generate support to recall Funkhouser as mayor over the Semler affair. The pattern starts with an unsourced story on Tony's site: Friday, October 12, 2007
You may not like it, but the talk of a recall vote against Mayor Funky is really real Earlier this year Mayor Funkhouser won the election against Mayor Pro Tem Alvin Brooks by less than a thousand votes after a few suspiciously missing votes turned up in the basement of a local church and record low turnout marked the proceedings. Mayor Funkhouser has never enjoyed a "mandate" and now that he is mired in controversy, word of a recall is now reaching the mainstream media AFTER RECALL TALK REGARDING FUNKHOUSER HAS BEEN FLOATING AROUND THE INTERNETS FOR AT LEAST A COUPLE OF MONTHS on various message boards and political blogs. Obviously, the Semler controversy has affected the Mayor's ability to lead . . . But consider this: If the controversy affects the Mayor's ability to help pass the upcoming vote on the 1 cent sales tax renewal for KC infrastructure then people will be calling for the guy's head who normally could care less about concerns from the minority community. Make no mistake, KC's ruling class NEEDS that tax passed and they don't like the fact that KC's Black leadership is using it as a political leverage against Mayor Funky . . . And let's not pretend that the Black leadership is in partnership with Latino leaders but rather there is a palpable feeling on the Eastside that the Mayor has EXCLUDED so many longtime African-American leaders. And now you have to ask yourself, would Mayor Funky win a close election if it was held today after alienating so many people? As far as I can tell, his only political strongholds are in the Northland and among local cycling advocates. From the Honda Hybrid fiasco to the Cauthen controversy Kansas City's Mayor seems to have made one misstep after another and his political credibility is all but shot. Of course, smarter people than I have made the case that recall isn't a valid option, and so far I agree but if the Mayor's consistent missteps and complete inability to form a consensus in this city continue to affect his ability to lead then the option begins to look more likely as talk of the move is now out in the open. It's worth noting that in previous circumstances these kind of efforts come off like crackpot measures at first until they gain momentum and often succeed. For some folks (like myself) this may not seem like a rational move, but think about . . . When was the last time politics, or life for that matter, was rational?
On Friday some Kansas City radio talk show hosts began floating the idea of a recall of the Mayor. KMBZ's Darla Jaye ran with it the story. Most callers thought it was ridiculous. However, then the Star's veteran political columnist (and daily public radio talk show host) Steve Kraske included an item about the recall by asking Funkhouser if he had heard about it:
"It�s official: Mayor Mark Funkhouser admits he, too, has heard the talk of a mayoral recall stemming from the Frances Semler appointment.
"No leader of such an effort emerging, but reporters are on watch." Did the item sound like Kraske was ready and very willing to give publicity to anyone willing to spearhead a recall effort? "...reporters are on watch?" What often happens now is that Tony will quote Kraske (a legitimate reporter) on his site and all of a sudden the recall has been "legitimized" by a Kansas City Star reporter. Tony started the rumor and then the media gives it credibility. That means it is now a legit journalistic story for TV stations and local talk radio to run with because a journalist has mentioned it. Tony will then comment on their stories and keep the issue alive and kicking for weeks or even months. What started with one blogger could end up in the recall of the mayor. We read Tony's blog on a regular basis (he even links to this site) however, we think it is fun and sometimes enjoy his outrageous comments. However, we have never considered it a legitimate journalistic source. We are amazed that so many media folks do.
