Ohio Valley Politics

Now even Republican bloggers are getting in on the anti-Plain Dealer movement sparked by the firing of a liberal blogger.

There are usually more than 1 side to every issue. But if what Jeff reports here is true, and I’m not missing any details, then he shouldn’t have been fired from the Plain Dealer. I rarely agree with Jeff, but he is a polite liberal who would have held the same positions regardless of who he gave $100 to.

I think the PD has really lost a lot of it’s online credibility with this already and apparently they’re still digging. Here’s their statement on the firing:

As most readers are no doubt aware already, Jeff Coryell is no longer blogging on Wide Open. The reason is simple: When we learned that he had contributed to a particular political candidate, we asked that he refrain from writing about that candidate and his opponent on this blog. Our concern was that since Jeff and the other Wide Open bloggers are paid, his views might be taken as those of the paper, which could raise legitimate questions about our fairness. Jeff was uncomfortable with that restriction, so we felt obligated to end our relationship.

It goes without saying that Jeff did nothing wrong. His contributions to Wide Open were first-rate. But clearly I should have anticipated this potential difficulty when we set up the blog, and avoided putting him and us in this position. In that sense, the fault is mine.

Jean Dubail
Assistant Managing Editor/Online

Now just think about it for a second. Donations are made based on your beliefs, not the other way around.