Republicans flip out over lawyer flap (SUN-TIMES NEWSWOMAN NAILED BY "RIGHT-WING WEB SITES")

Chicago Sun-Times ^ | July 19, 2007 | JENNIFER HUNTER Sun-Times Columnist

[Chi-townChief]

Philadelphia man isn't only GOP member switching sides in 2008

Ever been harassed by a group of irate Republicans? For the past few days, since a news story of mine was published on Monday, I have been bombarded with dozens of daily e-mails from Republicans calling me a liar, demanding I be fired, and insisting on a retraction.

The grumbling arose partially because my editor took a small part of my story and made it into a headline: "GOP lawyer sold on Dems." Reporters don't write headlines, editors do. And they want to write something catchy so readers will read the darned story.

The story was not about the GOP lawyer; it was about the speeches five Democratic presidential candidates gave to a convention of trial lawyers (those two words "trial lawyers" also make Republicans crazy) last Sunday. As reporters usually do, I asked two attendees after the session what they thought about the speeches.

One of the men I interviewed, Jim Ronca, identified himself as a disgruntled Republican, fed up with the Bush White House, who was going to give his vote and money to Democrats. In my story I called him a "staunch Republican." His wife was standing by his side, and so was a friend, a Democrat from New York, Ted Oshman, neither of whom disputed Ronca's description of himself as a Republican.

Oshman added during our interview that he could "not eliminate one of" the Democrats, they all spoke so well. That line ended up in a subhead on the story.

After the story was published, some Republicans posted to right-wing Web sites the two headlines and the two paragraphs quoting Ronca.

And so the madness began.

Industrious partisans, upset that anyone calling himself a Republican could possibly think of supporting the Democrats, decided to "investigate" Ronca, an attorney from Philadelphia. And what they found, they told me, was a long history of Ronca giving more money to Democrats than Republicans. (In fact, much of the money he donated to Democrats was after George W. Bush was elected.)

Richard Rentfrow sent a "notice" each day demanding I give him "Jim Ronca's GOP credentials" or he would "out" me to other papers and Web sites. After he sent me what he described as his "5th notice" he posted an e-mail decrying me as "a lying liberal Democrat girl reporter." Thank you Richard, at my age it's nice to be thought of as a girl.

"Is this a story or an editorial?" wrote Reg Fennell. "You know your "staunch Republican" is NOTHING OF THE SORT! You know he has a history of not supporting Republicans. Did you really believe this would go unnoticed or are you simply comfortable with intellectual dishonesty to your readers? Maybe you're just lazy and careless." Oh, Reg, calm down.

Here's another from Jeffery Cernekee: "It seems that you must be on the demorats [sic] payroll. Your claim that a prominent republican is changing his ways. Too bad the truth will come out and of course it did that he gave most of his money to the demorats [sic]. Will you please get you [sic] facts straight or quit reporting on things you do not have a clue about. . . . Do you have to lie to give the impression that people are leaving the republicans to vote for the demorats [sic]? How bush of you."

Karen Mango wrote: "Have you been fired yet for your lie about your trial lawyer/staunch republican turned democrat? Are you shamefaced for believing a TRIAL LAWYER??? I hope you finally did the research that the bloggers did with a google entry -- your Ronca has given to democrats all his life. He lied to you, and you printed it. You didn't research, you were salivating over going to print with an anti-republican story, and the truth never mattered. Don't fall back on the ''he said he was a staunch republican,'' because your article does not attribute his political stance as a quote, but as fact.

"I can't wait for your next article: All Trial Lawyers are Lying Jerks."

The final kicker for all you Republicans who read my column with a magnifying glass is a press release issued Wednesday: "One of Chicago's key Republican fund-raisers, CME Group Executive Chairman Terry Duffy today announced that he is endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for the 2008 election."

Duffy says he intends to remain a registered Republican.

mailto:jhunter@suntimes.com

[WashingtonSource]

What a lyin’ POS. She acts like she did nothing wrong. Then, as a slap in the face, she cites another Republican who supports Democrats, as if that has any relevance to her previous lying article. She is a lying Democratic shill. No question. No doubt.

[WashingtonSource]

What a smarmy, snot-nosed, condescending pose. And, yes, she dresses like a witch and looks like a skank.

[LexBaird]

Bravo. Well said.

[B Knotts]

I was one of the people who emailed a complaint to her. But, my complaint was not a simply partisan matter; it was a complaint about the laziness of modern journalists.

Those of us who have been around here for a while have seen this “’staunch’ Republican supports Democrat” MSM story template over and over and over. It doesn’t take more than a minute to plug in a name into opensecrets.org, so I suggested she do so in the future.

[Tatze]

In fact, much of the money he donated to Democrats was after George W. Bush was elected.

Oh really?

RONCA, JAMES R
11/16/1995 $500.00
HARRISBURG, PA 17101
SCHMIDT & RONCA PC [Contribution]
KENNEDY FOR SENATE (1994)

RONCA, JAMES R
6/22/1994 $1,000.00
HARRISBURG, PA 17101
SCHMIDT & RONCA PC [Contribution]
CITIZENS FOR SENATOR WOFFORD (Dem - PA Senate)

RONCA, JAMES
9/24/1992 $500.00
HARRISBURG, PA 17101
ATTORNEY [Contribution]
DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE

Oops.

[Chuck Dent]

What we learn is the Sun-Times, as a matter of policy, constructs headlines designed only to suck people into reading a story. Readers should not rely on them to accurately reflect what follows.

Say it ain't so, Joe! Imagine a media property that's operating as a business, rather than as an agent fulfilling its constitutional duty to accurately report news.

Really, in this day and age, it's hard to believe anyone expects anything reported anywhere to be accurate unless it has an immediate feedback loop like FR and/or other fora.

[B Knotts]

Anyone check out Duffy’s credentials as a Key Republican fundraiser?

Yes, I did a search...he is a big contributor, mostly to Republicans. He does, however, throw some money at the occasional Democrat, like Harold Ford and Dick Durbin.

[Mama25]

Um, that’s not the columnist Jennifer Hunter. That’s someone else entirely.

Check out the Sun Times page on her - the photo shows that this chick is definitely NOT the one who wrote that garbage, though this one has some garbage coming out of her pen, too.

[John D]

The final kicker for all you Republicans who read my column with a magnifying glass

So, what she is saying is we should just accept anything a reporter says as fact and never challenge it. I wonder what would have happened if a blogger would not have challenged Dan Rather on his hit piece on George Bush a couple of years ago. Maybe once these reporters realize they are going to be challenged when they report fake reports they will cease.

[Tatze]

This looks like a mix. A Terry Duffy with that company/title did donate to Dennis Hastert, John Boehner, Orrin Hatch and several other republicans. But a Terence Duffy with the same company/title also gave to Dick Durbin, Joe Lieberman and Harold Ford.

Nothing prior to 2002 cycle. I’m not sure the 2002 donations (not listed above) are him or not.

[mewzilla]

Presstitute

[airedale]

Actually the first ones she mentioned was Randy Cooper of New Hampshire and Kenneth Wehking of Denver, Co and Dian Eller of Chicago Ill (she works in philanthropy so I’m a little suspicious of her claim to be a Republican or even voting for George Bush) in her “Obama finding new allies: Republicans” http://www.suntimes.com/news/hunter/433292,CST-NWS-hunter19.article

She does mention an organization that needs to be looked into: Republicans for Obama http://www.republicansforobama.org/?q=homepage I wonder who is funding this group. Bet none of them are real Republicans. Perhaps Soros?

[PreciousLiberty]

‘The final kicker for all you Republicans who read my column with a magnifying glass is a press release issued Wednesday: “One of Chicago’s key Republican fund-raisers, CME Group Executive Chairman Terry Duffy today announced that he is endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for the 2008 election.”’

I wonder if they’ll find the brain tumor in time...?

That’s the only excuse I’d find believable for endorsing HillBilly.

[TexasCajun]

...sorry about that.

[Chi-townChief]

Evidently, Ms. Hunter has a very tiny head.

[TexasCajun]

Small brain, small head.

Sorry for the mix-up.

[rideharddiefast]

Again, blame Republicans when they find that reporters are not reporting the truth.

[listenhillary]

Buttering both sides of the bread.

[CivilWarguy]

I’ve already done it, and posted the results on the Tribune’s “Swamp” websie. Duffy is neither “key”, nor a staunch Republican (he’s given money to lots of liberal Dems), nor is he a “registered Republican” as Ms. Hunter claims.

Other than that, the press release, and Ms. Hunter’s comment on it, are true.

[soccermom]

Dear Ms. Hunter:

I’ve always been a “staunch” Democrat -— until I read your article. Now, I’ve decided to become a Republican. Have a nice day!