From La Observed here.
First thing the LAT might want to know is that nobody who lives or works here calls it the "East County"
Orale, this is the SGV.
Second thing they might want to know is that in order to be viable in the SGV, the Times might want to cover stories that take less than five weeks to write.
Just my thoughts.
We had a Phil Spector story on our front page. Underneath? Results from our online poll saying that 92 percent of our readers believe that Spector killed Lana Clarkson. Our placement should have been better.
Longtime editor Phil Drake, the king of San Gabriel Valley, will be leaving us to head to Iowa, where his family lives. We wish him the best. Starting Monday, Kate Kealey will be the night editor for all of SGVN, and Frank Girardot has been promoted to city editor for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Frank will continue with his crime blog, some reporting and contribute to this blog. Big title, more responsibility, little money. Ain't journalism great.
thanks
Edward
No, I'm not really. But would it matter? As a journalist, if I slanted everything I wrote because of my political convictions, only people who supported those positions would continue to read me. That's why I think the latest hand wringing over political contributions made by journalists is much ado over nothing. A sports reporter at the Tribune was noted on the list. And? Now, are there ethical lines here? yes. I shouldn't give money to candidate A if I'm covering candidate A. And I could probably come up with a few more if I really wanted to think about it, but I don't.
fyi: I'm a libertarian (small l) for the most part, and I have never given money to a political candidate or committee. I'm too cheap and would rather give it to a bartender or Dino's Chicken and Burger in Azusa.
UPDATE::"100,000 newsroom employees nationwide" and they find 144 who gave money.
I should try using that as a carrot for my reporters. Editors complain about reporters, and reporters complain about editors. No matter where. I mention this because of this NYTimes memo. These were the highlights
-"we plainly have to do better at getting stories done earlier, and to the desk earlier."
-"this whole enterprise would be assisted by us all doing better at an even more basic benchmark: being at work, ready for duty, at our assigned time. like 10, and no later. of course, there are exceptions, too many to list. but, regrettably, there have also been too many instances of late where folks have not met this most fundamental obligation for no good reason. enough already.
- "i hope it is not lost on you -- and i am repeating myself here -- that there's a pretty obvious good in this for you all. like getting home. to your families or beaches or ballparks or bartenders."
Some have said that we are paying a bit too much attention to the spat between the city of Pomona and local blog Foothill Cities.
The Daily Bulletin looked into the accusations about the possible reasons the city manager resigned, but couldn't substantiate them. Does that mean Foothill Cities should not have aired the comments? I don't know.
But once the government takes an official action, it becomes reportable.
I don't agree with some bloggers who think they can do better journalism day in and day out than most journalists can. They might be able to make hits now and then, but this is a fulltime job. It takes skills that take years to perfect.
But I also don't agree with the old media types who think that we are the only ones who can come to the table and play.
Bloggers fill an important niche, and as much as some people might not like it, they are truly part of the press. Protecting their free speech rights is, in the end, protecting ours.
The New York Times has an interesting reader question and answer segment with editors and reporters. The latest one is with Matthew Purdy, investigation editor: "The best reporters are humble enough to ask "dumb" questions (two or three times, if need be), smart enough to know what they don't know and brave enough to let go of their first impressions. You are right that there is a danger in getting part of a story and mistaking it for the whole story. The only way to guard against that is to report against the findings of your story, in other words to test your conclusions. The best reporters, when they are finished with an article, understand what people who disagree with their conclusions would say about the subject and make sure that it is reflected in the story."
- It's the hardest skills for reporters to learn, and some never do.
We always get complaints about our local coverage, sometimes deserved, sometimes unrealistic, but is this the answer?
UPDATE:
Foothill Cities picked up on the "new" way of local reporting, and LAObserved gives them a nod.
Warren Fonteneau, a reader, has asked some interesting questions about editors:
"I believe in fairness to all the SGVT readers, we should know who you are.
As an example
1) Where did you grow up....in the San Gabriel Valley? Did you go to school here.
2) What organizations do you belong to ? If you belong to the National Rifle Ass. it might explain the tone of an editorial. Just as it would if you are a member of the ACLU...or PETA
3) Do you own a business in the Valley...if so ..in what city.
- These are mostly generic questions but I am sure you get my point. I do believe a little truth in where an editorial comes from or what it says may be better understood if the public knows the background of the editorial board members. It comes down to credibility."
-- These are all interesting questions, and throughout the day will try to answer them. But first, and foremost, I'm the city editor, which means I supervise straight news. Most times I don't even know what our editorial page has written until the following day, if ever. I don't get involved in editorials, endorsements or positions. l learned that lesson as a reporter, when I became outraged that we didn't support a local school board member who had taken heat for the principled stances he took. I strode (yes, I pompously did) into the editorial page editor's office, demanding to know why. He calmly looked at me and said read the editorial. "You report; we write the opinions." He was right, and I was wrong and had crossed the line. Usually, it's the publisher, op-ed editor and executive editor decide on the positions that the paper takes. I don't particularly like editorials or endorsements. I personally think they are overrated. But...I'm just the city editor.
It's what you are going to be hearing and reading for days after the horrific killings in Virginia.
The media is going to swamp you with talking heads analyzing Cho Seung-Hui's motives, past history and psychological makeup.
Since the man was a resident alien, you will hear about immigration. You will also hear how or what police should have or could have done differently on a campus some 2,600 acres. You'll also hear those who want to ban guns or increase gun ownership.
And in the end, all that noise will never answer the question of why a 23-year-old could have decided that murdering dozens was the right way to leave this world.
Don't mess with people's comic strips. In the past few days, we dropped several comics, including Mark Trail. I'm still not sure why we dropped the comics but I'll find out. I first must say, I had nothing to do with this. I deal with the news, not the features and comics. Having said that, we have received dozens of angry callers, some of them quite eloquent. One elderly woman waxed poetically about how the joy of reading the comics was passed down by her grandfather. A family tradition, she said, that obviously the Tribune wants to end.
While I've been away, Foothill Cities slaps me upside the head and adds comments.
The story from Alison Hewitt that he's talking about, and is behind our ludicrous paywall, is copied on the jump.
I went to a talk by David Wallis the other day on the scarcity and slow demise of the cartoonist. I'll post more on my thoughts on that later.
Just because they're applying, doesn't mean they know what's coming.
Reader Kyle also thinks we should have printed the story about the Glendora teens arrest before the election, so he joins Foothill Cities who feels the same. Another person who sent an e-mail backed my stance, so maybe I'll get a late push.
No bias. No favor.
It’s a mantra we journalists try to live by. And around election time, the standard guides us as we decide which stories to publish before Election Day and which ones to publish afterward.
Every year in the weeks heading up to the day people vote, tips of skullduggery flood our phone lines: Candidates or their supporters misusing campaign contributions, lying about their accomplishments or other candidates’ histories and destroying lawn signs. These are just a few of the usual accusations.
The last thing a journalist wants to hear about himself: "NBC News anchor Tim Russert delivered devastating testimony" in the perjury trial of Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Libby was found guilty today obstruction, perjury and lying to the FBI in an investigation into the leak of a CIA operative's identity.
Update: Russert says he ain't happy.
Hiring citizen journalists.
I've known Rich McKee for a few years now, and I still don't quite understand why he so zealously advocates the ideals of open-government.
He is a Pasadena City College chemistry professor, served as president of the California First Amendment Coalition and recently resigned from Californians Aware. For nearly 20 years, I think, he has challenged local municipalities and public agencies to follow the Ralph M. Brown Act and the Public Records Act. This includes filing lawsuits that he almost always won, forcing them to follow the law.
As part of our attempt to get more community voices in our paper, Rich, a La Verne resident, has become a columnist of late. It gives him a chance to spread the word about local open-government issues, and gives us unique opportunity to educate the public.
It's an experiment because Rich has to stay a chronicler and stay away from being a newsmaker. The transition so far has been smooth. But he becomes outraged quickly when he thinks someone has disregarded open-government laws, so it should be fun. Here's his latest column.
Mother Jones:"The report found that locally owned television stations, on average, presented 5 1/2 minutes more local news per broadcast than stations owned by out-of-town conglomerates."
This is the fun time for newspapers as we near Election Day next week. We get a slew of unconfirmed tips and one-sided complaints about council candidates and anything else on the ballot. Stolen and defaced signs. Campaign paraphernalia stuck in public right of ways (in violation of election code). Our task is to carefully walk the minefield and try to find the wheat from the chaff.
Journalists are by nature inquisitive and paranoid. Questioning everything our leaders do, whether locally or nationally, and then questioning everything we ourselves do. That habit smashed together in our last story about Rep. Gary Miler, R-Brea. Miller challenged our reporting on this story and so we turned our critical eye on our reporting. Despite hours of reviewing our work and exchanges with Miller and his office, we found the reporting by Fred Ortega and Gary Scott bullet proof. But since the newspaper is part of the discussion, we have an obligation to give the other side say. Most times that means allowing someone to write an Op-Ed piece. Instead we gave Miller space on our letters page. We don't agree with his conclusions, but we should allow him the opportunity to respond like we give other readers of our paper. It will also have no effect on our future reporting.
"The problem of crime in the United States is not “caused” or even aggravated by immigrants, regardless of their legal status," according to the Immigrant Policy Center. Breaking the law by illegally entering is not part of the study's equation, incarceration rates are. I haven't read the study yet, but will.
(photo from here)
Correspondent Brian Day did a story last month about how the body of Rusty Tullis was still at the LAC coroner's. Apparently, Tullis, who was portrayed by Cher in the movie Mask, is still there. We are trying to track it down. There is also a forum about how to pay for the costs of cremation
UPDATE: The body of Florence “Rusty” Tullis is still at the county coroner’s office, nearly three months after she died. Los Angeles County officials said the remains are expected to be cremated at county expense within the next two weeks. They will hold the urn for a year for next of kin to claim.
-because we have a pay wall for Day's article, I pasted a copy after the jump.
A fascinating article about the city of Cudahy, to the southwest of us, by LA Weekly's Jeffrey Anderson mentions Baldwin Park Councilman David Olivas, and not in a good way:
"The methods of Beltran, Leal and Olivas left a mark on their former law partner Jesse Jauregui, who broke all ties with the group in 2001. Jauregui has this — and only this — to say about his old colleagues: “I’m glad to no longer be a part of Tammany Hall–style politics. How far it goes, I do not know. It became a seamy situation.”
The legal maneuvering that led to new leadership in Cudahy was part of a larger strategy, says former Cudahy councilwoman Araceli Gonzalez, a child of Mexican immigrants. “They were very outspoken,” says Gonzalez of the lawyers who advised Cudahy and Bell Gardens. “They were telling people they were going to take over these cities and put Latinos in power.”
Olivas, now in his own law practice while wearing two hats — as Cudahy city attorney and councilman in Baldwin Park — argues that the move to anoint Perez as Cudahy city manager was about Latino self-determination, and that change in leadership in small southeast L.A. County cities was for the better."
Cool photo and here's the story.
What if we fired all our reporters tomorrow and depended on volunteers and community newsletters for our information? I a big believer in citizen journalism, and there are already blogs slowly covering the happenings in parts of the San Gabriel Valley. But they complement the newspaper, they can't replace it. There are stories, such as the ones we are doing about Gary Miller, that take time: piles of document reading, multiple phone calls and continual rewrites. Local breaking news may be a perfect spot for local residents armed with videos and phone cameras. An all-volunteer
army benefits the military, but it would be disastrous for the news.
As I have said before, sometimes our letters section is a great source for potential stories. One last week caught my eye.
Brooks A. Pangburn, of Duarte wrote about our public records audit and his own wranglings with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and concealed weapon permits. The applications are public record, except for where and when an individual is vulnerable and mental health information - everything else is public. But apparently Pangburn is getting the runaround and not getting the information. I had my own experience with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. The irony is the 1985 case that gives the legal precedent forced disclosure of -- the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Nope. But we could have done some cooler stuff online for our public record audit of law enforcement agencies. The Sacramento Bee had an interactive map. My only complaint: they should have allowed users to just rollover the dots for information.
Apparently Jorge Garcia, the suspect in the killing of LA County's sheriff's Deputy David March has been transferred to West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino County. He was in Orange County. It may be one among many moves since Sheriff Lee Baca has said he won't be held in LAC.
We tried once again to get a photographer into the arraignment of Jorge Garcia who is accused of killing sheriff's Deputy David March scheduled for Jan. 25. We had previously been denied, but with a new judge we thought we might get in. Today we found at we were denied. The judge gave no reason, and since it's at his discretion, we don't have recourse unless we attempt to go to court. Once again, I'm hard pressed to find a reason why we were denied, considering that politicians, law enforcement and the District Attorney has made this such a cause celebre.
You have a right to know what your government is doing.
That right includes having access to public records, so you can verify how, and how wisely, your tax dollars are being spent.
And a part of our mission as a newspaper is to protect that right.
That’s why joining a landmark public records audit of law enforcement agencies that was released last week was so important.
Part of our mission as a paper is to constantly monitor how public agencies release information that the public has a right to know. That's why joining a landmark statewide audit of law enforcement agencies was so important. Most of the local, county and state agencies, we contacted did miserably. We asked for simple documents, such as police reports and statements of economic interests. Now our reporters were instructed not to represent themselves as reporters. A tactic rarely used in journalism but was the only way for us to see how the public would be treated. No one lied. If they had no other choice, they had to answer who they were. Of course, agencies have no right to ask your name or ask for identification or why you want the information. You want it because you're the taxpayer and they work for you. That is enough. Hopefully, the audit will prompt some agencies to do things differently. I hope in the future to do similar audits of other agencies.
Photo wasn't allowed, apparently, into court room for the arraignment of the man suspected of killing a LA County sheriff's deputy because the presiding judge said no, and they have full discretion. Could have fought it, and we still might. The arraignment was postponed until Jan. 25.
And Mary as far as the Pomona case, I'm unsure. But I will check.
Law enforcement agencies and politicians have played big the pursuit and extradition of Garcia, suspected in the death of a LA County sheriff's deputy. Garcia is expected to be arraigned Thursday at Pomona Superior Court. But for some odd reason, the DA is refusing to allow photo. Their refusal to allow certain media in an open courtroom truly has no good explanation.
The Associated Press is reporting that at least 3,000 soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began in 2003.
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.
"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 -
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
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.
The AP story we ran Saturday is still in the news, with apparently no resolution.
"The Associated Press said in its story yesterday that Mr. Hussein “has been a regular source of police information for two years and had been visited by the AP reporter in his office at the police station on several occasions.? The military, meanwhile, seems to suggest that Mr. Hussein is not a police officer, nor a civil servant in the employ of any Iraqi agency.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to make 2007 the year of healthcare. The Sacramento Bee has a blog dedicated to hearing from experts about solutions. It's moderated by the dean of California political blogs Dan Weintraub
Iraq: civil war or sectarian violence
What do you call a problem like escalating sectarian violence in Iraq?
“A civil war,? said Matt Lauer on the Today show on Nov. 27. NBC brass had discussed it, he told viewers, and had come to the bold and publicity-generating—if not exactly jaw-dropping—conclusion that democracy is maybe not flourishing quite the way we planned.
The other two broadcast networks, equally boldly, have not followed suit.
“It was their decision to make and their process,? said Jon Banner, the executive producer of ABC’s World News. “We constantly discuss editorial matters here—all the time, every day. How that decis ion got made there I have no idea, nor do I want to guess.?
“To be honest with you, I think it’s a political statement, not a news judgment,? said Rome Hartman, the executive producer of the CBS Evening News. “We deal with the events of the day, and we decide the best way to describe those events based on the news of the day, not by—never mind, I’m not gonna go there.?
Then he did.
“It should be noted that the day that this pronouncement—and who makes pronouncements anyway? But that’s what it sounded like—was a quiet day, relatively speaking, in Iraq,? he said.
CNN’s official statement on th matter is: “CNN will continue to report on what is happening in Iraq on a day-to-day basis. And we will also report on the ongoing debate in academic and political circles about what constitutes a civil war.?
It perhaps goes without saying that the Fox News Channel has not leaped onto the civil-war bandwagon. Fox anchors will join most of their colleagues in television news in anticipating their own Cronkite Moments.
It's been a major discussion in the blogosphere.
"They then blasted open the front of the mosque, dragged six worshippers outside, doused them with kerosene and set them on fire. This account of one of the most horrific alleged attacks of Iraq's sectarian war emerged Tuesday in separate interviews with residents of a Sunni enclave in the largely Shiite Hurriyah district of Baghdad." (via Patterico)
I've been a bit late on this story about Mariel Garza, a columnist for sister-paper Daily News, and her students class project to obtain public documents from the LAPD.
As soon as I find the link to the original story, I'll put it up.
Update: Her story is on the jump....
"The Associated Press is standing by its report that six Sunni men were burned to death in Baghdad Friday by Shiites, even though U.S. military officials have accused the wire service of relying on a source who "is not who he claimed he was," an Iraqi police captain.
Military officials also say they cannot confirm that the incident took place and have asked AP to retract or correct the story, which was repeated by media around the world and cited as a grim example of Shiites taking revenge for a deadly bombing that killed more than 200 people a day before.
"The attempt to question the existence of the known police officer who spoke to the AP is frankly ludicrous and hints at a certain level of desperation to dispute or suppress the facts of the incident in question," AP International Editor John Daniszewski said in a statement e-mailed to On Deadline this afternoon.
The story that came out of Iraq Friday that six Sunnis were burned alive now is being questioned.
"The U.S. military said Saturday that Iraqi soldiers securing Hurriyah found only one burned mosque and were unable to confirm residents' and police accounts that six Sunni Arabs were dragged from Friday prayers and burned to death."
A blogger is also questioning the identity of a man who is frequently quoted in stories, especially about violence, coming out of Iraq.
I don't believe anyone willfully prints inaccurate information and Iraq has to be the toughest place to report on. It does give pause though about taking everything you read without a critical eye.
UPDATE: Associated Press is standing by their story and will be releasing another one with more detail today.