The Commercial Appeal, for which all of us in the local media have such affection and respect, chose shades of yesteryear to blow out a big expose on Sunday(for subscribers only) on the subject of "bogus ballots." This is the practice of several entrepreneurs at election time to hit up political candidates for stiff payments, in return for which the aforesaid candidates have their names and likenesses put on sample ballots that are passed out to unwitting voters as being legitimate expressions from organizations that sound like real rather than fictitious political organizations.

The CA's story was produced by no less than three authors and three editors and was generated, we are told in a footnote, by a "news tip" further instances of which are solicited in the end note.

We'd like to be helpful with more tips, but, hey, we've already supplied at least four (listed below) all of which appeared in the week or so before the October 3rd election, not on a slow-news Sunday, several weeks later.

For the record, the Flyer's stories on the subject are in "related stories" below this post. Here the direct links:

https://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2019/09/22/the-bogus-ballot-syndrome-again

https://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2019/10/03/judge-declares-halt-to-distribution-of-for-profit-sample-ballots-in-city-election

https://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2019/09/26/if-at-first-you-dont-succeed

https://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/modernizing-the-vote-bogus-ballots-and-a-judgeship-kerfuffle/Content?oid=21475572

Originally posted here:
Anatomy of a "News Tip" - Memphis Flyer