You may recall that Gov. JB Pritzker last year created a Local Journalism Task Force to “conduct a comprehensive study of the status of journalism and make recommendations for improvement to the Governor and General Assembly.”
Government isn’t the right sponsor for that, we thought, since government oversight is a primary role of journalism and government tends to muck things up. Now, predictably, the task force apparently will be infused with identity politics.
Senate Bill 3082, sponsored by Sen. Bill Stadelman (D-Rockford), will require the task force to add as members one representative from each of the following: the Chicago Independent Media Alliance the National, the Association of LGBTQ Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association and the Native American Journalists.
What’s the thinking here? A white guy can’t possibly understand journalism from a Latino’s perspective? An LGTBQ can’t understand an Asian’s perspective, etc.?
How far we’ve sunk from Bill Clinton’s days when even Democrats would mock such things as silly. During Clinton’s interregnum, while choosing his cabinet, women’s groups said he wasn’t naming enough women. Clinton ridiculed them as “bean counters.” ”They’re playing quota games and math games,” Clinton said of his critics. ”I don`t believe in quotas.”
By the way, quotas, like the pending bill would effectively establish, are still illegal under the Supreme Court’s Bakke decision. But that, too, matters little today.
On a related note, Pritzker’s press secretary yesterday made her own contribution to excellence in journalism by introducing a new Twitter hashtag to use on critics — #spelunkingformisery. That’s from Jordan Abudayyeh, who was the first appointment to the task force.
What the hell does spelunkingformisery mean, you ask? Well in his Wednesday State of the State speech Pritzker expanded on the usual “carnival barkers” label he uses on us critics. We are “folks who spend their time orbiting Illinois politics just spelunking for misery,” he said. Abudayyeh’s colleagues apparently were impressed with her creativity. Christian Mitchell and Andy Manar, both deputy governors, began using the hashtag.
Now, I happen to know some actual spelunkers. They are swell people. I can’t imagine the pain they must feel seeing spelunking used as part of an insult. So, on their behalf, I hereby demand addition to the Local Journalism Task Force of one member of the Illinois Spelunkers Association.
Audio and summary 
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.
Audio and summary
The whole state is your cave and there are stalagmites of misery as far as the eye can see with stalactites of corruption hanging over our heads. We could really go far with metaphor…
You don’t have to look for misery in Illinois, because everywhere you go, misery finds you. Violence is ever increasing and more brazen. Overreaching Covid mandates and restrictions have killed businesses. Increased fees and taxes while stories of underserved constituents and communities abound. Take off the rose colored glasses Jabba, it’s ugly around here.
Is it really spelunking when the Democrats have left the misery in plain sight along the path to the cave?
Here’s a simple message for the Republicans: Are you better off? Of course the state being better off, our overall tax burden has never been higher than under JB and the state’s living off the Fed’s dime. But has that put you in a better position financially? Are you better off mentally and spiritually? How has the increase in crime impacted your mental health?
The Dems have a big perception gap. Can anyone exploit it effectively?
I’ve been out of Illinois for several years so I’m serious when I ask this. “Is there still a viable opposition party to the Dems in Illinois?” Rauner was gov when I left and I figured he was the final hope for the state… and we all know how that turned out.
It’s on life support. I think it will end up depending heavily on whether a GOP candidate at the top of the ticket turns out to be popular. The Dem machine organization remains superb and for down ballot, the map is obscenely rigged against Republicans.
Thanks Mark. I asked because it’s always been my opinion that the voters get what they deserve. It seems that in Illinois that may not be true, which reinforces my other opinion that the only solution is to leave the state.
ive said the same thing more than once on here,voters get what they deserve,but now im not so sure because i firmly believe that the elections are rigged
Its starting to look like it around the world.
This is back asswards. Government isn’t supposed to be reviewing journalism; it’s the other way around. This state is FUBAR!
Free speech is kryptonite to these people. Thought crimes are the ultimate goal. Engagement and more speech is their biggest fear. Confidence that their policies can hold up with a free press is their weakness. They don’t show that weakness, but it is obvious to everyone when you have to start training out a staff of Baghdad Bob’s that you are weak.
Jordan… the feckless press secretary. Pritzker… the feckless Governor always having toddler tantrums. They don’t like being questioned about TRUTH. If they actually understood the First Amendment they wouldn’t resort to kindergarten level name calling of Journalists. These two prove how pathetic they are every day. Illinois, the Land of Lincoln deserves better.
Jordan is similar to Jen Psaki. Thinks she smarter and more clever than she actually is. Condescending but with no real creds to back it up. Is more concerned with her social status within her party’s social circles. Big empty.
The Gov’s staff live in a Democrat Twitter bubble and they confuse Twitter with real life. Twitter is not real life. JB’s speech was a little more than tweetstorm of 280 character soundbites. Spelunking for Misery? And his staff actually thought it was creative to make a snarky hashtag out of it! “Hey, we run the government, let’s have fun and make a snarky hashtag ridiculing anyone who disagrees with us!” JB just tweeted the other day called republicans racists and seditionists. Racists are the worst thing in society and seditionist can be tried for treason. On the other hand,… Read more »
If this sad attempt at trending makes it beyond the Cap Fax echo chamber and past the weekend, color me shocked.
I think BGA does a lot of good work, but I was listening to Greising head of BGA interview (can’t remember site), BGA just got $10 million grant from McArthur Foundation in November which is going to be used, as Greising stated, to bring “solutions journalism” to down state Illinois. Then with new Suntimes/ WBEZ merger I hear that same catch phrase “solutions journalism” bandied about as what the new mergers going to be providing. Keep in mind a lot of WBEZ is taxpayer funded. In my mind “solutions journalism” is code speak for leftie press battling what they see… Read more »
Statesmanship and representative government, I vaguely remember that. Now Government at all levels is about, cheap tricks and manipulation.
The people in charge are all pathetic.
We are being destroyed by our own government, here and in Washington.
Take the hint white, straight people. You don’t matter in Illinois.
Crazy, is this all part of some larger plan for the state (ie the machine) to fund/ hand out grants w fed $covid bucks$ to whom they deem creditable journalists? I realize biden was trying to include in bbb..thank god it died.
Mixed metaphors aside, this has got to be one of the worst hashtags I can remember. This will trend nowhere outside their echo chamber which, ironically, is one characteristic of a cave. #DenOfMisery