66 posts tagged “journalism”
Hi There! You may not remember me – my name is Estupido and I used to write a blog.
I’ve been uninspired of late. I will sit down all revved up over one thing or another and before I get more than a couple of lines down I’m suddenly wondering what time Antiques Roadshow is on BBC (2pm BTW) or where I left that book I was reading last week the one about the kid in the dystopian/utopian future world where everyone is quite literally colorblind.
Today I am determined to produce at least a few paragraphs because the current reality vs. reporting gap is so wide on this issue I fear someone might fall in and be lost forever like Tony Thomas’ measuring stick.
“Let's hope Savannah City Council's toughened oversight of revitalization efforts doesn't become a choke hold.”
This was a WTF moment for me today. Tom Bartoon and his merry miscreants have been all abuzz since someone began the completely unfounded rumor that the city was going to defund SDRA – that’s the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority for those of you who remain stubbornly unwashed and uninformed.
First they put aside all manner of journalistic ethics and standards to produce a rather large piece of excrement chock full of nothing but unsubstantiated rumor and carrying the noxious and not so subtle fist shaking threat that if Savannah’s City Council didn’t do as SMN and SDRA’s minions decreed then a pox would fall on all their houses, the heifers and goats would stop giving milk and the grapes would sour on the vines etc… etc… ad infinitum.
That was followed quickly by this noxious little gas bubble that basically rehashed the rumorfest and threw more insults toward city leaders while deifying a businessman who, as far as I can tell, only has one complaint – that the city won’t build him a parking deck, at taxpayer expense, for his planned private development.
All this rumor based reporting actually created a very real threat to SDRA funding where none had existed before – they made a golem of paper and ink and it came to life and set out to devour them.
Council demanded and, this past week, got a meeting with those that control the SDRA.
Council had one simple question – Considering all the money we give y’all each year, what is the plan to encourage development along the MLK and Montgomery corridors?
The SDRA answer: There is no plan.
The Council response to the SDRA answer: Let’s make a plan. Tony Thomas and a member of staff will hang around to make sure it happens.
How does that even hint at “choke hold”?
I don’t mean to imply that City Council was happy with the meeting. They were understandably the opposite of happy to find out that we’ve been funneling hundreds of thousands in tax dollars toward what we thought was a plan to encourage redevelopment only to find out there is no actual plan.
All in all our leaders handled it as a corporate board might handle an underperforming subsidiary – sternly but professionally - exactly as they should.
My blog buddy Savannah Red kinda got onto me this morning for NOT doing what I do here very much lately. No excuses offered – I’m here, you’re here, let’s do this thing.
I have a couple of bones to pick about the coverage of the Project Derenne thistimeitbetterworkorelsewe’rejustgivingup big plan unveiling last night. I didn’t go for a couple of reasons, mainly because they held the meeting south of Derenne and I don’t like to travel that far out of town at night.
Who are you people?
From what I could gather from the coverage – there were a bunch of angry people there who somehow managed to go for the past two years and hear absolutely nothing about this thing called Project Derenne.
What’s more, these knownothings claim to be property owners in the area of Derenne. HOW in the world is it possible? Your livelihood is tied directly to the future of Derenne and yet you haven’t noticed the billboards, the ads in the paper, the full color mailings from the project to property owners…
Is any of this ringing a bell?
I would, at this juncture, complain about the media seeking out these knownothings and only telling their story – but I know why that happened. They were the loudest people at the meeting and reporters are simple folk who respond to bright colors and loud noises much like the creatures on that Meerkat Manor show.
The people who have been paying attention and have taken part in the process didn’t have to yell last night because they pretty much got all their yelling done at meetings over the past TWO YEARS.
A few things that should have never made the air or print:
Under the heading “Recommendations” Ms. Conn included this:
“Transforming the commercial district south of DeRenne - where the landmark giant globe is - into one rimmed with businesses that are closer to the street. Two-story structures could have storefronts on the bottom, residences above. The buildings would create a buffer for parking, a linear plaza and a green space that would have the globe as a main attraction. It could become a new gathering spot for residents who wanted to attend jazz concerts, movies in the park or other events.”
I kinda think that wasn’t a “recommendation” because it is not something that can be done by the City Government. I think maybe Ms. Conn is confused between the developers “vision” for what Derenne can become and their “Recommendations” for what the city can do with Derenne. The latter is limited to intersection improvements or creating that loopy thing they want that would loop from 516 to Hunter to White Bluff. The city can build roads and not much else.
Ms. Hutchings from WTOC was the worst of the “find the loudest people and put them on TV” crowd.
"The businesses we're concerned about, the people we're concerned about, it's our neighborhood," said Kathryn Cook… "It's not going to happen. We don't have the money for that to happen. Saying we're going to plant trees and do this and that, where's the money coming from?" asked Cook.
Her question was never answered.”
Actually Ms. Hutchings and Ms. Cook – that question was answered like a decade ago – there are millions in sales tax dollars allocated specifically to work on Derenne. Both of you ladies should have known that, Ms. Hutchings because it is your job to understand the issues you are reporting about and Ms. Cook because you claim to be so interested in the future of your business.
WSAV coverage is a sin of omission. They too allowed Ms. Cook to prove her ignorance of the process and failed to provide answers that would educate and inform their audience but they also didn’t actual tell the audience anything about the plan.
“The latest concepts for expanding, developing, or changing traffic patterns and neighborhoods along derenne were unveiled Thursday night.
While the city sold the concepts for a less congested, more beautiful neighborhood, the reaction to the plans were mixed.”
I can only guess from the lack of coverage, spelling and grammar errors, that WSAV didn’t actually send a reporter to the meeting and some intern had to write it up.
Bottom line on Project Derenne for me is that the City has given the people who actually care about the issue ample time to comment and cajole and gripe – now they need to take care of business or get off the pot.
Bottom Line on Derenne Avenue for me is that you freaky southside people can have it. I’m staying downtown.
LIARS!
It has been a while since the Savannah Morning News has printed a blatant lie – they have been wrong plenty but obvious blatant lies have been thin on the ground until this week.
From the Vox:
"So an insurance company-backed study recommends to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that mammograms are not necessary until you are 50 and self exams are not beneficial? I was not aware a woman between the ages of 40 and 49 could not be stricken by this deadly disease. Blatant greed."
For those of you new to my amber waves of brain – You have a right to your opinion but you do not have the right to pollute the public discourse with false statements of fact. The above is a false statement of fact printed as opinion by an editorial staff that is apparently too lazy to check the details before they print something.
The “study” in question does not exist.
There was no study. There was a recommendation by a panel of doctors and other healthcare workers. They based that recommendation on other people’s research.
“We used 6 established models to estimate the outcomes across 20 mammography screening strategies that vary by age of initiation and cessation and by screening interval among a cohort of U.S. women. The results are intended to contribute to practice and guideline policy debates.”
The sources for the models they created were from scientific studies done primarily in socialist countries or the National Cancer Institute – not from any insurance company.
2. Nyström L, Andersson I, Bjurstam N, Frisell J, Nordenskjöld B, Rutqvist LE. Long-term effects of mammography screening: updated overview of the Swedish randomised trials. Lancet 2002;359:909-19. [PMID: 11918907]
3. Tabár L, Vitak B, Chen HH, Duffy SW, Yen MF, Chiang CF, et al. The Swedish Two-County Trial twenty years later. Updated mortality results and new insights from long-term follow-up. Radiol Clin North Am 2000;38:625-51. [PMID: 10943268]
4. Vainio H, Bianchini F, eds. Breast Cancer Screening. International Agency for Research on Cancer Handbook on Cancer Prevention, Report No. 7. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2002.
5. Moss SM, Cuckle H, Evans A, Johns L, Waller M, Bobrow L; Trial Management Group. Effect of mammographic screening from age 40 years on breast cancer mortality at 10 years' follow-up: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2006;368:2053-60. [PMID: 17161727]
The group making the recommendations is a pseudo governmental entity established by FEDERAL lawmakers and has no direct links to insurance companies. They also claim that cost-cutting was not their primary concern when writing their report.
The Savannah Morning News should be ashamed - printing this type of lie in the paper adds to the confusion and distrust many people already suffer when it comes to the healthcare debate. Printing lies on the topic at this pivotal time in our country is shameful.
Observe how the drones will swarm when they sense a threat to the hive….
Really y’all? Basing an entire business section on an unconfirmed comment that no one will admit to actually hearing?
Printing testimonials praising a quasigovernmental authority without any examination of the underlying facts or an accounting of that authority’s performance?
This is journalism?
Despite what I was taught on the debate team, I have recently been informed that using rhetorical questions is the sign of a smarta$$ and not the modern polite way to make a point.
I am a smarta$$?
For some reason the Savannah Morning News Editorial folk is circling the wagons around the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority.
“It is believed in some quarters that Mayor Otis Johnson then suggested the City Council look into "defunding" the quasi-government entity at the council retreat next week at St. Simons Island.”
Seriously – that all they got. Somebody says the Mayor said something that they can’t confirm.
Oh and while we're at it... City Council isn't going to St. Simons Island on retreat this year they are staying in Chatham County. At least that is what they talked about at earlier meetings. You know meetings?... where the Savannah Morning News should have reporters in the room but often don't?
This is journalism?
Not only are the origins of this article suspect, the newspaper’s reaction is something akin to killing a fly with a laser guided thermonuclear fission-assisted sledgehammer.
They only quote one person who was actually in the room when the supposed conversation took place – apparently more than 15 people were present – but Ms. Smith-Broady decided to devote most of the article to people who had simply heard the rumor, believed it and were really really angry about it.
Oh yeah the one person who was actually in the room and quoted in the article denies hearing anything like what the paper is claiming.
The only indication that the so-called journalists at the SMN tried to look into the situation at all is this limp excuse:
“The Savannah Government Television broadcast of the work session doesn't include that part of the meeting.”
Didn’t you have a reporter there?
BTW the reason they are having so much trouble finding the details of this supposed situation is because it may have actually happened the week before.
At least part of the conversation Alderman Jackson references in her interview took place during the discussion of capital projects on November 5th.
The Mayor at that time did say he wanted an accounting of activities along the MLK corridor and was displeased with what he sees as at the lack of progress.
I don’t know for sure if he revisited that topic at the last meeting, neither does the paper so they really shouldn't be writing an article about it.
This is NOT JOURNALISM.
Gentle, Genteel and Gentile readers please forgive my slackness – I have been distracted by a family matter that I may or may not share in this forum.
The result of my distraction is that not much can get my ire up right now however there were a couple of things that struck me.
See what you get when you just show up?
Recently I have had many occasions to lament the absence of the media from important meetings at which important things happened that ultimately will impact every single citizen of Savannah.
That was not the case at the most recent City Council Meeting and from that single event the Savannah Morning News has managed to milk three headline-worthy stories and gathered intel to assist them with many more stories.
So far from that single event we had actual news on
Friday 11/6 – Enmark, city to try for compromise for Hampstead station and City suspends D.I. Grill's liquor license
Thursday 11/12 - D.I. Grille can serve liquor until hearing
Sunday 11/15 – Sales tax revenue coming in short
Monday 11/16 - West Savannah neighborhood to see more improvement in 2010
While not all of these saw action at the meeting - the lagging sales tax and the West Savannah renewal plan were discussed by leaders and provided reporters with a starting point for the larger story proving once again that there is tremendous value in just showing up.
Now a couple from the Vox -
"The actors and actresses on the set of 'The Conspirator' could smile, talk to, or acknowledge the fans that are there to admire and flatter them. They should stop being snobs."
Yeah cause if a bunch of people came to the office, restaurant, beauty salon or Wal Mart where you work and just stood there and stared at you – you would totally be all “Hey y’all thanks for coming down here and just standing around while I work.” Ignoramus!
"The difference between liberals and conservatives is that liberals recognize the distinct strata of society and desire to address their problems. Conservatives recognize the distinct strata of society and desire to preserve them."
No – the difference between liberals and conservatives is that liberals want total control so they can tell you what you can do and conservatives want total control so they can tell you what you can’t do.
Oh… wait that really isn’t a difference is it?
Mother may I break the rules – just a little - just this once – please?
People seem to have a difficult time figuring out my politics when, in my mind at least, it is very simple and clear.
There are Rules. Live by those Rules.
That’s it. Call it playground logic if you will.
Armed with that little insight you can see why this little piece of propaganda from the Savannah Morning News had me boiling:
“SAVANNAH CITY Council should either approve a rezoning at White Bluff and Hampstead, or buy the land from the developer.”
Partly I am mad cause they are wrong – partly because the editorial staff presented a whole page of wrong under a bigas animated banner ad for Enmark- the owner of the land.
This goes back to that whole Enmark thing from last week’s city council meeting.
Enmark is asking for permission to break the zoning law on a piece of land in a neighborhood. The paper would have you believe that is not only okay but their GAWD given right.
City leaders can't preclude property owners from the rightful use of their land indefinitely.
Rightful use? So, according to the paper, City Council has lost the power to enforce zoning laws? When did this happen?
Does this mean I can pursue my lifelong dream of operating a deer processing/taxidermy shop in the heart of Ardsley Park. I can put in the Helicopter landing pad I’ve always wanted?
Oh but no… Enmark is going to enhance the neighborhood by breaking the zoning laws.
“That Enmark is moving to get the rezoning anyway is a testament to its corporate stewardship.
The company has also pledged to build a store with a more residential-looking design, muted colors, and a single low sign on the White Bluff side of the property.”
Okay… see Enmark knew the zoning when they bought the land.
Everyone involved including Enmark says they can build the station they want without breaking the zoning laws but we are supposed to applaud because they want to break the zoning laws?
The paper tries to do a little MPC dance pointing out the “transitional”
nature of the area as an excuse to allow further commercial encroachment into
the neighborhood.
Doesn’t that just push the transitional part into the
residential part?
Where do we stop the transitioning part?
Will there be any houses left?
Savannah’s self-appointed GAY spokesperson Kevin Clark is at it again – This time he’s right – for the most part.
Clark is beeatching about how a group of gay “leafletters” were treated at the recent innovation awards. The police acted “stupidly”, to borrow a phrase from the president, when they rudely and unconstitutionally sent The GAYS away from the public streets and sidewalks where the awards were handed out.
However he makes a key mistake in is tirade that the paper should have cleared up or excised from this SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS piece.
Moreover, why did prominent politicians, including Alderman Tony Thomas and County Commission Chairman Pete Liakakis, who were in attendance, stand by and watch as their police committed this embarrassment?
Mr. Thomas and Mr. LIakakis could not, by law, say boo to the cops in this or any other situation.
The SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS knows this, they have lauded this particular part of the Manager Form of Government and they have berated the City Council for Micro Managing when they dared to ask a difficult question of the police chief because they simply wanted to know how many cops we have and where they were assigned.
The paper should NEVER have printed this unfounded accusation.
They know full well that repeating Clark’s criticism makes two electeds look as though they don’t care when the truth is they were as powerless as The GAYS.
In the city’s case Aldermen are strictly forbidden to interfere with the day to day operations of any city department. On a bigger scale anyone – ANYONE – interfering with a police officer duties in just about any situation could be charged with obstruction.
Don’t like the idea that the police can break the law and trample your rights and no one can stop them on the spot?
Tough!
This is the price you pay to live in the false belief that you and your family are safe.
One from the VOX:
"The news told of a young lady being gang raped as a crowd of chicken livered onlookers watched. How revolting and cowardly. That would not have happened back in my day."
When exactly was your “day” - 1964 perhaps? That is the year Kitty Genovese was stabbed and suffocated on her own blood within site and earshot of more than a dozen people who did little or nothing to help her.
Or perhaps your “day” was the 1920’s or 1930’s or perhaps 1940’s or 1950’s when groups of people banded together to hang individuals from trees until their necks broke or they choked to death. No one lifted a hand to stop them and instead cheered them on back in those days.
We are a violent group of animals. We have always been a violent group of animals and we have always run away from our fellow animal’s problems when we have the opportunity.
That is why we survived so long and so well among faster and deadlier groups of animals.
Don’t play dumb! The exact same levels of violence and cowardice exist in each and every one of us yesterday, today and tomorrow.
It takes a serious act of will to be this stupid or does it just come naturally?
“He sounds like a nice, unsuspecting guy who doesn't always read the fine print, believes what people tell him and suffers from lousy timing. Then bad things happen, like the condo market going off a cliff.”
An editorial in the Savannah Morning News goes on and on about this moronic guy that bought one of the condos that are inside the old newspaper building on Bay.
Okay – maybe Bartoon could say the guy was a victim of bad timing if he…say… bought at the end of 2007. The real estate bubble was slowly deflating here in Savannah and it looked like we might be recession proof or at least go shallow and recover quickly but that is not the case for this particular “victim”.
“Williams, an interior designer from New York, paid $670,000 for a fifth-floor condominium last December at News Place West at 165 West Bay Street.”
Last December? LAST December? Really?
What “fine print” did he not see? Could it have been this headline in the Savannah Morning News in September: Bailout unlikely to counter slump or perhaps this tiny little headline in December: Forecasters: Georgia's economic outlook 'dreadful' .
Truthfully though, in condo boy’s defense, it is hard to get an accurate picture of the local economy from reading Mr. Bartoon’s newspaper.
Here are a group of SMN headlines arranged by date. Can you tell how the economy is doing?
Ga. economist: State could be facing recession
Housing may rebound by year's end; economy to grow slowly
New reports give bleak outlook on housing, economy
Growth weaker than hoped; economy shrinks in Q4
Consumer spending gain provides hope for rebound
City Talk: Data suggest ongoing economic weakness
Report: Worst of recession likely over for Coastal Empire
Manufacturing data boosts hopes of recession end
Georgia hits record unemployment
Schizophrenic much?
OH THE INACCURACY!
I couldn’t believe this crappy Associated Press article about the city I love actually made it into print, in the Atlanta Journal of all places.
Really… y'all don’t read the article unless you want to get annoyed or have a completely distorted view of history.
“Savannah was founded in 1733 and was one of America's first planned cities, with a series of squares and parks that can still be enjoyed today.
But the reason for those public spaces might surprise modern visitors: British General James Oglethorpe designed them as part of a military grid so his troops could set up camp and have shaded meeting spots.”
Yeah….uh….no.
First most of the military men were at the forts along the perimeter of the colony. The colonists themselves were expected to protect the town if attacked so I expect the militia did drill in the squares but they were not designed specifically for that purpose. To suggest that was the primary reason belittles the urban design accomplishment that is our amazing city plan.
But this author shows her willful ignorance of our history throughout the piece.
“Originally the city had 24 squares. It's a remarkable feat of preservation that 22 are still in existence and one more is being restored.”
Yeah….uh…no.
Originally Oglethorpe’s Savannah had four squares his plan called for six but they had four ORIGINALLY. Four is the correct answer to how many squares Savannah had ORIGINALLY. We did get up to 24 in 1851 more than 118 years after “originally”.
“Today the area is one of the largest National Historic Landmark districts in the country.”
Yeah…uh…no.
I know people here like to say this but there really is no actual designation for “largest NHLD”. If you go by size there is an 825,000 acre ranch in Texas that will kick Savannah’s ample buttocks. Butte Montana’s NHLD is now over 9000 acres. If you go by number of contributing structures Savannah may rank 2nd but that would not be largest that would be thickest or densest NHLD. Bragging is fine but this has no place as a statement of fact in a news story.
I find it Sad and Pathetic that people know so little but say so much about Savannah and we don’t ever seem to correct them.
Pretty soon…
What am I saying? Pretty soon? How bout right now? Nobody knows or cares about our true history anymore.
We have become the Eloi .
I like to think of myself as patient. I mean… I waited three whole days and a half before I pointed out this latest example of how piss poor the coverage of our local city government has become.
While I applauded the Savannah Morning News for their “just the facts” approach to last week’s City Council meeting I was unaware at the time that they actually missed the biggest and most important story of the day. Every media outlet in town apparently missed it. I would have missed it too if I hadn’t bothered to watch the budget briefing on the City Channel.
85 City of Savannah Jobs may be Going BUH BYE!
I should have known it couldn’t last. The city did so well balancing the budget for 2009. Like the little engine that could they climbed that mounting deficit till they reached the peak at $5 million and coasted down the other side without any layoffs, furloughs, firings or other shortcuts to Balanced Budget Land.
Unfortunately the picture for 2010 is even less rose tinted than I previously reported.
Here is what the big brains in the Chief Penny Pincher’s office are predicting:
They see $3 million less in revenue coming in next year.
That is a fresh $3 million revenue deficit added to the $5 million revenue deficit we saw this year…. That still too mathy?… um… How bout this?
Revenue is back down to 2004 levels but spending is still up at 2007-2008 levels.
Think about what you were spending in 2008 – your expenses were probably just above what you could afford on your salary – now imagine your paycheck came in but the Accounting Department made a mistake and paid you your 2004 salary. You still have all the same bills but much less to pay them - that is what is happening to the city.
There was a smidge of good news – City Budgeteers see a small recovery on the horizon with more spending (a 1% increase in Sales Tax and Hotel/Motel Tax revenues), more building (a 5% increase in revenue from inspections fees). Of course those increases are above our already rock bottom levels so not really a cash banquet but still good to see even a slight reversal of fortunes.
Back to the not so happy news – The city has been trying to find a way to squeeze and stretch what they have in order to continue providing the same level of services and keep all their employees and keep from going into ridiculous amounts of debt.
The fact is they can’t do it.
No one could.
Something’s gotta give.
In this case they plan to eliminate some services, we don’t know which ones yet, and some 85 jobs could be erased along with those eliminated services.
Officially: 85 positions will be held vacant, reallocated or eliminated the city's goal is still to avoid layoffs.
Chris Morrill says they think they can do it without firing anyone “What we will try to do is to reassign those employees to areas where, through this economic crisis, we could use some more work there on a temporary basis.”
So those workers who find themselves surplus to requirements will be given the opportunity to do a different job.
City Manager Michael Brown puts it this way “We will give every employee the chance to make a reasonable transition.” But he stated clearly that there may still be layoffs because some jobs are definitely going away and if the employee isn’t willing to make the transition and do the new job to the best of their ability they will not be kept on.
No matter what you think of the city’s plan I want you to ask yourself if perhaps this story should have been reported by the people actually paid to report on Savannah instead of your faithful unpaid blogger pal ESTÚPIDO.
We all pay for city services, most of us expect them to be there when we need them even if we never need them. How can an important story about an organization that WE ALL OWN not make the paper or television news?
Where is Savannah’s fourth estate?
