December 2006 Archives

The Associated Press is reporting that at least 3,000 soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began in 2003.

I have to admit I would have love Barry Zito for the Mets. He would have been a great addition as we dealt with an aging staff. But not for $126 million dollars. Unbelievable. I saw the tail end of the first pitcher to go over a $100 million. It was ugly. The Mets reportedly would have gone as high as $80 million for Zito. Is it worth $46 million to flounder and never make it the World Series? We'll see.

Glendora resident Army Spc. Elias Elias, 27, died Saturday in Baghdad when an explosive detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado. He was the 22nd soldier to die from the San Gabriel Valley. We will do a story on him, if we can.

At 93, our 38th president passes away.

will be on hiatus until Tuesday

"What you're seeing is a radical new way of doing journalism. We're back to the time of the lonely pamphleteer or the tramp printers in the Europe," said Philip Meyer, Knight Chair in Journalism professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill...
I close every semester by saying, 'I've just taught you journalism as it was practiced in my day. The journalism in your day is going to be different,' " Meyer said. " 'It's up to you to invent it, please don't mess it up.' "

There is more knowledge outside the news room than inside. Part of our problem is that we are so used to talking to our readers, we have a hard time truly listening. Some of you graciously reacted to my column today with some solid suggestions. I can't promise that we'll implement them, but I do promise to listen to them.

Here's part of an e-mail from Ernie Black from Valinda:

" I wonder why some companys make the wrong choices, trying to guess what the customers want and what they need. But they never ask why we no longer buy their product or why we went somewhere else to shop. They never want to hear what is wrong."

The complete message follows -

We miss stories every day. Sometimes it's because we make the wrong choices. Other times it's because we don't have the resources.
Buffeted by lagging advertising and shrinking circulation, papers across the country, including ours, are trying different ways to reach out to you, our readers, as newspapers undergo a transformation.

It's a time-honored tradition for readers to submit a letter to the editor, whether voicing a complaint or praise. But I rarely, whether reading for pleasure or business, have I made it a point to read those letters -- until now. It started out by accident. Reading an op-ed peice, another thing I rarely do because I don't get involved on that side, I ran across a letter about * funding for a hospital in Covina. Intrigued, , I pointed it out to a reporter who later decided it was worth a further look. I now make reading the letters printed in our pages a daily ritual, because it's one more way I know what you're thinking and know what's happening. So the tradition continues.

*correction

As a New York expatriate, I am constantly surprised by little details that make California - California. One of these came from stories about the death of Alexander Roglinov, 61, who was found shot and killed camping in the Angeles Forest above Azusa.
The L.A. Times had a story about the killing, but, outside the tragic details, the thing that caught my eye was that there were gold prospectors still up there panning for gold. Not exactly a steady gig, but no different then lotto and with better odds.

Congratulations! You are the Time magazine "Person of the Year."
(nothing like getting the joke from someone else)

The interesting and unique part of this job is dealing with all walks of life who walk into our offices on Azusa Canyon Road. As a reporter, I went out and met people all the time but as editor, it's different. I've talked to homeless who feel they are being abused, gadflys who believe no one is paying attention and this week I had a woman come in and say we should do a story about a local Santa. Juan Angeles, a part-time custodian and full time baker, buys hundreds of toys for kids and hands them out on Christmas Eve. It's a type of story that you question because who would be that generous? A rich man perhaps. But Juan works two jobs and has a family. It's a type of community member I should be connecting with more. So if you ever have a story idea or just want to complain, give me a call or stop by. My number is (626) 962-8811 Ext. 2720.

We'll be carrying stories from our sister-paper, the Long Beach Press-Telegram, about the trial of 10 black youths who are accused of beating three white woman on Halloween. There is a growing interest for the story, partly because of the races involved and the hate crime statutes included in the charges, but also because of alleged witness intimidation of an 18-year-old black woman who testified against the defendants. The Press had declined to name the woman because of these apparent threats, while the L.A. Times have named her. We will not be naming her for the same reason the Telegram isn't. And to be frank, it's not really needed for the story, especially if the naming may put someone's life in jeopardy. There is no clear-fast rule, but sexual crime victims and people genuinely worried about their safety are, in general, a no-brainer, in my opinion. But every case is different.

-note that I'm not linking to the Times story, because if I did what would be the point of not naming the witness.

I have no idea why the Mets loved Julio Lugo. I watched him here, and he certainly didn't seem worth the interest they were paying him. Lucky for us, the Red Sox did. This will eventually go to that adage that sometimes the best trades are the ones you don't make.

Newspapers are falling in love with blogs, sometimes hurting the newspaper.

Chang’s Garden in Arcadia, Chung King in Monterey Park, Triumphal Palace in Alhambra and Mission 261 in San Gabriel get nice press for their food.

Getting paid to blog about the people you're blogging about by the people you're blogging about. Nice gig if you can get it, but it ain't journalism.

Update: Micah Sifry believes it's much ado about nothing, while Jeff Jarvis believes there should be a clear line between journalism and advocacy.

Glen Reynolds, one of the biggest bloggers on the Web, is planning a blogging discussion on what we should do in Iraq, as well as how we should deal with Syria and Iran. This comes as leaders in Congress and the White House plan to unveil their own plans. Pass along your ideas.