Editorial: Newsday's Delgado Articles are Great Journalism - Reporter Deborah Morris is owed an Apology

This newspaper has been sometimes critical of the liberal political slant of Newsday, Long Island's last, locally-published, daily newspaper.

But the harsh attacks by the Huntington and Suffolk GOP denouncing the journalism of reporter Deborah Morris' Newsday articles - regarding the running of a fake "put-up" candidate on the Working Families Party line for Huntington Supervisor - as "fake news" and "biased journalism" - are grossly misplaced.

Morris did excellent, great journalism.  She did her research the "old fashioned" way - going to the fake candidate's home, ringing doorbells and talking directly to her, her family, her neighbors, and her petition gatherers. No armchair, web-surfing, lazy journalism there.

Morris' articles have created a local firestorm - and brought the NYS Attorney General into reviewing charges that incumbent Supervisor Ed Smyth - who got only 49% of the vote last week - schemed and used public funds to "put-up" the fake candidate - 83-year-old Maria Delgado - to bleed votes away from Smyth's Democratic opponent. 

Smyth's scheme worked, with 1,200 votes out of the 51% of the vote cast against him being split by the fake candidate, allowing Smyth to squeak-by his Democratic opponent by only 600 votes.

Officials manipulating elections - and running fake candidates - is clearly a matter of public concern.  And exposing it is an essential and time-honored watchdog role for a free press.

Morris' Newsday articles were followed up by stories and articles on News 12, CBS, the New York Post, the Northport Observer, and even the Long Islander. Is every media outlet a purveyor of "fake news" and "biased journalism ?"  Obviously not.

If Smyth and his gang did nothing illegal - as they now loudly protest - then they should have nothing to fear. If not - maybe they do.

Either way, Deborah Morris is owed an apology by the political leaders who wrongly denounced her.