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Permanent Offense team issues statement regarding inaccuracies
in major news media Seattle, WA - 4/18/02 - Joint statement by Monte Benham, Jack Fagan, Mike Fagan, and Tim Eyman, co-sponsors of Initiative 776, "$30 Tabs for Everyone" (Media contact: Monte Benham, ph: 509-783-3829, cell: 509-531-8994, email: rmonteb@aol.com) "The Seattle PI front-page story yesterday ('Contributions to I-776 plummet') and the Associated Press story today about I-776's fundraising was wrong. If the media had investigated our campaign reports rather than just swallowing the false numbers spoon-fed by the political consultant of I-776 opponents, they would've gotten the story right. Instead, the media looks like lap dogs for I-776 opponents (as if anyone needed further proof). We demand a press correction immediately and a public apology by the full-time anti-776 political consultant paid by the public employee unions for purposely misleading reporters." "Our campaign reports for March, April, and May, 2001 were later amended but the anti-776 political consultant gave the press the outdated reports. The truth is that our fundraising totals for I-776 are about the same as previous initiative campaigns. The press would have known this if they had investigated, rather than disseminated, our opponents lies." "There's no doubt we need to raise a lot more funds to get I-776 on the ballot ($175,000 more). So in that sense, the front-page stories were a good message: 'we need financial assistance to ensure I-776's success'. But our opponents' lies must always be exposed." "We suggest corrected front-page headlines like 'Donors stay loyal to I-776 despite government, media assault' or 'I-776 supporters demand $30 tabs ONCE AND FOR ALL' or 'I-776 campaign holds Gary Locke to campaign promises' or 'I-776 forces revote on Puget Sound light rail boondoggle' or 'I-776 campaign demands accountability, accuracy by politicians and the press." "This isn't the first time the press has had trouble with numbers. In a recent Seattle PI story on Initiative 776, reporter Neil Modie repeatedly referred to our initiative as "I-676." When he heard about it after the story appeared, he replied with this email: "Oops, I've got too many initiative numbers twirling around in my tiny brain, I guess." "The media's commitment to accuracy is summed up very well by that word 'Oops.'" "It is this kind of shoddy, biased, slanted journalism that infuriates our supporters and deepens our resolve. We are all busting our tails to get enough signatures by July 5th to get I-776 on the fall ballot." Comparison of donation totals from December-March, taken from our AMENDED campaign reports:
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