Editors' Corner

Board of Supervisors has a correspondence database

2008-05-22T16:36:24Z

Here. I don't know how useful it is, but it's at least an attempt at open government.

I will now not so confidently give you my ID

2008-05-20T21:29:23Z

Gazzette: "Richard Todd Davis, CEO of LifeLock Inc., was so confident in his company's ability to protect his identity that he publicly revealed his Social Security number: 457-55-5462.
But according to a new class-action lawsuit filed last week in Jackson County, LifeLock's identity theft protection services were so inept that Davis' personal information was stolen"
-Oops. And apparently his company executives had issues as well. I guess I'll just keep using the shredder and credit reports. The company is now in damage control to counter negative press. Business editor Kevin Smith received the e-mail on the jump.

]]> "Hi Kevin,

LifeLock, a proactive identity theft protection service, aims to
protect members' identities and promises to guarantee your good name. But
recently, lawsuits filed against the company allege that the company's
claims are deceptive and that its services may actually not do what
they
say.
It is even alleged that LifeLock CEO, Todd Davis' identity was stolen
while he was a customer and is, upon information and belief, presently
being misappropriated by at least 20 identity thieves. The truth is
though that his financial information has only been compromised once
and the LifeLock system has shut out more than 100 other attempts.

Todd is speaking out to share his side of the story as well as the
current controversy being stirred up in court. Would you be interested
in sitting down and hearing Todd's side of the story?

Stay-at-home mom blogging for a journalist's life

2008-05-20T20:50:34Z

NYT: "(Jane) Novak has become so well known in Yemen that newspaper editors say they sell more copies if her photograph -- blond and smiling -- is on the cover. Her blog, an outspoken news bulletin on Yemeni affairs, is banned there. The government's allies routinely vilify her in print as an American agent, a Shiite monarchist, a member of Al Qaeda, or "the Zionist Novak.
"The worst of her many offenses is her dogged campaign on behalf of a Yemeni journalist, Abdul Karim al-Khaiwani, who incurred his government's wrath by writing about a bloody rebellion in the far north of the country. He is on trial on sedition charges that could bring the death penalty, with a verdict expected Wednesday."

Pebble Beach Golf, Bacara Resort and $1,000 bottles of wine

2008-05-20T15:43:07Z

Pols can still spend campaign funds on them, but now have to disclose who was along and what purpose it served to help them do their job. State Sen. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, is one of the examples used by critics of the practice.

Google health protects the privacy of health information...

2008-05-19T23:39:38Z

"except in certain limited circumstances.."
-uhm. no thanks.

Cal State LA students get funds to foster citizen journalism

2008-05-16T00:24:26Z

in the Asian and Latino San Gabriel Valley communities. I'm assuming it will be mostly online. The school got $12,000 for the first year and $5,000 for the next.

'The public's right to know' balanced with 'Do no harm'

2008-05-14T00:54:24Z

that is the question at FCBlog.

Pray

2008-05-07T21:33:29Z

What to do when you run into a mountain lion. (h/t Bethania Palma) Or you can do this. We'll have a story on the La Verne lion in tomorrow's paper.

Mountain lion in La Verne

2008-05-07T05:46:42Z

Anyone get photo?

MTV and Newspapers

2008-05-05T21:12:38Z

There is a new reality series, called "The Paper," on at 10:30 p.m. on Mondays. But they apparently don't have workers "making out in Jacuzzis... slamming shots in some raucous club...prancing about in skimpy bikinis on spring break."
-Not a very realistic newsroom then or a realistic chance of catching on either.

Craiglist scams

2008-04-29T21:12:31Z

The site is useful for legitimate purposes as well as not so legitimate. We'll have a story on one possible scam in Wednesday's paper.

Can the media use or create more silly phrases?

2008-04-24T19:06:57Z

"Swift boating"? Dirty tricks by outsiders? Ugh.

Finding captive residents* in Industry

2008-04-22T22:52:05Z

Reading up on Industry, with dreams of the NFL floating through my head, I came across a Wall Street Journal article from June 9, 1960 about small communities, especially dairy farmers, who were incorporating to protect themselves.
"...And two years ago, when a group wanting to carve a factory community out of the county had trouble getting the necessary 500 signatures, they visited the local mental institution, got enough inmates to sign their petitions and thus formed the City of Industry. A new law now requires such petitions be signed by qualified voters."
* UPDATE:Frank Girardot found another article on this, on the city's own Web site, albeit a Tribune story: " "Industry's" Incorporation came after a Superior Court decision denied a protest supported by residents in neighboring cities that 173 mental patients in a private santarium shouldn't be counted as inhabitants, giving proponents the nneccessary 500 population needed to incorporate."

Lawmakers taking a pay cut?

2008-04-22T19:25:05Z

I don't think so.
"A state commission on Tuesday asked its staff for a written legal opinion on whether it had the authority to cut the salaries of the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, legislators and other state elected officials."

A modest proposal: Nudes for hits

2008-04-14T19:54:22Z

Former SGVN political editor and Pasadena Star News reporter Gary Scott has long derided newspapers' online strategy, saying if they only care about hits they should just post porn. But what if they just called it art? (h/t LAO)