Dallas Paper Adds Disclosure to Hinojosa Opinion Piece
The Dallas Morning News published an opinion column by Suzanne Bellsnyder on October 31, portraying her as a GOP veteran who had worked for Republican legislators and supported Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa. Bellsnyder wrote that she and Hinojosa had found common ground on public education and praised the candidate’s ability to work across political lines.
On November 1, the newspaper added an editor’s note saying Bellsnyder had confirmed after publication that she was a paid consultant to Hinojosa’s campaign. She had not disclosed the relationship when submitting the piece or during editing. The note said the paper would not have run the column if it had known and expressed regret.
The campaign paid Bellsnyder’s consulting firm $57,000, a figure cited by Heritage Foundation researcher Corey A. DeAngelis. The column remained on the newspaper’s website after the note was added, prompting calls from critics for the paper to remove it.
Hinojosa, an Austin state representative, won the Democratic primary in March and is challenging Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in the November 3 election. Her column described an exchange with Bellsnyder about legislation to strengthen supervision of the Texas Education Agency and criticized Abbott’s school-voucher push as divisive. The disclosure came shortly before Texans were due to vote.
Disclosure Is Essential When Campaign Allies Write Opinion
A campaign relationship that readers needed to know about was missing when the Dallas Morning News published Suzanne Bellsnyder’s October 31 column praising Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa. Bellsnyder was described as a veteran Republican who had served as a legislative aide, while her paid consulting role for Hinojosa went undisclosed.
The paper said Bellsnyder confirmed the relationship after publication and had not revealed it during submission or editing. Its November 1 editor’s note said the column would not have been published if the newspaper had known. The campaign paid Bellsnyder’s consulting firm $57,000, a figure cited by Heritage Foundation researcher Corey A. DeAngelis.
The column is still online with the note, even as critics press for its removal. Readers deserve clear disclosure when a political candidate’s paid consultant publishes an argument for that candidate under an opinion-page byline. A correction acknowledges the failure, but the paper’s own statement makes clear that the relationship would have changed its publication decision.
The episode unfolded just before the November 3 election, in which Hinojosa, an Austin state representative who won the Democratic primary in March, is challenging Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. Bellsnyder’s column praised Hinojosa’s approach to public education and criticized Abbott’s school-voucher push.
Paid Hinojosa Consultant’s Column Ran as Republican Endorsement
The Dallas Morning News gave a Democratic candidate’s paid consultant an opinion-page platform as a Republican voice for Gina Hinojosa, without telling readers about the financial relationship. Suzanne Bellsnyder’s October 31 column backed Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee challenging Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, and portrayed the two women as finding common ground on public education.
The newspaper later said Bellsnyder confirmed she was a paid Hinojosa campaign consultant only after publication. She had not disclosed the relationship during submission or editing, and the paper said it would not have run the column if it had known. The campaign paid her consulting firm $57,000, a figure cited by Heritage Foundation researcher Corey A. DeAngelis.
An editor’s note added on November 1 acknowledged the failure, but the column remained online. That leaves readers with a piece framed as an independent Republican’s endorsement, despite the undisclosed campaign tie. Critics have called on the newspaper to remove it.
The timing matters: Texans are due to vote on November 3. Hinojosa, an Austin state representative who won the Democratic primary in March, is seeking to unseat Abbott. Bellsnyder’s column praised Hinojosa’s outreach and attacked Abbott’s school-voucher push, making the undisclosed paid relationship central to how readers should assess its argument.
Reported by The Daily Wire, Townhall, Twitchy.
