[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15979]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   BIASED LA TIMES STORY MISSES POINT

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                            HON. LAMAR SMITH

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 23, 2009

  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Madam speaker, I have more bad news for Americans 
. . . yet another example of biased reporting.
  This one comes from the Los Angeles Times.
  The paper ran a story about a company that fired 200 workers after an 
IRS audit found ``hundreds of `invalid or fraudulent' Social Security 
numbers.''
  An unbiased story would have focused on how devastating ID theft is 
to families. It might have discussed the range of problems they face--
faulty arrest records and tax liabilities among them.
  The article also might have mentioned that those 200 jobs are now 
open for jobless U.S. citizens and legal immigrants. And that typically 
after an action like this, wages for American workers are higher.
  But the Times story did neither of these things.
  Instead, the story followed the talking points set forth by amnesty 
advocates and the Times' own editorial board.
  Readers deserve better. They deserve a balanced view.
  And that Los Angeles company--it should be praised for its actions to 
comply with the law instead of ignoring it.

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