This week's winner of the Bury-the-Lede Award goes to Seema Mehta of the Los Angeles Times for her story about the discussion of immigration policy at a town hall meeting held by Democratic Rep. Karen Bass.
Mehta spent the first 480 words of her 620-word story summarizing Rep. Bass's concerns about the future of the Senate bill, giving special attention to her denunciation of Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) for his notoriously wrong-headed remarks about illegal immigrants.
Wrote Methta:
Bass said she thinks that the Republicans who denounced King's statements share many of his positions but express them differently.
"There is the crude and there is the sophisticated," she said. "At the end of the day, I think both opinions are pretty much the same in terms of the disrespectful viewpoint of immigrants."
Near the end of the story, after quoting a woman who said the reform bill is "not about politics but rather a human rights issue", Mehta finally got around to concerns about the bill's likely effects on African-Americans.
Wrote Mehta:
Several spoke out against a pathway to legalization, saying it would reward those who broke the law by entering the country illegally. Others pointed to the economy and unemployment and argued that the job prospects of Americans — particularly African Americans — would be harmed.
Keith Hardiner, 57, said he is the descendant of slaves.
"They were separated from their families, but we had to fight and struggle," said the Silver Lake resident. "And now I feel like we are being set back and the country is being kind of stolen from us."
As we have said before, the story of immigration's effects on blacks is covered extremely poorly by the press. Indeed, it is largely ignored. In a story about a meeting as intense as this became, Mehta could hardly have pretended the issue did not appear. So rather than ignoring it completely, she simply shoved it to the rear.
Nevertheless, the copy editor on the story deserves recognition for valiant action in the field of ideological battle for his defense of journalistic integrity. Here is the headline that brave and lonely soul produced: "L.A. town hall meeting exposes deep rift on immigration overhaul".
Footnote: Rep. Bass is herself African-American. But like many other African-American political figures, she is a loyal member of the Democratic coalition that has lined up solidly behind the Senate bill.
Thanks to Mickey Kaus for tweeting a link to the story.