THE BLACK KNIGHT
DEAR MR. FREDERICK
BY GEORGE HARRIS
Once again I find myself writing to complain about the bias of your reporter Erin Neff. In the April 18 issue of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Neff�s Political Notes brief, �The elusive legislator,� took two Republican assemblymen to task for missing what she called key votes. That�s not true. Both Garn Mabey (R-Las Vegas) and Chad Christensen (R-Las Vegas) voted on all issues while in committee. Neff conveniently failed to report that.
What Neff also didn�t report is that these Republican legislators were excused along with two Democrats � Assemblymen William Horne and Kelvin Atkinson � who were not mentioned as missing key votes.
She wrote that Christensen seemed confused when he first had a chance to speak about his house�s property-tax solution. Neff quoted Christensen then suggested he made �a rambling statement decrying �bifurcating� the system between residential and commercial property owners.�
Neff further displayed bias and disdain toward Christensen by making it seem the assemblyman was too busy jaunting off to Washington, D.C. to be available to vote: �In April, Christensen decided a National Conference of State Legislatures conference in Washington, D.C. was more important than his attendance in the busiest week to date in Carson City. Christensen missed key committee votes Thursday and Friday as a swath of bills came up against the first big deadline.�
Once again, Neff�s reporting lacked the full truthful picture. Christensen was appointed to a Transportation Funding Committee for NCSL by Democratic Speaker Richard Perkins, and this is the first of three committee meetings being held over the course of the year to address funding issues. Christensen had no control over where the meeting was taking place. Either Neff was disingenuous in her reporting, or she lacks the basic skills to ask why Christensen was in Washington.
Neff then goes on to attack another Republican. �Also on the missing front was Assembly Assistant Minority Leader Mabey, who has missed numerous Friday sessions to return to Las Vegas and his gynecological practice.�
A quick review of the Assembly daily journal will also show that many �Democrats� have missed numerous sessions. If Neff, a seasoned journalist, would have taken the time to ask Mabey and Christensen what they were doing, I�m confident they would have been happy to let her know. It took me about five minutes to find out. It�s obvious that wasn�t Neff�s goal. I�ve personally been a victim of Neff�s writings. It�s clear she has an agenda against Republicans and it must stop.
Mr. Frederick, I am requesting you take disciplinary action against Neff. Her constant adversarial behavior toward Republicans is simply unacceptable for Nevada�s leading newspaper. Her writing is proof that she�s unwilling to report the news in a fair manner.
Because of her biased and untruthful reporting, both Mabey and Christensen will face mail pieces sent by future political opponents, using Neff�s words that they missed �key votes� � all without benefit of the truth thanks to Neff�s dishonest reporting. LW
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