Letters: Other views on Gilbert, UAW, Trump coverage

Gilbert deserves credit in Detroit 

The front-page article, “Tax break to help poor extended to Gilbert empire” (Oct. 25), provided to The Detroit News by ProPublica, appears to have a bias against the wealthy.

Quicken Loans immediately disputed the claims made by the ProPublica reporters in an online opinion piece, but which did not appear in the print version until several days later. Good journalism should reach a conclusion based upon facts from both sides of a story.

There seems to be a trend with the reporting being presented by The Detroit News in recent articles about the Ilitches and now Dan Gilbert. The focus is on the negative and how the wealthy guys are greedy. While Gilbert and the Ilitches are not perfect, they have been the key players in the ongoing renewal and revitalization of Detroit.

In a day and age where The Detroit News and other papers strive to remain relevant as sources of truth, this recent reporting makes me question if I can trust the information printed in this paper.

Phil Reseigh, Rochester

UAW embraces the challenge of an EV future

Henry Payne’s recent column, “UAW-GM fight exposes fears of an EV future” (Oct. 24), gets the story wrong.

The BlueGreen Alliance has worked with the UAW for over a decade as the auto industry has rapidly innovated, and the union has both consistently taken a thoughtful and serious approach to combating climate change and a proactive stance in preparing for vehicles of the future.

The UAW has been a leader in provoking discussion with industry stakeholders and policymakers — in this administration and the previous two — to make sure that next generation auto jobs will remain here in the United States and provide good pay, benefits and a future for America’s middle class. At the heart of the current strike were demands to build the next generation of vehicles in U.S. plants. In fact, the UAW’s recently ratified contract with GM creates a national committee that even more actively engages workers in how future technology will be deployed.

The UAW knows clean technology need not come at the expense of good jobs. Engaging stakeholders and discussing the challenges ahead does not imply a desire to shrink from that challenge. On the contrary, it is fundamental to securing and creating the good jobs of tomorrow and to crafting the viable solutions essential to solving the nations’ urgent climate and economic problems.

Zoe Lipman, director

Vehicles and Advanced Transportation Program

BlueGreen Alliance

Be fair in Trump coverage 

Re: The Detroit News' Oct. 27 article, "World Series crowd boos Trump, chants ‘lock him up’": The garbage you put in about the president being booed and the crowd chanting “lock him up” wasn’t audible enough to be heard on the television. Never heard it when the president was discussed on air.

It’s garbage like that, and your explanation ultimately means little, that turns a majority of the public against the media.

Tim Holme, Redford

Just report the facts, please 

Re: The Detroit News' Oct. 23 article, "Pence cancels scheduled stops in the U.P. Wednesday": "Pence's last visit to Michigan, to Mackinac Island for the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference, stirred controversy as the vice president used an eight-car motorcade to drive from the island airport to the Grand Hotel on the usually car-less island."

This information, added as an after-thought to an article about Vice President Mike Pence cancelling a trip to Michigan, is unnecessary and designed to malign the vice president. No mention is made of other dignitaries who have taken vehicles onto the island in the past. The newspaper is not merely reporting facts about a current situation. The added information, in my opinion, is clearly intended to influence the reader's opinion of Pence.

Lucinda Kanczuzewski, Troy