TFP Column: The Blade Cuts Both Ways

(Contrary to logic and reason, I have decided to put new material up on this blog, but only in the form of the columns that I have done for the Toledo Free Press.  This is done for the benefit of those with time to waste, who likewise do not spend their time reading the website of this award winning weekly newspaper, and I will go back and add efforts that were published earlier this year.)

This particular effort was published on 6/07/2014.  

After years of castigating corporate America for failing to recognize Toledo’s convenient location, to see competitive advantage in its Downtown, or to appreciate its hardworking union workers, it appears that The Blade is about to tuck tail and follow in the footsteps of those they’ve previously chastised. What else can we take from formal notifications to the city and The Blade’s unions that it intends to outsource its production? Such an intention makes it difficult to reconcile the disparity between the claim of being one of the city’s biggest supporters and an apparent unwillingness to invest in its future.

Non-production functions will apparently remain in its Downtown facility, but The Blade appears ready to cease all production at both its Superior Street and Water Street facilities, with more than 130 people losing their jobs. While The Blade has not formally announced where that production will resurface, it’s likely that its plan will require abandoning not only the Glass City but the Buckeye State as well.

In its announcement, The Blade cites the age of the equipment and the challenges of an older building in its decision not to reinvest. Having recently announced that it will finance an almost identical investment for its Pittsburgh newspaper (The Post-Gazette) however, the refusal to bankroll improvement in Toledo might seem almost duplicitous.

From a purely business standpoint this becomes even more curious, considering that The Post-Gazette competes for its market share with another Pittsburgh daily (The Tribune-Review), while no such daily competition exists in Toledo. Does this speak to the market for news in both cities, or simply the red-headed stepchild status of The Blade under the absentee landlord nature of one of its owners?

As “One of America’s Great Newspapers” (self-described), The Blade tells us it lost $8.5 million last year by way of explanation (excuse) for its plan. Some might see this as “how the mighty have fallen,” or perhaps “reaping what you sow”; still others might see it as proof of the adage that “you shouldn’t crap where you eat.” Perhaps however, The Blade simply fell victim to its own stale business plan; like many of its ilk, it could not decide whether it wanted to be an award-winning business that occasionally made a profit or a profitable business that occasionally won an award.

As it now scales back in use, I’m sure some will see the Superior Street site as one that should be on a federal list of historic buildings. Others might agree to its entry on a list, but suggest instead that entry should be on a list of federal Superfund cleanup sites. One cannot help but wonder at the impact of petroleum-based inks, industrial chemicals and lubricants used over time. One might be even more curious about the disposal of decades of solvent-based cleaners used in their cleanup.

The damage of The Blade’s past political attacks may soon become history, but not so quickly whatever may have leeched into the soil and water supply from a facility only blocks from the Maumee River and a stone’s throw from Lake Erie. The toxic treatment of those held in disfavor over the years by The Blade may someday fade away, but not so easily the residue of chemicals used to produce them. As its production equipment is mothballed or removed for eventual sale, let’s hope The Blade makes more of a commitment to the proper remediation of such materials than they have to their Downtown location itself, and that such residue may not prove to be the only long-term legacy it leaves.

The Blade easily deserves one of the stinging rebukes it has been so fond of handing out throughout the years; and the failure in its announcement to promise anything in the way of change shows that its owners have learned nothing.  Some may say it seems a bit unfair to pile on The Blade, but few would argue that it’s undeserved.

Sorry guys, but it’s your turn to be on the firing line for picking up your chips and leaving the game early. After all, the blade cuts both ways.

 

TFP Column: The Best Defense

(Contrary to logic and reason, I have decided to put new material up on this blog, but only in the form of the columns that I have done for the Toledo Free Press.  This is done for the benefit of those with time to waste, who likewise do not spend their time reading the website of this award winning weekly newspaper, and I will go back and add efforts that were published earlier this year.)

This particular effort was published on 6/20/2014.  

One cannot help but wonder if the Blade is adopting a new "best defense is a good offense" playbook in its continuing series on the subject of Glass City blight.  Wracked with well-documented revenue losses and stinging from attacks for outsourcing its production, the timely release of a series Toledo eyesore stories might be seen as the perfect (though rather suspicious) way to deflect attention from its own bad press. 

Taking the side of local YouTube videographer EconCat88, rather than that of the Administration (which it did last time) makes the Blade appear to be on the side of the little guy.  Allying with Councilman Jack Ford (vs supposed Independent Mayor D. Michael Collins) keeps them on the good side of the Democrats who've been in power while all of this blight occurred.  As for indicting a mayor that they've long supported as part of this effort; that's likely to cost them nothing. The mayor was sooner or later going to have to throw the Blade under the bus for their abandonment of downtown, if not for the elimination of union jobs, so the current series could be seen as little more than a preemptive strike. 

Of course the best part of the series is the gift likely to keep on giving for some time. The Blade has presented to City Council a subject not even on the radar screen a month earlier.  Distracting from dismal tax revenue, pot hole problems, and without talking about water and sewer line infrastructure issues that have long since faded from public view; this subject provides new opportunities for meaningless rhetoric, useless legislation, and the potential ability to create another taxpayer-funded study or two that must make it feel like Christmas in June for those is office.

Councilman Ford certainly seems to have discovered his new calling in life, attempting to establish his final legacy by creating another useless city bureaucracy in the form of a 'blight authority' to solve a problem that was just as prevalent when both he and his successor Mayor Finkbeiner were in the Mayor's position (before he attempts to move on to Columbus). After all, there's nothing that can resolve a crisis in short order like another government bureaucrat.

The current Mayor instead would like to deflect a problem that he largely inherited from his predecessors, and instead blame the Toledo Municipal Court and Judge Allen McConnell. Judge McConnell, according to the mayor's recent statement, is dealing with over 500 affidavits filed against blighted properties by the city in just the past year. One cannot help but ask, if the impediment is the Court, why there is no discussion of additional funding and staff for what appears to be an overworked judicial system rather than adding a city bureaucracy. Equally unclear is how the Mayor's proposal of a phone app is going to magically clear the existing judicial backlog.

Wait, this is Toledo (where you'll do better)! Remind me again about how long the 'temporary income tax' has been in place as a way to artificially balance the budget. Tell me again how much were borrowing from the Capital Improvement Budget (far better suited to deal with the issue of blight in the city) and how many years we've been borrowing it.

Better still, tell me why the Blade, already suffering from an image problem on a scale that it never knew existed, hasn't proposed a charity event to raise funds in order to deal with the issue of blight instead of merely reporting on it. Tell me why City Council, having only in the last week rediscovered the issue of blight in the city, hasn't put forth the idea of dealing with the issue on a district level and on a volunteer basis. How about one or more of these elected leaders simply revisiting some of their current budget discussions and making a hard choice as to which is more important to their constituents, swimming pools or blight.

While we're at it, perhaps someone in the editorial department at the Blade might want to do a bit more research on the ownership of 'blighted properties' to make sure that some of those on the list aren't properties owned by … the Blade. While certainly not qualified to preach, I seem to recall a Biblical phrase to the effect of, “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” (Just for the sake of editorial consistency, of course.)

Media Intervention

Now that the dust has settled, perhaps we can all look back more objectively at the furor over Brian Wilson's comments on WSPD about education in this country. 

We all watched Tom Troy and The Blade's painfully obvious efforts to paint the man and the radio station into a corner in order to get either his resignation or firing. We watched as well as the subsequent vindication unfolded based on the work done by the Toledo Free Press to reveal the facts of the case and the failed machinations of the daily paper. We even watched as Mr Troy wrote a response to the TFP coverage, published on January 19th, which did little to vindicate him or settle his part of the controversy.

Now anyone who has listened to Brian Wilson over time or read the Blade know that there is no love lost between the two (nor between Mr Wilson and Mr Troy). As someone who was involved intimately with the daily newspaper business for over thirty years, who is acquainted on a personal level with Brian Wilson and WSPD, and who listened to the entire show in question; I found the entire situation both fascinating and sad.

How could a newspaper that condemned out-of-context soundbites and a rush to judgment in the case of Shirley Sherrod find itself at the heart (if not behind) this case? How much further will management (and ownership) permit the continued blurring of the lines between objective reporting and editorializing? How many more setbacks can daily newspapers in Toledo and elsewhere across the country suffer to their credibility and survive as a reputable source for news?

For there is a relationship between talk radio and newspapers. Personalities like Brian Wilson are dependent to some extent upon daily newspapers for a part of the basic basic research required for them to do their job. Show preparation to fill three hours a day is an arduous task, and commenting on the events of the day usually requires that someone first report on them. Whether the source is a column by a well-known writer, an internet news website link, or something from a newspaper website itself; the ultimate source material for much of the news today remains the research and reporting of daily newspapers.

Now it's obvious to anyone paying even occasional attention to the goings on in the newspaper industry today, that such organizations continue to suffer from declining circulation and revenue, reduced reporting staffs, and desperate and often inconsistent business plans to cope with their current downward business trends. This decline should be no cause for celebration for their detractors however, as a co-dependency between newspapers and other forms of media exist whether they like it or not.

When was the last time that you watched a TV news broadcast that did not reference at least one newspaper story? When was the last time that you listened to a radio show (nationally syndicated or local) that did not do the same? When was the last time that you watched cable news pundits get through an hour without talking about something a newspaper said? Without newspapers as source material, these now more timely an relevant media sources would be hard pressed to fill their programs.

OK, that establishes a dependent relationship, but not co-dependency.

One need only look at the recent elimination and consolidation of newspaper titles and production sites, the switch in some cases to online-only products, and the downsizing of product and reporting staffs at these former print properties to understand that they are facing doom as a means of communicating the news. 

The constant reference by other media forms of material in daily newspapers may be the best advertising that they could receive, and may allow them to retain the relevance in the marketplace of ideas that they still deserve. Without being used and referenced for the source material that they provide however, I fear that their decline would be even more dramatic and precipitous.

Daily newspapers may not like it, but will eventually have to understand that much like the free standing insert advertisements that they once looked down upon, these other media are now an integral part of the effort required to promote their continued existence. Other forms of media like radio and TV likewise need to understand that without the labor on source material done by daily newspapers to repeat and comment on, their jobs would be much more difficult than they already are.

While anything but a believer in the philosophy of "can't we all just get along", I cannot help but think that perhaps some form of Media Intervention is in order to tell both that while they aren't required to like each other (and in fact it's a lot more interesting when they don't), they do in fact have to recognize that they need each other; if for no other reason than to know who to demonize.

The Blade - Dinosaur or Weasel

There has been talk for a number of years that the daily newspaper was dinosaur, on its last leg as a viable news source ... and as a business. The internet had grown stronger in recent years as a alternative to it; and with the growth of high speed internet, download speeds had increased to a point where pictures and pages of data could be viewed in real time. With the recent introduction of the Ipad (and soon the competing unit from Google) even the issue of portability and convenience will no longer be an issue. The were only a couple of real questions left to daily newspaper organizations as their printing presses wind gradually down to a stop:

• Will some part of these corporations survive, utilizing their ability to gather news while finding a way to use the web in some way as both revenue source and distribution mode?
• More importantly, as these final days wind themselves down, with what dignity will these ancient and venerable businesses be able to end their days?

The local example in Toledo, the Blade, has made this question even more confusing in recent days with the behavior of its reporter Tom Troy, its editors, and the publication of a story based on some notes belonging to Jeff Simpson (one of two men claiming to head the Lucas County Republican Party). I won't go into the details of the story, since the entire affair seems too tawdry and distasteful to spend much time on. Anyone who is not aware of the story however, can read it here (from the Blade itself) and get additional information from a postings on from Glass City Jungle and Thurber's Thoughts. The issues that I would like to deal with here however are more fundamental:

• Since the Blade has long been a newspaper supporting Democratic candidates, why didn't they make greater efforts to show at least a perception of neutrality in news coverage of an internal Republican issue?
• Once discovering that they possessed Mr Simpson's property, and having been asked for its return by him in a face-to-face meeting, why did they not do so? (Even if they chose to make a copy of such property for their own record and for the purposes of the story.)
• For the record, we might also want to ask why Mr. Simpson (a lawyer) didn't make a greater effort to gain the return of his property once he discovered it was in the possession of the newspaper.
• Knowing of the personal relationship between the publisher (John Robinson Block) of the Blade and the other person claiming to be head of the LCRP (Jon Stainbrook), why didn't they take greater pains to try and show strict journalistic integrity in its treatment of the parties involved?
• If this story were of such great import and these notes so important, why was it that the story was published on a Saturday, traditionally the least read newspaper of the week?
• Maybe most importantly ... Would there have been a story here at all if this were about the publisher's friend (a person long known for Machiavellian plots and regular use of the legal system) and not Mr Simpson?

This is not to say that the Blade does not have the right to write stories about any subject that it chooses. It is however to say that in these delicate times for newspapers, that they might have attempted to be even more careful in maintaining the highest form of journalistic integrity in covering this story. Similarly, with the reputation that the Blade continues to gather for confusing the journalistic and editorial aspects of its efforts; perhaps they might have done a better job with this story for themselves and for their diminishing readership. 


This effort by the Blade does nothing to enhance its own reputation, that of the daily newspaper, or that of Toledo. It does however, beg a question of daily newspapers in general, and the Blade in particular. Will they choose to go out gracefully as yet one more example of the dinosaurs that most daily newspapers in this country have become, or like the thief and rodent that they appear to have become in this instance ... a weasel?

The State of Newspaper Reporting

Normally when I complain about reporting in a newspaper these days, it's something from the editorial section of the local daily here in Toledo. Some of those complaints also have to do with the bleeding of editorial into news in the product that it produces. 


Today's beef however, has to do with the print product that this company would like us all to keep purchasing vs. the online edition that we get for free, and with the information delivered by wire services (in this case, the Associated Press). Now you would expect that as a consequence of being a paying customer, that reading the print edition would provide more and better information. You would be wrong.  


In a critical story (at least to those of us who used to play hockey), information was provided on the semi-finals of Olympic men's hockey. In the game between Finland and the US, the red white and blue handily defeated the Fins, and the story in the online edition of the sports section was accurately titled "US routs Finland 6-1, will play for hockey gold". The headline was a fortunate one, as nowhere in an Associated Press story of over 20 paragraphs on the game was the final score actually mentioned. 


Unfortunately for me, I read the print edition first this morning where the headline "Americans rout Finland, now face Canada" was the headline instead. This lead to half a page of reading without being given the final score of the game. I was only successful in discovering it by adding up goals on a paragraph by paragraph basis, and verifying my rather poor math by searching through the sports box scores. 


There is something sad about the fact that newspaper headlines these days don't give you a full snapshot of the story. There is something truly tragic in the fact that the Associated Press, once a highly respected and competent wire service can write an entire story about a sporting event without realizing the importance of reporting the score of it.

Repinion

I believe that every form of innovation in this country should receive recognition. Music, literature, and even movies and television have all had their true artists; and far too often these worthies do not receive their just due. So it is with true humility that I recognize the Toledo Blade for expanding the use of, and attempting to perfect the concept of Repinion. 


"What in the world", you are probably now asking yourself, "is Repinion?" Quite simply it is a term that I have created to honor the blending of reporting and opinion that the Blade uses in such a way so as to confuse the point where one form of writing ends and the other begins. This practice, in the fast-changing world of the newspaper allows the Blade to extend the editorial process from the first page to the last (I sometimes even wonder about the Obituaries), and advance an agenda on a wide variety of subjects. 


"Now wait," you are probably saying, "the Blade certainly did not invent such practices. They have been going on in the newspaper industry for years." This is true indeed. Newspapers in this country have it seems, often been used as a way to advance an agenda. The Founding Fathers were more than once guilty of penning or having published articles in newspapers that were selective in fact and detrimental to their opponents. 


The Aaron Burr / Alexander Hamilton duel was a prime example of how, directly or indirectly, such things could lead to political defeat, and ultimately to Hamilton's death. The Spanish American War is yet another classic example of how the editorializing of journalism can seek to move public opinion enough to affect even foreign policy. The competing newspaper publishers William Randolf Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer used just such questionable methods in a purely selfish way to increase their circulation (and profits), and to what many historians agree, succeed in driving this country into war; creating the term "yellow journalism" in the process. (It was named for a character in the comic strip Hogan's Alley at the time.) 


The Blade now takes its place in newspaper history by refining the hallowed journalistic practice into a modern art form. It appears these days that the Blade is no longer capable of even recognizing the practice being carried on (or is being disingenuous about its use). Whether they are writing about the United Way constructing a building, the YMCA closing one down, or the Lucas County Republican Party attempting to hold a meeting in one; the Blade now finds itself consistently blending opinionated terminology with inefficient fact checking in order to choose sides in almost every news story that it writes. 


Now the writing of editorials is a long-standing and sacred practice in newspapers (in spite of the fact that one of them as debased itself by letting yours truly occasionally write one). No one should have any argument with the right of the owners and editors of the Blade or any other newspaper to exercise the time honored tradition of expressing an opinion, even if they disagree with it. It would be nice however, and more in keeping with current journalistic practice, if they could manage not let them bleed over into what is supposed to be the fact-based reporting sections of the newspaper. (While I'm at it, it would be nice if they could manage to sign such editorials rather than post them like anonymous comments on a blog). 


A short time ago, Dave Kushma took over at the Blade as their new editor. He appears to be a professional of good standing in his chosen field, if we can judge him by those he has previously worked for and with. It will be interesting in the light of this new blood, to see if the Blade continues to refine and perfect the art of Repinion, perhaps hoping that a prize named after one of its greatest disciples (the Pulitzer) will once more come its way, or learns once again to separate fact from opinion (if not fiction) in the dwindling circulation of their product.

Careful Reference

I usually try to avoid commenting on Blade editorials these days, as their voice becomes increasingly more irrelevant over time. In spite of the fact that I have no ties to the Republican Party, I could not however, let pass without comment the editorial today "Dissension in GOP". It is right and proper that the local daily newspaper should comment on the current internal struggles of the GOP in its responsibilities to inform and educate the public. This conflict of leadership will have a great effect on the local Republican party for the coming years, in spite of the fact that the GOP seems to have had little effect on local politics. I was taken however, as someone who often tries to use words to advantage, to read this quote: "Images of Hitler's Brown Shirts breaking up Communist political meetings in pre-World War II Germany dance in our heads." 


Could any historical reference be more inflammatory than to include both the Nazi party and Communists when speaking of the Republican Party in Lucas County? While we know that such acts did occur in pre-World War II Germany, is this not the very type of language that the Blade and other media outlets have long decried in the debate of partisan politics? Is this kind of editorial rabble-rousing both unworthy of a major metropolitan newspaper and insulting to its readership? 


Of course, the Blade goes on to point out that those allegedly behind this apparent party coup have ties to Tom Noe in order to cast further aspersions on their efforts. The Blade has found it difficult to write a story about the Republican party without referencing this rather sordid part of the party's past however, and we expect little more of them (though similar references to Democratic faux pas seem glaringly absent). 


It was a surprise however, to find a purported connection between federal legislation of health care and the benefits provided to a state worker, since one seems to have little to do with the other, and both parties will continue to benefit from lavish government employee health and retirement programs. It is likewise of little surprise to find that the Blade fails to point to its own relationship to the players in this game; as Jon Stainbrook, whose reign may have now come to an end, is a long-time friend of John Robinson Block the publisher and editor-in-chief of the newspaper. 


Would it not be of interest to the readers to know that such a relationship exists in the spirit of full faith and disclosure? It might also be worthwhile to know that Mr. Block runs his local newspaper here in Toledo from his offices in Pittsburgh, where one of their other media properties the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has its home. It might further be worthy of note that the Blade and Mr. Block have been long supporters of the Democratic party in Lucas County, and that only the election of his friend Jon Stainbrook has caused him to shine any form of a more neutral light on the GOP. Would it then be fair to say that Mr. Block attempts to run a "shadow empire" and acts as an "absentee landlord" with regard to his properties and their impact on Toledo and Lucas County? Could we then add that perhaps editorials like this one are little more that rhetoric aimed at maintaining control of an area that he considers little more than lebensraum, subject to his whim and to his controlling influence on the debate? Would it be fair to characterize Mr. Block as a foreign influence, attempting to impose his will on the readership of the Blade? 


 You see, one always needs to careful when using words and historical references, for such language can often be considered inflammatory or a misrepresentation of the facts; and their use often subject therefore, to misinterpretation.

Daily Paper Goes To Dogs

This should have been the banner headline on page one today instead of 'Pit bull' law sticks despite tries for change 


One of my greatest joys on a Sunday is reading the Sunday Paper! Having been a newspaper junkie for a number of years, I especially look forward to getting a leisurely weekly fix on every Sunday. Imagine my disappointment in the fact that with everything that is going on in the country (and the world) right now, that 2-1/2 pages of the A-Section of the newspaper is devoted to articles on dogs, as is the lead editorial (yet again) and about 25% of the Letter to the Editor space. 


Nothing about the recently released CRU emails and what impact this bastardization of the scientific process should or will have on the upcoming Copenhagen climate change meeting except a column in the 3rd section (though the protesters made the front page). Nothing about the fact that GM is "paying back" the government with money from the government. Little about health care legislation that threatens to bankrupt this country. 


No, we get page after page on dogs ... (While I'm being a nitpicker: How does a newspaper have two "A" sections with the 3rd section listed as the B section, as today's Blade did? Calling the second section more of the first does not make it so, no more than calling the second page the first make the laws of counting change.) 


As I have stated in the past, I have nothing against dogs and grew up with them as a kid. I am nonetheless aggravated when so much of the primary news section of a newspaper is devoted to such a second level story. I continue to resist the claims of the death of the daily newspaper in this country, but have to have serious doubts about the Toledo Blade if this is the product that they believe to be one.

Harrop Cannot Take A "Principled Stand"

Today's Toledo Blade feature an editorial by syndicated columnist Froma Harrop "Tea Party Points the way to GOP loss in N.Y.". (I found the identical column under a different title here.), decrying the strategy of what she called the "Tea Party wing of the Republican Party" for its lack of success in getting Conservative candidate Douglas Hoffman elected to New York's 23rd district.  

She speaks of a this group condemning a moderate Republican (who seemed far more liberal than moderate to me), having outsiders like Dick Armey and Sarah Palin coming in to support a candidate with similar beliefs, and decrying big government projects like building roads and dredging the St Lawrence river as the reason that Mr Hoffman lost. She likewise calls Mr Hoffman a carpetbagger because he lives outside of the Congressional District. Of course this is typical of left wing journalism these days, which reports only the most convenient 'facts' to bolster a position while ignoring everything else.

1. The Tea Parties are about conservative thinking, and not necessarily Republican thinking.
2. If we are to decry the efforts of Sarah Palin and Dick Armey in NY, will similar condemnation be made of President Obama's efforts in the Democratic losses in Virginia and New Jersey?
3. If Mr Hoffman was a carpetbagger for his residency, was Hilary Clinton likewise one when she first ran for the NY Senate seat, having never lived in the state before standing for election?
4. Mr Hoffman's effort was his first in politics, a last minute decision, and that of a 3rd party candidate, all of which certainly had serious effect on his chances of winning.
5. Ms Scozafava, the endorsed Republican candidate was so in tune with the Republican Party that when she dropped out of the race, she endorsed the Democratic candidate.

But all of these issues are beside the point. The mistake that Ms Harrop makes in her rush to judgment is to attack the effort as being by outsiders and the electorate in NY for making a principled stand. Somewhere in her analysis of politics, she seems to have forgotten that there is more to government than the two major political parties. She likewise seems unable to understand that having an elected official who does not believe in the principles that the voters represent serves no purpose, regardless of which party they claim to belong to. 

Mr Hoffman may have lost this election, and there may be one less Republican in the House, but New York voters have not completely lost. The voters of the 23rd District did very well by a candidate who stood for election without party support, but stood instead on conservative principles. This close showing by a last minute candidate should serve as a warning for politicians around the country of the power of those principles. 

There is an upwelling of Conservative thought going on in this country that can quickly turn into a lack of support for a candidate, Republican or Democrat, who believes otherwise. Being a Republican is no longer a guarantee of support from Conservative voters however, unless you believe in Conservative thought (in my case, Constitutionally Conservative thought). 

The failure in the 23rd District may not have been the best run campaign in New York, and it was certainly unsuccessful in putting its candidate in office. I consider it a success however, because unlike Ms Harrop, the Hoffman campaign took not a party, but a principled stand. 

A Voice That Must Not Be Silenced

For those of you who don't know already, Maggie Thurber of WSPD's "Eye on Toledo" program and the blog "Thurber's Thoughts", has resigned as a columnist for the Toledo Free Press. The uproar was created due to accusations of plagiarism in her most recent column for the TFP "The history of Memorial Day". 

I won't go into the whole mish-mash, as the reader can do so in the Toledo Blade article of May 23rd (and Lord knows I want to get that attribution correct), and the article online by Michael Miller in the Toledo Free Press. I will say however that I believe Maggie when she says that the mistake was an honest one. 

It can be very difficult to remember to credit every source when doing one of these history pieces, which are compilations and interpretations of information from multiple sources. It is also easy to write lines very similar to the ones that you have just recently read when you read so much from so many sources when doing one of these pieces. 

I will also say that Maggie has been a strong, clear voice in Toledo, taking on the tough issues and the subjects difficult to understand for most of us (especially when it comes to the finance). She has likewise been extremely fair over time in bringing such information to the public, complimenting opponents when they make good decisions, and taking them to task when they do otherwise. 

That she should be taken to task so enthusiastically in the Blade in an unattributed article (Blade staff) is both cowardly and typical of that organization. One could expect little else of a newspaper however, in which many of its main editorial columns go unattributed as well as Cowardly.  

Cowardly as well has been much of the criticism in the online community that she served so faithfully and so well. Catchy online "nom de plumes" (by the way, I had to look up the spelling in Merriam Webster - attribution, attribution) do little to hide inconsequential, incomprehensible, and incoherent vitriol (came up with that one by myself) aimed at smearing a person who has only sought the best for Toledo and Northwest Ohio.  

I hope that these continuing cowardly and anonymous attacks from the left will not prevent others with a Conservative voice from likewise speaking their minds. The runaway train of Progressivism is out of control these days and about to jump the tracks. Those with the courage to speak out against it are vital to our future survival. It is also my hope that this minor setback will not keep Maggie from continuing to be a strong Conservative voice. She has given far too much to the area with the information, interpretation, and education to let that voice go silent now. 

 (I originally titled this posting "A Voice That I Hope Will Not Be Silenced", but retitled it after a little additional thought this evening.)

 

Fairness, It's An AM Problem

As would be expected of the Toledo Blade, long a mouthpiece of liberal ideology, an editorial was published in today's paper on the Fairness Doctrine. They did this, in typical Blade fashion, after publishing a couple of news stories on the subject published in previous editions. 

While the drumbeat continues on the concept that liberal (or progressive if you choose to use a different spin on them) ideas do not seem to get a proper 'airing' on AM talk radio, the focus of the attack in this attempted revival of the doctrine now almost cleverly places the blame on the ownership of radio stations. It's not that Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity nationally, or Fred Lefebvre, Brian Wilson, and Maggie Thurber locally are successfully competing in the market of ideas with their conservative viewpoints. It is that the evil ownership of their local outlet, Clear Channel Radio, is able to stifle competition through its massive ownership of the radio airwaves. 

On the surface, such arguments might hold water, as Clear Channel (according to the 2006 numbers cited in the editorial) owns 1190 radio stations. However, when compared to other forms of media, the argument begins to leak like a sieve. Clear Channel does own an AM radio station in Toledo, but not the only one. Compare this to the Toledo Blade, the only daily newspaper in the city. Extend the comparison further in the newspaper market and we find that the overwhelming number of daily newspapers in the US Market remain in very few hands. 

In fact some 37% of the daily newspapers in US are in the hands of a very few corporate owners in 2005 (and the number continues to grow). More importantly however, 67% of the circulation of daily newspapers resides in the hands of those same corporate owners.* In the intervening years, these numbers have likely increased, as newspapers continued consolidation seeks to reduce its overall production costs. With rare exceptions, all of the corporate voices of these newspaper owners take a more liberal spin on the events of the day. *These numbers come from the reports of the media group Journalism.org. 

As for television, There are still only 4 networks on the airwaves with a voice. ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC are the only outlets for television news and opinions for those without cable or satellite channels. Even if we expand this to include cable and satellite channels however, the outlook changes little. MSNBC and the Fox News Channel, whose ownership is already represented on the airwaves, does little to expand the horizon; and even adding in CNN and CNN Headline News adds only one new voice. Here too, only Fox News leans to the right when voicing opinions on television, and while this is hardly a balanced output, little complaint is made (except of course about Fox). 

Now we know that the local talk radio station WSPD, is almost constantly at odds with the opinions expressed in the Blade, even often resorting to the use of derogatory terms when citing it. Yet the Blade, as illustrated by the above numbers, sits on the side of the majority voice in media in the US today. Their echoing of the liberal point of view expressed in other newspapers and on both network and cable television is inarguable. 

So once again, it begs the question: Why is AM radio the only form of media whose ownership and content are coming under scrutiny? As happens far too many times in Toledo, I must conclude that it is because any opinions, other than that of the owner and publisher of the Toledo Blade, must be thwarted. 

For another take on the subject of the Blade's editorial, I suggest a posting on the same subject in Thurber's Thoughts. 

The Blade & The Good Old Days

Something struck while reading the reading today's Toledo Blade (and no, it wasn't the rest of the Blade being thrown). It was the idea that perhaps The Blade, recognizing the beginning of the end of its days of power, is beginning to focus instead on the Good Old Days. Two things on the front page of the newspaper did this for me: 
 

• The statement at the corner of the front page banner that The Blade was the 2004 Pulitzer Prize (depicted in the upper left) winner for investigative reporting.
• The page 1 headline, above the fold "Kaczala details decision not to take Noe money".

For any paper who believes that they are a mover and a shaker in the industry (even given what it is today), going five years without winning another Pulitzer prize is a significant blow to the ego. Every newspaper in the country measures its success based on these awards. Revenue, quality of reproduction (printing) and even profit all take a back seat to the concept of winning this most coveted recognition from its peers. 

Talking about Tom Noe is likewise a subject often on the lips of Blade writers.
Despite the fact that the Republicans are mostly irrelevant in Toledo and Lucas County politics these days (when not proving themselves to be a comedy of errors), the Blade returns to the subject like a carrier pigeon to the roost. 

Regardless of the fact that the scandal is years old, that the perpetrator of the crime is currently serving time in prison, and that there are no new real facts to report, the Blade cannot seem to stay away from this story and must in fact recount in endless (and nauseating) detail its entire history. 

While I used to think that all of this was simply about the Blade's well-illustrated media bias where the Republicans were concerned, I now begin to believe that it is more the senile ramblings of its owner John Robinson Block. Having reached a point of diminishing authority, his bully pulpit growing smaller each day, and with his newspaper empire crumbling around him; he can only look back at the days of power and glory that used to be. 

At a time when nothing could be more important than the present and the future, he and The Blade can only see the past. There is some consolation in all of this however. As time continues to move forward, as the ramblings and rantings of The Blade become even more shrill (and perhaps less coherent), the diminishing readership of the newspaper in general and The Blade in particular will insure that fewer people will listen to its recollections of The Good Old Days. 

Obama Economic Plan - The Devil Is In The Details

As with most government plans, the devil is in the details. There appears to be no exception to the economic plan as modified in the president-elect's weekly radio address and supporting economic report given yesterday, and reported in today's Toledo Blade. This article, titled "Obama boosts job creation estimate", outlines that speech and report. Two things have struck me when going through this proposal. 

First, the numbers just keep going up, on both the amount of money required and the number of jobs that will be saved or created. We started out with a program at a little over $300,000,000,000. (Yes, it does look scarier when you print out all of those zeroes, doesn't it?) The program outlined in yesterday's address now stands at more than $775,000,000,000. Likewise the number of jobs that will be created or saved is up from the original 2-2.5 million to an estimate yesterday of over 5 million. 

Forgive me if this isn't starting to sound like an old John Lovitz routine from Saturday night live. I can just hear him saying: "I saved two, no it was three, three million jobs. No wait it was four million, no five, five million jobs I saved with my plan." ... and all of this before the president-elect even takes office. I know that there is an expectation of stretching the truth from all politicians, and I know that plans change as more information comes to light; but this taffy pull seems to be getting out of hand. 

Second and more importantly, the president-elect said in this most recent address that of this 5 million jobs, nearly 90 percent will be in the private sector. For those of you who didn't take as many math classes as I did, that means that over 10 percent of the jobs will be government jobs. 

Now adding to your respect for my mathematical abilities, I will further calculate that even 10 percent of 5 million jobs would mean 500,000 new government jobs. This is half a million government salaries, benefit packages, and pension contributions. For those of you who eyes are now widely staring at this page yes, that means that the taxpayers will have to pick up a pretty hefty check for this increase in bureaucracy at a time when our wallets are getting a little lighter already. 

I know that the incoming president has talked about the necessity for budget deficits to jump start the economy, but shouldn't be we looking closely at the burden we push onto our children and theirs. I know that the country needs more jobs. I merely question whether we need any more in a government containing an already bloated bureaucracy. 

The president-elect and I do agree on one other thing in the report released by his economic team in support of this plan as well: "There is a limit on how much government investment can be carried out efficiently in a short time frame." On this snowy Sunday morning I can only add, "Amen, Mr. Obama, amen." 

Consistent Inconsistency

I have chosen not to pick on the local daily newspaper in Toledo for some time. This is not because of any pity that I feel for an industry that is suffering significant revenue losses recently or the Blade in particular because I know that they are working under difficult working conditions with recent layoffs and therefore are more than a little short-handed. 

While I do feel for the industry in general and the Blade in particular, my reasons are probably more personal and more selfish. Even such pity must end however, when the Blade shows such blatant inconsistency and consistency in its editorials. Today (1/4/08) is a classic example, with two editorials on the same day pointing the way. In the first "That sinking feeling", the Blade blames the current state of the economy on the Bush Administration, blaming the pitiable state of the economy on the Iraq war, lax oversight of financial institutions, and tax cuts. 

In the second, a guest editorial entitled "Hunting the budget snipe" from the Washington Post that it does not provide a link to on its website, then points out that the incoming Obama Administration can only fix the current budget by seeking out waste, cutting pork, and most importantly putting the brakes on entitlement programs (all no doubt also the fault of the Bush Administration). Now I know that the second editorial was not written by the Blade, but it was published by the same editors; and those of us unwashed, uneducated, and unsophisticated readers out here would like a bit of clarity. Is the economy the fault of:

• The Iraq War which the current administration must take full responsibility for?
• The oversight of the financial institutions, which the current administration warned us about years ago?
• Tax cuts encouraged by the Bush Administration which in previous economies (under either party) have done nothing but increase government revenue?
• Waste in the budget?
• Pork in the budget?
• Or entitlement programs whose budget increases have far exceeded the cost of living or inflation-adjusted budget numbers?

The inconsistency is obvious here. The problem in the economy has two vastly different causes, the Iraqi War and bad domestic policies. The Blade editorial makes no mention of the entitlement programs, pork, or waste. The Post editorial makes no mention of the War. Either both missed things which were rather significant to the other, or neither chose to look at the whole picture before going to print. 

There is one consistency however. No matter what the problem is, it is George Bush's fault. Never mind that Congress signed on (fairly enthusiastically at the time) to the War in Iraq. Never mind that oversight of the banking industry was the responsibility of Congress. Never mind that the pork and waste placed in the budget were done so by members of Congress. Never mind that the dramatic increases in entitlement programs were introduced and passed by Congress. Never mind that any tax cuts currently in place were introduced and passed by Congress. George Bush is at fault. 

Don't get me wrong, Mr. Bush does not get a free pass here. Quite the contrary. He must in fact plead guilty to abandoning Conservative principles where the budget was concerned, and in fact has seemed to encourage the horrendous increases in government spending that were once an anathema to his party. He must also plead guilty to sending troops to Iraq, and while I will not debate the merits of that choice in this post, the cost of doing so must rest to a large extent with him. 

The point here however, is that when the Blade wants to know why its readership has and is deserting it (though I still keep my subscription), it might want to look at the inconsistency of what it says and the far too apparent agenda that it consistently puts forward. Even those of us who do not travel in the rarefied circles that the Blade appears to be pandering to are getting fed up with the insult to our intelligence that both illustrate. 

It's Not The Answers, It's The Questions

In its June 28th editorial, Blurt or ploy? The Toledo Blade points out that it was "shameful and disingenuous" for Charlie Black (a McCain adviser) to say that a terrorist attack would be a big advantage to John McCain in the November election. 

I guess that it could be considered shameful, being a fairly honest answer to a reporter's question from a political operative (at least to the Political Operatives Union), but it is awfully similar to an answer that Hilary Clinton gave back in August of 2007 while campaigning for the nomination without being asked. If either of these people were trying to take advantage of a horrible situation for personal gain (or a potential one) that would be deplorable. 

It would not be unusual however, as some politicians have been capitalizing on fear, and destruction for political advantage for as long as there have been politicians. None of this is the point however. This is not even about political ideology or media bias (though maybe it could be). The point in fact in most of these cases are the questions that the media asks, not the answers given. The pure shamelessness of the media when covering any story these days is absolutely mind-boggling. Now I am not a reporter (and have never played one in the movies or on TV), but take a look and see if these questions don't sound vaguely familiar: 

• How do you feel about the fact that your entire family was killed by a drunk driver?
• What will you do now that you have lost your house and everything that you own, carried away by the flooding river?
• What were you thinking about when you saw that tornado coming towards your house?
• How did you feel when that man pointed a gun at you?

So since asking pointless, rhetorical, and even rude questions seems to be OK, I have some questions for you: 

• What is wrong with you people?
• Are you idiots, ghouls, or simply so desensitized to tragedy that you have lost your humanity?
• Why do you ask rhetorical questions simply to garner a pointless emotional response?

(Let me help you out on this one. People who lose something, their house... their car... their family, are heart-broken and in pain. Leave them alone and let them do their grieving.) 

• Why do you ask politically charged questions and then become surprised when the answers are equally politically charged?
• Why do you think that most people treat the media and its minions as bottom feeders?

The only thing (in the Blade's words) "shameful and disingenuous" in all of this is the desire of EVERY form of media these days to use any situation, no matter how tragic, as a rope to pull itself out of the cesspool of irrelevance that they have fallen into. 

A Blade Editorial - Cash to Learn

I have been bugging the Blade lately with a lot of Letters to the Editor (some of which have actually been published). In order to give them a break, I have decided to take them to task this time on my home turf.  

The Blade printed an editorial today (2/08/08) entitled "Cash to Learn". In it, they proclaim whole-hearted support for program soon to start in Baltimore that will pay students who attend tutoring sessions and show progress in subjects up to $110 per student, per subject. This program, which is estimated to cost nearly $1 million, is part of a larger $6.3 million initiative in the Baltimore schools. 

They claim in this editorial that critics of the plan complain that these "bribes ... are unlikely to have any lasting effect on student behavior". They further claim that this is little different than parents rewarding their children's school performance. Well I disagree with both assertions. I am a critic of such a program, and I believe there is a difference.  

Here is my disagreement:  

First, once again we see government seeking to supplant the role of the parent in the upbringing of a child. Every education group agrees that parents are an important part of the education process, and in this program the parents are not only ignored, they are replaced. How can replacing parental support, guidance, and reward be good for the students in question?  

Second, I disagree that this will not have an effect on student behavior. I believe that such programs will only brainwash young minds that all things come from government. This program is nothing more than conditioning that all incentives and all rewards come from the government. This may be great for a government that seeks to control its citizens, but seems counter-productive to creating an enlightened, well-educated populace.  

Call me a cynic, but it appears that the City of Baltimore and the Toledo Blade are both encouraging the expansion of the "nanny state" and the suppression of the role of the family in the education of our children. I believe that this is wrong.

Erie St and The Blade

Well here we are folks, two weekend papers, two misguided efforts ... The Sunday Toledo Blade carried the following editorial: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080106/OPINION02/801060307 

And rather, it appears, than cogently arguing the logic of keeping the Erie St Market as a city owned property, the Blade chooses to use paper to make this a personal issue for the mayor and to defend his position on the market. Since the Blade seems to be unable to properly define the argument, let me try to. 

Is this issue about the Mayor? - Yes, but only because he has made it so. The Mayor was the biggest supporter of buying the Market, signed the contract with Citifest to run it, and has defended its ability to make a profit relentlessly. It has not however. 

Is the Market currently making a profit? - Well I guess it's how you look at the numbers. The Blade claims that since the Market was taken over by the city on Nov 12th, that it has made $40,000 (the fact that this is the busiest part of the shopping year probably has nothing to do with this); and that the Market "projects" to make a profit of $300,000 by the end of 2008. It then lists separately that the city is paying $300,000 in utility bills each and every year. Now forgive my simple math, but $300k minus $300k equals $0. The last time that I looked, a profit of $0 dollars is not a profit. 

It should also be noted that the opportunity to break even here is only a projection, not a certainty. In addition, these numbers do not take into account the lost tax revenues, as I am sure that the city is not paying itself property taxes on this so-called lucrative downtown property. 

Is City Council stalling on this? - Of course they are! This was the first meeting of the new council, with three new members being sworn in, and the expectation that they would want to take on this political hot potato within the first hours of gathering would be unrealistic. If this was such a pressing issue for the city, why has it taken 7 weeks to bring it up? Why was it not handled by the previous council? Could it be that the Mayor found that bringing up the situation less favorable with the previous council? (I'm just asking) 

Should Council hold a public hearing? - Why not? It's not like the city seems to listen to the voice of the people when they think that they can get away with it (COSI), but listening to the voice of the voters is never a bad thing. With a little luck, the Council can hold the meeting at 4 PM on a weekday to assure proper attendance. 

Does Council need to fund the Market? - It undoubtedly does on a temporary basis. There is no reason to throw the baby out with the bath water and close the market rather than fund something to keep it open, but only until it can sell the Market. Council should predicate any funding on a demand that the city put the Market up for sale immediately. (Democrats seem to know how to place "pull out" provisions into funding measures, so this shouldn't be a problem.) This process should then be reviewed on a 90 - 180 day basis to assess the city's efforts to make this sale. 

Does Toledo need to sell the Erie Street Market? - Yes!!!! The proper marketing and operation of such a business requires an entrepreneurial spirit that no government entity can exhibit. The flexibility, creativity, and free thinking that have made such markets successful are anathema to governments, whose bureaucracy thrives on rigid adherence to the status quo. Kudos gentlemen, for at least trying to bring up the issues that matter to the city. (Maybe you read my post yesterday and are trying to change your ways. ... Nah) Shame on you for taking such a misguided and illogical position on the subject.