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Wis. reps vote to boot reporting center off university campus

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Bob Cook, Jun 6, 2013.

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  1. Bob Cook

    Bob Cook Active Member

    Sickening and petty.

    http://www.wisconsinwatch.org/2013/06/05/center-responds-to-jfc-lawmakers-early-morning-eviction-vote/

    Joint Finance Committee lawmakers voted at about 6 a.m. today to add a provision to the state budget expelling the “Center for Investigative Journalism” from University of Wisconsin offices. The vote was 12-4 on party lines, with Republicans in the majority.

    The actual text:

    Center for Investigative Journalism. Prohibit the Board of Regents from permitting the Center for Investigative Journalism to occupy any facilities owned or leased by the Board of Regents. In addition, prohibit UW employees from doing any work related to the Center for Investigative Journalism as part of their duties as a UW employee.

    The state, nor the university, funds the center, but the school provides space. The school has already come out against the move -- a real dick move, especially when the vote is 6 a.m. (The decision isn't final, but there aren't expectations anyone is rushing to overturn this.)

    I don't care about politics. If it's Republicans, for no real reason, kicking off a journalism enterprise, or the Obama administration investigating journalists, it's bad, bad, bad, and if we don't speak out as journalists, we're complicit.
     
  2. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    Republicans have that wide a margin in the Wisconsin legislature? Shocking. Oh, and terrible vote.
     
  3. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    Wow.

    Government run amok, once again. And what gets me most is that the same people who I suspect are behind this are the ones who use the "government run amok" rhetoric the most.
     
  4. dixiehack

    dixiehack Well-Known Member

    I tend to doubt this could mess up their accreditation, but those agencies take a dim view of politicians interfering in university operations. Never good to inspire them to pay a visit.
     
  5. exmediahack

    exmediahack Well-Known Member

    Wisconsin is an odd-bird.

    It probably will never vote Republican in the presidential election again yet the Senate is slightly Republican (18-15) and the House is heavily Republican (60-39).

    In the overall population for a presidential vote, it leans left but those Democratic districts are very, very left (Madison, Milwaukee city, extreme NW Wisconsin) and those Democrats generally run without any real opposition. Republicans tend to grind out tight wins everywhere else but will win 52-48 and that keeps them from getting too far right. The Wisconsin Legislature flipped to Democrats in the 2006 wave but the 2011 walkout of the Democratic senators hurt them for the next cycle.
     
  6. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    Bad stuff. They deserve to be audited by the IRS for this.

    (sorry, couldn't resist).
     
  7. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    Is it a university operation if they're just leasing the space?
     
  8. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    No, but it's university space and hence tied back to bills that could boot out an investigative journalism center.
     
  9. old_tony and Fart wonder what the problem is.
     
  10. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    Yeah, I get that. I was referring to whether or not this could be considered a university program and thereby put UW at risk of losing its accreditation.
     
  11. old_tony

    old_tony Well-Known Member

    The legislature did the right thing. The "Center for Investigative Journalism" is a left-wing organization funded by Soros. The University is giving them free office space. The guy who serves as its lead man moved over from editor of the hard-left alt-weekly Isthmus.

    Does anyone think that one of the conservative news services (there are a couple in Wisconsin -- The MacIver Institute, Media Trackers, Wisconsin Reporter) funded by the Kochs could get free office space from the UW without the left putting up a big stink?
     
  12. BadgerBeer

    BadgerBeer Well-Known Member

    You are full of shit Tony. Even your hero, Charlie Sykes (local conservative radio blowhard), thinks this is a stupid, petty decision. In fact this Center was the first to write about the "high speed" rail story that I am sure you and your friends jerked to while reading.
     
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