Ogden political reporter, Steven Allen Adams, and the News-Register have outdone themselves with one of the longest front-page stories this year and it’s about a non-local candidate who lost by over 800 votes earlier this month. (The article looks to be a shoo-in for the “Worst News Article of the Year Award” -- especially with two-time winner Casey Junkins off to another Ogden paper in New Hampshire.)

What in the article could be considered “news”?

The losing candidate, Riley Moore, is thinking about running for state treasurer. That’s it – the rest of the article consists of Moore family history, Riley’s quoted views on various topics, and Adams political analysis.

Most of the article fits under the category of public relations fluff. For instance:

Yet, much like his famous grandfather [Arch Moore] who came back after several political defeats and even fought his way through a near-death experience fighting the Germans in World War II, Moore isn’t ready to give up on making West Virginia a better place.

(Okay, I give up. How is this in any way like fighting Germans?)

And:

Most candidates who lose races — let alone a re-election attempt — often take a break to dust themselves off and re-evaluate political service. Instead, Moore filed pre-candidacy paperwork to potentially challenge State Treasurer John Perdue — the only Democrat on the Board of Public Works — in 2020.

Yes, you gotta love him for his tenacity and willingness to serve!

Enough already.

Some things I learned about Riley Moore by doing some research

I knew nothing about him before I read Adams’ article. I didn’t learn much reading the article and so I did my own research.

The Adams article tells us that he has worked as a welder and that he is a director at aerospace and defense contractor, Textron. It doesn’t mention that he also worked for the Podesta Group, which is being investigated by the Mueller team because of its links to Paul Manafort and the Ukraine. Here’s WV Metro News from a year ago:

West Virginia Delegate Riley Moore says he is shocked by what he’s learning about the Podesta Group, where he used to work as a vice president.

Tony Podesta, the lobbying firm’s namesake, stepped aside on Monday after the firm was linked to the highly-publicized indictment of former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort.

Moore, who was hired as part of a new wave of employees in 2013, was part of a client team working on the European Centre For a Modern Ukraine (ECFMU), which had been formed to represent former Ukranian President, Viktor Yanukovych.

(Last month we learned that WV Republicans hired a PR firm linked to Manafort. No wonder Republicans want to end the Mueller investigation.)

The other interesting article was by Dave Mistich at West Virginia Public Broadcasting earlier this week. Mistich, who doesn’t get enough recognition for his fine investigative work, looked at some of the darker money that was supporting ads on both sides during our last election. One of these groups was the Republican-backed 1863 PAC:

Less than two weeks before the election the Charleston Gazette Mail reported that the Secretary of State’s office issued a cease and desist order to 1863 PAC, citing no registration as a state or federal political action committee.

Many questions about the group’s origins and efforts have centered around Riley Moore, a Republican delegate from the 67th House District who was ultimately defeated in the 2018 midterms by Democrat John Doyle.

Mistich continues:

Moore has weaved back and forth on explaining his involvement, affiliation or knowledge of anyone at 1863 PAC. First, he told WV MetroNews he had personal relationships with those involved with the group. Later, the Gazette-Mail reported Moore denied affiliation with 1863 PAC and declined further comment.

Already at 1500 words, Adams apparently didn’t have any space for either of these points in his article.