11-17-2010 STAR'S EDITORIAL 'WALL' CRUMBLING For the umpteenth time (11/16) editorial writer/columnist Yael Abouhalkah has written another nasty tome attacking incumbent Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Mark Funkhouser. This latest "Midwest Voices" diatribe by Abouhalkah highlights "the crowd of qualified candidates eagerly trying to replace him." If that sounds familiar, then simply check out a front page story on the same day by stalwart Star journalist Lynn Horsley titled "Crowded Field Heats Up Race for Mayor." Her story focused on all the candidates in the race to unseat Funkhouser. Sound familiar? In other words, the claim by numerous reporters and editors at the Star (see below) that editorial opinions and journalistic reporting at the newspaper are separated by some sort of "wall" is simply a myth. Maybe Horsley's story influenced Abouhalkah's opinions, or maybe his ongoing attacks against Funkhouser encouraged her to write basically the same story. Either way, it is obvious to any media watchers that the Kansas City Star will be tossing journalistic ethics and integrity out the window in the upcoming Mayoral race. It is a sad day for journalism in Kansas City when the city's leading newspaper will be delegating fair coverage of this vital race to TV and radio stations.
Yael Abouhalkah
11-16-2010 IS THERE A LIMIT TO ABOUHALKAH'S HATRED OF FUNKHOUSER? It has almost become creepy. Borderline stalkerish. Maybe an even unhealthy obsession. Veteran Kansas City Star editorial writer and columnist (and KCPT talking head) Yael Abouhalkah's unbridled hatred of the Mayor of Kansas City knows no bounds. Forget journalism. This is personal. Clearly, Abouhalkah's goal in the upcoming election has nothing to do with the good of Kansas City. It is simply that he does not want Mayor Mark Funkhouser re-elected. As one local journalist noted, Abouhalkah's hatred is on the same level as blogger Tony Botello of tonyskansascity.com's dislike of the Mayor. "Tony's similar agenda against Funkhouser," he says, "has gone on longer and more vociferously than Yael." How bad is Abouhalkah's obsession? That he is willing to drop all journalistic credibility in the process. In his latest, ugly column titled "Anybody But Funkhouser, Part 1," Abouhalkah concludes with this sentence: "The fact that the mayor admits he would require keeping his wife close to him in a second term is one good reason that Kansas City's next mayor should be Anybody But Funkhouser." In Abouhalkah's latest rant, he says that any of the seven current Mayoral candidates would be better than Funkhouser. Keep in mind, that includes former Mayor Charles Wheeler, who is now 84-years-old. Ever heard of Jonas Hughes, Henry Klein? And those who make the silly claim that Abouhalkah does not influence the entire newsroom at the Star are sadly misguided. That kind of proclamation may have sounded good in Journalism 101 (like the wall between advertising and editorial), but in the real world it simply does not hold water anymore, particularly in a day when newspapers are battling for survival. To tell voters to cast their ballot for any candidate other than the incumbent is simply irresponsible. And kind of sad.
ABOUHALKAH HAS NO INFLUENCE "Having worked as a reporter at The Star I can tell you that Yael does not influence anyone. He has no hiring or firing authority over them. He doesn't decide what they cover or what goes into the paper. "Maybe at a smaller paper where the actual editor, not editorial board member, writes the column and assigns stories and edits copy, this could be a concern. However I personally know reporters have no problem discussing with him whether they agree or disagree with his take on the subjects they are covering. "The real test will be whether the actual coverage in the news pages is balanced or not. Remember just because the paper reports something (like someone suing the mayor and claiming his wife called them names) doesn't mean the paper is saying it is true just that this is what happened. Someone did file a suit. Someone did make the allegation."
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