Where is Herald's ACORN coverage?

Investigative reporting is not dead. Those of us who are old enough to remember can thank The Washington Post and reporters Woodward and Bernstein for bringing to light the Watergate break-in of 1972. The public disclosure of that scandal ended the imperial presidency of Richard Nixon.

Times change. Today, The Washington Post and most of the "mainstream" media are "in bed" with another imperial president, Barack Obama. One now has to look to the blogosphere, cable news and talk radio for any substantive investigative reporting. The intrepid reporting by James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles of their "sting" operation involving ACORN, an organization with extensive ties to Obama and the Democratic Party, has been posted on the Web site, biggovernment.com. ACORN operatives at five offices were willing to assist O'Keefe and Giles, posing as a pimp and a prostitute, with obtaining a mortgage for a house of prostitution, avoiding income taxes and illegally trafficking in underage girls.

ACORN employees have been criminally charged with voter registration fraud and theft. On Sept. 14, the Senate voted 83 to 7 in favor of an amendment to cut off HUD grants to ACORN. To their lasting shame, our two senators voted against the amendment.

Our nation owes these young reporters our gratitude. Unfortunately, the "mainstream" media, including the Daily Herald, has largely neglected their story. A free society requires a free press to report corruption and abuse of government power. To its shame, The Daily Herald neglects its responsibilities.

Greg Guckenberger

Batavia