September 9th 2008
Media Bias #51
Carpe per Diem
WaPo is so excited! They’ve got a big Palin-buster of a story!
Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a “per diem” allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.
The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. And her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife.
I could quibble and ask, “Where is the piece in which you dispatched a team of reporters to pore over Joe Biden’s expense records?” but what good would calling for fairness do?
The Volokh Conspiracy went to the same thought – where’s the big Biden expose? – then went on and broke down what WaPo really reported:
You have to read the article carefully to figure this out, but what the story ultimately reveals is that Palin (a) billed the state for most expenses allowed by law, including per diem when she stayed in her own home (her “duty station” was the state capitol of Juneau) in Wasilla; (b) didn’t bill the state for other expenses, when she could have done so lawfully, such as per diems for her children; and (c) spent a lot less money on expenses than did her predecessor, especially on travel and by ridding herself of the state’s personal chef.
In summary,
“Saintly to take the per diem she was legally entitled to when in the second residence? No. Worthy of the lead headline on Washingtonpost.com? Please! Not illegal, not unethical, and not a scandal.”
But it is another fine example of Media Bias 2008.
Media Bias 2008 covers pro-Obama media bias in the presidential campaign. Items are listed from most recent to oldest; the numbering reflects this and is not a ranking. Send Media Bias 2008 examples via “comments”‘ below, or to email2laer [@] yahoo [dot] com.
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September 9th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
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September 9th, 2008 at 11:34 am
WaPo is silly and of bad faith.