The Internet is changing politics, we all acknowledge that. The extent of the effects are being argued endlessly. Here's something that wouldn't have happened in election cycles of years gone by. The Denver Post reports that Darrell Watson copped to hitting a child in 2003. Mr. Watson knows the story is going to break so he sends out an email statement that runs on SquareState.org.
Denver Politics runs a post saying, "The Denver Post is always eager to sensationalize. After ignoring political candidates throughout the city, reporter George Merritt has uncovered a major new story. Darrell Watson (and the boy's father) spanked a child. The boy's mother got upset, and Darrell received a judicial slap on the wrist. The so-called story entitled 'Dist. 8 hopeful pleaded guilty' is excerpted below."
Then Jason Bane writes (via Elevated Voices), "I don't know that I would say 'the facts of this story are simple.' Frankly, I think the Post story was a lot simpler than the Watson explanation. 'I was instructed to spank the child, by both biological parents, while the father was present.' Uh, what? I understand that Watson was trying to get ahead of this story by sending out his explanation yesterday, but I think he might have gotten a little too far ahead of it. He may have turned it from a bad one-day story into a weird and bad story, and that combination is always more dangerous."
So the story breaks and the conversation around it happens in the Blogosphere.
Category: Denver May 2007 Election
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