Politico’s Patrick Gavin Joins DC Liberals Jumping in Freezing Potomac for Global Warming
Any climate skeptic will surely get a chuckle out of a bunch of DC liberals jumping into the 30-degree water of the Potomac River and emerging into the 20-degree winter air, all to raise awareness about global warming. The video of Politico reporter Patrick Gavin, Congresswoman Donna Edwards, D-Md., and about 200 others taking the “polar bear plunge” is certainly entertaining. But Gavin's participation also raises some questions about journalistic neutrality. Should a reporter be joining in what amounts to a (pretty funny) political demonstration in the nation's capital? But first, the video: As you saw early in the video, the event did have a political tinge to it. Rep. Edwards is an extremely liberal politician, with a lifetime ACU rating of 3.5 out of 100 . She of course voted for the Waxman-Markey cap and trade bill the House passed in 2009. So clearly the event was about promoting a very leftist, partisan brand of environmentalism. Which is fine – partisan events are what politicians do. But should reporters be participating in such events? Covering a bunch of half-naked greens jumping into ice-cold water is one thing. But joining them? That seems questionable – as a matter of common sense, of course, but also since it would seem to belie a journalist's claim to political neutrality on the issue.
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Politico’s Patrick Gavin Joins DC Liberals Jumping in Freezing Potomac for Global Warming
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on February 2, 2011. Filed under