Really, DFW Media? Do your jobs.

I don't normally rail at "the media" or complain about double standards.  For one thing "the media" isn't one cohesive group, so complaining about "the media" generally does no good.  For another, double standards are a fact of life- you may as well complain about the fact it get hot in summer.

However, every so often there is a uniformity so pervasive that to believe there is not some kind of agenda or collusion stretches credulity.  The case of the Lockheed Martin Machinists' Strike is one of those.

Since bringing you the information, last Wednesday night, that Union Workers were seeking charitable assistance and even unemployment benefits, I have been attempting to contact various members of the Dallas/Fort Worth Media who pay attention to such things.  I have gotten no response.  Now, that, alone, doesn't really bother me.  I'm some no-name blogger on a free-hosted blog.  It's not like I have a big voice.

However, when I see articles like this, from the Star Telegram, I begin to believe the reason they are not covering this gross violation of any decent ethical standard is that they are cheer-leading for the union.  It seems that, from the beginning, the Dallas/Fort Worth media complex has had a conspiracy of silence regarding any misdeeds of the union (not least of which is urging its members to apply for unemployment).  When they do report, they go into contortions to paint the union in a good light, and as some powerful organization.

Example:

Lockheed said an additional 34 workers crossed the picket line in Fort Worth on Monday, bringing the total to 295 since the strike began.  That's less than 10 percent of the local union membership.

Now, considering 3,600 (by this article's count, I'd heard 4,200 previously) workers were striking, 295 is "less than 10 percent."  It's only 55 workers, less, but it is "less than 10 percent."  But why even bring that up?  What does the percentage matter, except to make it seem like those 295 workers are somehow less honorable than their brothers and sisters for having crossed the picket line?  "See, the majority still support harming National Security, you don't have to worry about those 295 honorable patriots."

Further Example:

The union said the changes would have forced workers into a "high-deductible, high-cost healthcare plan with no cap on annual out-of-pocket expenses."

Something's missing here... what is it... Oh.  No word from Lockheed or even any mention that Lockheed was asked about what the changes would have done.  Of course the union is going to paint the changes in as bad a light as possible.  Indeed, the article itself highlights only 2 of six pure benefit increases, and 7 total changes that would probably be beneficial, and the two weakest at that.  All without even mentioning that Lockheed might have a different take than the union.

For now, Lockheed and the Union have agreed to Federal Mediation (one report I heard said Arbitration, which would be different) to get the striking machinists back to work.  That's good.  Anything that gets these men and women back to work and gets the F-35 built properly and on-time is a good thing.

I just wish the Media would quit cheer-leading for the side that wanted to harm our Country's security, for once.