-By Warner Todd Huston
Several years ago, the New York Times thought they had a major story of Walmart working behind the scenes with several conservative think tanks and pundits to create Walmart policy. It happened that Walmart had asked groups such as the American Enterprise Institute, the Heritage Foundation, and the Manhattan Institute to guide them.
Of course, who could either be surprised or even alarmed at these facts? After all, Walmart has the right to consult anyone they want to help them create their own policies. They ARE a company, not a government. For that matter, why should anyone get all up in arms by such a thing, even a government?
Still, the Times thought they had some outrageous scoop and this non-story, story even appeared on the front page of the business section.
Flash forward three years. Now the Times is finally fessing up that the anti-Wal-Mart group called Wal-Mart Watch has secretly been assisted behind the scenes by one of the most powerful, extreme leftwing union in the country, the SEIU.
Over the last several months, a confidential report has circulated within the headquarters of Wal-Mart Stores, proposing sweeping changes to its employee health care plans.
It looks like a typical corporate planning document, but it is not. The nine-page report, written by an Emory University professor, Kenneth E. Thorpe, was commissioned, paid for and given to Wal-Mart by its longtime foes, the Service Employees International Union, and a group the union finances, called Wal-Mart Watch. They are known for attacking the chain, not cooperating with it.
But after waging an aggressive public relations campaign against Wal-Mart for three years, the company’s full-time, union-backed critics, who once vowed never to let up, are putting down their cudgels.
Of course, we are belatedly presented this SEIU meddling in Wal-Mart’s affairs in a strictly matter of fact way by the Times, here. No amazing revelations of secret backroom deals, no similar sensational reporting style with which they reported on Wal-Mart’s conservative allies.
But, there we have it anyway. Even as the Times attacked Wal-Mart for having conservative ties, they make no such accusation for Wal-Mart Watch and its extremist, leftist ties.
Ah the hypocrisy looms.
(H/T Clay Waters of Times Watch)
____________
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, townhall.com, New Media Journal, Men’s News Daily and the New Media Alliance among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston