First, we will visit this story from last week about Property Assessor employee Jim Owens. Owens was driving a county vehicle and he gets picked up for DUI after a minor fender bender. News Sentinel Reporter Lola Alapo filed a story and printed his mug shot on Friday, here. She has another story on Saturday, here. On Wednesday News Sentinel Reporter Rebecca Ferrar has a third story, here.
Second incident, WBIR on February 22, 2007 ran a story located here on William Anderson, III a certified Knox County educator, former Principal and now a contract administrator in the Central Office driving a Knox County School vehicle and is arrested for DUI. He failed a field sobriety test. On February 23, 2007 News Sentinel staff filed and published this story. The News Sentinel staff NEVER followed up to report the disciplinary actions regarding this incident.
Two months later in this WBIR report it informs us that William Anderson was back to work. No follow-up from McElroy and Crew can be found in the Sentinel archives.
Now, Owens story was on the front page of the paper. Where was Anderson’s story? On page 14 of the Local section. Did the News Sentinel follow up with the disciplinary actions regarding Anderson? NO.
Is the fact that William Anderson’s brother is and at the time a member of the Knox County School Board and a former Chairman a factor in the Sentinel’s favorable cover-up coverage? That is a question that needs to be asked and answered. Or is it that whoever Editor Jack McElroy and Publisher Bruce Hartmann like get buried on page 14 with no follow-up while the people that they dislike or do not have any relationship with get slandered like Hutchison, Hornback, Moore, Tramel and Phillips?
We know the answer, they know the answer and the people of Knox County know the answer. It is Bias in it’s ugliest form and it’s named “The McElroy Bias.”
In addition, Karen Carson stated at the last school board workshop regarding the Bill Phillips incident that the board always must discuss incidents that are uncomfortable for employees. Brian’s Blog pointed out Carson’s lie. However, this is another example of Carson and the School Board covering up an incident. This situation was NEVER discussed in an open meeting and if memory serves correctly, Carson was Board Chair during both incidents. Would her inaction and the inaction of the board warrant a review by the ethics committee? The questions are being sent to Law Director Lockett as we speak.
