Belo Corp. and The Dallas Morning News have painted themselves into a corner on the GOP gubernatorial debate they’re sponsoring Jan. 29. Days before Thursday’s public-TV debate in Denton, which featured Gov. Rick Perry, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and libertarian/constitutionalist Debra Medina, Belo declared that Medina wouldn’t be allowed to join their upcoming party, for a variety of (sometimes labored) reasons.
Then something happened: the constitutionalist performed so well Thursday that some observers–including an analyst for CBS11–say she might have “won” the thing. Now the DMN/Belo is scrambling to defend its call against an onslaught of criticism. (If you don’t believe it, read the 80-plus commenters to the Trail Blazers post.) I have a simple solution for the Dallas-based media company: admit you made a bad decision, reverse it ASAP, and allow Medina to have her say on stage. It’s the right thing to do, guys.
