Worse than Florida?
Leaked elections results from Zimbabwe show opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai beat dictator President Robert Mugabe 47 percent to 43 percent - a margin too small to avoid a runoff. Of course, the results were leaked by senior government officials and so were probably heavily massaged.
The London Times seems to suggest this admission of defeat was Mugabe's best chance to fight another day:
The figures leaked yesterday – a day before the candidates’ agents were due to begin verifying results – suggest that the margin of Mr Tsvangirai’s victory was too large for the Government to overturn credibly.
Apr 30, 2008
Censoring sites
The chief executive of the public hospital system in Tarrant County, Texas has blocked employees from reading the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram while at work after the paper began publishing a six-part series on the hospitals. (via Romenesko)
The chief executive of the public hospital system in Tarrant County, Texas has blocked employees from reading the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram while at work after the paper began publishing a six-part series on the hospitals. (via Romenesko)
What's the value of a gift of no value? *(updated)
Members of the City Council in Pasadena have a long tradition of handing out bundles of Rose Bowl Game and Rose Parade tickets each year to friends, admirers, supporters and other VIPs. Of course, the only way they have those tickets to give away is because the Tournament of Roses, which runs both events, gives each of the local politicos a ticket allotment.
As of now, the California Fair Political Practices Commission considers these tickets to be part of a fund-raising drive for a nonprofit entity, and therefore concludes they have no value under the state's gift restrictions. In other words, a gift of no value.
However, the FPPC's staff counsel is asking the public to comment on whether those tickets should be treated as gifts, and therefore taken at face value - a change that could have implications both at the state level as well as under the city's own Measure B conflict-of-interest rules. It should be noted the FPPC has discussed this before - at least once in 2004 - and seemed unable to come to a resolution.
I have to wonder what prompted the FPPC to take a look at this issue. I'll update if I find out.
From the FPPC press release: Comments may be addressed to Bill Lenkeit, Senior Commission Counsel at the address set forth above, by e-mail at blenkeit@fppc.ca.gov. or by telephone at (916) 327-2020.
*A Pasadena councilman says I've misremembered the way the system works regarding tickets for the Rose Bowl Game. Each council member receives two free tickets, which would be affected by a rule change. However, the 90 or so tickets each member gets from the Tournament to allocate to constituents are paid for by the recipient. The cache of parade tickets, however, are given to council members to give away free. Each one of those caches is worth thousands of dollars and also would be covered by a rule change.
Members of the City Council in Pasadena have a long tradition of handing out bundles of Rose Bowl Game and Rose Parade tickets each year to friends, admirers, supporters and other VIPs. Of course, the only way they have those tickets to give away is because the Tournament of Roses, which runs both events, gives each of the local politicos a ticket allotment.
As of now, the California Fair Political Practices Commission considers these tickets to be part of a fund-raising drive for a nonprofit entity, and therefore concludes they have no value under the state's gift restrictions. In other words, a gift of no value.
However, the FPPC's staff counsel is asking the public to comment on whether those tickets should be treated as gifts, and therefore taken at face value - a change that could have implications both at the state level as well as under the city's own Measure B conflict-of-interest rules. It should be noted the FPPC has discussed this before - at least once in 2004 - and seemed unable to come to a resolution.
I have to wonder what prompted the FPPC to take a look at this issue. I'll update if I find out.
From the FPPC press release: Comments may be addressed to Bill Lenkeit, Senior Commission Counsel at the address set forth above, by e-mail at blenkeit@fppc.ca.gov. or by telephone at (916) 327-2020.
*A Pasadena councilman says I've misremembered the way the system works regarding tickets for the Rose Bowl Game. Each council member receives two free tickets, which would be affected by a rule change. However, the 90 or so tickets each member gets from the Tournament to allocate to constituents are paid for by the recipient. The cache of parade tickets, however, are given to council members to give away free. Each one of those caches is worth thousands of dollars and also would be covered by a rule change.
Blog speed at last (or not... *updated below)
San Gabriel Valley Tribune sports reporter Fred Robledo reports that after a few tense moments, the new blog server got up and running and seems to be moving with alacrity. Angry parents can now comment on unfair refs faster than ever!
The changeover was delayed at least a week, if not longer, causing glitches for bloggers LANG wide.
*Aside from realizing I inadvertently stole the headline for this blog entry from Fred Robledo, I'm told that the switch to the new MNGi server came with some glitches of its own. Robledo's popular prep sports blog was down this morning and Frank Girardot's Crime Scene blog has been having problems all day. Ziggy, will they ever win?
San Gabriel Valley Tribune sports reporter Fred Robledo reports that after a few tense moments, the new blog server got up and running and seems to be moving with alacrity. Angry parents can now comment on unfair refs faster than ever!
The changeover was delayed at least a week, if not longer, causing glitches for bloggers LANG wide.
*Aside from realizing I inadvertently stole the headline for this blog entry from Fred Robledo, I'm told that the switch to the new MNGi server came with some glitches of its own. Robledo's popular prep sports blog was down this morning and Frank Girardot's Crime Scene blog has been having problems all day. Ziggy, will they ever win?
Apr 29, 2008
LSD, R.I.P.
Albert Hoffman, the chemist who first discovered, and first tripped on, LSD has died at age 102.
A few passages from an obituary in the L.A. Times:
The twenty-fifth compound he synthesized, in 1938, was lysergic acid diethylamide (in German, lyserg-saure-diathylamid), or LSD-25. Because this compound had a chemical structure similar to an existing drug called Coramine, Hofmann had hoped that it would be a stimulant for the respiratory and circulatory systems.
-snip-
Prompted by what Hofmann later described as a "peculiar presentiment" that LSD-25 might have properties other than those established in the first investigations, he decided to look at it again.
On Friday afternoon, April 16, 1943, Hofmann had just completed synthesizing a new batch when, he subsequently wrote his supervisor, "I was forced to interrupt my work in the laboratory in the middle of the afternoon and proceed home, being affected by a remarkable restlessness, combined with slight dizziness.
"At home, I lay down and sank into a not-unpleasant intoxicated-like condition, characterized by an extremely stimulated imagination. In a dreamlike state I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors. After some two hours, this condition faded away."
Everything wasn't kaleidoscopes:
"Everything in the room spun around, and the familiar objects and pieces of furniture assumed grotesque, threatening forms," he wrote in his autobiography, "LSD -- My Problem Child." "They were in constant motion, animated, as if driven by an inner restlessness. The lady next door [became] a malevolent, insidious witch with a colored mask."
Albert Hoffman, the chemist who first discovered, and first tripped on, LSD has died at age 102.
A few passages from an obituary in the L.A. Times:
The twenty-fifth compound he synthesized, in 1938, was lysergic acid diethylamide (in German, lyserg-saure-diathylamid), or LSD-25. Because this compound had a chemical structure similar to an existing drug called Coramine, Hofmann had hoped that it would be a stimulant for the respiratory and circulatory systems.
-snip-
Prompted by what Hofmann later described as a "peculiar presentiment" that LSD-25 might have properties other than those established in the first investigations, he decided to look at it again.
On Friday afternoon, April 16, 1943, Hofmann had just completed synthesizing a new batch when, he subsequently wrote his supervisor, "I was forced to interrupt my work in the laboratory in the middle of the afternoon and proceed home, being affected by a remarkable restlessness, combined with slight dizziness.
"At home, I lay down and sank into a not-unpleasant intoxicated-like condition, characterized by an extremely stimulated imagination. In a dreamlike state I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors. After some two hours, this condition faded away."
Everything wasn't kaleidoscopes:
"Everything in the room spun around, and the familiar objects and pieces of furniture assumed grotesque, threatening forms," he wrote in his autobiography, "LSD -- My Problem Child." "They were in constant motion, animated, as if driven by an inner restlessness. The lady next door [became] a malevolent, insidious witch with a colored mask."
Apr 28, 2008
Cutting
The Orange County Register has seen its circulation drop 5.3 percent after two rounds of staff cuts, so the owners are ordering a third. Publisher Terry Horne explains why this makes sense:
"Fundamental shifts have occurred in how people acquire and use information, and this affects how they conduct business on the Internet and with newspapers," Horne said. "If we don't make large-scale changes now, there's no promise of a continually profitable and sustainable enterprise in the future."
The Orange County Register has seen its circulation drop 5.3 percent after two rounds of staff cuts, so the owners are ordering a third. Publisher Terry Horne explains why this makes sense:
"Fundamental shifts have occurred in how people acquire and use information, and this affects how they conduct business on the Internet and with newspapers," Horne said. "If we don't make large-scale changes now, there's no promise of a continually profitable and sustainable enterprise in the future."
Ron Kaye in L.A.
Ron Kaye, former editor of the Daily News of Los Angeles and simian aficionado, will be the guest speaker at a SPJ/CCNMA mixer on Tuesday, May 6 (also election day in Indiana and North Carolina):
Our guest will be former Los Angeles Daily News Editor Ron Kaye. He's been described as an "accidental anarchist," "passionate populist" and "the Patrick Henry of the San Fernando Valley." Kaye recently launched a blog, RonKayeLA.com, and says he's "committed to carrying on his crusade for a greater Los Angeles as an ordinary citizen."
Events get underway at 6:30 p.m. The place is Casey's Bar & Grill at 613 S. Grand Ave. in Los Angeles. RSVP to spj_la@hotmail.com.
Ron Kaye, former editor of the Daily News of Los Angeles and simian aficionado, will be the guest speaker at a SPJ/CCNMA mixer on Tuesday, May 6 (also election day in Indiana and North Carolina):
Our guest will be former Los Angeles Daily News Editor Ron Kaye. He's been described as an "accidental anarchist," "passionate populist" and "the Patrick Henry of the San Fernando Valley." Kaye recently launched a blog, RonKayeLA.com, and says he's "committed to carrying on his crusade for a greater Los Angeles as an ordinary citizen."
Events get underway at 6:30 p.m. The place is Casey's Bar & Grill at 613 S. Grand Ave. in Los Angeles. RSVP to spj_la@hotmail.com.
Going negative *(updated)
All but two of America's largest 25 newspapers saw circulations decline over the last six months, according to the latest from the Audit Bureau of Circulations. The exceptions are USA Today and the Wall Street Journal, number one and number two on the list.
*Not all news about newspapers is bad. A dozen daily metros see modest gains in circulation. Among them, the San Jose Mercury News.
All but two of America's largest 25 newspapers saw circulations decline over the last six months, according to the latest from the Audit Bureau of Circulations. The exceptions are USA Today and the Wall Street Journal, number one and number two on the list.
*Not all news about newspapers is bad. A dozen daily metros see modest gains in circulation. Among them, the San Jose Mercury News.
Apr 27, 2008
Loss of autonomy
An interesting tidbit from Teresa Lawlor at Indigio:
During my tenure at MediaNews Group Interactive I saw the smaller local markets become increasingly more profitable and begin to develop a more loyal audience than some of its larger local markets.
Indigio is the company that's been hosting LANG's newspaper blogs, at least until tomorrow, when MediaNews is scheduled to switch over to its MNGi servers.
Lawlor's comments touch upon what I think is the main failing of MediaNews: a top-down management structure that believes in a one-size-fits-all approach to its papers. The result is an extremely rigid enterprise that cannot respond or adapt to change, whether it's a small paper trying to capitalize on increased profits or a larger paper trying to stem its losses. The answer is always the same: throw people overboard.
When money is tight, and it always is, everyone shares the pain - whether they're profitable or not, whether their newsrooms are able to handle cuts or not. This is particularly painful for smaller papers, the golden geese, where even a small drop in the workforce can result in a major drop in quality. (Note to Dean: The Gremlin failed for a reason.)
At the same time, every paper must work from the same basic web template, leaving editors and designers impotent and unable to chart a their own course. No single paper has much, if any, control over their own destiny (the best they can do is manage their losses). The only "innovation" that's celebrated is one that saves money. No capital investment, no local programming, no locally tailored websites. And when they still manage to eek out a profit, break their legs and make them crawl.
An interesting tidbit from Teresa Lawlor at Indigio:
During my tenure at MediaNews Group Interactive I saw the smaller local markets become increasingly more profitable and begin to develop a more loyal audience than some of its larger local markets.
Indigio is the company that's been hosting LANG's newspaper blogs, at least until tomorrow, when MediaNews is scheduled to switch over to its MNGi servers.
Lawlor's comments touch upon what I think is the main failing of MediaNews: a top-down management structure that believes in a one-size-fits-all approach to its papers. The result is an extremely rigid enterprise that cannot respond or adapt to change, whether it's a small paper trying to capitalize on increased profits or a larger paper trying to stem its losses. The answer is always the same: throw people overboard.
When money is tight, and it always is, everyone shares the pain - whether they're profitable or not, whether their newsrooms are able to handle cuts or not. This is particularly painful for smaller papers, the golden geese, where even a small drop in the workforce can result in a major drop in quality. (Note to Dean: The Gremlin failed for a reason.)
At the same time, every paper must work from the same basic web template, leaving editors and designers impotent and unable to chart a their own course. No single paper has much, if any, control over their own destiny (the best they can do is manage their losses). The only "innovation" that's celebrated is one that saves money. No capital investment, no local programming, no locally tailored websites. And when they still manage to eek out a profit, break their legs and make them crawl.
Apr 26, 2008
Down and Out in Zimbabwe
New York Times reporter Barry Bearak recounts his ordeal in a Zimbabwe prison after being arrested for "committing journalism" amid a contentious, and likely rigged, presidential election. The results have yet to be released.
In a twist, Bearak appears to owe his freedom in part to Zimbabwe's backward ways. At Bearak's bail hearing, the police chief offered what he thought would be damning of evidence of the reporter's illicit fact-gathering; it turned out to be an article from New York Times-legend Anthony Lewis, written in 1989.
I don't want to minimize or romanticize the ugliness Bearak endured, but given the wretched state of newspapers in this country, it is inspiring to read about a reporter who is most definitely guilty of committing journalism.
I've excerpted a few grafs from the story as appetizers and strongly encourage you to read the entire dispatch:
“Don’t worry, whatever the cells are like I can handle it,” I told her, attempting a tough guy’s bravado. I added a reporter’s inside joke. “Really, anything is better than having to file four stories a day for the Web site.”
-snip-
The floor was filthy. The odor of human waste infected the air. More bothersome were the bugs. “Cockroaches the size of skateboards,” I quipped. This was hyperbole. The insects were mostly tiny and black, others short, white and wormy. We were soon sharing our clothes with them.
-snip-
We continued to share our food. But even this enjoyable gesture of charity could trigger regret. During the two daily “counts,” we’d try to note who seemed hungriest: The acrobat? The peddler? The guy in the “69” T-shirt?
-snip-
He testified that “critical new evidence” had caused the attorney general’s office to reverse its initial decision to let us go, a hasty fiction that was not even loitering in the rough vicinity of the truth.
New York Times reporter Barry Bearak recounts his ordeal in a Zimbabwe prison after being arrested for "committing journalism" amid a contentious, and likely rigged, presidential election. The results have yet to be released.
In a twist, Bearak appears to owe his freedom in part to Zimbabwe's backward ways. At Bearak's bail hearing, the police chief offered what he thought would be damning of evidence of the reporter's illicit fact-gathering; it turned out to be an article from New York Times-legend Anthony Lewis, written in 1989.
I don't want to minimize or romanticize the ugliness Bearak endured, but given the wretched state of newspapers in this country, it is inspiring to read about a reporter who is most definitely guilty of committing journalism.
I've excerpted a few grafs from the story as appetizers and strongly encourage you to read the entire dispatch:
“Don’t worry, whatever the cells are like I can handle it,” I told her, attempting a tough guy’s bravado. I added a reporter’s inside joke. “Really, anything is better than having to file four stories a day for the Web site.”
-snip-
The floor was filthy. The odor of human waste infected the air. More bothersome were the bugs. “Cockroaches the size of skateboards,” I quipped. This was hyperbole. The insects were mostly tiny and black, others short, white and wormy. We were soon sharing our clothes with them.
-snip-
We continued to share our food. But even this enjoyable gesture of charity could trigger regret. During the two daily “counts,” we’d try to note who seemed hungriest: The acrobat? The peddler? The guy in the “69” T-shirt?
-snip-
He testified that “critical new evidence” had caused the attorney general’s office to reverse its initial decision to let us go, a hasty fiction that was not even loitering in the rough vicinity of the truth.
When asked to provide documentation, he tendered the printout of an article scooped off my desk at York Lodge, something I’d brought to Harare as background for a possible feature article about a political candidate. ...
The article wasn’t mine. It had been written by one of the all-time-greats of The New York Times, Anthony Lewis.
“Can you tell us the date of that article?”
It was published in 1989.
Apr 24, 2008
Alien road flares
The lights that got former Arizona Gov. Fife Symington talking spooky are explained. Or are they...?
The lights that got former Arizona Gov. Fife Symington talking spooky are explained. Or are they...?
Guns, yoga and your ZIP code
Has the melting pot curdled?
Bill Bishop of Austin, Texas argues in his new book, The Big Sort, that mobility and money have given Americans the freedom to move away from people they disagree with and closer to people that look, sound and think like them. It's not red states and blue states, it red enclaves and blue enclaves.
I'm not sure the country was ever that diverse, geographically speaking, and there seems to be plenty of evidence that anytime neighborhoods become too mixed, those with the means figure out a way to segregate themselves and regroup.
One role of the journalist is to walk between these worlds and to find the threads that link disparate neighborhoods together.
(via The Blockbuster Democracy Blog)
Has the melting pot curdled?
Bill Bishop of Austin, Texas argues in his new book, The Big Sort, that mobility and money have given Americans the freedom to move away from people they disagree with and closer to people that look, sound and think like them. It's not red states and blue states, it red enclaves and blue enclaves.
I'm not sure the country was ever that diverse, geographically speaking, and there seems to be plenty of evidence that anytime neighborhoods become too mixed, those with the means figure out a way to segregate themselves and regroup.
One role of the journalist is to walk between these worlds and to find the threads that link disparate neighborhoods together.
(via The Blockbuster Democracy Blog)
It's the stupid economy
Len Cutler offers a succinct commentary on the investor's mindset and why making money is no longer enough for newspaper owners.
Meanwhile, the Tribune's innovator-in-chief, Lee Abrams, compares news and information to rock and roll, all the while forgetting that rock and roll journalism (new journalism, gonzo journalism) had its heyday, and that the music industry is sucking on the same sour eggs as newspapers.
Listening to him, it's clear he is not a dumb guy. It's also clear he's a businessman at heart who knows very little about news. But, then, who among the new newspaper titans does?
He's the Colonel Parker of the Tribune Co. His job is to package and promote. If he follows the template of Top 40 radio, which he loves so well, he'll find a way to limit creativity, encourage sameness and churn out an ever-blander product that can be swallowed by the greatest number of people. Tribune as fat Elvis.
Len Cutler offers a succinct commentary on the investor's mindset and why making money is no longer enough for newspaper owners.
Meanwhile, the Tribune's innovator-in-chief, Lee Abrams, compares news and information to rock and roll, all the while forgetting that rock and roll journalism (new journalism, gonzo journalism) had its heyday, and that the music industry is sucking on the same sour eggs as newspapers.
Listening to him, it's clear he is not a dumb guy. It's also clear he's a businessman at heart who knows very little about news. But, then, who among the new newspaper titans does?
He's the Colonel Parker of the Tribune Co. His job is to package and promote. If he follows the template of Top 40 radio, which he loves so well, he'll find a way to limit creativity, encourage sameness and churn out an ever-blander product that can be swallowed by the greatest number of people. Tribune as fat Elvis.
Blog relief imminent
Ryan Garfat of the Daily News sent out yet another memo to LANG bloggers asking them to extend their patience until Monday, when a long-awaited transition to a new server host will (hopefully) place.
LA Observed has a copy of the memo, which includes a smiley-faced dig at Kevin Roderick for mentioning the blog glitches yesterday:
Please be patient. It's ok to post items in advance of the server move notifying your audience there might be some funky things happening like Tony did on Inside the Dodgers. Hopefully Roderick at LA Observed will respond to public demand to expose technical issues at the Daily News blogs. I can't imagine anything more newsworthy. :)
Given my weak circulation numbers and relative obscurity, I'll forgive him for not taking a dig at me for mentioning the blog glitches a week ago.
Ryan Garfat of the Daily News sent out yet another memo to LANG bloggers asking them to extend their patience until Monday, when a long-awaited transition to a new server host will (hopefully) place.
LA Observed has a copy of the memo, which includes a smiley-faced dig at Kevin Roderick for mentioning the blog glitches yesterday:
Please be patient. It's ok to post items in advance of the server move notifying your audience there might be some funky things happening like Tony did on Inside the Dodgers. Hopefully Roderick at LA Observed will respond to public demand to expose technical issues at the Daily News blogs. I can't imagine anything more newsworthy. :)
Given my weak circulation numbers and relative obscurity, I'll forgive him for not taking a dig at me for mentioning the blog glitches a week ago.
Broken Glasser
Michael Calderone asks the all important "why" question about the sudden removal of Susan Glasser from her position as the Washington Post's national editor.
Apr 23, 2008
Two promotions
Los Angeles Times Editor Russ Stanton announced two promotions today. Managing Editor John Arthur was named executive editor, a newly created position, and Business Editor Davan Majaraj was named the new M.E.
Look to LA Observed for more on the men Stanton has chosen to help guide the Times to his version of success. For my part, I wonder what it will mean for the Times to have an executive editor?
Los Angeles Times Editor Russ Stanton announced two promotions today. Managing Editor John Arthur was named executive editor, a newly created position, and Business Editor Davan Majaraj was named the new M.E.
Look to LA Observed for more on the men Stanton has chosen to help guide the Times to his version of success. For my part, I wonder what it will mean for the Times to have an executive editor?
The aftermath, in color
Martin Gee, a designer at the San Jose Mercury News, posted these photos depicting the aftermath of buyouts and layoffs at the Singleton-owned paper. Editor & Publisher carried a brief about the photos earlier this month.
Martin Gee, a designer at the San Jose Mercury News, posted these photos depicting the aftermath of buyouts and layoffs at the Singleton-owned paper. Editor & Publisher carried a brief about the photos earlier this month.
The Politics of Math
If 10 turned out to be 9
How close is the race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama? So close that even the math is being politicized.
In the final results from Pennsylvania, Clinton won 54.7% and Obama won 45.3%. If you round off the two numbers, that's 55% for Hillary and 45% for Barack, a 10-point spread.
That's the kind of math favored by Clinton supporters because it gives her the double-digit win she had hoped for and makes for a better case when arguing to superdelegates that she met expectations in the Keystone State.
Obamathematics demands a different sort of rounding. What you do here is subtract 45.3 from 54.7, leaving you with 9.4%. That number rounds down to 9, which is clearly not a double digit and provides some traction to Obama's argument that he successfully erased the double-digit lead Clinton had coming in to Pennsylvania.
So, the point at which you decide to round off the decimal changes the outcome and influences the talking points.
As you work to determine which method of calculation better reflects your politics, consider the two following statements:
1. The objective of rounding is often to get a number that is easier to use, at the cost of making it less precise. (Wikipedia)
2. The purpose in rounding off is to avoid expressing a value to a greater degree of precision than is consistent with the uncertainty in the measurement. (General Chemistry Virtual Textbook)
If 10 turned out to be 9
How close is the race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama? So close that even the math is being politicized.
In the final results from Pennsylvania, Clinton won 54.7% and Obama won 45.3%. If you round off the two numbers, that's 55% for Hillary and 45% for Barack, a 10-point spread.
That's the kind of math favored by Clinton supporters because it gives her the double-digit win she had hoped for and makes for a better case when arguing to superdelegates that she met expectations in the Keystone State.
Obamathematics demands a different sort of rounding. What you do here is subtract 45.3 from 54.7, leaving you with 9.4%. That number rounds down to 9, which is clearly not a double digit and provides some traction to Obama's argument that he successfully erased the double-digit lead Clinton had coming in to Pennsylvania.
So, the point at which you decide to round off the decimal changes the outcome and influences the talking points.
As you work to determine which method of calculation better reflects your politics, consider the two following statements:
1. The objective of rounding is often to get a number that is easier to use, at the cost of making it less precise. (Wikipedia)
2. The purpose in rounding off is to avoid expressing a value to a greater degree of precision than is consistent with the uncertainty in the measurement. (General Chemistry Virtual Textbook)
Tide not turning
Despite Hillary Clinton's assertion that "the tide is turning" in the Democratic presidential primary campaign, the tide is decidedly unchanged.
What was before Pennsylvania continues to be after Pennsylvania.
Clinton beat Obama yesterday in Pennsylvania by a 10-point margin - enough to claim a "decisive" victory, but short of the margin she needed to signal to superdelegates, voters and the media that the dynamics of the race had fundamentally shifted.
Indeed, it's just the opposite. The election results prove that neither candidate has found a way to break free of the status quo. This was Ohio redux.
In other words, Clinton is no closer to discovering the discrete mathematics needed to overtake Obama and has done little to convince superdelegates to go against the tide of the delegate count. At the same time, Obama needed to find a way to knock her out and he failed. He still has a few more chances to do that.
One other thing, the real threat to Obama if he goes on to the general election isn't a divided Democratic Party, it's a rising tide of anti-Obama sentiments in rural and working-class America, pushed by and large by pro-Clinton forces.
A friend of mine who was covering the non-voters in Pennsylvania said he was surprised at the number of people who truly fear Obama is unAmerican, a foreigner or Muslim. Clinton's negative numbers might be soaring because of her campaign tactics, but those kind of negatives wear off. If you can convince a healthy segment of the electorate that a candidate is The Other, it's extremely difficult to turn their minds around.
Despite Hillary Clinton's assertion that "the tide is turning" in the Democratic presidential primary campaign, the tide is decidedly unchanged.
What was before Pennsylvania continues to be after Pennsylvania.
Clinton beat Obama yesterday in Pennsylvania by a 10-point margin - enough to claim a "decisive" victory, but short of the margin she needed to signal to superdelegates, voters and the media that the dynamics of the race had fundamentally shifted.
Indeed, it's just the opposite. The election results prove that neither candidate has found a way to break free of the status quo. This was Ohio redux.
In other words, Clinton is no closer to discovering the discrete mathematics needed to overtake Obama and has done little to convince superdelegates to go against the tide of the delegate count. At the same time, Obama needed to find a way to knock her out and he failed. He still has a few more chances to do that.
One other thing, the real threat to Obama if he goes on to the general election isn't a divided Democratic Party, it's a rising tide of anti-Obama sentiments in rural and working-class America, pushed by and large by pro-Clinton forces.
A friend of mine who was covering the non-voters in Pennsylvania said he was surprised at the number of people who truly fear Obama is unAmerican, a foreigner or Muslim. Clinton's negative numbers might be soaring because of her campaign tactics, but those kind of negatives wear off. If you can convince a healthy segment of the electorate that a candidate is The Other, it's extremely difficult to turn their minds around.
McClatchy losses
Newspapers are a hard nut these days. McClatchy Co., owner of the Sacramento Bee and other fine papers, posted a 15% drop in revenues during the first quarter. It was worst on the coasts:
CEO Gary Pruitt said in a statement that while Florida and California made up only a third of the company's revenues, those markets accounted for 56 percent of the decline in the first quarter.
Newspapers are a hard nut these days. McClatchy Co., owner of the Sacramento Bee and other fine papers, posted a 15% drop in revenues during the first quarter. It was worst on the coasts:
CEO Gary Pruitt said in a statement that while Florida and California made up only a third of the company's revenues, those markets accounted for 56 percent of the decline in the first quarter.
Apr 22, 2008
Bitter numbers
If the numbers hold, Hillary Clinton will have won by a 10-point margin over Barack Obama. That would be a big blow for the Obama campaign, showing he made absolutely no gains since Ohio, which he also lost by 10 points.
A stasis campaign does work to his advantage in that he's already ahead among delegates and in the overall popular vote, but he has absolutely no momentum. As Ron Brownstein pointed out on tonight's Which Way, LA?, the two candidates have split the vote and have become absolutely entrenched. I think Obama is going to look weaker and weaker unless he puts Clinton away. A war of attrition works in Clinton's favor.
Bitter-gate and Rev. Wright undoubtedly hurt him, scaring off middle- and working-class whites. He can take solace in the fact that he doesn't have to run in a Pennsylvania-type state again, but that's not a sign of strength.
If the numbers hold, Hillary Clinton will have won by a 10-point margin over Barack Obama. That would be a big blow for the Obama campaign, showing he made absolutely no gains since Ohio, which he also lost by 10 points.
A stasis campaign does work to his advantage in that he's already ahead among delegates and in the overall popular vote, but he has absolutely no momentum. As Ron Brownstein pointed out on tonight's Which Way, LA?, the two candidates have split the vote and have become absolutely entrenched. I think Obama is going to look weaker and weaker unless he puts Clinton away. A war of attrition works in Clinton's favor.
Bitter-gate and Rev. Wright undoubtedly hurt him, scaring off middle- and working-class whites. He can take solace in the fact that he doesn't have to run in a Pennsylvania-type state again, but that's not a sign of strength.
Journalism and standards
Dan Kennedy at Media Nation asks a good question about why Columbia Journalism Review tapped a Barack Obama supporter to keep an eye on talk show host Tim Russert.
Dan Kennedy at Media Nation asks a good question about why Columbia Journalism Review tapped a Barack Obama supporter to keep an eye on talk show host Tim Russert.
He can win for losing
The polls have closed in Pennsylvania and the vote-counting machines are whirring. Barack Obama is expected to lose, but the margin of the loss is the story. As Dan Balz puts it (quoting how someone else put it) the two candidates "are like publicly-traded companies that need to hit an earnings target to lift their stock price."
If Obama loses by 6-10 points, nothing really changes. If he loses by 10 or more, Clinton will have an opening to argue that the dynamics of the race have changed. If he loses by less than 6, superdelegates are going to start sliding into the O column.
CNN says the race is too close to call right now, in part because of a massive turnout. That should be to Obama's advantage, but who the hell knows. Ed Rendell might be stuffing boxes full of Clinton ballots for all we know.
The polls have closed in Pennsylvania and the vote-counting machines are whirring. Barack Obama is expected to lose, but the margin of the loss is the story. As Dan Balz puts it (quoting how someone else put it) the two candidates "are like publicly-traded companies that need to hit an earnings target to lift their stock price."
If Obama loses by 6-10 points, nothing really changes. If he loses by 10 or more, Clinton will have an opening to argue that the dynamics of the race have changed. If he loses by less than 6, superdelegates are going to start sliding into the O column.
CNN says the race is too close to call right now, in part because of a massive turnout. That should be to Obama's advantage, but who the hell knows. Ed Rendell might be stuffing boxes full of Clinton ballots for all we know.
The new journalism casts its netThe USC School of Journalism has invited Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post, to speak at its May 16 commencement. Here's how she's described on the school's Web site:
In May 2005, she launched The Huffington Post, a news and blog site that has quickly become one of the most widely-read, linked to, and frequently-cited media brands on the Internet. In 2006, she was named to the Time 100, Time Magazine's list of the world’s 100 most influential people.
The School of Communication, meanwhile, will hear from actor Geena Davis.
Washington Post removes AME*
Susan B. Glasser, assistant managing editor at the Washington Post, was reportedly removed from her position over concerns about a grinding management style and low morale among reporters - some of whom I assume are considering the paper's buyout offer.
Glasser, 39, oversaw the national news desk, one of the most important at the paper. I'm certainly not privy to the inner workings of the Post, although it does strike me as extreme to yank an editor from the newsroom for issues over morale. Perhaps there is more to the story than we now know. This post on the Washington City Paper website notes friction between Glasser and the political reporters, star Dana Milbank among them. There's also a report that her desk turned down an early story on the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
*Michael Calderone at Politico has an update on Glasser and her memo to the newsroom.
Glasser, 39, oversaw the national news desk, one of the most important at the paper. I'm certainly not privy to the inner workings of the Post, although it does strike me as extreme to yank an editor from the newsroom for issues over morale. Perhaps there is more to the story than we now know. This post on the Washington City Paper website notes friction between Glasser and the political reporters, star Dana Milbank among them. There's also a report that her desk turned down an early story on the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
*Michael Calderone at Politico has an update on Glasser and her memo to the newsroom.
Slow blogging in LANG-land (updated below)*
Having posted about the server troubles plaguing Singleton's SoCal newspaper blogs, I quickly clicked on a link for the Daily News' Inside the Dodgers blog promising an "Update on why you can't comment," only to be told by the Internets that the server could not be found.
I went to the paper's general blog page and got a little more info from a teaser for the post: It has now been almost two weeks since I was warned in advance about this possible glitch, and I apologize profusely to all of you. I'm still being told this is allegedly going to be fixed in the very near future, so I appreciate your continued patience, but I also understand that patience isn't infinite. This is a great blog ...
But what comes next?
Before I sound the alarm of paranoia, the other blogs at the DN seem to be working fine, and Frank Girardot, who mans the Crime Scene blog at the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, tells me the molasses-slow process of posting to the Web has recently sped up.
The glitches are due to a stalled changeover in Web hosts. Apparently the move didn't happen as quickly as planned and so the blogs were left on the servers of Indigio, the company that was being abandoned. I'm told the company wasn't thrilled with the arrangement.
*Looks like the link to Inside the Dodgers got fixed. Click here.
Having posted about the server troubles plaguing Singleton's SoCal newspaper blogs, I quickly clicked on a link for the Daily News' Inside the Dodgers blog promising an "Update on why you can't comment," only to be told by the Internets that the server could not be found.
I went to the paper's general blog page and got a little more info from a teaser for the post: It has now been almost two weeks since I was warned in advance about this possible glitch, and I apologize profusely to all of you. I'm still being told this is allegedly going to be fixed in the very near future, so I appreciate your continued patience, but I also understand that patience isn't infinite. This is a great blog ...
But what comes next?
Before I sound the alarm of paranoia, the other blogs at the DN seem to be working fine, and Frank Girardot, who mans the Crime Scene blog at the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, tells me the molasses-slow process of posting to the Web has recently sped up.
The glitches are due to a stalled changeover in Web hosts. Apparently the move didn't happen as quickly as planned and so the blogs were left on the servers of Indigio, the company that was being abandoned. I'm told the company wasn't thrilled with the arrangement.
*Looks like the link to Inside the Dodgers got fixed. Click here.
Newsday update
Looks like Sam Zell is planning to sell Newsday to New York Post owner Rupert Murdoch:
(Reuters) - Tribune Co has reached agreement in principle to sell Newsday to News Corp for about $580 million in what would be a joint venture, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Looks like Sam Zell is planning to sell Newsday to New York Post owner Rupert Murdoch:
(Reuters) - Tribune Co has reached agreement in principle to sell Newsday to News Corp for about $580 million in what would be a joint venture, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Under the terms of a deal, Newsday would be part of a joint venture with News Corp's New York Post and other News Corp assets, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. News Corp would own most of the company and Tribune would keep a stake of less than 5 percent.
Apr 21, 2008
Editorial obsolescence
Someone else just doesn't get the journalistic vision of corporate America.
Marcus Brauchli, editor of the Wall Street Journal for less than a year, is quitting over differences with his bosses. The New York Times reports:
Journal newsroom employees say that [owner Rupert] Murdoch and the publisher he installed, Robert J. Thomson, have made it clear that they think the paper has too many editors, and have instructed Mr. Brauchli to thin the ranks, potentially making room in the headcount for more reporters. Two people briefed on Mr. Brauchli’s thinking said that had become a major point of contention.
The changes are apparently intended to make the Journal more of a general interest paper to compete with the New York Times, which, strangely enough, has a slightly smaller circulation: The Journal has weekday circulation in the United States of more than two million, second only to USA Today.
Someone else just doesn't get the journalistic vision of corporate America.
Marcus Brauchli, editor of the Wall Street Journal for less than a year, is quitting over differences with his bosses. The New York Times reports:
Journal newsroom employees say that [owner Rupert] Murdoch and the publisher he installed, Robert J. Thomson, have made it clear that they think the paper has too many editors, and have instructed Mr. Brauchli to thin the ranks, potentially making room in the headcount for more reporters. Two people briefed on Mr. Brauchli’s thinking said that had become a major point of contention.
The changes are apparently intended to make the Journal more of a general interest paper to compete with the New York Times, which, strangely enough, has a slightly smaller circulation: The Journal has weekday circulation in the United States of more than two million, second only to USA Today.
Fear and Loathing in Whittier, CA
I'd thought about mentioning the link between the death of Ruben Salazar and the birth of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but Crime Scene blogger Frank Girardot blog beat me to it.
Still, it's good to remember that the spark that fueled the brilliance of Fear and Loathing was not some vague mourning over the loss of 60's idealism, but real outrage over the brutal realities of racism and social upheaval in a not so distant Los Angeles.
It was 1971, and Hunter S. Thompson had come here to write about the Chicano movement and an anti-war protest that ended with a sheriff's deputy firing a tear gas canister through the front door of the Silver Dollar Cafe in Whittier, striking and killing journalist Ruben Salazar.
Thompson's take on Salazar's death became Strange Rumblings in Aztlan, published in Rolling Stone magazine in April, 1971. While researching the article that same year, Thompson and Chicano attorney Oscar Zeta Acosta (a key source for Thompson) took their first trip to Las Vegas. That was the start of Fear and Loathing, which he began writing while finishing the Salazar piece at a Holiday Inn in Arcadia.
Almost 40 years have passed. I imagine it would be hard for anyone walking the streets of Whittier today to understand what was happening then. Maybe it would be a good time to pull the thread of history and tell the story of what has changed and what has stayed the same.
I'd thought about mentioning the link between the death of Ruben Salazar and the birth of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but Crime Scene blogger Frank Girardot blog beat me to it.
Still, it's good to remember that the spark that fueled the brilliance of Fear and Loathing was not some vague mourning over the loss of 60's idealism, but real outrage over the brutal realities of racism and social upheaval in a not so distant Los Angeles.
It was 1971, and Hunter S. Thompson had come here to write about the Chicano movement and an anti-war protest that ended with a sheriff's deputy firing a tear gas canister through the front door of the Silver Dollar Cafe in Whittier, striking and killing journalist Ruben Salazar.
Thompson's take on Salazar's death became Strange Rumblings in Aztlan, published in Rolling Stone magazine in April, 1971. While researching the article that same year, Thompson and Chicano attorney Oscar Zeta Acosta (a key source for Thompson) took their first trip to Las Vegas. That was the start of Fear and Loathing, which he began writing while finishing the Salazar piece at a Holiday Inn in Arcadia.
Almost 40 years have passed. I imagine it would be hard for anyone walking the streets of Whittier today to understand what was happening then. Maybe it would be a good time to pull the thread of history and tell the story of what has changed and what has stayed the same.
Apr 19, 2008
They giveth, they taketh away
"Don’t say we don’t ever do anything for you."
The Guide over at the Los Angeles Times was planning to give away tickets to a private Portishead rehearsal scheduled for Thursday night in an undisclosed L.A. location - a primer to the band's upcoming appearance at Coachella - only to discover the giveaway violated a pesky ethics rule:
UPDATE: Doh! Our ethics guidelines (locked in a chamber and protected by three burly men all named Don) tell us we’re not allowed to give away these Portishead tickets, so we’re calling an end to the ticket giveaway announced earlier.
"Don’t say we don’t ever do anything for you."
The Guide over at the Los Angeles Times was planning to give away tickets to a private Portishead rehearsal scheduled for Thursday night in an undisclosed L.A. location - a primer to the band's upcoming appearance at Coachella - only to discover the giveaway violated a pesky ethics rule:
UPDATE: Doh! Our ethics guidelines (locked in a chamber and protected by three burly men all named Don) tell us we’re not allowed to give away these Portishead tickets, so we’re calling an end to the ticket giveaway announced earlier.
Apr 18, 2008
Slow blogging
Frustrated bloggers at the LANG papers have been facing delays of up to a half hour when trying to publish posts and readers are being blocked from posting new comments. The troubles are due to a stalled effort to change host companies.
In a Tuesday memo, Los Angeles Daily News online editor Ryan Garfat pleads for patience and promises imminent relief. However, I'm told the problems have persisted through today.
The memo follows:
Dear bloggers,
We have widespread reports of posts not showing up, people not being able to sign in and commenting problems starting last night and into today.
From what I gather from Josh Kleinbaum, relaying information from Denver, expect those issues to continue but relief is imminent.
We were on schedule to migrate the blogs which are hosted by Indigio over to MNGi's control tomorrow. Right now it looks like tomorrow's migration will be for testing-purposes only and several of us will be going through the new server to identify any bugs or problems. After they have fixed the issues, then they will move everything over, which should be instantaneous and you should see no difference.
We expect the official migration to occur sometime this week.
Until then, we're not confident Indigio will address the issues we're experiencing today, especially since we're about to move everything off their inadequate servers. So it's likely we'll experience our widespread problems for the next couple days until we can get this completely migrated.
The issues, however, are not experienced by everyone, so try a few times to post or rebuild your blogs. Some can post, most have problems.
Better times are ahead, and we appreciate your patience.
Ryan Garfat
Online Editor
Los Angeles Daily News
Frustrated bloggers at the LANG papers have been facing delays of up to a half hour when trying to publish posts and readers are being blocked from posting new comments. The troubles are due to a stalled effort to change host companies.
In a Tuesday memo, Los Angeles Daily News online editor Ryan Garfat pleads for patience and promises imminent relief. However, I'm told the problems have persisted through today.
The memo follows:
Dear bloggers,
We have widespread reports of posts not showing up, people not being able to sign in and commenting problems starting last night and into today.
From what I gather from Josh Kleinbaum, relaying information from Denver, expect those issues to continue but relief is imminent.
We were on schedule to migrate the blogs which are hosted by Indigio over to MNGi's control tomorrow. Right now it looks like tomorrow's migration will be for testing-purposes only and several of us will be going through the new server to identify any bugs or problems. After they have fixed the issues, then they will move everything over, which should be instantaneous and you should see no difference.
We expect the official migration to occur sometime this week.
Until then, we're not confident Indigio will address the issues we're experiencing today, especially since we're about to move everything off their inadequate servers. So it's likely we'll experience our widespread problems for the next couple days until we can get this completely migrated.
The issues, however, are not experienced by everyone, so try a few times to post or rebuild your blogs. Some can post, most have problems.
Better times are ahead, and we appreciate your patience.
Ryan Garfat
Online Editor
Los Angeles Daily News
Selling the news
Every now and again, someone stumbles anew upon the burgeoning trend of editors acting like publishers, serving as portals through which editorial and business concerns freely mix.
The muddying up of what people on both sides of the business once tried to keep separate is seen as a necessary response to falling revenues and a belief that print is toxic to the bottom line. All hands are needed to help crack the code that will finally turn the Internet into the cash cow we all believe it to be. What have we gotten? "Innovation" in many awkward forms, from poorly done MoJo to blog-envious blogs to incessant redesigns. And, of course, fewer people to create the products we're so desperate to sell.
So far, I see little evidence that this cross-pollination plan has done any good. One of the reasons is that advertising is a distinct job from reporting news. The two sides have a fundamentally different purpose. Moreover, the post-newspaper plan is being drawn by people who no longer believe in what they're doing. The sense of purpose, mission and quality (standards, if you will) have faded away and in their place resignation and mistrust have take root.
People are resigned that the ideals that got them into the job in the first place are flawed (the balance sheet tells us so) and so must be cast aside. As a result, they start to mistrust both the standards they once hewed to and the readers they thought they were serving. After all, if the readers aren't rewarding us for good journalism, then clearly good journalism is losing its value.
I've talked to many people who spend their time rationalizing how the "realities" of the business woke them up from their crazy, idealistic slumber. At once they feel like grownups, but they also act as if they were confronted with a diagnosis of mental illness from which they long to be cured - a moral stain that can only be cleansed through a capitalist baptism.
However, I'm convinced restoration will soon be at hand. One can only suspend one's instincts for so long. The disenchanted will come to see that journalism was never under threat. The new lingo (hyperlocal, monetizing the news, etc.) will start to lose its meaning and words of substance will take its place. The hucksters won't last and greedy were always in it for the short term.
None of this is to say that editors and newsrooms aren't key in remaking themselves to adapt to and take advantage of new ways of communicating. But success means having the balls to put journalism first and trust that, in the long run, that's the thing that is going to sell. Selling out is a sucker's bet.
Every now and again, someone stumbles anew upon the burgeoning trend of editors acting like publishers, serving as portals through which editorial and business concerns freely mix.
The muddying up of what people on both sides of the business once tried to keep separate is seen as a necessary response to falling revenues and a belief that print is toxic to the bottom line. All hands are needed to help crack the code that will finally turn the Internet into the cash cow we all believe it to be. What have we gotten? "Innovation" in many awkward forms, from poorly done MoJo to blog-envious blogs to incessant redesigns. And, of course, fewer people to create the products we're so desperate to sell.
So far, I see little evidence that this cross-pollination plan has done any good. One of the reasons is that advertising is a distinct job from reporting news. The two sides have a fundamentally different purpose. Moreover, the post-newspaper plan is being drawn by people who no longer believe in what they're doing. The sense of purpose, mission and quality (standards, if you will) have faded away and in their place resignation and mistrust have take root.
People are resigned that the ideals that got them into the job in the first place are flawed (the balance sheet tells us so) and so must be cast aside. As a result, they start to mistrust both the standards they once hewed to and the readers they thought they were serving. After all, if the readers aren't rewarding us for good journalism, then clearly good journalism is losing its value.
I've talked to many people who spend their time rationalizing how the "realities" of the business woke them up from their crazy, idealistic slumber. At once they feel like grownups, but they also act as if they were confronted with a diagnosis of mental illness from which they long to be cured - a moral stain that can only be cleansed through a capitalist baptism.
However, I'm convinced restoration will soon be at hand. One can only suspend one's instincts for so long. The disenchanted will come to see that journalism was never under threat. The new lingo (hyperlocal, monetizing the news, etc.) will start to lose its meaning and words of substance will take its place. The hucksters won't last and greedy were always in it for the short term.
None of this is to say that editors and newsrooms aren't key in remaking themselves to adapt to and take advantage of new ways of communicating. But success means having the balls to put journalism first and trust that, in the long run, that's the thing that is going to sell. Selling out is a sucker's bet.
Apr 17, 2008
Another stadium proposal
Shiny!
One of the smartest men in sports business, David Carter of the Sports Business Group, is one of the consultants on the project. Not surprisingly, he thinks the odds are a little better. "I'm bullish," he says. "It's a solid plan from a guy who knows how to get things done."
Carter isn't new to the dance. He helped write the business plan that spurred the ill-fated NFL proposal at the Rose Bowl. In that case, the NFL balked at the expense of a nice stadium and the neighbors balked at pro football fans running roughshod in their neighborhood park.
Industry doesn't have any problems with neighbors. The primary roadblock there is money. Will the NFL step up with a loan? In this terrible economy? Or will Roski put up the whole purse? In this terribly economy? Someone is going to have to blink.
So far, all the blinking has come from government officials. The state has already said no to an $820 million, um, development subsidy, and politicos in L.A. and Pasadena know well the risk to their stadiums if something brand new is built nearby - a point Carter made clear in the Rose Bowl plan. They'll sure do what they can to interfere.
At the very least, the proposal has sparked intrigue - just what L.A. loves best.
Apr 16, 2008
Debate! Debate! 4
No new taxes? Clinton: I'm committed to not raising taxes on middle income Americans, but will let the Bush tax breaks lapse for those making $250,000 or more. I'll not only not raise them, I'll lower 'em.
Will you raise the capital gains tax? Obama cites this article and says he's trying to restore some balance to the tax system.
Asked the same question, Clinton reminds everyone that she's Bill Clinton's wife. Remember the good old days? (Probably the most effective line she'll deliver all night.) She then says she'd cap any increase at 20 percent (up from 15).
The two then sparred over lifting the cap on the payroll tax as a way to keep Social Security solvent. Obama says he will lift the cap. Clinton says she'll figure it out after she's elected.
Another commercial break... Did I mention how fucking bizarre it is that George Stephanopolous is only at this debate because he works at ABC News because he used to work for Clinton's husband?
And we're back. Topic: Guns! Hillary respects the 2nd Amendment and will bridge the divide between gun-rights folks and gun-control folks. Obama gives a flustered answer, but says he believes in an individual right to bear arms. Does Clinton support the DC gun ban (which is before the Supreme Court)? Er, ums. No blanket rules from federal government, she says. They've both pandered themselves into a corner on this one.
On affirmative action, Obama promotes a plan that still takes race into account, but includes poor whites and excludes privileged minorities. Clinton seems to agree with it, but I'm not sure.
Gas prices! Clinton wants a windfall profit tax and seems amenable to moratorium on the federal gas tax. Also wants to investigate commodities traders and to release oil from the strategic reserve. Obama: ditto, adding that we need to raise the fuel efficiency standards for cars.
How will you use former president George W. Bush? Clinton: Hmm, I'll look for a way, but it'll be hard. Obama: I'll talk to his daddy. Correct answer: On humanitarian missions, like battling AIDS in Africa.
Commerical break... Clintonopolous
Boy, this is really a retro debate. Back to all the old issues. So, how about those superdelegates?
Clinton: I'll tell 'em we need a fighter back in the White House. Tax cuts for middle class. Make everybody feel like part of the American family again. Champion. Tackler of issues. Remind them of my track record and experience (minus sniper fire). Thirty-five generals want me to lead, to rebuild military. Turn economy around. Going to ask Pennsylvania voters for help first.
Obama: Nation at war, planet in peril, economy in shambles. American people have lost trust in government. I bet on American people. Lift people up. Stop spin. Honest conversation. Change happens from bottom up. No PAC money, no lobby money. Obamaroots. If we're gonna deliver, we need new political coalition in country.
No new taxes? Clinton: I'm committed to not raising taxes on middle income Americans, but will let the Bush tax breaks lapse for those making $250,000 or more. I'll not only not raise them, I'll lower 'em.
Will you raise the capital gains tax? Obama cites this article and says he's trying to restore some balance to the tax system.
Asked the same question, Clinton reminds everyone that she's Bill Clinton's wife. Remember the good old days? (Probably the most effective line she'll deliver all night.) She then says she'd cap any increase at 20 percent (up from 15).
The two then sparred over lifting the cap on the payroll tax as a way to keep Social Security solvent. Obama says he will lift the cap. Clinton says she'll figure it out after she's elected.
Another commercial break... Did I mention how fucking bizarre it is that George Stephanopolous is only at this debate because he works at ABC News because he used to work for Clinton's husband?
And we're back. Topic: Guns! Hillary respects the 2nd Amendment and will bridge the divide between gun-rights folks and gun-control folks. Obama gives a flustered answer, but says he believes in an individual right to bear arms. Does Clinton support the DC gun ban (which is before the Supreme Court)? Er, ums. No blanket rules from federal government, she says. They've both pandered themselves into a corner on this one.
On affirmative action, Obama promotes a plan that still takes race into account, but includes poor whites and excludes privileged minorities. Clinton seems to agree with it, but I'm not sure.
Gas prices! Clinton wants a windfall profit tax and seems amenable to moratorium on the federal gas tax. Also wants to investigate commodities traders and to release oil from the strategic reserve. Obama: ditto, adding that we need to raise the fuel efficiency standards for cars.
How will you use former president George W. Bush? Clinton: Hmm, I'll look for a way, but it'll be hard. Obama: I'll talk to his daddy. Correct answer: On humanitarian missions, like battling AIDS in Africa.
Commerical break... Clintonopolous
Boy, this is really a retro debate. Back to all the old issues. So, how about those superdelegates?
Clinton: I'll tell 'em we need a fighter back in the White House. Tax cuts for middle class. Make everybody feel like part of the American family again. Champion. Tackler of issues. Remind them of my track record and experience (minus sniper fire). Thirty-five generals want me to lead, to rebuild military. Turn economy around. Going to ask Pennsylvania voters for help first.
Obama: Nation at war, planet in peril, economy in shambles. American people have lost trust in government. I bet on American people. Lift people up. Stop spin. Honest conversation. Change happens from bottom up. No PAC money, no lobby money. Obamaroots. If we're gonna deliver, we need new political coalition in country.
Debate! Debate! 3
After Obama says we should talk about issues of substance, we get another question about patriotism. Why doesn't Barack wear one of those flag lapel pins!? Obama says he shows his patriotism by doing good work. He needs to learn the word "owe," I think. As in, I owe a debt or I owe gratitude to my country.
Stephanopolous: Obama, how about that friendship with the former Weather Underground member? Obama says he can't be held accountable for the statements/politics of every person he knows or is friendly with. Clinton says it's fertile ground for Republicans and so should be turned over a bit more. Obama strikes back: By that calculus, you can't be president cause your husband pardoned two members of the Weather Underground. Oh, snap! (I think.)
Commercial break... An opportunity for me to note how completely bizarre it is that one of the men asking questions at this debate has his job because he worked for the husband of one of the candidates.
Back to a woman-on-the-street question: Is the promised withdrawal from Iraq real or fuzzy? Clinton says she'll bring home the troops no matter what, except that it be in a "responsible and careful manner." Wiggle words?
Obama says he'd direct the generals rather than be directed by them.
So, what about Iran? Obama says he'll directly engage with Iran, but will take no option off the table to prevent it from getting nukes. He gets a little tongue tied in trying to say an attack on Israel is an attack on us.
Clinton will engage Iran diplomatically, but never talk to its nutty president. She'll take a regional approach. Never let Iran get nukes.
After Obama says we should talk about issues of substance, we get another question about patriotism. Why doesn't Barack wear one of those flag lapel pins!? Obama says he shows his patriotism by doing good work. He needs to learn the word "owe," I think. As in, I owe a debt or I owe gratitude to my country.
Stephanopolous: Obama, how about that friendship with the former Weather Underground member? Obama says he can't be held accountable for the statements/politics of every person he knows or is friendly with. Clinton says it's fertile ground for Republicans and so should be turned over a bit more. Obama strikes back: By that calculus, you can't be president cause your husband pardoned two members of the Weather Underground. Oh, snap! (I think.)
Commercial break... An opportunity for me to note how completely bizarre it is that one of the men asking questions at this debate has his job because he worked for the husband of one of the candidates.
Back to a woman-on-the-street question: Is the promised withdrawal from Iraq real or fuzzy? Clinton says she'll bring home the troops no matter what, except that it be in a "responsible and careful manner." Wiggle words?
Obama says he'd direct the generals rather than be directed by them.
So, what about Iran? Obama says he'll directly engage with Iran, but will take no option off the table to prevent it from getting nukes. He gets a little tongue tied in trying to say an attack on Israel is an attack on us.
Clinton will engage Iran diplomatically, but never talk to its nutty president. She'll take a regional approach. Never let Iran get nukes.
Debate! Debate! 2
Clinton sort of leaves Obama's response to her response about bittergate alone, says other people said it was a fucked up statement, and then promotes herself. Smart to move past it.
Next, we get to relive the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy. Why did it take Obama so long to repudiate the man? He responds with a short summary of his Race Speech.
Charlie then asks Hillary if all of the church members should have walked out, as she said she would have done? She throws her own double-reversal neck kick, noting the church people choose is, um, a reflection of that person's values as she reminds everyone Wright blamed America for Sept. 11. You do the math.
Stephanopolous follows up by asking Obama if Wright is as patriotic an American as Obama is. A little tussle over whether Obama said he disowned the man - no, Obama says, not the man but his words. Oy. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices Obama.
Clinton sees the blood and brings out her daggers. This is ground that needs to be re-explored, she says. And speaking of re-exploration, Stephanopolous steps in with a question about Clinton's credibility re: sniper fire in Bosnia. She apologizes, says she wasn't as accurate as she was in the past in relating the story. But it was EXPERIENCE, she reminds Tom the Disenchanted Hillary Supporter who asked the question.
Obama takes the high road. Let's not get so obsessed with gaffes that we miss the point of the election. Good timing.
Clinton sort of leaves Obama's response to her response about bittergate alone, says other people said it was a fucked up statement, and then promotes herself. Smart to move past it.
Next, we get to relive the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy. Why did it take Obama so long to repudiate the man? He responds with a short summary of his Race Speech.
Charlie then asks Hillary if all of the church members should have walked out, as she said she would have done? She throws her own double-reversal neck kick, noting the church people choose is, um, a reflection of that person's values as she reminds everyone Wright blamed America for Sept. 11. You do the math.
Stephanopolous follows up by asking Obama if Wright is as patriotic an American as Obama is. A little tussle over whether Obama said he disowned the man - no, Obama says, not the man but his words. Oy. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices Obama.
Clinton sees the blood and brings out her daggers. This is ground that needs to be re-explored, she says. And speaking of re-exploration, Stephanopolous steps in with a question about Clinton's credibility re: sniper fire in Bosnia. She apologizes, says she wasn't as accurate as she was in the past in relating the story. But it was EXPERIENCE, she reminds Tom the Disenchanted Hillary Supporter who asked the question.
Obama takes the high road. Let's not get so obsessed with gaffes that we miss the point of the election. Good timing.
Debate! Debate!
The opening statements in the Pennsylvania Democratic presidential primary debate... But first, a few questions. Why the fuck did ABC News choose to air the debate un-live on the West Coast? And why is there a commercial immediately following the opening statements?
OK, now to the first question from a moderator. Will they pledge to get bunk beds in the White House (i.e., be each other's running mate)? Jesus, what a terrible question. After some awkward stares, Barack Obama gives his pat answer about choosing the nominee first before the nominee chooses a running mate. And then, PIVOT, right into a discussion of the economy.
Will Hillary Clinton even bother to answer the running-mate question before she starts talking about the economy? (Oh, wait, Charlie Gibson forces the issue). Clinton wants the party to come together behind the nominee... and, yes, there it is: The Pain of the last 8 years under a Republican administration.
Now, the first real question. Who'd have guessed it would be about the "bitter" Pennsylvanians? "Not the first time I've said something that was mangled up," Obama concedes, then he clarifies that people turn to religion, guns and "hot-button issues" when frustrated by an economy that has left them behind.
Clinton reminds us she is the granddaughter of a Scranton man who went to church. She does not believe he or anyone else cling to religion when Washington fails them, or cling to guns, or cling to anything else. Cling free. She also understands why they'd be offended by what he said, even though they're super resilient.
Now here comes George Stephanopolous... Hillary, can Obama beat John McCain? A Democrat has to win, she says. He presses. Yes, yes, yes. But I think I can do a better job. (Much better answer).
Obama wants to go back to her bitter response to his bittergate statement. Sen. Clinton has taken one statement and beat it to death over the last few days, he says. Ooh, the double-reversal neck kick! He brings up a shitty thing said about her as an example of nasty politics and, in the process, gets to remind everyone of something very unflattering about Clinton while pretending to defend her. He's getting much better at these debates.
The opening statements in the Pennsylvania Democratic presidential primary debate... But first, a few questions. Why the fuck did ABC News choose to air the debate un-live on the West Coast? And why is there a commercial immediately following the opening statements?
OK, now to the first question from a moderator. Will they pledge to get bunk beds in the White House (i.e., be each other's running mate)? Jesus, what a terrible question. After some awkward stares, Barack Obama gives his pat answer about choosing the nominee first before the nominee chooses a running mate. And then, PIVOT, right into a discussion of the economy.
Will Hillary Clinton even bother to answer the running-mate question before she starts talking about the economy? (Oh, wait, Charlie Gibson forces the issue). Clinton wants the party to come together behind the nominee... and, yes, there it is: The Pain of the last 8 years under a Republican administration.
Now, the first real question. Who'd have guessed it would be about the "bitter" Pennsylvanians? "Not the first time I've said something that was mangled up," Obama concedes, then he clarifies that people turn to religion, guns and "hot-button issues" when frustrated by an economy that has left them behind.
Clinton reminds us she is the granddaughter of a Scranton man who went to church. She does not believe he or anyone else cling to religion when Washington fails them, or cling to guns, or cling to anything else. Cling free. She also understands why they'd be offended by what he said, even though they're super resilient.
Now here comes George Stephanopolous... Hillary, can Obama beat John McCain? A Democrat has to win, she says. He presses. Yes, yes, yes. But I think I can do a better job. (Much better answer).
Obama wants to go back to her bitter response to his bittergate statement. Sen. Clinton has taken one statement and beat it to death over the last few days, he says. Ooh, the double-reversal neck kick! He brings up a shitty thing said about her as an example of nasty politics and, in the process, gets to remind everyone of something very unflattering about Clinton while pretending to defend her. He's getting much better at these debates.
Six degree of nothing
Billionaire Sam Zell may or may not be dangling the Los Angeles Times in front of billionaire David Geffen, who, LA Observed reports, was recently seen having dinner with billionaire Eli Broad, who's also made noise about buying the paper.
Meanwhile, another richie, Brian Greenspun, owner of the Las Vegas Sun and plenty of Las Vegas real esate, is reportedly dangling a job before "hyperlocal" webmeister Rob Curley.
What's the connection? Nothing really, except that Greenspun has hired a number of ex-LA Times editors at the Sun and his family has a "significant" investment in the Tribune Co. That led to billionaire Zell appointing Greenspun to the Tribune board.
Billionaire Sam Zell may or may not be dangling the Los Angeles Times in front of billionaire David Geffen, who, LA Observed reports, was recently seen having dinner with billionaire Eli Broad, who's also made noise about buying the paper.
Meanwhile, another richie, Brian Greenspun, owner of the Las Vegas Sun and plenty of Las Vegas real esate, is reportedly dangling a job before "hyperlocal" webmeister Rob Curley.
What's the connection? Nothing really, except that Greenspun has hired a number of ex-LA Times editors at the Sun and his family has a "significant" investment in the Tribune Co. That led to billionaire Zell appointing Greenspun to the Tribune board.
The great beyond
Laid-off San Bernardino Sun sports columnist Paul Oberjuerge reaches Stage V: Acceptance:
Our journalism jobs weren’t guarantees of lifetime employment. Our industry didn’t have some special right to exist forever or be immune to market forces. What we did wasn’t as noble as we would have outsiders believe.
-snip-
We should be spending far more time and energy envisioning how the news source of the future will work. What it will look like. How we can be part of it. The need for clear writing and editing isn’t going away. Our expertise still has value. Most of us will have a fighting chance to fit into What’s Next.
Laid-off San Bernardino Sun sports columnist Paul Oberjuerge reaches Stage V: Acceptance:
Our journalism jobs weren’t guarantees of lifetime employment. Our industry didn’t have some special right to exist forever or be immune to market forces. What we did wasn’t as noble as we would have outsiders believe.
-snip-
We should be spending far more time and energy envisioning how the news source of the future will work. What it will look like. How we can be part of it. The need for clear writing and editing isn’t going away. Our expertise still has value. Most of us will have a fighting chance to fit into What’s Next.
Apr 15, 2008
Buyouts offered, fundamental changes cited (updated)
The Modesto Bee, a part of the McClatchy chain, offered voluntary buyouts to about 100 employees.
From the paper's own report: Mark Vasché, editor and senior vice president of The Bee, said the buyouts will affect a "very small" number of the newsroom's 90-plus employees and thus should have a minimal impact on readers.
McClatchy has seen ad revenue plummet in recent years. I wonder if what is happening in Modesto is a sign of things to come at the company's other papers, namely the Sacramento Bee* and Fresno Bee?
*Doh. I should have done a little more research. Turns out the Sacrament Bee already did offer buyouts... last month. Thanks to the alert eye of LJ Phillips for setting me straight.
The Modesto Bee, a part of the McClatchy chain, offered voluntary buyouts to about 100 employees.
From the paper's own report: Mark Vasché, editor and senior vice president of The Bee, said the buyouts will affect a "very small" number of the newsroom's 90-plus employees and thus should have a minimal impact on readers.
McClatchy has seen ad revenue plummet in recent years. I wonder if what is happening in Modesto is a sign of things to come at the company's other papers, namely the Sacramento Bee* and Fresno Bee?
*Doh. I should have done a little more research. Turns out the Sacrament Bee already did offer buyouts... last month. Thanks to the alert eye of LJ Phillips for setting me straight.
"something's fucked up"Tired of people railing about newspapers? Bored with the story you're writing today? Take a break and listen to actor Jason "Let me meet a motherfucking clear" Beghe talk about Sceintology. (Warning: Use your headphones. He's got a salty vocabulary.)
The L.A. Six
Six former Los Angeles Times editors talk about the state of that newspaper in interviews with Los Angeles magazine.
Kevin Roderick at LA Observed has already mined through the responses and has excerpts on his site, so I'll avoid redundancy and point you there.
However, I've stolen a few highlights.
Dean Baquet, on screwy thinking: When I left, I walked away from any kind of cash severance, because I refused to sign a pledge never to criticize the Tribune Company. They were baffled. They never understood that, as a journalist, I would never forfeit my right to speak out.
John Carroll, on idealism: I love newspapers. When I stand back, though, I know it’s not important that the world have large print papers around, but it is necessary that there be large teams of paid reporters covering town halls, cops, courts, governments, wars, and so forth, and the businesses to sustain that kind of coverage are ceasing to exist. That is a profound question of public policy. Who is going to pay the bills? Alternatively, how poorly informed can the American public become and still succeed at democratic self-government?
William Thomas, on accuracy: Everybody who worked for us had the idea that they didn’t ever want to get it wrong. Not anything. The errors page was a very galling place for anybody who ever showed up on it, and it should be that way...You had to make the paper as good—as complete, thorough, and accurate—as you possibly could. And interesting, too. That meant you never really had enough of anything.
Six former Los Angeles Times editors talk about the state of that newspaper in interviews with Los Angeles magazine.
Kevin Roderick at LA Observed has already mined through the responses and has excerpts on his site, so I'll avoid redundancy and point you there.
However, I've stolen a few highlights.
Dean Baquet, on screwy thinking: When I left, I walked away from any kind of cash severance, because I refused to sign a pledge never to criticize the Tribune Company. They were baffled. They never understood that, as a journalist, I would never forfeit my right to speak out.
John Carroll, on idealism: I love newspapers. When I stand back, though, I know it’s not important that the world have large print papers around, but it is necessary that there be large teams of paid reporters covering town halls, cops, courts, governments, wars, and so forth, and the businesses to sustain that kind of coverage are ceasing to exist. That is a profound question of public policy. Who is going to pay the bills? Alternatively, how poorly informed can the American public become and still succeed at democratic self-government?
William Thomas, on accuracy: Everybody who worked for us had the idea that they didn’t ever want to get it wrong. Not anything. The errors page was a very galling place for anybody who ever showed up on it, and it should be that way...You had to make the paper as good—as complete, thorough, and accurate—as you possibly could. And interesting, too. That meant you never really had enough of anything.
Hillary and free tradeLike anyone desperately seeking acceptance, Hillary Clinton gave in to peer pressure over the weekend while campaigning at a bar in northern Indiana and downed a shot of whiskey after sharing a beer with "regular folks."
If you thought Barack Obama looked awkward holding a bowling ball...
Clinton, who has expressed deep skepticism about free-trade agreements, including Nafta, chose for her shot Crown Royal, a Canadian whiskey produced on the shores of Lake Winnipeg and bottled in Ontario.
I'm not sure if choice of drink is a good measure for evaluating a candidate, but I've never liked Crown Royal. It tastes cheap, despite the velvet bag and hyper-monarchical name, and has to be masked with a heavy ice pack or soda to be stomached. In the case of whiskey, buy American. Or Irish.
Apr 14, 2008
Singleton needs copy editorsMore news out of the Associated Press gathering today. Hours after John McCain straight talked his friends in the media, MediaNews chairman Dean Singleton asked Barack Obama a question about Afghanistan and the lingering threat posed by "Obama bin Laden."
Oops.
Obama quickly corrected Singleton and Singleton quickly apologized.
John McCain, media criticIf there's anyone who should be dispensing advice on how to gain the respect of the American people it's a politician.
Thankfully, that's just what John McCain did at the annual meeting of the Associated Press. As reported in the Los Angeles Times:
"The workings of American newsrooms are some of the least transparent enterprises in the country, and it is easy to believe that the press has one set of standards for government, business and other institutions, and entirely another for themselves," said McCain, whose reputation for "straight talk" makes him a favorite of the media. "And if you don't mind a little constructive criticism from someone who respects you, I think that is an impression the press should work on correcting."
In addition to telling the assembled press to afflict the comfortable AND themselves, Mr. Straight Talk gave his begrudging support to a federal Shield Law as if he were handing the car keys to a reckless teenager:
Saying he hopes he will not come to "deeply regret my decision" to support the bill, McCain asked if news organizations, "when you do something controversial or something that many people find wrong and harmful, you would explain fully and honestly how and why you did it and confess your mistakes."
Cough, Vicki Iseman, cough.
Apr 11, 2008
Which way to Treasure Island?
Editors at the Los Angeles Times went on a retreat and came back with a values statement and a Big Fucking Poster that looks an awful lot like a map for an amusement park. They plan on laminating it to hang in the newsroom.
If you look closely enough, you can see one of those big head, little body caricatures of Sam Zell roller blading through the region of Overlapping Diverse Readership.
Editors at the Los Angeles Times went on a retreat and came back with a values statement and a Big Fucking Poster that looks an awful lot like a map for an amusement park. They plan on laminating it to hang in the newsroom.
If you look closely enough, you can see one of those big head, little body caricatures of Sam Zell roller blading through the region of Overlapping Diverse Readership.
No news is MediaNews
The MediaNews Group has decided the best way to avoid reports of its troubled finances is to simply stop making them public.
According to the Rocky Mountain News financial blog, MediaNews will no longer file financial results with the Securities and Exchange Commission:
According to the Rocky Mountain News financial blog, MediaNews will no longer file financial results with the Securities and Exchange Commission:
That means an end to quarterly and annual earnings reports, disclosures of legal matters, compensation of CEO William Dean Singleton, and the ownership stakes of Singleton, Chairman Richard Scudder, and key employees.
Apr 10, 2008
Things fall apart (updated)*
The niche publications were supposed to be safe, or safer, than the general interest newspapers. But now comes this news that the Los Angeles/San Francisco Daily Journal has amputated its entire copy desk as a cost-savings measure.
Marty Berg, the paper's editor, explains the situation in an e-mail to Kevin Roderick at LA Observed: I've had some tough days in the newspaper business and this is the toughest. The realities are that we are in difficult times and face hard choices. It sounds trite, but there are just no easy answers. The Daily Journal has an extraordinary staff. We're still committed to producing high-quality, ambitious journalism. It will take some adjustments, but we're going to find ways to continue to serve our community with the resources we have.
I went to work for the DJ early last year, covering Sacramento along with veteran reporter Linda Rapattoni. Even then, money was getting tighter and rumors abounded that the owners might want to sell. Still, the paper continued to hire writers to fill open slots and became a way station for ex-LANGers looking to stay in L.A. and make a living wage.
However, as a sign of the times, the DJ elected not to replace me and the Sacramento bureau is being moved from an office cater-corner to the state Capitol to an office a few blocks away used by the DJ's sister-paper, the Daily Recorder. The paper has also lost a succession of city editors and managers have come under increasing pressure to increase circulation, the legal paper's primary source of revenue, through outreach to law firms in San Francisco and Sacramento.
*Some points of confusion: The DJ hired three or four reporters in recent weeks, so how does eliminating a tiny copy desk (I think it's only two people) make any sense or save any money? Also, the Daily Journal Corporation has a help wanted ad on Journalism Jobs for a real estate reporter in Sacramento. Very curious.
The niche publications were supposed to be safe, or safer, than the general interest newspapers. But now comes this news that the Los Angeles/San Francisco Daily Journal has amputated its entire copy desk as a cost-savings measure.
Marty Berg, the paper's editor, explains the situation in an e-mail to Kevin Roderick at LA Observed: I've had some tough days in the newspaper business and this is the toughest. The realities are that we are in difficult times and face hard choices. It sounds trite, but there are just no easy answers. The Daily Journal has an extraordinary staff. We're still committed to producing high-quality, ambitious journalism. It will take some adjustments, but we're going to find ways to continue to serve our community with the resources we have.
I went to work for the DJ early last year, covering Sacramento along with veteran reporter Linda Rapattoni. Even then, money was getting tighter and rumors abounded that the owners might want to sell. Still, the paper continued to hire writers to fill open slots and became a way station for ex-LANGers looking to stay in L.A. and make a living wage.
However, as a sign of the times, the DJ elected not to replace me and the Sacramento bureau is being moved from an office cater-corner to the state Capitol to an office a few blocks away used by the DJ's sister-paper, the Daily Recorder. The paper has also lost a succession of city editors and managers have come under increasing pressure to increase circulation, the legal paper's primary source of revenue, through outreach to law firms in San Francisco and Sacramento.
*Some points of confusion: The DJ hired three or four reporters in recent weeks, so how does eliminating a tiny copy desk (I think it's only two people) make any sense or save any money? Also, the Daily Journal Corporation has a help wanted ad on Journalism Jobs for a real estate reporter in Sacramento. Very curious.
Forced migrations (updated)
The consolidation of LANG-east continues with word that all pre-press operations - creative services, ad services, imaging, pagination - for the San Gabriel Valley papers is being moved to the San Bernardino Sun.
Between 15 and 20 people will be affected by the relocation plan, but not all of them in the same way. One-on-one interviews are scheduled for Friday to decide who gets to make the 40-mile trek out to Sun headquarters and who gets to file for unemployment.
Blogger Paul Oberjuerge chronicles some of the other forced migrations between the newlywed papers (he also mentions a rumor I've heard that MediaNews is selling its building in Ontario). Since some people might rather quit than take on an 80-mile-a-day commute on clogged freeways with record gas prices, this is one way to thin the work-force without having to fire anybody.
One person who did just that after the papers decided to experiment with a consolidated copy desk is Mark Masek*. He ran the copy desk while I was an editor at the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and is one of the nicest people I ever worked with. Here's part of a comment he left on Oberjuerge's blog:
I can’t say whether a combined copy desk would have been a good idea, considering all the issues related to coverage, communication, work flow and processes, etc., and also considering the MediaNews financial picture and long-term plans. It might have been a good idea — perhaps the only possible idea — but none of the people who were actually expected to do the work were involved at all in any discussions or planning for the move. We were simply told to pack up our desks, drive out to San Bernardino, knock on the door, and see what happens.
The consolidation of LANG-east continues with word that all pre-press operations - creative services, ad services, imaging, pagination - for the San Gabriel Valley papers is being moved to the San Bernardino Sun.
Between 15 and 20 people will be affected by the relocation plan, but not all of them in the same way. One-on-one interviews are scheduled for Friday to decide who gets to make the 40-mile trek out to Sun headquarters and who gets to file for unemployment.
Blogger Paul Oberjuerge chronicles some of the other forced migrations between the newlywed papers (he also mentions a rumor I've heard that MediaNews is selling its building in Ontario). Since some people might rather quit than take on an 80-mile-a-day commute on clogged freeways with record gas prices, this is one way to thin the work-force without having to fire anybody.
One person who did just that after the papers decided to experiment with a consolidated copy desk is Mark Masek*. He ran the copy desk while I was an editor at the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and is one of the nicest people I ever worked with. Here's part of a comment he left on Oberjuerge's blog:
I can’t say whether a combined copy desk would have been a good idea, considering all the issues related to coverage, communication, work flow and processes, etc., and also considering the MediaNews financial picture and long-term plans. It might have been a good idea — perhaps the only possible idea — but none of the people who were actually expected to do the work were involved at all in any discussions or planning for the move. We were simply told to pack up our desks, drive out to San Bernardino, knock on the door, and see what happens.
This was part of the prevailing atmosphere of fear, secrecy, mis-information and arrogance in the newsroom. They didn’t come to us and say, “Here’s our situation, here’s what we’re facing, and here’s what we want to do. You know the copy desk operations, what works and what doesn’t. Since you work on this every day, you might even have some suggestions or ideas that we hadn’t thought of. Now, how can we make this work?” Instead, they shipped us out with no plan, and told us to make it work. The fact that they brought the copy desk back a few months later shows the success of their way of doing things.
Management certainly has a right to run things the way they want, and allocate their resources however they want. I won’t argue that point. I didn’t quit because of what they did. I quit because of the way they did it.
*Masek did have another reason for leaving LANG: He got a job at the Los Angeles Times.Apr 9, 2008
Sam Zell speaks
NPR has the audio of Sam Zell's meeting with the Los Angeles Times' Washington bureau. Basically, he doesn't like journalists because they're too arrogant to use their positions to help him make money. Says former LA Times writer Joe Matthews, who was at the meeting: "I always thought there was a bright line there, and if you did that sort of thing you'd get fired ... Reporters are there to serve readers, find the truth, get facts and present them to readers in as engaging a way as possible."
NPR has the audio of Sam Zell's meeting with the Los Angeles Times' Washington bureau. Basically, he doesn't like journalists because they're too arrogant to use their positions to help him make money. Says former LA Times writer Joe Matthews, who was at the meeting: "I always thought there was a bright line there, and if you did that sort of thing you'd get fired ... Reporters are there to serve readers, find the truth, get facts and present them to readers in as engaging a way as possible."
Apr 8, 2008
The validation machine
Seattle Times columnist John Talton does my talking for me on the trend of "citizen journalism" and the real causes of the Decline and Fall of your local newspaper.
I encourage you to read the whole thing, but here's a long excerpt:
As for “citizen journalists,” they used to be called tipsters, and they can bring value. Devices such a camera-equipped cell phones, text-messaging and computers on wi-fi allow everyday people to send in information, some of which might be newsworthy. But their use calls for vigilant editing – at a time when the old roles of newspaper editors have morphed into a maelstrom of attending meetings, slinging copy and gathering doo-dads for graphics. I wonder if the care and quality are still being applied many places. More importantly, “citizen journalists” generally can’t and won’t do the work that has been performed by paid professionals. Journalism has seen its share of the lazy and knavish. But in general, these professionals have for decades provided an invaluable, and irreplaceable, public service in a democracy.
Not everybody can report intelligently or intelligibly on the workings of business, even though corporations and the capital markets have more power over the lives of average Americans than at any time in history. Not everybody can bring the news from foreign capitals, war zones, genocides and emerging powers, even though in the era of globalization these events will have profound consequences for Americans. Not everyone can spend the months it takes to dig out malfeasance in institutions such as government, health care and business that costs tax dollars, retirement nest eggs and even lives. Done well, this journalism explains the world, uncovers injustice and is essential for a self-governing people. Corporate newspapers have been cutting back these critical functions for years. They won’t be replaced by “citizen journalists.” This is the work of real journalists who have spent years honing a complicated craft, who have been increasingly thrown out of work.
The major corporate newspaper owners have long been the prisoners of a group think that has devalued these journalistic skills, somehow telling themselves that technology would save them, or technology was the danger, or both. “Get a great story and put it in the paper (or online)” remains the reality. The trouble the newspaper industry faces is largely the failure of a business plan involving monopolies, exorbitant advertising rates, an unwillingness to invest in research and development, and, finally, a jettisoning of journalism to chase assorted fads.
The results have been predictably dismal.
Seattle Times columnist John Talton does my talking for me on the trend of "citizen journalism" and the real causes of the Decline and Fall of your local newspaper.
I encourage you to read the whole thing, but here's a long excerpt:
As for “citizen journalists,” they used to be called tipsters, and they can bring value. Devices such a camera-equipped cell phones, text-messaging and computers on wi-fi allow everyday people to send in information, some of which might be newsworthy. But their use calls for vigilant editing – at a time when the old roles of newspaper editors have morphed into a maelstrom of attending meetings, slinging copy and gathering doo-dads for graphics. I wonder if the care and quality are still being applied many places. More importantly, “citizen journalists” generally can’t and won’t do the work that has been performed by paid professionals. Journalism has seen its share of the lazy and knavish. But in general, these professionals have for decades provided an invaluable, and irreplaceable, public service in a democracy.
Not everybody can report intelligently or intelligibly on the workings of business, even though corporations and the capital markets have more power over the lives of average Americans than at any time in history. Not everybody can bring the news from foreign capitals, war zones, genocides and emerging powers, even though in the era of globalization these events will have profound consequences for Americans. Not everyone can spend the months it takes to dig out malfeasance in institutions such as government, health care and business that costs tax dollars, retirement nest eggs and even lives. Done well, this journalism explains the world, uncovers injustice and is essential for a self-governing people. Corporate newspapers have been cutting back these critical functions for years. They won’t be replaced by “citizen journalists.” This is the work of real journalists who have spent years honing a complicated craft, who have been increasingly thrown out of work.
The major corporate newspaper owners have long been the prisoners of a group think that has devalued these journalistic skills, somehow telling themselves that technology would save them, or technology was the danger, or both. “Get a great story and put it in the paper (or online)” remains the reality. The trouble the newspaper industry faces is largely the failure of a business plan involving monopolies, exorbitant advertising rates, an unwillingness to invest in research and development, and, finally, a jettisoning of journalism to chase assorted fads.
The results have been predictably dismal.
Hits-based journalism
in a post this morning about the effect tallying page counts has had on the Los Angeles Times, Kevin Roderick at LA Observed ably summarizes a phenomenon I call hits-based journalism:
Hits-based journalism is pervasive and, like a virus, does greater damage the weaker the host. It's a desperate response to two troublesome trends. The first is the distracted way many people tend to consume news online. Whether sneaking peeks between periods of boredom at the office or scanning headlines from the laptop during TV commercials, fewer people set aside time to really digest the breadth and depth of the news happening in their world. The newspaper itself offers an architecture for deeper reflection that the computer screen simply does not.
The second trend has to do with the well-chronicled slump in paid circulation and the free nature of the Internet. Newspapers really have only a single source of new revenue growth available to them as they look to stanch the bleeding: online ads. These ads pay more the more times readers click on a page, a fact that does little to encourage long, contemplative pieces.
As the hits-based model takes hold, it becomes addictive, and the degradation it causes is compounded by the strict budget-based editorial policies adopted by many smaller papers - and many bigger ones.
The allure is obvious. There's nothing quite like having a real-time record of how many people looked at a particular story, or page, and for how long. No matter how imperfect the measure, it's good information to have. What makes it so destructive, as bearish newspaper owners chart an unclear course into The Grim Future, is that ethics and standards quickly become secondary to the need to increase eyeball counts.
It takes good journalists with judgment and experience to stand as a bulwark against our worst instincts. After all, if we're merely interested in getting people to click on our site, why not post porn? If we say we'll never go to that kinky extreme, then where do we draw the line? Indeed, how do we square a metric that measures popularity with a mission to challenge popular notions?
Which standards are foundational to good journalism? Which ones can be compromised? Which measure will we use to determine success other than web hits, blog links and comments?
The more important question may be: How will hit-count lust shape our newsrooms? Assuming raises or bonuses are still part of our business model, how do we dole them out? Does the popular prep sports reporter deserve more money, and more job security, than a reporter covering City Hall? Who gets fired first: a good investigative reporter who has no capacity to blog, or a mediocre reporter who's jazzed about blogging and loves to take his own photos? Does getting attention trump getting the story? What are the boundaries for opinion, columnizing and self-promotion in online content? Should a publication offer a blanket of credibility to outside bloggers and writers by linking to their stories without first checking the reliability of their sources? Will hit counts become the new byline count?
The questions are many. I suspect the papers that will survive the Internet Apocalypse will take a break from counting and try to find the best answers.
It's hard not to notice that the periodic recaps of web performance at LATimes.com don't dwell on writing or reporting quality, impact of the journalism or connecting with Los Angeles. It's all about numbers, seemingly. The eye balls of a teenage boy in Prague looking for tits count the same as a yuppie in Silver Lake or a studio executive looking for real news. And the horny kid in Prague is easier to attract -- just run paparazzi pics, which scored the most page views in the following rundown emailed to the Calendar staff yesterday. Note, though, that the Show Tracker, Web Scout and Dish Rag blogs did pretty good for the week. The worst ratings? For those pesky stories written by actual staff writers.(Click here to read the rest of the entry)
Hits-based journalism is pervasive and, like a virus, does greater damage the weaker the host. It's a desperate response to two troublesome trends. The first is the distracted way many people tend to consume news online. Whether sneaking peeks between periods of boredom at the office or scanning headlines from the laptop during TV commercials, fewer people set aside time to really digest the breadth and depth of the news happening in their world. The newspaper itself offers an architecture for deeper reflection that the computer screen simply does not.
The second trend has to do with the well-chronicled slump in paid circulation and the free nature of the Internet. Newspapers really have only a single source of new revenue growth available to them as they look to stanch the bleeding: online ads. These ads pay more the more times readers click on a page, a fact that does little to encourage long, contemplative pieces.
As the hits-based model takes hold, it becomes addictive, and the degradation it causes is compounded by the strict budget-based editorial policies adopted by many smaller papers - and many bigger ones.
The allure is obvious. There's nothing quite like having a real-time record of how many people looked at a particular story, or page, and for how long. No matter how imperfect the measure, it's good information to have. What makes it so destructive, as bearish newspaper owners chart an unclear course into The Grim Future, is that ethics and standards quickly become secondary to the need to increase eyeball counts.
It takes good journalists with judgment and experience to stand as a bulwark against our worst instincts. After all, if we're merely interested in getting people to click on our site, why not post porn? If we say we'll never go to that kinky extreme, then where do we draw the line? Indeed, how do we square a metric that measures popularity with a mission to challenge popular notions?
Which standards are foundational to good journalism? Which ones can be compromised? Which measure will we use to determine success other than web hits, blog links and comments?
The more important question may be: How will hit-count lust shape our newsrooms? Assuming raises or bonuses are still part of our business model, how do we dole them out? Does the popular prep sports reporter deserve more money, and more job security, than a reporter covering City Hall? Who gets fired first: a good investigative reporter who has no capacity to blog, or a mediocre reporter who's jazzed about blogging and loves to take his own photos? Does getting attention trump getting the story? What are the boundaries for opinion, columnizing and self-promotion in online content? Should a publication offer a blanket of credibility to outside bloggers and writers by linking to their stories without first checking the reliability of their sources? Will hit counts become the new byline count?
The questions are many. I suspect the papers that will survive the Internet Apocalypse will take a break from counting and try to find the best answers.
Apr 7, 2008
Another one gone
The Pasadena Star-News is losing another reporter. Alison Hewitt, who recently transferred to the paper from sister San Gabriel Valley Tribune to fill a gap left after last month's layoffs, handed in her resignation today. She's leaving to work for UCLA's alumni magazine.
With her departure, the Star-News is back down to five reporters. Pasadena's two sister papers, the Tribune and Whittier Daily News, have another 12 reporters between them.
The Pasadena Star-News is losing another reporter. Alison Hewitt, who recently transferred to the paper from sister San Gabriel Valley Tribune to fill a gap left after last month's layoffs, handed in her resignation today. She's leaving to work for UCLA's alumni magazine.
With her departure, the Star-News is back down to five reporters. Pasadena's two sister papers, the Tribune and Whittier Daily News, have another 12 reporters between them.
Pulitzer roundup
The Washington Post won six awards. The New York Times won two. The Chicago Tribune, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Boston Globe, Investors Business Daily, Reuters and Concord Monitor each won one.
Dean Singleton, however, comes up empty.
For the complete list of winners and finalists, go here.
The Washington Post won six awards. The New York Times won two. The Chicago Tribune, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Boston Globe, Investors Business Daily, Reuters and Concord Monitor each won one.
Dean Singleton, however, comes up empty.
For the complete list of winners and finalists, go here.
Garcia takes the helm
My rumor mill turned out to be dead on. Carolina Garcia is the new executive editor at the Los Angeles Daily News, taking over from Ron Kaye who, er, resigned the position Friday.Garcia spent the last five years at the Monterey County Herald, which has a circulation of 35,000. She takes over a paper with a circulation of about 150,000.
The Daily News brief includes this nugget: Under her leadership, The Herald won a general excellence award in 2006 in the Better Newspaper Contest sponsored by the California Newspaper Publishers Association.
Injured journalist out on bail
Zimbabwe
Then there's the injury he suffered in an alleged "fall" from his curiously tall bunk bed:
In Mugabe's Zimbabwe, you either get behind the fist or get in front of it.
Zimbabwe
Then there's the injury he suffered in an alleged "fall" from his curiously tall bunk bed:
In Mugabe's Zimbabwe, you either get behind the fist or get in front of it.
Retraction
First it apologized, and now the Los Angeles Times has issued a full blown retraction of the March 17 Tupac Shakur story:
The Times has since concluded that the FBI reports were fabricated and that some of the other sources relied on -- including the person Philips previously believed to be the "confidential source" cited in the FBI reports -- do not support major elements of the story.
First it apologized, and now the Los Angeles Times has issued a full blown retraction of the March 17 Tupac Shakur story:
The Times has since concluded that the FBI reports were fabricated and that some of the other sources relied on -- including the person Philips previously believed to be the "confidential source" cited in the FBI reports -- do not support major elements of the story.
Apr 6, 2008
Is this Dean's year?Pulitzer Prizes will be handed out Monday. The New York Times looks dominant and the Washington Post's series on Walter Reed Army Medical Center has to be the favorite to win the coveted public service prize.
MediaNews flagship The Denver Post is a finalist in the investigative category, although there's some controversy surrounding the submission.
If the paper wins, will Dean Singleton rethink the gut-and-consolidate strategy he has implemented at his other papers? After all, even he will have to see that his long-time dream will have come true only through a real investment in journalism, and the Post is the only paper he's ever really invested in.
Penn dumped on road to PennsylvaniaHillary Clinton's chief strategist, Mark Penn, has stepped down from the campaign after reports that he had lobbied for a trade agreement his boss had opposed.
From John Broder at the New York Times:
Mr. Penn, long a divisive figure within the Clinton camp, lost his pre-eminent position after revelations that he met with Colombia’s ambassador to the United States last Monday in his role as head of Burson-Marsteller. The Colombian government hired the lobbying firm last year under a $300,000 one-year contract to help secure passage of a bilateral trade treaty with the United States.
Mrs. Clinton strongly opposes the treaty, as do many Democrats in Congress and many American trade unions, who believe the treaty is unfair to American workers. Mrs. Clinton has also cited the Colombian government’s history of suppressing the labor union movement in that country.
Several American union leaders called for Mr. Penn’s dismissal on Friday and top officials within the Clinton campaign grumbled loudly that Mr. Penn had given the campaign a black eye at a critical moment, just two weeks before the Pennsylvania primary and the final series of contests that will likely decide the nomination.
The architect is gone but the question remains: Would Clinton have done better had she dumped Penn months ago?
The ugly season
Then there's this April 5 story from the NYT about the Journal Register Company, owner of the New Haven Register, forced to consider bankruptcy as a way to unload its massive debt:
If the company were to seek bankruptcy protection, as analysts said was possible, it would be a first in recent memory for a publicly traded newspaper company, John Morton, a longtime newspaper analyst, said.
-snip-
Journal Register’s troubles are more related to its debt load — about $625 million at the end of 2007 — than secular changes in the business.
As winter gives way to spring, newspaper buying sprees give way to debt payments.
First up, will Sam Zell be forced to sell his rented mule, the Los Angeles Times?
April 4, 2008
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tribune Co is at risk of defaulting on its debt in as little as 18 months if the newspaper business deteriorates further, and it fails to unload more properties.
By some estimates, Tribune could fetch $1.6 billion for the Newsday daily paper and the Chicago Cubs baseball team and related properties, the assets it has already put on the block.
-snip-
Still, Tribune has nearly $4 billion in debt and interest payments due by the end of 2009, according to Gimme Credit analyst Dave Novosel, making it all but certain that the company will be forced to sell more marquee properties and make deeper cost cuts to avoid violating debt covenants.Then there's this April 5 story from the NYT about the Journal Register Company, owner of the New Haven Register, forced to consider bankruptcy as a way to unload its massive debt:
If the company were to seek bankruptcy protection, as analysts said was possible, it would be a first in recent memory for a publicly traded newspaper company, John Morton, a longtime newspaper analyst, said.
-snip-
Journal Register’s troubles are more related to its debt load — about $625 million at the end of 2007 — than secular changes in the business.
Four years ago, the company paid $415 million for several Michigan dailies, whose fortunes declined as automobile manufacturers in Detroit cut their advertising budgets.
A newspaper chain biting off more than it could chew? That sounded familiar to a friend of mine who works for Dean Singleton's MediaNews. He sent along this article from October 2007 about the troubling level of debt held by MediaNews after it went on a spending spree to buy a substantial piece of the old Knight Ridder empire:MediaNews spent $82.4 million to pay for interest in fiscal 2007, which was equal to 57 percent of operating cash flow, compared with the $55.6 million it spent in 2006 that added up to a whopping 72 percent of operating cash.
As of June 30, it owed a total of $1.12 billion. Of that, $331.8 million will be due over the next five years, with $787.1 million due after that.
-snip-
Meanwhile, MediaNews' declining advertising revenues have caused the Standard & Poor's rating agency to place the media giant on credit watch, with a possible downgrade unless financial results turn around, according to the Rocky Mountain News.
MediaNews, already on a starvation diet, has taken to carving out vital organs to help pay off the debt. As I noted in an earlier post, the consolidation of its Southern California newspapers had the effect of shuttering stand-alone publications.
Apr 5, 2008
From the 'who cares?' file
The Internet is a hungry beast. And sometimes you'll feed it whatever you've got. Jonathan Martin at Politico crumples up a page from his notebook and tosses it into the maw:
A liberal radio host calls John McCain a "warmonger"!
Yawn.
The Internet is a hungry beast. And sometimes you'll feed it whatever you've got. Jonathan Martin at Politico crumples up a page from his notebook and tosses it into the maw:
A liberal radio host calls John McCain a "warmonger"!
Yawn.
Apr 4, 2008
From the rumor mill, *updatedCarolina Garcia, executive editor at the Monterey County Herald, is rumored to be a leading candidate to succeed Ron Kaye as editor of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Garcia, a Texas native, came to the Herald in 2003 after five years as managing editor at the San Antonio Express-News.
Here's a little more background from the hard-hitting Carmel Residents Association newsletter, dated April, 2003:
Carolina Garcia, one of the nation's most successful
The once and future chairman
The Sacramento Bee reports that Anthony Portantino, assemblyman from La Canada-Flintridge, was reinstalled as chairman of the Higher Education Committee after a private discussion with Speaker Fabian Nunez.
Early last month, Nunez stripped Portantino of the title in what appeared to be retribution for his unauthorized campaign to succeed Nunez as speaker. Nunez favored Assemblywoman Karen Bass for the post and, well, she eventually won the nomination.
From the Bee: Portantino said he spoke with Núñez post-removal but didn't divulge any details of the discussion to Capitol Alert.
The Sacramento Bee reports that Anthony Portantino, assemblyman from La Canada-Flintridge, was reinstalled as chairman of the Higher Education Committee after a private discussion with Speaker Fabian Nunez.
Early last month, Nunez stripped Portantino of the title in what appeared to be retribution for his unauthorized campaign to succeed Nunez as speaker. Nunez favored Assemblywoman Karen Bass for the post and, well, she eventually won the nomination.
From the Bee: Portantino said he spoke with Núñez post-removal but didn't divulge any details of the discussion to Capitol Alert.
"I think the speaker did the right thing," he said. "I am happy to have my committee back to focus on the issues that I care about deeply, which is mainly helping to educate our children."
Apr 3, 2008
In name only
I just had coffee with David Mark, a former Pasadena Star-News reporter and now an editor at Politico.com. As we talked about our old paper (we worked at the PSN at different times), we got to wondering what Singleton's end-game is for his Southern California papers. After all, you can only cut so much before you either have to reinvest or start closing stuff down.
That got me to thinking, hasn't Singleton already closed papers in Southern California? The banners may remain, but the majority of the papers have become mere bureaus to a central office.
In a sense, Singleton shuttered the Pasadena Star-News and Whittier Daily news by folding them into the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. He closed the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin by folding it into the San Bernardino Sun. He closed the Long Beach Press-Telegram by folding it into the Daily Breeze.
How many papers are there in a LANG?
That got me to thinking, hasn't Singleton already closed papers in Southern California? The banners may remain, but the majority of the papers have become mere bureaus to a central office.
In a sense, Singleton shuttered the Pasadena Star-News and Whittier Daily news by folding them into the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. He closed the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin by folding it into the San Bernardino Sun. He closed the Long Beach Press-Telegram by folding it into the Daily Breeze.
How many papers are there in a LANG?
Think being a reporter is easy?
New York Times reporter Barry Bearack and another foreign correspondent are being held in Zimbabwe.
New York Times reporter Barry Bearack and another foreign correspondent are being held in Zimbabwe.
Ron Kaye outAnother top LANG editor is being shown the door. According to LA Observed, long-time Daily News editor Ron Kaye is being ousted in favor of an unnamed editor from Northern California. Kaye declined to confirm the report.
From LAO: Sources at the Daily News and outsiders close to Ron Kaye say he will be replaced by an editor from Northern California. Nothing official yet, but the announcement could be made as soon as Thursday. Kaye reportedly got the word Monday from Dave Butler, his predecessor as editor of the Daily News, now the overall editor for Dean Singleton's papers in California. The terms of Kaye's departure have apparently been in negotiation since. He declined today to confirm the change to LA Observed.
Apr 2, 2008
Failing grades
Five of the nine newspapers that make up Singleton's Southern California chain have "F" ratings from the Better Business Bureau.
All of the complaints seem to center on the introductory trial subscriptions aimed at hooking new customers. Some people complained their trial subscription started after the date it was supposed to end, while others complained they couldn't stop delivery "despite repeated attempts by phone and mail." Sometimes the company fixed the problem and apologized, and other times the complaint was ignored.
(I remember one misguided effort a few years back to get reporters at the SGVN papers to hand out free two-week subscription cards. Needless to say, the initiative failed.)
So, which LANG papers got an "F"?
The Long Beach Press-Telegram, Los Angeles Daily News, Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune and Whittier Daily News all received the bureau's lowest rating.
The Daily Breeze of Torrance and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin earned "C" ratings, the Redlands Daily Facts has a "B", and the San Bernardino Sun got a "BBB", the highest rating of the bunch.
By comparison, the Los Angeles Times earned a "BBB".
For a full explanation of what the grades mean, go here.
I'm not sure how important bureau ratings are, although I'd guess businesses with good grades tout them and those with poor grades discount them. As for LANG, if I remember correctly, subscription services were contracted out a few years back and then brought back in house. So it's possible some of the complaints are old. Also, some of the contact names in the bureau files are out of date.
All of the complaints seem to center on the introductory trial subscriptions aimed at hooking new customers. Some people complained their trial subscription started after the date it was supposed to end, while others complained they couldn't stop delivery "despite repeated attempts by phone and mail." Sometimes the company fixed the problem and apologized, and other times the complaint was ignored.
(I remember one misguided effort a few years back to get reporters at the SGVN papers to hand out free two-week subscription cards. Needless to say, the initiative failed.)
So, which LANG papers got an "F"?
The Long Beach Press-Telegram, Los Angeles Daily News, Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune and Whittier Daily News all received the bureau's lowest rating.
The Daily Breeze of Torrance and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin earned "C" ratings, the Redlands Daily Facts has a "B", and the San Bernardino Sun got a "BBB", the highest rating of the bunch.
By comparison, the Los Angeles Times earned a "BBB".
For a full explanation of what the grades mean, go here.
I'm not sure how important bureau ratings are, although I'd guess businesses with good grades tout them and those with poor grades discount them. As for LANG, if I remember correctly, subscription services were contracted out a few years back and then brought back in house. So it's possible some of the complaints are old. Also, some of the contact names in the bureau files are out of date.
Lucky number 7After a longish preamble (in VII parts), Murray Bessette at the Foothill Cities blog concludes, as I did here, that the Stolen Valor Act is a bad idea and not the right instrument to punish non-Medal of Honor winner Xavier Alvarez.
Bessette also echoes a point I made about the sleeping watchdogs*: Given the singular nature of those who are deserving of this nation’s highest honor, someone, either citizen, blogger, or journalist, should have had enough interest to look here for Xavier Alvarez’s name to learn the story of his exploits.
Indeed. And now that the deal has been done, it's up to the people to show a similar level of interest in their elected officials and mount a recall if they're really that outraged. Waiting on a federal prosecutor to peel this guy out of his board seat is lazy.
*I confess that I spent a year while at the Claremont Courier investigating a scandal at Three Valleys and I don't think it changed a thing.
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