The Things Wichita Eagle Columnist Mark McCormick Omits

by Bob Weeks on August 18, 2008

In his Wichita Eagle titled Taxpayer watchdog seems to target city, columnist Mark McCormick asks “What does Karl Peterjohn have against Wichita kids?”

His basis for asking, as developed in the column, is that since Karl Peterjohn, head of the Kansas Taxpayers Network (and now Republican nominee for the Sedgwick County Commission) opposes a bond issue for the Wichita public school district, but hasn’t opposed bond issues for surrounding suburban school districts, he must hate Wichita kids.

Now when McCormick criticizes Peterjohn — and this has happened a few more times since this June 11 column — the columns are full of phrases like “It is difficult not to like Peterjohn …” and “He’s one of the most pleasant people I deal with regularly.”

Why McCormick includes material like this is beyond me, especially when he omits something he surely knows. This fact provides an answer to the question posed, whether Peterjohn hates Wichita kids: Karl Peterjohn has two young children who attend Wichita public schools.

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