Beacon Follows Post-Dispatch Lead With Incomplete Tea Party Reporting

The Beacon's Jo Mannies reports today for the first time on the St. Louis Tea Party's new lobbyist in Jefferson City, Gary Wiegert, and organization leader Bill Hennessy's "defense" of the choice to make Wiegert their lobbyist.   Yet like the Post-Dispatch, the Beacon's coverage of the STL Tea Party's lobbyist completely omits the details of Hennessy's and Wiegert's recent and relevant activism on state legislative matters -- their attempt to smear Speaker Steve Tilley as "aligned with the New Black Panthers."

With a video featuring Wiegert, Reboot Congress's Darin Morley, hate radio personality Dana Loesch and other Andrew Breitbart lackeys, Hennessy led to charge to spread this junk just last month.  The Beacon reported on the manufactured controversy in February, but then disserves readers by ignoring it altogether when Wiegert is promoted instead of marginalized for his key role in the smear.   Hennessy's role in the pathetic attack should not be overlooked either, but somehow it was -- again.  (See here, here, here and here for examples.)

I think this sort of garbage says a lot of about the character of Hennessy and Wiegert, and the kind of dishonest activism they promote.  But beyond my personal disgust for their behavior, their New Black Panther smear is directly relevant to Wiegert's ability and the organization's ability to be effective advocates in the Capitol.