You're surprised about my reacting to a blanket condemnation of drivers as cowards? Life is full of surprises.
Here's another: I just reread Chris Rickert's State Journal story and I don't find it "ridiculous." It's not our job as reporters to accuse people of being disingenuous simply for making statements you disagree with. (See http://www.thedailypage.com/isthmus/article.php?article=24951.) Especially since your indignation with the article is premised on a subtle distortion of what it says. Here's the relevant section: [excerpt begin] "Dan Behrend, Dane County maintenance supervisor, said that if his department had known there were people actively using the Fish Hatchery bike lanes, workers would have plowed them sooner. The problem, he said, is that with about 57 inches of snow so far this winter, county crews have been more focused on clearing and removing snow from major vehicle routes. "We'd have made it a priority," Behrend said of the bike lanes. "If the public's having a problem, they should give us a call." [Excerpt end] He does not say, as you claim, that Fish Hatchery is not a major vehicle route. He says his crew was busy doing major routes. I agree it's a small distinction, but no reporter trained in standards of fairness and accuracy is going to flip out and attack a source for saying it. Here's a parallel: I didn't get to replying to this listserv posting sooner because I was doing important stuff. That doesn't mean I don't think it's important to respond to public criticism of a fellow journalist. I do; that's why I'm taking time to do it. But it wasn't until someone pointed out to me the unfairness of your post (in one of those private exchanges prescribed by listserv etiquette) that I actually did so. Here's how I see it: The State Journal, for whatever reason, took the concern of a bicyclist seriously enough to look into it and write a story. The reporter did what was expected of him and talked to the authorities. The reporter, unlike the complainer, managed to find the responsible official and got his perspective. The official essentially agrees it was a valid concern and says he wishes it had been handled better. The upshot: The next time maybe it will be -- or at least bicyclists will know where to address their concerns about this roadway. But that isn't good enough for you. You attack the State Journal reporter for not flipping out over the official's comment that he wasn't aware of the problem for bicyclists -- likely true, complaint systems being what they are -- and for other phrasing you deem pounceworthy. Here's the consequence: The reporter may well conclude that it isn't worth taking bicyclists' concerns seriously because they're just going to be angry about what you write, whatever it is, unless you actually throw the bicyclist's hand in the air and declare him the winner. And so the next time a similar story comes along, the reporter may find he has other important things to do. Your hostile reaction to the work of this reporter turns what could have been a plus for the, ahem, bicycling community, into a negative. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 9:53 AM To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Bikies] Fish Hatchery road Bill, I was surprised that you reacted to Jeff's off-hand hyperbole, and passed up a comment on WSJ's ridiculous reporting - letting Dane County's maintenance supervisor off the hook for claiming: * Fish Hatchery Road is not a a major vehicle route * that no one bothered to contact them about the problem - at the very least, the city of Madison passed along those complaints. (Thanks for the correction, Larry). -- ===== darin ---- Bill Lueders <[email protected]> wrote: > > May all your future parades be rain-free. And thanks, Peter, for the > suggestion as to the column headline. But I fear the subject may not rise to > the level of general public interest. > _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
