Sit-in for Solidarity - Thursday, June 20 on the Town Common

Sit-in for Solidarity

 

"This Thursday, 6:30-8:30. Bring drinks and snacks to share if you are able!"

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/groups/723957848435496/posts/1691551388342799/

 

FHS Football fundraising event with Jamie Barrett at La Cantina - June 20

FHS Football fundraising

 

"Join us at the new and improved La Cantina for a Franklin HS Football Fundraisng event featuring live music by Franklin's own Jamie Barrett! See below for details."

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/share/p/troRk2rPUjtZwCDj/

Register O'Donnell Announces 2024 Summer Outreach Schedule

Norfolk County Register of Deeds William P. O'Donnell announces the 2024 Summer Community Outreach Schedule. The Registry of Deeds speaking engagements and office hours are an integral part of its consumer outreach initiative. The Register and members of his staff will be at the following, Council on Aging’s, Community Centers, Civic Organizations, Library's and Town Halls starting on Monday, June 17th through Tuesday, August 27th.

Norfolk County

The Registry of Deeds is the principal office for real property records in Norfolk County, cataloging and housing more than 10 million land documents dating back to 1793. 

By offering these office hours and speaking engagements, the Register aims to make it more convenient for residents to access and inquire about real property records. This initiative reflects the Register's commitment to providing efficient and accessible services to the residents of Norfolk County.

"By releasing the Summer schedule now, it provides people with advance notice to put these dates on their calendars," noted Norfolk County Register of Deeds William P. O'Donnell.

Although Registry staff cannot provide legal advice, they will be on hand along with the Register to answer basic questions, transport documents for recording, and assist in the filling out of a Declaration of Homestead form that provides limited protection against the forced sale of an individual's primary residence to satisfy unsecured debt up to $500,000. They will also assist a person in signing up for the Registry of Deeds Consumer Notification Program, which alerts a homeowner when a transaction has been made against their property to alert them against potential cases of fraud.

Register O'Donnell Announces 2024 Summer Outreach Schedule

Register O’Donnell concluded by stating, “I understand that not everyone has the ability to travel to the Registry. By offering office hours in different locations throughout Norfolk County, we hope to accommodate those who may have difficulty making it to our main location. Additionally, residents can also utilize our online services at www.norfolkdeeds.org to access and request real property records from the comfort of their own homes. Our goal is to ensure that all Norfolk County residents have convenient and flexible options for accessing and inquiring about their real property records.”

 If you would like to stay up-to-date on upcoming Registry of Deeds events, programs, and real estate information, you can sign up for our Registry email updates at www.norfolkdeeds.org, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/norfolkdeeds, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/norfolkdeeds.

The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds, located at 649 High St., Dedham, is the principal office for real property in Norfolk County. The Registry is a resource for homeowners, title examiners, mortgage lenders, municipalities, and others with a need for secure, accurate, and accessible land record information. All land record research information can be found on the Registry’s website, www.norfolkdeeds.org. Residents in need of assistance can contact the Registry of Deeds Customer Service Center at (781) 461-6101 or email us at registerodonnell@norfolkdeeds.org.

Reminder! - Franklin Website Upgrade Community Survey

Reminder! - Franklin Website Upgrade Community Survey

The Town of Franklin is updating their website, and we need your help!

The administrative team is working on constructing a new more accessible website for the Franklin community. As part of this project, we're seeking valuable insight from the community through a survey that will ask various questions about your opinions on the current website. This is in order to make the most accessible, informative, and user-friendly experience for the next version of the website. 

This survey will have a deadline of July 1, 2024

Please click the link below to fill out the Community Survey: https://forms.gle/gfQr7p2qRvNDCX5R8

We greatly appreciate your input!

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/reminder-franklin-website-upgrade-community-survey

The Town of Franklin is conducting a Survey to upgrade the town website, please provide your input!

Give it "A Shot For Life"

"A shot for life is looking for players or non players interested in participating in the event this fall on November 9th and 10th. 

Anyone is encouraged to participate in this amazing event so if you have any questions or would like to sign up you can message Olivia Quinn through her instagram —> @oliviaquinnn 

We hope you will consider this opportunity!!"

Shared from -> https://www.instagram.com/p/C74UQP4OMDY/ 

Give it  "A Shot For Life" 

Senior center week of June 17

Via the Senior Center:

"It’s going to be a HOT one! Here’s what’s happening this week! 

Are you signed up for our Senior Olympics!?! 

The A/C will be pumping the cold air, come in and cool off! #franklinma #seniorcenter"

Check the Franklin Senior Center page for additional info on all the events this week  https://www.franklinma.gov/fsc 

Shared from -> https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8SG3SqRwRI/

Franklin TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) schedule for Monday, June 17, 2024

• wfpr.fm or 102.9 on the FM dial = Monday

9 AM 12 PM and 6 PM Talkin’ the Blues – Jim Derick & Nick Remissong
2 hours of awesome blues music, info, interviews

11 AM 2 PM and 8 PM - Frank’s Music – with Frank Falvey

• Franklin All Access TV - Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 6, Verizon 26) = MONDAY

8:00 am     SAFE Coalition: The Hamlins
9:00 am     FHS Graduation 2024
12:00 pm     Brook'n'Cookin': Peppers
12:30 pm     Cooking with Linda: Rigatoni Al Forno
1:00 pm     Cooking Thyme: Grillin'
1:30 pm     Pizzapalooza: Deep Dish
2:00 pm     New England Candlepins: Summer 2018 Show 2
3:00 pm     Candlepin New Generation: Show 7
3:30 pm     Winning Ways with the MIAA: Student Athletes May 2024
4:30 pm     Tri County Graduation 2024
7:00 pm     Frank Presents: Wayne Dunnebier
8:00 pm     Endless Konnections: Legrand Lindor
9:00 pm     Circle of Friends: Garnet Rogers 

 

• Franklin Pride TV - Our Educational Channel           (Comcast 8, Verizon 28) = MONDAY

8:00 am     FHS Girls Varsity Lacrosse v Westford 06-03-24
10:00 am     Public School Event: Sullivan Spring Music 2024
11:30 am     Public School Event: Concert Hour Day 1
1:00 pm     Winning Ways with the MIAA: Student Athletes May 2024
2:30 pm     SAFE Coalition: Task Force
3:30 pm     FHS Varsity Baseball v St. John's Shrewsbury 06-04-24
7:00 pm     FHS Graduation 2024

• Franklin Town Hall TV - Our Government Channel  (Comcast 9, Verizon 29) = MONDAY

8:00 am     Planning Board 06-03-24
12:00 pm    Davis Thayer Re-Use Advisory 06-10-24
2:00 pm     Planning Board 06-03-24
7:00 pm     Planning Board  CHAMBERS  957 9388 9569

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf  

Watch Listen Read all things that matter in Franklin MA

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Sunday, June 16, 2024?

Sunday, June 16 = Father's Day

12:00pm  Dads, Cabs, & Cars Father’s Day Event (La Cantina Winery)

1:00pm  Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

1:00pm  Musical Bingo (Teddy Gallagher's Pub)

** NO  Town Meetings today

What's happening today in Franklin? 

---------------

Why are there multiple calendars?

There is a Cultural events calendar upon which other community events are layered to create the Community calendar.

Respectfully, the Library and Senior Center calendars are too full of events to include all their events so we tend to focus on the major events. Town and School meetings are also kept separate. Links for all the calendars are shared here:

The Cultural calendar displays only the cultural events    

https://www.franklinculture.org/things-do/pages/calendar

Find the full Community event calendar  https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://bit.ly/Submit2Calendar

The Library calendar of events ->    calendar link

The Senior Center calendar of events ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/node/39/events/month/39/2023-12

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar
The School district calendar is found  https://www.franklinps.net/calendar-by-event-type/26

KofC Scholarship Winners Announced for 2024

The Knights of Columbus 1847 Franklin are proud to announce the winners of this year's Robert Simmler PGK, Sacred Heart Council 1847 Knights of Columbus College Scholarship 2024.   Congratulations to Andrew O'Neil, $3000 and Leslie Baker $1000. 

 

Andrew O'Neil

 

Andrew is a graduate of Franklin High School and Leslie of Montrose School.  Both of these accomplished students are active members of the St Mary's Parish Community.  

 

 

Leslie Baker

Their  achievements were especially noteworthy amongst the many wonderful talented candidates that applied for the 2024 scholarship award. 

 

 

We wish Andrew the best of luck as he goes onto Providence College in the fall and Leslie will attend Cornell in the fall.  

 

 

 

The Robert Simmler PGK Knights of Columbus Sacred Heart Council 1847Scholarship is named in honor of Mr. Robert Simmler, he was a very active and accomplished member of the Knights of Columbus, Sacred Heart Council and the Franklin Community.

 

Voices of Franklin: Ruthann O'Sullivan writes a letter to the Town Council

Dear Town Council, 

I'm writing to request the following, and have summarized my reasons below.  

• Town Administrator, Jamie Hellen, present four options to reduce the municipal side of the town budget ($1 million, $2 million, $3 million, $4 million) to allocate to FPS and help stabilize the district, and be presented at your next public meeting.
• The Town Council vote to put another override on the November ballot for the upcoming presidential election.
• The Town's Charter be amended to define an objective percentage of around 65% of the town's total revenue for annual allocations to the School Operating budget in perpetuity (budget line 300).

I'm writing to request that the Town Administrator, Jamie Hellen, present four options to reduce the municipal side of the town budget ($1 million, $2 million, $3 million, $4 million) to allocate to FPS and help stabilize the district, and be presented at your next public meeting. Similar to how our Superintendent presented 'The Tale of Four Budgets". These must be permanent reductions, not one time reductions in salary increases, 'rainy day' or stabilization funds. Assisting the school's operating budget with one time funding would be detrimental to our goal of stability for the district going forward.

I have heard from members of the Town Council that the Town Administrator had been preparing for this possibility and had these options ready to present. The community needs to know what the Town Council is willing to cut, to salvage school programs and positions. It's important this happen publicly and on record to avoid misinformation spreading among the residents of Franklin.

To give examples of misinformation that has prevented progress for our district, I'll point out two narratives that were detrimental to the override effort. 

First, our Town Administrator has consistently stated that the town's operational budget deficit is due to school budget mismanagement. 

To quote from one email "we have done the right thing to manage our budget and the schools have not."

To quote from Jamie Hellen's 2023/24 budget narrative (which was extremely editorial overall) the schools are "avoiding bold and challenging decisions and kicking the can down the road"  and that "the schools have continued to work in a bubble and not work with town leaders on town finances."

These "bold decisions" of course mean school consolidation. 

This spring, during an April Finance Committee meeting, George Conley, our finance committee chair, and Jamie Hellen, Town Administrator, chuckled over Mr. Conley's statement that he could redistrict 'with a crayon by drawing a line down the middle'. This was extremely disrespectful to the parents and students in our community, and to our Superintendent and his administrative team. 

Also, at the high school forum held this April to discuss the override, a citizen asked, "How can we be expected to open our wallets without knowing the results of the redistricting analysis?" Our Town Administrator answered, "I could have it for you in two hours." This question should have been redirected to our Superintendent, who fortunately was aware enough to speak up and clarify that the redistricting analysis and the proposed override were not mutually exclusive. However, this led many in the community to demand the results of the analysis immediately. The School Committee was told that without it, the Town Council would not support our request to fully fund the budget through a town-wide election. 

Though the timing wasn't ideal, the School Committee made the analysis public and worked tirelessly alongside our Superintendent to educate the community. We were also put in a difficult position, combating misinformation about the motives of the redistricting. The work was in progress and will result in amazing and equitable opportunities for our children's education. However, because of the narratives above, many in the community were accusatory and disrespectful of our decision, believing it was financially motivated. The benefits to our operating budget are minimal compared to the massive benefits this decision will have on improving the educational outcomes of our students.

Just as we saw with the closing of Davis Thayer, consolidation of schools will not solve the school operating budget deficit. The educators move along with the students, and therefore have little impact on our school operating budget (budget line 300). 

Our Town Administrator and elected leaders should have been helping the School Committee educate the community around the true cost drivers of the budget as they are systemic; transportation, special education, health care, out of district tuitions, technology, and mental health supports. Pointing fingers at our School Department was not helpful to our school committee as we advocated for our needs, and sought the support of the community at large.

Another topic that has been discussed many times in public settings inappropriately, is the teachers raises. These were negotiated in collective bargaining, and resulted in a three year contract of 4% each year for 2023, 2024 and 2025.

To quote a recent email from our Town Administrator, "the 12% raises for teachers put the schools in a structural deficit". Our structural deficit existed well before the 4-4-4 raises were negotiated.

Our superintendent responsibly accounted for the raises in his 2023 budget recommendation by making reductions of $800k. In that same year, our district was blindsided by an uncontrollable increase in 'out of district tuition' which amounted to just under $800k. Instead of educating our community on this point, our Town Administrator continued to speak about the teachers contract as "reckless" and "irresponsible". This rhetoric has been repeated by Town Council members to stakeholders in our community. 

Instead of disparaging teacher salary increases, Town Council members could have simply explained to those concerned, that police, fire and DPW salaries were already competitive with neighboring communities. Franklin teacher salaries were near the bottom of the list in comparison, and it would have been irresponsible not to begin addressing this discrepancy. Councilor Deb Pellegri stated publicly in the 2023 budget hearings that she 'was personally offended' by the raises. This narrative has perpetuated a distrust in our district's ability to manage the school operating budget, contributing to the failed override.

The School Committee has also been publicly blamed for our town's inaction to address this structural deficit by not 'writing a letter' to request an override. There is no legal requirement or policy that requires an override be proposed solely by our school committee. This commentary is untrue and unprofessional.

It was also unprofessional during the budget hearings of 2023 when at the last minute, schools were allocated less than had been previously earmarked for no reason, resulting in the lowest allocation given historically. The Town Administrator returned two weeks later and pulled $800k from fire and police for the school budget. Many saw this as retaliatory toward the teacher raises, and it was questioned by Councilor Frongillo for an explanation. This had our school administration scrambling in June to make budget reductions before graduation. This exacerbated the division among town employees, and needlessly caused the loss of at least two educators in our district. First, our middle school chorus teacher (who was laid off, and signed with another district before that money was "found" so we could try and get her back) as well as our middle school orchestra teacher, who left on her own accord citing this budget season's volatility as her reason for resigning. I would also be remiss to not mention that while scrambling to manage this fallout, our district was grieving the devastating loss of two FPS students. I mention this, because the undue stress that these frivolous actions have on our school district is inexcusable. 

I would like to officially request the Town Council vote to put another override on the November ballot for the upcoming presidential election. It's been said time and time again that the pot is not big enough. Our Town Council must advocate for the educators and children of our district. We are one town, and we need leadership more than ever to bring this town together. It's critical that all dialogue between leadership be transparent and conducted in public meetings so that residents are aware of how and why decisions are made. 

There is distrust in our leadership. We must have transparency, and accountability. Stakeholders were concerned that our Town Administrator was presenting incorrect projections around the potential override. He doubled down on incorrect numbers many times before conceding that Paul Griffith and I had identified the miscalculation. 

I would also like to request that the Town's Charter be amended to define a minimum percentage of 65% of the town's total revenue be allocated to the School Operating budget in perpetuity (budget line 300). This will instill confidence with the residents of Franklin that their money will be allocated appropriately and consistently to the schools.

This request is urgent. This meeting should happen as soon as possible, and the Town Council should meet before the regularly scheduled June 26th date.

I look forward to hearing from you all on how we can work together to create a more sustainable future for Franklin. 

Regards,

Ruthann O'Sullivan 

Franklin School Committee 

osullivanr@franklinps.net 

If you have something to say, you can find the guidelines here
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/03/introducing-voices-of-franklin.html

Voices of Franklin: Ruthann O'Sullivan writes a letter to the Town Council

Two Franklin Public Schools Employees Receive Awards

Superintendent Lucas Giguere is pleased to share that two Franklin Public Schools employees, Carlos Rebelo and Colin Boisvert have recently received awards for their work in the District.

"We are very fortunate to have both Carlos and Colin as part of our Franklin Public Schools community," said Superintendent Giguere. "Congratulations to both on their well deserved recognitions!"

Carlos Rebelo - Highway and Grounds Superintendent

Rebelo received the Professional Manager of the Year for Facilities and Grounds award from the American Public Works Association. Rebelo has worked for the Town, serving the Franklin Public Schools for 15 years. Rebelo oversees all school grounds, including turfs, fields, hardscapes and landscapes.

"I have been fortunate throughout my years to be surrounded by just a great group of professionals that I also consider my work family," said Rebelo.

Colin Boisvert - Food Service Director

Boisvert received the Food Service Director of the Year award from the School Nutrition Association. The Director of the Year award recognizes school nutrition directors for the contributions they have made throughout their school nutrition careers. Boisvert has served in his current role as Food Service Director since 2016 in the Franklin Public Schools. He has grown the program and has an extremely talented staff that is willing to try new products and ideas with the students.

"I am so honored to have been awarded Director of the Year for the State of Massachusetts," said Boisvert. "It is such rewarding work to provide nutritious meals for students. I am so proud of our program and the dedicated staff that work hard everyday to ensure every student has a meal."

 

 

Two Franklin Public Schools Employees Receive Award

Boston Globe: "Franklin’s Marcella DiChiara showcases Sicilian culture, cuisine on new season of ‘The Great American Recipe’"

"When Marcella DiChiara was 10, the “typical ‘80s latchkey kid” would come home from school and start cooking.

In her family’s Connecticut kitchen, young Marcella would pretend she was on a cooking show while making anything from Sicilian sauces to stuffed artichokes for family dinner. “I would act it out,” she said with a laugh.

Marcella DiChiara

Now a Franklin-based marketing director and mother of two, DiChiara was on the beach in her parents’ native Sicily last summer, when she got an Instagram alert. A casting director wanted the self-taught @bostonhomecooking to be on a cooking competition show.

Growing up, DiChiara and her three siblings spent every summer in Sicily, visiting family. While she showcases recipes on Instagram — from cooking linguine alle vongole or making homemade pasta with her mother, to sharing her tips for Sicilian fried zucchini — she’d never cooked competitively (or professionally) in her life."

Continue reading the article in the Boston Globe (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/06/14/lifestyle/franklin-marcella-dichiara-pbs-sicilian-recipes/

Listen to the audio interview with Marcella -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1207-marcella-dichiara-talks-about-the-great-american-recipe-season-3-05-17-24

The first show of Season 3 of the PBS show “The Great American Recipe” is scheduled for Monday, June 17 at 9 PM Eastern.

Full interview article with Marcella can be found -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/05/marcella-dichiara-talks-about-her.html

Franklin TV: PEG in a Nutshell, Part 10

Stream On?

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 06/16/2024

The streaming media industry is maturing. It’s also reaching a saturation point. This is becoming manifest by the higher viewer churn among streaming providers, the melding of some stream services into ‘bundle subscriptions’, and increasing monthly fees by those enviable players at the top of the industry. Some of that increase is profit taking, (because they can). Much of it is just trying to stay ahead of increasing program costs. Streamers face the same program cost challenges as Comcast & Verizon for original content.

Increasingly, cord-cutters who have left their cable carriers are finding it more difficult to keep streaming home entertainment costs down. If you seek variety then you likely have 3-5 streaming accounts. The giant savings are not quite so giant anymore. It’s also a hassle to constantly start/stop/restart/stop/re- uh… and you get the idea. (Because there’s always another ‘must-see’ series ‘coming soon’.)

We at Franklin.TV have been streaming lots of programming as well – but our live event streams are free on all three of our channels. Comcast and Verizon pay us an Access fee. The streaming companies; Netflix, AppleTV+, Prime, et al do not pay us. This where things may change in the next year or so. Massachusetts is examining the streaming industry, as have almost half the states across the U.S. Many states are implementing an entertainment tax on video streaming and online gaming. This tax is the digital equivalent of the entertainment tax on tickets to live events. The tax is distributed in various ways by the states. Much of the proceeds go to support PEG studios like ours because we suffer losses as more viewers abandon cable.

There is legislation pending on Beacon Hill in both MA House and Senate that would collect a streaming entertainment tax and apply it expressly to support local PEG studios great and small (like ours) across the state. When? Perhaps in the next year or so the proposed bills will be up for a vote.

Consider all that we do for localism and for Franklin’s spirit as a great community to live and work in – the public and civic events, all those school sports, the many government meetings, our public radio station and more. It all requires support.

We would greatly appreciate yours.

Thanks for listening to 102.9 wfpr●fm.

And – as always – thanks for watching.

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf   

Watch Listen Read all things that matter in Franklin MA

The week that was in Franklin (photo essay)

Catching up to share photos from the week that was.

Sunday, June 9 was the world premiere of the chamber opera "Mary Anning, Fossil Hunter." You can listen to the interview with Composer Jon Ceander Mitchell and Conductor Luis Viquez here ->  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/06/jon-and-luis-talk-about-chamber-opera.html

Conductor Luis Viquez leads the chamber group and chorus

cast of Mary Anning performing

Monday, June 10,  more than 100 teachers, students and supporters stood out along RT 140 from Jersey's Mike to Honey Dew to attract attention to the override vote on Tuesday.

supporters along RT 140 - 1

supporters along RT 140 - 2

On Tuesday, June 11 the election held at Franklin High School the largest turnout for an override vote with 45% casting their votes. The No position narrowly won by 236 votes. The only successful override (in 2007) passed because the entire support among Town and School folks were united. There was sufficient discord and misinformation shared to create the result this time.

more teachers at FHS on Tuesday

A bright spot on Tuesday was the brief and fun celebration of the Traveling School of Fish at the Sculpture Park. Artist Amy Adams coordinated the efforts of students at Parmenter to paint fish shaped by students at Tri-County funded by a Cultural District grant. Jamele Adams hosted the festivities at the Sculpture Park.

stop by the Sculpture Park (on Panther Way) to see the display

Jamele (light blue in center) hosted the fun

Wednesday, June 12 began with the Fallen Hero Recognition on the Town Common Veteran Walkway. This one honored Lloyd Ellis who was killed during the fighting after the D-Day landing in France during World War II. Keeping his memory alive helps. 

Fallen Hero Recognition for Lloyd Ellis

The day also saw many conversation on and about the results and other business in Franklin at the monthly Q&A at the Senior Center. The night meeting schedule changed during the day as the Master Plan Update Cmte (which didn't seem ready at their meeting last week) rescheduled their public hearing for June 26 and then again to July 10. The School Committee which had scheduled a meeting on Wednesday also canceled their meeting, keeping their regularly scheduled session for June 18.

Thursday, June 13 also saw more conversation around Cultural events and planning for them as the Cultural District committee included Cultural District partners for their meeting. A good time to walk and enjoy the good weather and clear skies.

night time at the Senior Center flag pole

Friday, June 14, Flag Day. It was grandson sitting day so I missed the recognition event for Sgt Timothy Hayes in the morning but did get out to visit the Farmers Market. Bread, honey, coffee and many conversations in the brief visit before heading back to grandson time. The Farmers Market is a happening place on Friday's and will be more so June 28 and following as Concerts on the Common expands the activities past the market close at 6 PM. Stay tuned for the schedule of events as they happen.

Farmers Market regular vendor listing

Saturday, June 15 had some schedule changes for me as the grandson stayed overnight. Members of the LGBTQ Alliance and supporters planted mini flags on the Town Common. The Rise Up group had a successful info session with State Rep Jeff Roy at the Franklin United Methodist Church. And on the New England sports front, the Red Sox topped the Yankees, and the Revolution won their 3rd game in a row.

LGBTQ Alliance and supporters planted mini flags on the Town Common

There is a full slate of events scheduled for the week ahead. Subscribe for the daily newsletter that gives you all that matters here in Franklin MA. Your source for what you can watch, listen to, or read about Franklin.

The week that was in Franklin (photo essay)

Deceptive framing happens. We all need to be aware of it!

Deceptive framing happens. We all need to be aware of it! via the Washington Post:

"A particularly effective attack on a political candidate can come in the form of a video snippet that appears to reinforce an existing stereotype. The social media feed of the RNC regularly churns out misleading clips of President Biden, 81, intended to show that he is too old for the job.

Biden’s Republican opponent, former president Donald Trump, turned 78 on Friday, but polls show there is less concern about his physical and mental fitness for office. In a recent Pew Research poll released in April, fewer than a quarter of voters expressed a high degree of confidence in Biden’s mental fitness (21 percent) and physical fitness (15 percent). By contrast, about four in ten voters were extremely or very confident about Trump’s mental and physical fitness. So there is an incentive for the Republicans to keep hammering away at a perceived vulnerability for Biden.

This past week, the RNC feed has misleadingly called attention to two video clips of Biden. One was so distorted that it resulted in a “community note” on the X platform calling out its dishonesty. But the RNC’s dismal track record — which we have highlighted on multiple occasions — has not stopped right-leaning outfits from echoing the RNC’s framing and reinforcing its narrative that Biden has lost a step."

View the video framing online at the Washington Post -> (shared via gift link)

https://wapo.st/4eqrjhy

(shared via gift link)  https://wapo.st/4eqrjhy