Would someone please point out to Tim that his Friday columns are a whole lot more like Jerry's chatty back-page filler than anything pertinent to an op-ed page?
Like a magpie, he seems drawn to bits of shiny trash, like the annual how-dumb-Americans-are story.
I mentioned this the other day, and Tim falls into the same old hackneyed response, picking up the results as if they're entirely new and implying that people are way dumber now than they were in the day.
The thing is, this survey has been done since the late '40s and the results have been more or less consistent. Every experienced newsman knows this -- or should -- because it comes in on the wires every year. It's non-news, and how most editors handle it is anti-news, because it disinforms the reader and passes up the important opportunity for discussion of public policy relative to education that the study was designed to provoke.
Ok so this might be a little off topic regarding the editor and his choice of things to discuss but I wish someone would explore the way in which comments are posted, or more to my point, not posted regarding published letters. It seems that responses are censored in a way that seems "questionable" at the very least. If the editor is going to publish letters which are sure to generate comments (which is what he wants) then he ought to publish the responses. Today a letter bashing unions was published and BOTH of my comments where censored. One of my comments was simply the one sentence -"It would be interesting to know how many comments regarding this letter where censored". I mean really ? Trying to figure out this editorial board, not to mention the editor, is a lesson in frustration.
ReplyDeleteNow tell me - Did I just get zapped again ?
ReplyDeleteJust back from the gig, I find that Zig's comment failed to post, dunno why. Blogger glitch, I'm guessing. here it is:
ReplyDeleteZig E., 7:35PM: Ok so this might be a little off topic regarding the editor and his choice of things to discuss but I wish someone would explore the way in which comments are posted, or more to my point, not posted regarding published letters. It seems that responses are censored in a way that seems "questionable" at the very least. If the editor is going to publish letters which are sure to generate comments (which is what he wants) then he ought to publish the responses. Today a letter bashing unions was published and BOTH of my comments where censored. One of my comments was simply the one sentence -"It would be interesting to know how many comments regarding this letter where censored". I mean really ? Trying to figure out this editorial board, not to mention the editor, is a lesson in frustration.
I get frequent notes from commenters that their writings go missing on dCourier. I'll just reiterate that it's good policy to write your comments offline and save them until you see them posted, which can take up to 12 hours. If they don't show up, feel free to post them as a comment on any post here, with reference to which story you're commenting on. I'm happy to host them.
ReplyDeleteI think sometimes it's been editorial decisions and sometimes ordinary incompetence that disappears comments. Sometimes they appear on the wrong story as well.
I appreciate that Steve - I posted, was censored, posted again, appeared to be censored again, posted here on your blog, that didn't go through so I thought I was censored again, and 8 hour later (when it's no longer relevant) one of my posts finally shows up. Sometimes one can feel that things are being done purposely.
ReplyDeleteRegarding this can you tell me if the Courier's employees are unionized ? My guess is no.
2 of my posts on the story on the 20-year-old track coach being arrested (along with several others) simply disappeared without comment. It's almost as if the Courier just reset the comments page without notice.
ReplyDeleteZig: I have never heard that any Western Newspapers employees are unionized, and it would surprise me, but I can't say I know that none are. Perhaps someone with direct knowledge will comment and let us know.
ReplyDeleteThe Newspaper Guild Communications Workers of America. They are part of the AFL-CIO. I have no idea of how many or which papers are involved.
ReplyDelete