In the elections business, candidates are always fearing the sneaky, last-minute, “October surprise” that will influence late-deciding voters. So it was interesting that, on Monday, just days before Saturday’s voting, the Dallas Morning News splashed a story across its Metro “front” with some nit-picking charge against mayoral hopeful Ron Natinsky, essentially part of a family feud involving Natinsky’s brother.
As a result when WFAA-TV ran the story last night that Zac mentioned–about some fairly substantial allegations against Natinsky’s foe Mike Rawlings–I thought for sure there would be a story about this in today’s DMN. Wrong. There was nothin’. Nada. Zippo. (They did have another story from last night’s Ch. 8 newscast, though, about fighting in a Seagoville classroom, so clearly it wasn’t a timing issue.)
I know people go nuts when the DMN is accused of bias in its news coverage, but this one seems pretty straightforward. The paper has endorsed Mike Rawlings for mayor, ringingly. It blew up a minor nit against Natinsky, one it sort of modified later. It’s ignored the Rawlings brouhaha in the paper and on the website–as of 10:05 a.m. today, anyway–even though its broadcast “partner” broke the story yesterday. You be the judge.
UPDATE: Rudolph Bush posted a story about the flap on the DMN website a little after 12 today.
