Twisted World of Harold W. - Vol. 3

Back to his old ways with a vengeance, today Harold W. Andersen took "a look at the local news scene" - meaning he took as many potshots at Democrats running for office as possible.

First, he ridiculously went on the attack against the Nebraska Democratic Party for having the audacity to file a complaint against Councilman Jim Vokal with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission for his failure to disclose, as prescribed by law, who was paying for his pre-recorded telephone messages.

Andersen claims this complaint makes "a mockery of state law" designating nonpartisan election of officers. He even goes as far as to say:

I can recall no case where a party has become so deeply involved in a supposedly nonpartisan election - so deeply involved that the party is filing a complaint with the Accountability and Disclosure Commission.

Oh, who is he kidding? Andersen is the one making a mockery of journalism. Keeping Vokal's opponent, Anne Boyle, above the fray by having the Democratic Party file this entirely legal complaint is not dirty in the slightest - it's smart. For Andersen not to remember worse incidents indicates that his long-standing ideological dementia has crossed over into self-serving senility.

But it doesn't stop there. After paying lip service to the obviously more ludicrous example of false nonpartisanship, Republican city council candidate Rick Bettger's plea of "I am the only Republican in this election, and I promise to respect the nonpartisan nature of the office of City Council," Andersen resumes his tired cheap shots by going after Bettger's opponent, Councilman Mark Kraft, for advertising himself with Mayor Mike Fahey as "a great team for Omaha's neighborhoods!"

Get this, Andersen even attacks Kraft for advertising his endorsement by Bob Bell, former President of the Omaha Chamber of Commerce:

Campaign use of Bell's former position at the Chamber is inappropriate,as is Mayor Fahey's becoming involved in a City Council campaign.

Associating yourself with a popular mayor who will share the ballot with you is wrong? Endorsements by a community leader are wrong? By what insane standard?

Where does the unethical journalistic treachery stop? How dare Andersen sit in judgment on anyone for betraying the notion of nonpartisanship when he has been guilty of perverting jouralism and the entire Nebraskan media climate for purely partisan reasons for decades? Andersen makes this stuff up as he goes along, saying whatever is most convenient and makes for the best attack against Democrats. He's done so for decades from the OWH Editorial page. It's always been shameful, but here it's also just pathetic.

That Andersen ends his column with a supposed "lecture on journalism fundamentals" is what's truly horrible. Imagine that this state's future journalists are being educated at UNL in a building named for this abomination of their chosen profession. Their could be no lower tribute to the journalistic and academic integrity of that entire campus. I dare say that each time a student walks through the doors of UNLs Andersen Hall looking for knowledge and learning, she and her dreams are insulted by the very University in which she has entrusted her future.

No donation is worth a betrayal such as that.