News Journal’s Pro-Cop Bias Is Showing

Meredith Newman didn’t just bury the lede in her story about Delaware’s highest-paid employees, she left it out entirely.

The story, based on data from 2021, focuses on the high pay rate of some of the top officials at Delaware State University. It never mentions that nobody from the University of Delaware is on the list because it’s not a public agency, despite sucking down more public money than the rest of secondary education combined.

But the more interesting story, completely missed by Newman and her editors, shows up if you click on the link to the data. The list of top-paid state employees is dominated not by DSU officials, but — as it is every year — by members of the Delaware State Police. They held six of the top 13 spots on the list.

• 5 $277,737 Dermot S. Alexander DSHS/Del State Police/Patrol
  6 $269,728 David A. Diana DSHS/DSP/Criminal Investigation
  8 $261,279 John M. Samis DSHS/Del State Police/Traffic
  9 $254,877 Robert M. Jones DSHS/DSP/Criminal Investigation
  11 $248,610 Christopher M. Martin DSHS/Del State Police/Patrol
  13 $238,419 Mark Gary Ryde DSHS/DSP/Criminal Investigation

That amounts to a cool $1,698,115 for six (6) employees. I don’t have their photos, but I’ll wager dollars to donuts they’re all white. But News Journal editors decided it was better to publish a photo about high public salaries by showing two Black DSU administrators instead.

Those six aren’t the only ones aboard the gravy train. Of the top 56 people on the list, 27 — just under half — are state cops. Each made in excess of $200,000 in 2021. None are among the agency’s top officials.

John Carney wants to cry poor-mouth over promised benefits to state retirees? Do something about the runaway overtime in the state’s runaway police department first. If you want to stiff some retirees, start there.