Clifford Was/Is Paid Agent of the Wisconsin State Journal

Jessica McBride makes an excellent point regarding the Wisconsin State Journal’s undisclosed conflict of interest in the race for State Supreme Court.

(Linda) Clifford also reports representing BayCare Health, Beloit College, Earth Advantage, Enbridge Energy, IoGenetics, Midwest Natural Gas, The Onion, ERCO Worldwide, UW Medical Foundation, Mercy Health System, the Wisconsin State Journal, the Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group, among others.

This is the paper that’s led the charge against Annette Ziegler for… conflicts of interest involving small claims cases.

Shouldn’t the paper have disclosed that IT has had a financial tie to Ziegler’s opponent? At the very least, readers should have been told about this tie.

Clifford’s ethics statement lists “Wisconsin State Journal (Lee Enterprises, Inc.)” under the category of “agent, representative, or spokesperson.” The affiliation is from 2006, so it’s also recent.