Op-ed: Patch Isn’t Neutral Local News — It’s Far-Left Opinion in Disguise
David Giuliani of Patch has produced a steady stream of negative, one-sided, Marxist-aligned, and out-of-context coverage.
In fact, in less than two years he has published 8 pieces focused on Concerned Parents of Illinois, hyperfocused on us because we are a proud conservative group. The reporting functions less as local news and more as radical left-aligned opinion pieces — all under the guise of a local news outlet.
Readers are free to get their news from Mr. Giuliani. They simply deserve to know the bias it is coming from — because Patch does not make that bias apparent.
Let’s examine why this pattern exists and who David Giuliani actually is.
Mr. Giuliani is not an independent journalist. He writes for Patch. Patch is supposed to cover local government, school boards, village budgets, and crime. It is not supposed to function as a political weapon or operate like MSNBC or CNN.
Mr. Giuliani does not live in the communities he covers. He resides in Wauconda. When a reporter covering Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills, La Grange, Darien, Elmhurst, Western Springs, and Burr Ridge consistently amplifies one side of cultural and educational debates, the publication abandons the neutral local-news role it claims.
Public voting records show Mr. Giuliani has a hard Democratic voting record, repeatedly taking the Democratic ballot in primary elections. There is nothing improper about any citizen holding partisan views. There is a serious problem when a reporter with a hard Democratic voting record presents himself as a neutral local journalist.
Public voting records show David Giuliani participated in Democratic primary elections in 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024, and 2026, raising questions about his impartiality when covering conservative groups and issues. (Kristina McCloy)
A voting file analysis identifies David Giuliani as a “Hard Democrat." (Kristina McCloy)
Mr. Giuliani’s own social media history further reveals his political and cultural alignment. He has publicly criticized President Trump, writing that Trump “becomes easily distracted and insults groups such as Mexicans, Muslims,” and referencing “his treatment of women.” He has dismissed Trump’s use of the term “fake news,” claiming the stories the president criticizes “are nearly always factual. In other words, not fake…”
In 2015 he posted a professional photo with the rainbow Pride filter. His wife’s account has shared photos and video from Chicago Pride events they have attended together. When parents raise concerns about age-inappropriate materials or gender ideology in classrooms, his reporting consistently frames those concerns in the harshest possible light.
Patch reporter David Giuliani participating in a Pride event, raising questions about whether his public political advocacy regarding LGBTQ themes is consistent with impartial local-news reporting. (Facebook / Janie Piccolo)
His household connections raise additional questions about perspective. His wife, Janie Piccolo, is employed by Community High School District 155. When a reporter’s household income and benefits are tied to the public school system — the same type of institutions conservatives have criticized on curriculum and policy — readers are entitled to examine whether that proximity shapes coverage.
I previously informed Patch management that Mr. Giuliani had been calling from a phone associated with his wife’s school district and contacting my husband. Management responded: “Going forward, I have asked David to contact you (not your spouse) from his work cell phone or Patch email.”
Public information indicates Ms. Piccolo is of Hispanic heritage and lists Spanish fluency on her professional profile. Mr. Giuliani has repeatedly raised immigration issues on his personal social media. The community where they live, Wauconda, has roughly three times the Hispanic population of Hinsdale (18.6% vs. 5.45%), more than double the poverty rate, over four times the Medicaid enrollment rate, and its school district has 12 times the percentage of students on free or reduced lunch compared to Hinsdale District 181 (24.2% vs. 2%).
LinkedIn profile of Janie Piccolo, wife of Patch reporter David Giuliani, showing employment
with Community High School District 155 and listing Spanish fluency and Hispanic heritage,
factors cited in discussions of potential conflicts. (LinkedIn / Janie Piccolo)
When groups and individuals take a clear public position against illegal immigration and in favor of enforcement and deportation, and a reporter’s household background and personal commentary engage the same issue from a different community context, readers have every right to question how that shapes the framing of those who hold a strong enforcement position.
The most revealing example of overreach came when he published the names, occupations, and employers of private citizens who donated to a political committee associated with Concerned Parents. Campaign finance records are public. Legitimate reporting can reference them. Listing workplaces in a manner that appears designed to pressure employers is not neutral journalism.
Mr. Giuliani has a documented pattern of placing quotes in contexts that alter their original meaning. Multiple people who have spoken with him have reported feeling misrepresented. Several have consulted attorneys. I have retained counsel reviewing the full body of his coverage. Others who believe they have been mistreated by his reporting can contact [email protected]. Patch editorial management has been made aware of these concerns.
The cumulative result is clear: Patch has allowed one of its reporters to operate as a Democrat-aligned opinion writer while still carrying the credibility of a local news brand. Mr. Giuliani is entitled to his political views. He is not entitled to present those views as neutral local journalism without the bias being apparent.
Readers deserve better than advocacy dressed up as news.