Wednesday, July 22, 2009

"Sarah Palin's Wild Ride," Installment 2

Anchorage television station KTUU has taken a sort of different approach in this series.

The 2nd installment was done by a different journalist. KTUU reporter Rhonda McBride.

Rhonda McBride was Governor Palin's Rural Advisor.

Briefly.

From January through October 2008.

Ms. McBride ostensibly resigned her position because she felt "an Alaskan Native would better represent the state's indigenous communities."

Many Alaskan Native leaders did feel that it was highly unusual to have a non-Native in the job, so there is some credence to the reason given.

The Governor's current Rural Advisor, John Moller, is an Alaskan Native. That certainly hasn't guaranteed good relations between Bush Alaska and the Palin administration... but that's a subject for another post.

However, McBride's resignation may have been a bit more complex than the reason offered.

During the 10 months McBride was Palin's advisor for rural Alaska, she had no meetings with the Governor. None. Zero. Zip. Nada.

McBride was understandable frustrated.

Despite that, I found that Ms. McBride's piece was extremely even-handed. In her segment, she treated Palin very fairly.

While I might have enjoyed it more if she'd hammered Palin, I have to give Rhonda McBride credit.

Unlike a number of reporters, she actually works hard at being a journalist.

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