CNN today carried a story titled, Palin slams ’sexist’ Newsweek cover. The Newsweek cover shows how the mainstream media subtly distorts the debate about Sarah Palin by simply choosing a photo that emphasizes her sexy look. It’s a subtlety that Newsweek and CNN have mastered over the years. To distort truth or meaning, you don’t have to outright lie; you merely have to shift emphasis of a headline, a photo, or a few sentences.

Like Sarah Palin, I am not surprised. I’ve written about the prejudice of the mainstream media against conservatives and Libertarians for many years. This is just the latest example. Over the years CNN itself has been very prejudiced against conservatives and Libertarians, and very clever and subtle with how they display their prejudices.

But the world is catching on. There is a reason why news organizations are losing revenue, laying off their reporters at a record pace, and heading for the ash bin of history. Newsweek’s cover is part of that reason.

Why is John Silveira always the last one to get his column done?

Jackie Clay video

By the way, if you haven’t seen Jackie Clay’s latest blog video, you should. Extremely good. It’s the Oct. 27 entry.

Problems with website shopping cart

The shopping cart on the website broke yesterday afternoon, but we got it fixed tonight. So if you tried to order something at the website within the last day and a half but couldn’t, please try again.

The employees of our longtime printer, Ripon Printers of Ripon, Wisconsin, sent us a signed megaposter the other day congratulating us on our 20th anniversary issue. Many of Ripon’s 300 plus employees signed it. In the center of the poster is a photo of the employees gathered outside their Wisconsin plant. They also sent us a framed copy of our 20th issue cover.

Super nice! That’s why I’ve done business with Ripon for more than a decade. Not only is Ripon and its employees very good at what they do, but it’s a family owned company in a small town and they’ve treated us over the years like we’re part of their family. My wife and I recognize quite a few of the names on the poster.

Just this past summer Annie and I visited the Ripon plant and got a tour from Tom Welk and Joe Putzer, two of our principal contacts there. Huge plant with state-of-the-art equipment. They are very conscious of quality control and have worked with us over the years saving a little money here, a little there without sacrificing the quality of the magazine. I’ve always felt like they are an extension of my own staff.

Thank you Ripon! You’ve made Backwoods Home Magazine look good for years, you’ve helped us control costs, and you’ve minimized all the printing, sorting, and mailing mistakes that inevitably creep into the magazine publication process. May we continue to prosper together.