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WCIA pulls back on ICE story

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* Earlier this week, WCIA TV ran a story based on Politico’s report about Gov. Rauner “turning a profit from a health care group that services U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers, including facilities that hold immigrant families with children.” Click here if the embed doesn’t work for you…

* The station has since issued a clarification…

Transcript…

And WCIA is clarifying a story we reported last night about the governor’s finances. A web story, published first by Politico, suggested with incomplete evidence that Gov. Rauner makes a profit from immigration detention centers at the southern border. We cannot confirm that report and the governor’s office denies it. An investment firm that Rauner used to control does hold stake in a healthcare company that provides medical treatment for inmates there. However, it remains unclear if that contract is profitable. A spokesperson for Rauner says the firm has not collected any profit from it.

FYI, the above YouTube video was posted by the governor’s campaign.

* Related…

* 10 Chicago-area politicians sign letter urging that ICE be abolished: Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Skokie), Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston), Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) and Rep. Theresa Mah (D-Chicago), joined Ald. George Cardenas (12th), Susan Sadlowski Garza (10th), Ricardo Muñoz (22nd), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th), Milly Santiago (31st) and Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd) in co-signing an open letter calling for an end to the agency.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 11:40 am

Comments

I don’t think “It’s OK, he didn’t make any money off of that investment” is going to calm too many people down.

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 11:42 am
it seems clear to me that a news outlet was fed an embellished/false story by a pro-Pritzker research outlet and ran with it without checking in detail.
but getting this phony story out there was a smart move by Pritzker and Co. because the trust never catches up. now he’s got his ads up and running based on the stories that were reported.

Comment by jim Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 11:45 am
Why let the facts get in the way of a good story. Just run with whatever someone else said.

Comment by SSL Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 11:46 am
So he’s just giving money to some of the people enabling the caging of children, with the expectation of eventually making money off of it. That’s so different. I get details matter, and the definition of profit matters, but the point of the story is still valid.

Comment by Perrid Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 11:46 am
I’m legitimately not clear so this is not a rhetorical question: is this response just attempting to parse “revenue” and “profit”?

Because if that’s the carefully-crafted official pushback…oh boy.

Comment by Anon Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 11:47 am
So if he’s not profiting from it, is he just doing it for fun then? But his toilets…

Comment by TopHatMonocle Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 11:49 am
Well, to paraphrase The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, “this is Illinois politics, sir! When the rumor becomes fact, print the rumor!”

Comment by Steve Judd Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 11:52 am
=it seems clear to me that a news outlet was fed an embellished/false story by a pro-Pritzker research outlet and ran with it without checking in detail.=

Rauner and his team have been behind countless “embellished/false” stories and few were ever followed up on or corrected. Heck when Bruce and the IPI were pals they did it on a nearly daily basis.

A mistake on the Pritzker camp for sure, but hardly fatal. And by no means do I have any sympathy for the chronically dishonest Rauner camp.

Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 11:52 am
“To clarify further, we at WCIA, like most TV news casts, blatantly rip off other news sources, don’t bother to check it out ourselves, and then just run with it.

Now, on a more serious note, squirrels on water skis…..–

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 11:54 am
==it seems clear to me that a news outlet was fed an embellished/false story by a pro-Pritzker research outlet and ran with it without checking in detail.==

I dunno, the only thing Rauner appears to want to correct is the idea that he’s seen a profit on it yet. And the evidence for that is his own comms director’s shaky definition of “profit”.

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 11:55 am
Super lazy journalism by Politico. This is a reason that public opinion is sadly turning on the press, caused by stories like this where an oppo report is never vetted and popped on what some people view as a credible news site only to be used by a campaign in a TV ad in less than 24 hours. Take your time, get it right and apologize when you screw up. Big egos lead to bad results.

Comment by Not Again Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 11:57 am
Basically Rauner just hasn’t cashed the check from the company giving health care to imprisoned children. His name is on it. it is endorsed. But technically, he hasn’t cashed it yet.

Comment by 360 Degree TurnAround Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 12:01 pm
The pro-Rauner PAC has been running toilet commercials, including one in which an actor is portraying Pritzker. That one, to me, looked like a terrible Jewish stereotype. Plus, the message is for Pritzker to go [expletive] himself, which is going in the gutter.

Rauner was also running Blago ads saying Pritzker is corrupt, even though Pritzker wasn’t charged with anything.

I’m not saying Pritzker is totally right in attacking Rauner about the healthcare company, but adding context of the dirtiness and lack of truth in campaigns.

Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 12:03 pm
Seems feckless of WCIA
But what this really illustrates is two things
1) Rauners reach and ability to squash a story
2) the Pritzker crew needs to increase their reach and ability to keep something alive.
Love of God Pritzker crew
They’re killing you with toilets
You get this “back porch, not so blind trust” story
And you seem to be fumbling it.
Pritzker crew
I can’t take another Rauner term
My union can’t either
Do better
Now

Comment by Honeybear Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 12:06 pm
This is a good example of how stories in national publications about Chicago or Illinois statewide politics are always wrong.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 12:24 pm
The words used should have been more precise. However, whether the contract is profitable or not, should not be the question that matters. A business can easily move numbers around to show that a specific contract wasn’t profitable. The company is providing a service and they are being paid for it.

Comment by My Button is Broke... Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 12:29 pm
There’s about 2,329 logical reasons to support someone other than Rauner, so exaggerating one is completely unnecessary.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 12:54 pm
– Plus, the message is for Pritzker to go [expletive] himself, which is going in the gutter.–

Huh. So Lincoln didn’t tell Douglas to go eff himself, back in the day?

It’s a pretty narrow call to action.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 1:07 pm
So Rauner’s fund may not be currently profiting from the horrible situation at the border, but it is, by its own admission, trying desperately to profit from the horrible situation at the border.

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 1:19 pm
It doesn’t matter. Like all media outlets these days, as long as what they are initially reporting hurts the Right, it could be right, wrong, or indifferent. The retractions never get noticed to the degree that the initial slander does, so hey, it works - why stop now??

Comment by BigDoggie Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 1:37 pm
Not Again - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 11:57 am:

Your last line is every reason not to re-elect Rauner.

Comment by Precinct Captain Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 1:40 pm
===Like all media outlets these days, as long as what they are initially reporting hurts the Right, it could be right, wrong, or indifferent.===

Lol. This is a typical FB comment masquerading as a Capitol Fax comment.

Seriously, the overall quality of comments has gone down noticeably over the past several years. Mine especially, but I wish people would keep trying to elevate their game here and leave the lazy half thoughts and bumper sticker comments to the amateurs on the unmoderated newspaper sites.

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 1:43 pm
– Like all media outlets these days, as long as what they are initially reporting hurts the Right, it could be right, wrong, or indifferent. –

Another victim heard from.

So, is that Murdoch media empire out to get you? Sinclair? Tronc?

John Wayne used to be the idealization of right-wingers: the strong, silent type. Now it’s Tucker Carlson, an effete, prep-school-dunce hysteric.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 1:44 pm
Honestly, after a full term in office, why would anyone broadcast fake news when the real stuff is far worse?

I have no idea why anyone needs to believe this nonsense to vote against Rauner.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 3:03 pm