To the editor:

Why am I not surprised? I should have been prepared for this blatantly biased coverage of the governor’s race when I saw the Journal-World editor getting his “marching orders” from the head of the Kansas Chamber, Mike O’Neal, at First Watch several months ago. I should have been ready for his editorials, but I was not prepared for the front page, above-the-fold coverage of the Brownback campaign versus the third or fourth page burying of the Davis campaign. Burying the negative results of the Brownback administration (loss of jobs, budget shortfalls, increase in uninsured in Kansas, for example) is also evident in the reporting.

Our editor, who didn’t even endorse our hometown Republican, Scott Morgan, against one of the most outrageous secretaries of state in Kansas history, was surely going to support Brownback. We knew that, especially when seen taking orders from the Koch brothers’ stepson, the Kansas Chamber. But watching the obvious news bias is really taking it a step too far. Not recognizing Davis’ work building coalitions across the aisle, opposing the Brownback “experiment” of tax cuts to the richest while cutting education and health care to our citizens, and voting for property tax relief should at least be worthy of note by his hometown paper.

So I am not surprised. But I am surprised that I continue to subscribe to this paper. I guess when you are the only paper in town, you can act like it.