The Reading Post wants us to quiet down about their bias against Reading Votes (RV) candidates. As we explained in a previous newsletter, the Post systematically pushed letters to the editor (LtEs) in support of Chris Haley, Dana Guarino, and Melissa Murphy down in the content feed, reducing their visibility.
Despite multiple requests for comment, the Post has stayed mum, no doubt hoping this will go away.
Well, thanks to your advocacy, RV is a force. And we will not let this issue die.
Read on to understand why we need your help to get answers on:
- The exact relationship between the Post and RCTV. If the Post is essentially an arm of RCTV, it should not discriminate.
- Who manipulated letters to the editor at the Post.
Why this Matters
This content moderation bias is potentially the tip of the iceberg, exposing a much larger concern: namely, the connection between the seemingly partisan way the Post displays and publishes LtEs and the publicly funded, supposedly neutral RCTV.
First, the Post appears biased, although it claims it’s not.
A resident experienced this viewpoint discrimination personally and posted about it on Facebook:
If the Post still maintains it is unbiased, then it must explain its seemingly partisan behavior. On the other hand, if the Post is a private organization, it has the right to support the candidates it wishes. But then it shouldn’t claim to be unbiased.
Second and more concerning are the unknown ties between the Post and RCTV.
Connections between the Post and RCTV
The Post and RCTV appear closely intertwined:
- Philip Rushworth is on the executive board of the Post. He is also the executive director of RCTV Studios.
- The Reading Post appears to have a partnership of some sort with RCTV. It enjoys prime real estate on the RCTV web site and is featured in every single page, by virtue of being embedded in the main navigation:
- Most concerning: The Reading Post might be a subsidiary of RCTV. The Post does not exist as an independent entity, based on our research. No such name is registered as a corporation or registered nonprofit in Massachusetts.
RCTV is a non-profit organization that receives significant funding from cable licenses to the Town. Its stated mission, per its own website, is to provide unbiased access to local happenings like select board meetings, candidate debates, school committee meetings, and so on. RCTV has an agreement with the town of Reading to provide certain services in accordance with this policy:
As that provision shows, RCTV has to maintain neutrality on many fronts. As a public organization that must maintain neutrality, RCTV should not be allied with a biased news source.
We Need Your Help
All we’re asking for is transparency. RCTV and the Post must explain exactly how they are connected, and the Post should clarify its structure and funding, including whether it is obligated to maintain the same neutrality as RCTV.
We call on the boards of both the Post and RCTV to clarify the nature of their relationship. We also ask for assurance that RCTV, as a taxpayer funded entity, is committed to viewpoint neutrality and propriety in keeping with its mission. We also want to know who backdated LtEs.
Please join us by sending a quick email asking for a response from both boards and especially Philip Rushworth, who is on both boards.
You can send the email to:
- The RCTV Board: bod@rctv.org
- Philip Rushworth, executive director of RCTV (and on the Post’s board): phil@rctv.org.
- The Reading Post: editor@thereadingpost.com
- Their board members are listed here, but no email addresses: https://thereadingpost.com/about/
- The Select Board: selectboard@ci.reading.ma.us
RCTV in the Spotlight at Tuesday’s Select Board Meeting
ttend the Tuesday, June 4 Select Board meeting and provide public comment. The meeting starts at 6:30; public comment is around 7:00.
At approximately 8:45, there is an agenda item to discuss RCTV’s compliance with its contract with the Town and relationship with the Post. The agenda and meeting information are here.
You can also review RCTV’s grant here, starting on page 30.
Thanks,
Reading Votes