Gaunce has done it again; makes a stand based on bias

By JEFF JOBE
jobe@jobeinc.com

News media bias is real. It not only reduces the quality of journalism, but most of all it fosters distrust among readers.
This is bad for every aspect of our democracy.

It’s easy to be trusted when you have readers watching the city council meeting on the local cable television because we write what happened. Of course, we have to pick and choose what we print and this process of choice could be argued as bias.

For this I have no shame; I will not bore you with what sounded like enough bull and spin to write a novel thanking a replaced board member. Nobody cares, just say; thank you for your service and move on for gosh sakes.

Monday nights Glasgow City Council meeting was a good example of an individual with internal biases reading a biased news story and then swallowing the bait, hook, line and sinker.

Patrick Gaunce has done it again. Years ago he wrote a letter to the editor in the Glasgow Daily Times accusing Gubernatorial candidate Matt Bevin of something that just didn’t happen; he went so far as to say, “Matt Bevin you are not welcome in Glasgow.” He told me he based that opinion from details provided by a former radio reporter.

I’m comfortable he has mended fences with Governor Bevin and he indicated he apologized in private but I have yet to read a correction in the GDT. I believe one should make a correction in the manner is which they made the mistake. No man of character should whisper a correction for a mistake he screamed.

In last night’s Glasgow City Council meeting, Gaunce was no different than the biased elected officials who attacked the boys of Covington Catholic.
The GDT article made D.T. Froedge out to be some power hungry mad man who was hell-bent on firing Glasgow Electric Plant Board Billy Ray. When in fact, he showed a considerable amount of professionalism, integrity and down-right compassion for handling this manner as he has done so far.

No man of character would blind side a neighbor or community member, no matter how arrogant and uncaring they are to the poor in our community; by having him read of a pending vote for his removal on an agenda. This is the cowardly world of poor leadership Glasgow has seen in recent years.
Froedge gave Ray an opening to retire and step down. Heck, he could have really retired this time instead of doing it as a means to “double-dip” the GEPB rate payers.

I won’t even insult my readers by exposing the ridiculous assumptions made by Jeff Harned; the most recent person Ray has thrown under the bus. Again, if Ray cared it wouldn’t even be a worry. The closings on this simple refinance would have been set and done by the time his retirement took place.

It is not at all uncommon for people to decide to step down or retire instead of being forcefully removed; it has happened right here in Glasgow in the past few months, and I might even go so far to predict a few more in the months ahead.

Gaunce swallowed the GDT spin just like he did the radio reporter, and whomever led him to believe Glasgow was sitting on millions of unused funds.
One could make an argument that Gaunce is determined when he believes in something yet if he doesn’t do a better job at getting the facts and show concern for truth involving his fellow man, I’m comfortable he will continue finding himself on the wrong end of 11-1 votes; at a minimum. It’s just not right.

Jeff Jobe is founder and CEO of Jobe Publishing, Inc. His commentary reflects his personal views and does not reflect the views of personal or professional associations and affiliations. Reach him at jobe@jobeinc.com. Read his previously published commentary at www.sckentucky.com.