The Enquirer's Editorial on health care reform from Tuesday is nothing more than a restatement of every GOP Talking Point on the current bill. I mean using "arrogant" in the title was the dead give away, but including "negotiated behind closed doors" and "sham" are just to obvious. It goes on to get worse.
They cherry pick poll questions about how people feel about health care, not new. Everyone can find a poll question or combination of answers to a poll question to fit their opinion.
This editorial is bad, I would be embarrassed if I worked there. This is political spin about as bad as I've seen. It was as if a journalist didn't even write this at all. It comes off as PR, not an editorial.
I find it arrogant of the Enquirer or Gannett, or who ever wrote this attack editorial to think that we don't see the political bias at work. We understand that newspapers have opinions, but why can't they do more than just spout one side? We have enough of that on FOX News. We have a conservative newspaper here in Cincinnati, but why does he have to so often be a lap-dog of the GOP on national issues?
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Chris Smitherman Arrested
The Enquirer is reporting that Cincinnati NAACP Chapter President Chris Smitherman was arrested this morning outside a school construction site. I am sure we shall be besieged with how it matters to justice that Mr. Smitherman can't seem to get the CPS to hire the people Smitherman wants them to hire, but I am really am starting not to care.
If you are going to protest something, then you need to define what your goals are, something the local NAACP President has failed to do. Just saying you want more African-Americans hired is about as focused as Pastor Phil telling us we should all be nicer to your fellow man. Pastor isn't standing in front of schools yelling at people that we must be nicer. Tell us the goal. Make that goal reasonable. Work with African-American Chamber of Commerce to find viable businesses to provide good service to our Schools.
Published reports indicate that Smitherman has provided the CPS with little more than names and phone numbers of people he thinks should be hired. Smitherman needs to provide the detail and at least basic support documenting that the people have relevant companies that can provide valuable services. Our school system does not exist to provide employment to Smitherman's friends.
If there are problems in how contracts are handed out at CPS, Smitherman and his minions need to stop playing games. The attention is not going to gain you anything. He is turning off his possible allies. He is a mockery and is sullying the work the NAACP has down locally and across the country. He needs to find a strategy based on sanity, not on Smitherman's desire for fame and fortune. This I fear is just another in what will be a long line of stunts that Smitherman will waste time and effort on, instead of actually finding solutions for problems.
If you are going to protest something, then you need to define what your goals are, something the local NAACP President has failed to do. Just saying you want more African-Americans hired is about as focused as Pastor Phil telling us we should all be nicer to your fellow man. Pastor isn't standing in front of schools yelling at people that we must be nicer. Tell us the goal. Make that goal reasonable. Work with African-American Chamber of Commerce to find viable businesses to provide good service to our Schools.
Published reports indicate that Smitherman has provided the CPS with little more than names and phone numbers of people he thinks should be hired. Smitherman needs to provide the detail and at least basic support documenting that the people have relevant companies that can provide valuable services. Our school system does not exist to provide employment to Smitherman's friends.
If there are problems in how contracts are handed out at CPS, Smitherman and his minions need to stop playing games. The attention is not going to gain you anything. He is turning off his possible allies. He is a mockery and is sullying the work the NAACP has down locally and across the country. He needs to find a strategy based on sanity, not on Smitherman's desire for fame and fortune. This I fear is just another in what will be a long line of stunts that Smitherman will waste time and effort on, instead of actually finding solutions for problems.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Final Four
With local teams in two different tournaments this year, I thought I'd offer my picks for the Final Four (of each). Feel free to make fun of my picks and/or offer your own in the comments.
NCAA: Kansas, Pitt, Kentucky, Duke, with Duke winning the championship.
I have Xavier making it through the first round, in a very close game with Minnesota. And I have 5 Big East teams (Georgetown, Syracuse, Pitt, WVU, and Villanova) in the Elite Eight.
NIT: Cincinnati, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina, with Virginia Tech winning the tournament (over Cincinnati).
I have Dayton winning the first round, but losing to UC in the second round.
Griff...how far do you think the Redhawks will.....oh, never mind.
NCAA: Kansas, Pitt, Kentucky, Duke, with Duke winning the championship.
I have Xavier making it through the first round, in a very close game with Minnesota. And I have 5 Big East teams (Georgetown, Syracuse, Pitt, WVU, and Villanova) in the Elite Eight.
NIT: Cincinnati, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina, with Virginia Tech winning the tournament (over Cincinnati).
I have Dayton winning the first round, but losing to UC in the second round.
Griff...how far do you think the Redhawks will.....oh, never mind.
Monday, March 15, 2010
MidPoint 2010 Release Show Changed to April 23rd
The Midpoint Music Festival has announced a change to the date and performers for its release show. The CAC will host Midpoint on April 23rd for show from Aloha(www.myspace.com/aloha), Pomegranates (www.myspace.com/pomegranatesart), and The Buried Wire (www.myspace.com/theburiedwires).
Midpoint is slated to announce other new features of this year's festival including performers, new stages, and partners.
The show was previous announced for March 25th at the Blue Wisp.
Midpoint is slated to announce other new features of this year's festival including performers, new stages, and partners.
The show was previous announced for March 25th at the Blue Wisp.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Cincinnati Fringe Festival: New Website and Line-Up
Last night the Cincinnati Fringe Festival held an event to celibate the relaunching of their website www.cincyfringe.com and at the same time announced the line-up for the 2010 festival.
32 shows mostly from out of town will descend on Know Theatre starting June 1st for the 7th annual event. For a listing of the productions, check here. As is normal, the line-up is subject to change.
This year TheConveyor.com will once again be reviewing shows and giving insights and out of sights on the festival.
If you have never been to Fringe, then clear your calendar for the first 12 days of June. It is theatre and community at its best.
Twitter folks, please spread the word. We used #cincyfringe last year, so I hope that is repeated!
32 shows mostly from out of town will descend on Know Theatre starting June 1st for the 7th annual event. For a listing of the productions, check here. As is normal, the line-up is subject to change.
This year TheConveyor.com will once again be reviewing shows and giving insights and out of sights on the festival.
If you have never been to Fringe, then clear your calendar for the first 12 days of June. It is theatre and community at its best.
Twitter folks, please spread the word. We used #cincyfringe last year, so I hope that is repeated!
OTR Gateway Quarter Website Updated
The team at Vine Street Interactive did a great job redsigning the OTR/Gateway Quarter Merchants Group website.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
What is Content Stealing?
As I mentioned in the previous post, the Enquirer has rolled out a "First in Print" strategy, through which on Sundays certain articles will appear only in the print edition until Monday morning, when they will then become available online. One justification cited by editor Tom Callinan is the blogosphere's theft of his paper's content:
When does a blog or website (why does the Enquirer's style book still require the capitalization of "web"?) "rob" a newspaper's content? Are Griff and I among the robbers responsible for the demise of the print media?
Neither Griff nor I has ever claimed to be a reporter. (To the contrary, I have repeatedly disclaimed any such notion.**) Instead, our typical post is a comment on a news story published elsewhere. We always reference--and link to--the source of the story. (In fact, when Griff initially invited me to blog, the only rule he gave me was to link to any story about which I post.) That's the same practice followed by other blogs I read. Is that robbery?
As I noted below, even the Enquirer follows the lead of other sources. The "Vanity Fair controversy" originated at Kate's Random Musings. Callinan himself wrote about it, attributing the story to Katy. The Enquirer reported on CityBeat's story about the unfortunate email from Monzel's aid, once again properly attributing its source. Was that robbery? And even in the Cole piece I talk about below, Jon Craig remarks that Cole's appointment "drew scorn from some bloggers." Really? Which bloggers? How about a link to one or more of the bloggers? Does Craig mean Griff? I hope not, because Griff's post doesn't criticize the appointment itself, only Cole's decision to leave her current post early.
So here's my question: what does the Enquirer consider fair use, and what, according to Callinan, is robbery? And how do the paper's own practices differ from those they condemn?
In this environment, the Enquirer isn't likely to create new positions anytime soon. But it should seriously consider the addition of a public editor or ombudsman who would write a weekly column. If the Enquirer is serious about consistently generating a quality product, it ought not be afraid of an independent person to perform a quality-assurance function.
*This sentence is a clear illustration of the utility of the serial comma. Until I got to "has long been a vexation," I thought that "watching broadcast outlets" was something websites and blogs did while robbing newspapers of their reporting. Once again, Judge Painter is correct; check out Rule 24 in the linked book. Of course, this is a "talking footnote," a Judge Painter no-no; see Rule 12.
**Obviously, there are exceptions. Griff typically "reports" on MPMF. If I happen to notice a restaurant opening or closing, I'll "report" on this--but even then, I'm usually scooped by Polly Campbell or Julie Niesen, to whom I link, if I know they've posted.
Watching broadcast outlets, Web sites and blogs essentially rob newspapers of their hard - and expensive - reporting has long been a vexation, but not a mortal threat.*
When does a blog or website (why does the Enquirer's style book still require the capitalization of "web"?) "rob" a newspaper's content? Are Griff and I among the robbers responsible for the demise of the print media?
Neither Griff nor I has ever claimed to be a reporter. (To the contrary, I have repeatedly disclaimed any such notion.**) Instead, our typical post is a comment on a news story published elsewhere. We always reference--and link to--the source of the story. (In fact, when Griff initially invited me to blog, the only rule he gave me was to link to any story about which I post.) That's the same practice followed by other blogs I read. Is that robbery?
As I noted below, even the Enquirer follows the lead of other sources. The "Vanity Fair controversy" originated at Kate's Random Musings. Callinan himself wrote about it, attributing the story to Katy. The Enquirer reported on CityBeat's story about the unfortunate email from Monzel's aid, once again properly attributing its source. Was that robbery? And even in the Cole piece I talk about below, Jon Craig remarks that Cole's appointment "drew scorn from some bloggers." Really? Which bloggers? How about a link to one or more of the bloggers? Does Craig mean Griff? I hope not, because Griff's post doesn't criticize the appointment itself, only Cole's decision to leave her current post early.
So here's my question: what does the Enquirer consider fair use, and what, according to Callinan, is robbery? And how do the paper's own practices differ from those they condemn?
In this environment, the Enquirer isn't likely to create new positions anytime soon. But it should seriously consider the addition of a public editor or ombudsman who would write a weekly column. If the Enquirer is serious about consistently generating a quality product, it ought not be afraid of an independent person to perform a quality-assurance function.
*This sentence is a clear illustration of the utility of the serial comma. Until I got to "has long been a vexation," I thought that "watching broadcast outlets" was something websites and blogs did while robbing newspapers of their reporting. Once again, Judge Painter is correct; check out Rule 24 in the linked book. Of course, this is a "talking footnote," a Judge Painter no-no; see Rule 12.
**Obviously, there are exceptions. Griff typically "reports" on MPMF. If I happen to notice a restaurant opening or closing, I'll "report" on this--but even then, I'm usually scooped by Polly Campbell or Julie Niesen, to whom I link, if I know they've posted.
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