Aghast is soft for what I feel. Is rage better? What in hell is this about
"routine" and "if-we-carried-every-beating-of-a-driver story,
we'd-have-no-room-for-anything-else bullrot. What overstatement, and what a
callous attitude for a newspaper to present. This is urban journalistic
cynicism and arrogant news management at its worst (except when the paper
plays footsie with police officers beating the heads of legitimate
demonstrators).
Steve Brandt - and obviously others - waste a lot of time defending their
lousy coverage and presume that only they have the value set to determine
newsworthiness of events. As a working journalist, I am ashamed for my
industry for a refusal to see the worth in stories that truly touch people,
but worse, which threaten the very 1st Amendment they'd go to the wall
defending if anyone attacked their right to publish anything they damned
well pleased. I would defend the latter to the death, why don't they defend
the former?
Andy Driscoll
--
"Whatever keeps you from your work is your work."
Albert Camus
The Driscoll Group/Communications
Writing/Graphics/Political Consulting/Communications Strategies
835 Linwood Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105
651-293-9039
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> From: "Russell Wayne Peterson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 16:04:06 -0600
> To: "Multiple recipients of list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: RE: coverage of beatings
>
> Steve said (although I think these are the words of the Strib and not
> Steve's):
>
> "We rarely report routine beatings of anyone, much less drivers, and if we
> did, the newspaper would have room for little else."
>
> The fact that "routine beating" is actually a phrase we use and then say we
> don't have room for anything else because it is so prevalent just FLOORS me.
> I am aghast. Isn't anybody else? Or do we just want to continue to accept
> this kind of activity in our city? It is the institutional behavior of
> places like the Strib and the City of Minneapolis government that accepts a
> certain level of criminal activity and poor delivery of city services that
> helps create this "problem city image" we have. And many of us have bought
> into this low standard. And we wonder why good people move out of the city.
>
> I have mentioned this before and this is a perfect example of why we need to
> raise the bar in this city. And if the Strib is looking for story ideas,
> how about a story on "monthly, routine beatings of bus drivers?"
>
> Russ Peterson
> Ward 9
> Standish
>
>
> R U S S E L L P E T E R S O N D E S I G N
> "You can only fly if you stretch your wings."
>
> Russell W. Peterson, RA, CID
> Founder
>
> 3857 23rd Avenue South
> Minneapolis, MN 55407
>
> 612-724-2331
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
