3,000 dead in Iraq
The Associated Press is reporting that at least 3,000 soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began in 2003.
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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.
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 -
Your column in todays Tribune is interesting. 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. Instead they come up with an incentive trying to attract new
customers and keep the old ones without trying to change what they
already have. I cancelled TV guide because it became larger is size and
became an entertainment magazine instead of a TV guide. I am constantly
receiving offers to renew the subscription but they never ask why I
dropped them in the first place. Then your newspaper decided to "grow"
it's included TV listings with your Sunday Edition. So now instead of a
neat little TV guide, I have to keep this unsightly section of
"newspaper" laying around.
I commend you for reaching out and asking "what can we do?" Every
day we read stories of car chases, bank robberies, drive-by shootings,
etc. But we rarely hear what happened to those who got caught. You should
have a daily column called,"Today In Court" that would relay the outcome
of the trials for those individuals who are convicted of such crimes. You
already have the original story in your archives and the follow up is
public knowledge so there shouldn't be much research involved in "follow
up stories".
We always read about someone pulled out of a rushing canal during
a rainstorm, or a baby found in an alley, or some family left homeless by
a fire and they have now where to go. How about a follow up story on the
those who overcame great obstacles to graduate from High School or
College. A story is only as good as it's ending. And we should be able to
read about these endings in your newspaper.
You may think that nobody cares about the homeless guy, dumpster
diving for his next lunch. Most people pity him and some people help. And
nobody wants to end up like him. However, nobody knows how he got there.
I think it would be a service to everyone, especially our youth, if they
knew what led up to his dismal situation. Maybe someone will see them
self on this road and do something to avoid it. Once a week or so you
should pick out someone who is homeless and profile them. Find out where
they have been, would they have done anything different what advise do
they offer. What ever became of the people who made the news what it was
then.
The stories we read in the newspaper will only become history if
they include an ending.
Ernie C Black
Valinda
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.
In the past few months, we have altered the design of our paper, dropped stock listings and tried to make the B section more local. Some of the changes were done to streamline the paper and others to reduce expenses.
Many of the revisions went unnoticed, but some outraged readers, and they let us know. But that's OK. That's why we are here. If our job is to hold our leaders accountable and cover the San Gabriel Valley as well as we can, we should handle criticism with humility, knowing you care about what we do.
The Internet gives us a great opportunity to continue pursuing stories that matter while reaching more people. Our online activities include daily Webcasts and updates, and comment links on stories that allow you to post your reaction to our coverage.
We also have a blog called Editor's Corner at www.insidesocal.com/editors, one more way to interact with the editors.
Of course, the print side is a priority.
In the coming months, we hope to start two projects as we work on putting more local stories in our local section, a task that some have said we are not fulfilling. We are in discussions with candidates for a column for our local section that will provide unique perspectives on the San Gabriel Valley. If you think you would be a good candidate, or know of one, tell us.
Another project, which we think is especially important and relevant for the Valley, is reaching out to the men and women in the armed services. Over the past several months, we have had the unfortunate task of covering funerals for soldiers killed in Iraq - three of them from La Puente. We want to start highlighting what soldiers from our area are doing now, rather than wait until a tragedy occurs.
If anyone has a family member or friend on active duty overseas, or who has been overseas, let us know. Better yet, have them e-mail us so we can message them as well.
These are a few of the ideas we are pursuing. We would like to cover everything that is important in our community and are working toward that goal.
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.
