The Story The Media Didn't Want To Tell

While many Fort Wayne residents are in shock over the video-supported allegations of politicking and other documented shenanigans leading to the collapse of the Fort Wayne City Clerk's office, there are some in town who have known this day might eventually come, and dreaded it. 

Political insiders and democrat party members have known for years how the Clerk's office has operated during election years. No shock to them. 

But those most impacted by the unfolding scandal and resignations of Kennedy, Davis, and Stahlut are members of Fort Wayne's intrepid news media. For them, this was a story they hoped they would never have to cover, because most, if not all in the media, also knew how the Clerk's office functioned, especially during election years. The circle of power in Fort Wayne is quite small, there are only so many elected officials, only so many reporters....it's much like Mayberry, but with better strip bars. 

For much of the last century government employees were used and abused to help their elected bosses keep their jobs, and their own jobs as well. It wasn't that many years ago, that workers at the Indiana License Branches were still required to kick back 2-5% of their salaries back to the party of their boss to help finance his next campaign. City and county employees as late as the 70's reportedly did the same thing. Thanks to Federal, State, and some local legislative ethics reforms, most of those political activities have been eliminated and many of those abuses have gone by the wayside. However, there are exceptions, as evidenced by the Clerk's Office imploding and ruining the careers of at least three people. While not a cesspool of criminal activity, the video speaks for itself to the current allegations at hand. Logic would indicate that what's seen on the video is not an isolated issue with a reasonable person left to conclude these practices are business as usual, maybe for the last 32 years. 

So, why is our Fort Wayne media covering the story? In the face of real, video evidence, they have no choice. The Maven can only imagine how the editors of the News Sentinel felt their hearts sink and then stick in their throats when Colin Keeney walked into their offices. This was an allegation they had heard before, but never pursued because it represented a classic "he said/she said" situation, and no one wanted to take on a politically powerful icon, with many rich, powerful friends. But now, the allegations had legs, and a video. Two hundred hours of video. This was a game-changer and the News Sentinel had to investigate and act. If they didn't Keeney would simply have to traverse the hall to the Journal Gazette and plead his case there. When Kevin Leininger's story hit the web and print, every other media outlet, even the kids in the WOWO newsroom, had "permission" to climb on the bandwagon and report a story they already knew about, but never wanted to present to their audiences. 

One can only imagine what other stories our media is not telling us.