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Journalism Standards By Jack D. McNamara There is a good reason for buying (and reading) all the Big Bend weekly newspapers. You might learn something. Last week’s Big Bend Sentinel published a front page story which included timely news concerning a significant issue — “Vote blocks Mexico and U.S. trucking program,” by Sterry Butcher. Six column inches. The story reported that the U.S. Senate had voted Tuesday, September 11 to block a “pilot” program launched only the previous Friday by the Bush Administration. The program permitted what the press reported as about 1000 Mexican trucks to haul in the U.S. across the southern border. The vote by the U.S. Senate was 74-24, a veto proof majority which accompanies a 408-3 vote in the U.S. House in July. The pilot program continues until the bill is either signed or vetoed by the President. (Mr. Perry is wrong again in today's Avalanche, apparently thinking the pilot program is halted by the overwhelming vote of the United States Congress. He doesn't understand the Bush Administration.) In the Alpine Avalanche the page 1 story last week was “Trucks from Mexico cause stir,” written by “Avalanche staff.” An introductory 6 column inches jumped to page 7 for more than 50 column inches in a “Q & A” (Question and Answer) format. The Avalanche missed the Senate action of Tuesday night, perhaps because of publication schedule — or perhaps because they don’t understand the U.S. Congress. But then, as is becoming a habit for new editor/publisher Mike Perry, we were favored with a 30 column inch editorial, “Let’s move beyond the trucking rhetoric.” Having missed entirely a new and significant fact of the U.S. Senate vote, Perry says the proponents of La Entrada al Pacifico are “well-organized, offering well-thought-out logic backed up by facts and figures.” The opponents (which are us) “have little logic and no facts or figures to back them up.” That qualifies as perhaps the most ridiculous journalism we have seen around here for lo! these 20 years we have been watching. For example, we have been waiting since March for HDR Engineering, the TxDoT “consultants,” to publish an actual number for projected truck traffic. Seen any facts from those who are paid to produce facts? That is not the only example of Avalanche hype, hectoring and partiality. On page 1 of the July 19 issue we saw “Raun shouts down city council.” The story described an argument in council between Ward 3 Councilman Gerald Raun and Mayor Mickey Clouse concerning whether or not the newly elected councilman could vote on an agenda item concerning the Southwest Texas Municipal Gas Company. Raun’s wife works for the gas company. The reason for the agenda item and the debate was that Mayor Clouse (who wants to sell the gas company), has for several months been obstructing any constructive action regarding the gas company. Along with everyone in Alpine who was informed of the issue, Raun was justly frustrated. The Sentinel story, “Raun, Clouse butt heads over gas company enter local agreement” by Richard Grabman was fair, balanced and accurate. The July 19 Avalanche news story was accompanied by an 18 column inch editorial “Councilman Raun must apologize.” (Oh no, he must not, and as of now he hasn’t). Then, reflecting the questionable competence which we here deplore, Mr. Perry commended Ward Representative Raun to the U.S. Constitution for correction of his attitude. The Constitution has nothing in it about the manners of the Alpine City Council, or anyone else, far as we know. Now we are in the midst of another argument. On September 6, 2007 the Avalanche reported “Airport Board wants the land” by Cindy Perry. The front page story liberally reported comments from a meeting of the city’s airport advisory board concerning the August 21 grant of an acre near the airport for an animal shelter. (The lack of an accessible decent animal shelter in Alpine is one of our most salient qualifications for Third World status. One former resident, a multimillionaire writer, departed here partly due to that barbarism.) No comments in the September 6 article suggested anyone who knew anything of what has now been a four year mud wrestle had anything to say in favor of the one-acre site. And there was an informed citizen there at the board meeting available for comments. This fact was made abundantly clear on the same day the Avalanche published, September 6. Glenn Ramsdale, a retired USAF Lt Col who is in the Alpine Humane Society and formerly chaired the Airport Advisory Board, sent the Avalanche a full page, single spaced email refuting every assertion of the September 6 news story concerning the misinformed Airport Advisory Board. And was a correction published in the September 13 Alpine Avalanche? No. What the Avalanche did was publish a limp-wristed 8 column inch column on the endless Avalanche editorial page where Perry tells us about everyone he has met this week. Titled “Puzzling,” the puzzled Perry loops into his circle Steve Belardo of the Airport Advisory Board and Glenn Ramsdale who he categorizes as “frustrated.” Frustrated? After four years’ effort to provide a decent shelter for helpless animals who can’t speak for themselves? Then Mr. Perry refers to the action taken by a unanimous city council on August 21 to grant one acre more than 500 feet from any airport installation — “And why can’t we (select a site) do it in the light of day, rather than sneaking a motion through the council?” Sneaking? How do you “sneak” a 5-0 vote through the council? They have to be awake and alert in order to vote. This sort of innuendo and arrogance is precisely what cost us a great deal of time, money, and trouble beginning in late 2004. We let too many of these scurrilous, misinformed allegations go by. Mr. Perry and the Avalanche are entitled to promote whatever causes they choose. The Avalanche, however, receives significant benefits from the public in the form of public advertising, low mailing rates, and other forms of public assistance. We have every right to expect the newspaper to conform to some standards. We quote from the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) — “Article V – Impartiality. To be impartial does not require the press to be unquestioning or to refrain from editorial expression. Sound practice, however, demands a clear distinction for the reader between news reports and opinion. Articles that contain opinion or personal interpretation should be clearly identified. …( ASNE’s Statement of principles was originally adopted in 1922 as the “Canons of Journalism,”” (www.ASNE.org). Publisher's Note: This column is a criticism of the Alpine Avalanche published here in Alpine. The column was submitted to the Big Bend Sentinel September 18, as usual, for publication Thursday, September 20. The column concerns issues of intense public discussion of significant importance here in Alpine. Several of the issues raised are addressed in the Avalanche. Buried deep in Publisher Perry's various ramblings are concessions that our criticisms are valid. This column was "spiked" by the best newspaper in the area and that fact alone should tell you why there is such a thing as an alternative press. Jack D. McNamara, since 1988 The Nimby News. |