The invaluable Salena Zito once again has talked to ordinary folks in a location that barely gets any attention from media swells, and delivers an insight that future historians will honor, even of the Pulitzer Prize committee continues to snub her . She has demonstrated that the mainstream media are able to suppress life-changing news that could rescue the beleagured economy of an entire state so thoroughly that ordinary folks in street are unaware of it.

Last weekend in Beijing, as part of his 12-day trip to Asia, President Trump announced that the US and China had signed an $83.7 billion deal to create a number of petrochemical projects in West Virginia over the next 20 years. If the agreement holds tight, it is an economic game changer for the state. And yet, speaking to the locals here, you wouldn’t even know it had happened. “I am surprised I heard nothing about it on the national news, nor in my local paper and newscasts,” said Jerald Stephens, 67, a West Virginia native and union rep, who has been a keen observer of local politics for as long as he can remember. The BBC and CNN covered the news in their business sections, while The New York Times picked up a short story by The Associated Press on the deal. The stories’ headlines were muted; their placement low-key. “One would have suspected that the prospect of an investment this large — nearly three times the total annual budget for the department of energy — would have been front-page news,” said Paul Sracic, political-science professor at nearby Youngstown State University.

That is an understatement. Bloomberg has covered it, of course, but that’s because it gets paid by decision-makers to keep them well informed (because investment decisions are affected). In additon, virtually everyone in West Virginia would be affected by the deal, and the news has been out for over two weeks. Yet they have been kept in ignorance because general news outlets they read have been totally silent.

Bruce Einhorn of Bloomberg described the project on Nov. 8:

West Virginia: the state signed an MOU with China Energy Investment Corp. The Chinese company plans to invest in West Virginian shale gas development and chemical manufacturing projects over two decades, according to the state’s Department of Commerce, which did not offer details. The size of the proposed investment is $83.7 billion, larger than the state’s gross domestic product last year of $73.4 billion.

Jim Poulson of Bloomberg added details the following day:

The memorandum of understanding marks the first step in a series of commitments the company expects to make in West Virginia. These include power generation, chemical manufacturing and underground storage of natural gas liquids derivatives.

However, the deal is not carved into stone, which should mean that the entire State of West Virginia is on tenterhooks.

Although the deal’s non-binding, it was welcomed in a state that’s borne the brunt of coal’s long-term decline. West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, a coal and real estate mogul elected to office last year, has lobbied the Trump administration to prop up the state’s coal-mining sector. “Expanding Appalachia’s energy infrastructure, including developing a regional storage hub and market for natural gas liquids, will have a transformative effect on our economy, our security and our future,” U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican, said in the statement.

So, this is a deal that would transform economic life for some of the most economically depressed people in the country, and they have no idea at all that it is in process, needs their support, and could be derailed. And they have no clue!

Iowahawk, another supremely insightful commentator unjustly snubbed by Pulitzer, has already gained immortality with this tweet, that completely sums up this incident.

Journalism is about covering important stories. With a pillow, until they stop moving. — David Burge (@iowahawkblog) May 9, 2013

As a candidate, Donald Trump promised to “make deals” that would benefit America. He is precisely delivering on this promise. In addition to the project in West Virginia, deals amounting to a quarter trillion dollars were announced in the wake of the visit to China.

[media crickets]

In addition, the deal reveals that President Trump has gotten the Chinese to consider becoming dependent on America for important energy supplies. That makes them far less likely to be antagonistic toward us, and addresses the chronic huge balance of payemnts deficit we suffer with China, keeping two more promises: to keep us safe and to keep us from digging that trade deficit hole deper.

But this is news too helpful to Trump to be reported.