The Big Three’s Big Three

WHEN I first ask Vinny if he can spare a few minutes to talk to a reporter, he reacts as if I’d offered to sell him a genuine Rolex watch. “Oh no,” he says, backing away. “I’ve been a victim of media bias before.”

I don’t know what passes for media bias in Moraine, Ohio, so I proceed with caution. I offer a few assurances, and finally Vinny, proprietor of Vinny’s Bar and Grill, agrees to talk to me-but not until the lunch rush subsides. He turns away and darts around the room like a gecko in cargo shorts, greeting every customer in the restaurant.

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Stephen Spruiell

Stephen Spruiell is a former staff reporter for National Review Online.

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WHEN I first ask Vinny if he can spare a few minutes to talk to a reporter, he reacts as if I’d offered to sell him a genuine Rolex watch. “Oh no,” he says, backing away. “I’ve been a victim of media bias before.”

I don’t know what passes for media bias in Moraine, Ohio, so I proceed with caution. I offer a few assurances, and finally Vinny, proprietor of Vinny’s Bar and Grill, agrees to talk to me-but not until the lunch rush subsides. He turns away and darts around the room like a gecko in cargo shorts, greeting every customer in the restaurant.