Talk Radio Misinforms, Misleads

There they go again.

This time it's AM620 WTMJ's afternoon conservative Republican talk show host Jeff Wagner, who was ripping MATC today in the wake of a report about its salaries and finances that was put out by the Public Policy Forum.

"If this doesn't get your blood boiling, I don't know what will," said Jeff, as the 1:00 p.m. hour approached. (I was taking notes in the car, and I think I have this right, but if I need to be corrected, please let me know.)

Now I understand that talk radio's role is to get the audience riled up, but could we at least stick to facts?

Describing the MATC Board, Wagner piled on by saying:

"The Mayor pretty much controls it."

That didn't sound right to me.

I took Wagner's jab to mean the Mayor of Milwaukee - - whom Wagner often disses while praising Scott Walker, the Republican candidate for Governor - - but, in fact, the MATC board is not chosen by Mayor Tom Barrett, or any Mayor - - and the board selection process is well-known.

All Wagner had to do was to read to page 14 (follow the footnote #3 to the bottom of the page) in the Public Policy Forum report (and in other references through the Google) and the essential and simple facts about board selection are provided:

"A committee of members of K-12 school boards within the [technical college] district boundaries makes the appointments."

A conservative publication last year included a longer description of the state-mandated board selection process - - here - - and I would have thought that Wagner would have remembered the facts as they were laid out in a publication with which he's in sync.

Here's how Mike Nichols, that story's author, had put it:

"The MATC board is appointed by a committee of 21 representatives of local school districts who, based on state law, must select two “employers,” two “employees,” a school district administrator and an elected official.There are also vague geographic requirements and—in a twist that is unique—at least three of the nine MATC board members must be minorities. At least three must be female and at least three male."

I think that Wagner knew he was on thin ice when he threw a gratuitous slap at the Mayor, and tried to clean it up a little by saying the city has four appointments, but the appointment rules designate board member categories categories by geography, race, gender, and employer/employee status - - but give none to Milwaukee's Mayor.

We'll see if Wagner fixes this tomorrow - - but like so much misinformation thrown out on talk radio - - there it was, and there it goes into the ether, and who knows how many heard it, their blood boiling - - mission accomplished - - but in part over something false.