Letter: Biden story inconsistent with paper's claims

A seeming contradiction between two items in the May 11 print edition of the Daily Herald drew my attention. The first was a column by Herald Managing Editor for Opinion, Jim Slusher. It was one in a recent stream assuring readers that the "practice of journalism" is at the highest professional levels at the paper. Readers were assured that while offering balance in coverage and of opinion sources, the paper strives to tell the truth - and can be trusted. If one reads between the lines, the paper wants readers to know the Daily Herald don't deserve inclusion in the "biased media" bloc made up of most U.S. news outlets.

That leads me to the second item to catch my eye: "GOP calls Biden family records a smoking gun," by Farnoush Amiri. The story deals with financial transactions by Hunter and other Biden family members that may constitute illegal influence pedaling and FBI "suspicious activity reports" that may support charges. Instead of digging deep into the evidence and letting readers know why this could or couldn't be true, the author takes the tack of smearing Rep. James Comer Jr. and other members of the House Oversight Committee as meritless political stunt artists who are routinely careless with facts.

He then employs the diversionary tactic by writing that "suspicious activity reports against elected officials are not uncommon" and that several reports like this were issued concerning Trump Administration officials. In other words, "Hey, look over here, Trump people got reported too; move on, this is no big deal; there's no reason to pursue Hunter and the other Bidens."

Amiri's piece is not news. It is a hit job offered in service to the current administration. And it is journalistic malpractice inconsistent with Slusher's view of his paper's approach.

Charles F. Falk

Schaumburg