Illinois Review continues with it’s absurd claims about Rahm Emanuel’s property taxes. What’s especially beautiful is this:
We subsequently had the Cook County Assessor’s Office’s answers verified. And while most of the experts we spoke with said that the assessment system in Chicago doesn’t pass the smell test, they did say that it is “seems possible” that the Assessor’s Office’s answers are accurate.
Seems possible? Ummm…the answers for the Assessor’s Office would make complete sense to anyone who has spent over 10 hours looking through property records. It’s incredibly standard stuff and someone who thinks it seems possible isn’t an expert.
But it gets better—Progress Illinois gets the actual tax bill:
What does all this get from Illinois Review:
Indeed, the thuggery of the Left and their political masters here in Illinois has been on full display. It is a Chicago-style that will soon be exported to Washington, D.C.
That said, Illinois Review is not going to stop asking questions. Nor will we mimic the Left, whose propaganda machines never allow facts to get in the way of their lies. When our questions are answered and those answers verified, we let our readers know.
Let’s make this clear. Illinois Review put up a story that was factually incorrect. It was, in fact, Illinois Review that screwed up in this case and is now lashing out at everyone else for pointing that out. If it was an honest mistake, the simple answer would have easy for them to simply say, “Our bad.” But no. We have several posts about how it’s so unfair for people to point out that they got a story entirely wrong.
You make a mistake–you own up to it. It isn’t fun, but it’s what you do. Illinois Review cannot do that.
Here’s their response:
POSTSCRIPT: We were emailed this morning by the Cook County Assessor’s Office, and cited court cases among other things. We needn’t say more. The previous posts which questioned Mr. Emanuel’s taxes have been removed. As a volunteer blog we are not able to stand alone.
I would love to hear what they would be standing alone for–I mean, the entire story was wrong, what is there to stand up for–defaming a public figure and refusing to correct it despite the evidence?
Fran re-posted a portion of her faux didactic non-apology at Chicago Daily Observer and indicates Ill Review was threatened with a lawsuit.
She doesn’t indicate the grounds she was given for such a suit, but it seems pretty clear that after just a few hours she and Illinois Review had received correct information and, by ignoring it (even deliberately deleting it), were knowingly continuing to publish false information about another person.
Just because she hates Democrats doesn’t mean she gets to lie about them and not be held accountable…
Asking questions (esp. of our leaders) is fine, whether they’re Dem or GOP.
Lying while asking such questions is neither ethical nor civil.
PS – The point to highlighting that Ill Review was apparently threatened with a lawsuit is that explains her snide remark that “As a volunteer blog we are not able to stand alone.”
…Nevermind the fact that most blogs out there are “volunteer blogs” yet those other “volunteer blogs” still somehow manage to deal with facts and own up to their mistakes.
Woe is her.
I find Fran Eaton’s claim that Illinois Review is a volunteer blog bogus.
Eaton is a paid Right Wing lobbyist. She is paid to lobby government on the issues she writes about.
Curt Mercadante is a Republican media consultant.
Dan Proft holds jobs in Cicero doing media work for Republican politicians.
I don’t see these people as “hobby bloggers”. For many of them their blogging is intertwined with their paid jobs.
Carl,
Don’t forget advancing the agenda of the United Republican Fund… The “Fund” part of the name gives a clue to the fact they raise and spend money for partisan pursuits.
I think by “volunteer” Ms. Eaton is trying to highlight that she doesn’t get paid for being Illinois Review Editor, though she’s admitted in the past her goal is for Ill Review to become a money-making enterprise such that perhaps she could be paid.
It’s curious that Ill Review Publisher Dennis LaComb has been deafeningly quiet on this.
I don’t much care to make it a habit of calling someone out on their opinions, as goofy as they may be. But the original IR story was stated as fact, and the resulting Keystone Kops coverup has exposed an extreme misunderstanding of the role of a free press and the corrective nature of the blogosphere. It’s more than disheartening. It’s disgusting.
Rich,
A partisan/ideological propaganda organ could care less about the role of a free press and the corrective nature of the blogosphere.
In fact, it can quite easily be at odds w/ both.
President-elect Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel: His property, political contributions.
webofdeception.com
Robert Lewis, master spammer. Dude, are you just doing a search for “Rahm Emanuel” in order to find places to post your tinfoil fortune cookies?