PPH Notes, Doesn't Debunk, Smears

The Blethen papers finally get around to examining the false and misleading ads being bankrolled by Wal-Mart and other anti-union corporations.

Unfortunately, as is so often the case in the Maine media, the article frames the issue in a way that suits Sen. Collins--it parrots false claims rather than debunking them.

And then, for good measure, reporter Keith Edwards swallows a whopper--giving the junior senator credit for doing something she hasn't.

Has Edwards seen this fact check of the ad in question? Has he read PolitickerME's detailed coverage of the issues involved?

Does he know that a spokesman has said that Collins agrees with the ad's false message? Or that Collins has passed up opportunities to call for it to be pulled? It doesn't appear so.

Also lost on Edwards: There's a big difference between rejecting third-party ads in the abstract and denouncing a particular, slanderous attack on a rival.

Anyone who follows politics closely knows this.

Yet, despite Edwards' characterization and the article's headline, there's nothing in the piece to suggest that Collins has, in fact, called out the ad or the lies it contains.

And let's be honest: It's no wonder she hasn't. By staying quiet, Collins continues to send the silent message to her big business friends, allies and patrons that she welcomes their help.

As her record suggests, when the time comes, she'll be more than happy to return the favor.