"Back in the day..." we got the daily Post Star, the weekly Greenwich Journal and the Sunday Times. The Journal carries on, thanks to the determination of Darren Johnson. The Post Star is a skeleton itself and I cancelled my online subscription to the NY Times in 2016 after they eviscerated Hillary Clinton. Yes, I am and always have been one of her staunchest supporters. IMHO, she was and remains the most qualified candidate, since 2016, to run for President. Her biggest mistake was staying in her marriage. I read a lot of Substack, get daily emails from Bloomberg (whodauhunkit?) and the Wall Street Journal. But my first read every morning is this. I'm a firm believer in the importance of local involvement. The Front Page is essential in its reporting of local activity. Thank you, Ken and Will. BTW, the NYS prison situation is a hot mess and terribly frightening. Jessica Craven of Chop Wood, Carry Water writes about it. I'm not sure she gets the complexity of the situation but she has a wide national following. I've known many corrections officers, policing prisons is brutal business.
That's not to say that correction officers and the management are blameless. Little good can come from warehousing humans and it's common knowledge that men of color are imprisoned more often than white men. That's a subject in itself.
ª Bernie Sanders was/is a viable candidate.. who I would contend was on par with Ms. Clinton
ª Kamala Harris was a qualified candidate and in 2024 very close to being much more qualified... but let's say just as qualified against hmpy trmPEdo in her campaign as Ms. Clinton was in 2016
Sadly, we live in a ' bro ' where many people can't support a woman..* It embarrasses me how misogynist and racist we are in this country... so much so that we ignore all the history that shows the country was founded on racism and misogyny.
(In "The 1619 Project" it is pointed out that the 13 colonies became wealthy and powerful off the slave labor... enough to be able to go to war with one one of the biggest empires (England) that history has seen.)
To this day.. the concerted attacks republicans and the republican party on women is disgusting
What people do in a relationship.. be it for love, for money or for power... should not be seen as a mistake or a flaw. Who one loves (hello DEI... as well), unless it is Putin hopefully is something we can accept and not seen as a political flaw.
Everything I have seen about the Clinton family.. gives me a sense that they are (at some level) soulmates.
AND... I would say the flaws that kept her from being president is not who she is married to, but the evil misogony and republicans' campaign of evil (when you hold a hearing (as was done to Ms. Clinton) to tarnish her reputation and chances of winning an election, while willingly KNOWING she did nothing....then admitting to it... well that is more an indictment of the gQp evil than blaming her marriage.
...the Post Star lost a lot, when it lost [in alphabetical order] Will Doolittle and Ken Tingley / -we are fortunate, indeed, to still have their incisive writing here: in Ken's "The Front Page" and in Will's "Afterthoughts"...
Sending renewed gratitude to you, Will, Mark and other previous Post Star staff whose journalistic integrity once hallmarked the power of the written word… when local and national newspaper editors still dared to stand their ground despite publisher pressure.
And many thanks to the Light Brigade for continuing to keep Ukraine’s crisis as a focus for our concern and prayers. The added violations perpetrated by our psychopathic Prez and sadistic VP might have crushed the spirit of a lesser man than Pres. Zelenskyy. But his commitment to country-over-personal ego shined an even bigger light on the need for other countries to take a stand on behalf of Ukraine… vs. staying in an alliance with our decaying democracy led by demented men determined to destroy what once made our country worth emulating.
Let me mirror your thoughts on the Light Brigade. I don't support all their views or beliefs, but it takes real courage to stand in public and make your feelings know. More than one person has shouted expletives at them for simply enacting their right to free speech. For a brief period at The Post-Star we gave out a citizen of the year award. They would be my choice for citizen of the year for their relentless pursuit of free speech and doing the right thing.
This is excellent! I cancelled my subscription to the Washington Post about 6 weeks ago. An independent, honest press is vital to our sustaining a democracy.
The Press Republican used to print my letters, mostly about Elise Stefanik, but since the inauguration I have written two letters which have yet to be published. They only seem to publish letters one day a week now and at that only 2 or 3.
We used to have four full-time clerks to handle basic functions like prepping and verifying letters to the editor. I think current staff levels at most newspapers make that a burden and difficult to get them all in the newspaper.
Kudos to the Post Star for reviving a letter-to-the-editor section over the past month, with 7 to 8 entries weekly, including 4 or 5 familiar Front Page contributors. 🤗
LTEs are great to include, but I wouldn’t congratulate papers for publishing what amounts to free content, especially because the letter writers are the most invested customers. They will be among the last customers, right up until their obits.
I am not sure I understand the point here... are you saying that because the paper doesn't have to pay the letter writers they are profiting off free content?
...if so, there is there is an irony in that the paper will likely profit from said writers obituary since many papers are charging to have a death notice printed
Yes. And the corollary is that the people who are dropping reading are unlikely to ever have been letter writers, and their family will not pay for an obit when they die.
I suspect that is true as well. While there are many remarkable obits written by family members, I suspect most find out about the passing of friend or acquaintance through social media these days and not in the newspaper. Even obits may be a dying art.
There is/was a local legend in Saranc Lake: Phil 'bunk' Griffin who's obit* is as funny as he was.. and I suspect he wrote it himself
Edit: and many are getting notices from funeral homes.... I am expecting there will someday be a service where funeral homes will have a mailing list that goes out (as in: "who died from Glens Falls this week"_
To follow up, the reality is that letters are not entirely free content, because most letters need to be read and edited for basic grammar, spelling etc. Some have to be edited a lot just so they make sense. So there is a cost to letters to the editor in terms of preparation.
Ken, it's so sad to see this trend of censured news these days. However, I, just like many people I know have cancelled their subscriptions and have looked on line for balanced journalism. It's out there, we just have to take a minute or two to research the sources. As far as I'm concerned, Jeff Besos can go to H_LL! His day will come. Thank you for showing the "emperor really has no clothes"..
I have long contended newspapers have had biases... but quick to add it isn't aways seen in the news.. but often in the operation. That is a newspaper may run a story about prison guards and not tell the reporter or the city desk how to fame it, how ever after two stories... or from past experience... if the owner is against unions and the prison guards are unionized... there may be some sense of framing because the newspaper is also anti-union.
AND
If the newspaper is anti-union there is a good chance that reporter and the city desk will never be in a union. Nor will they benefit from higher pay, security and benefits (like insurance and retirement). Which means profits for the owner, more so than the people creating the product.
I believe Mr. Tingley have had discussions about if the Post-Star is bias (according to Media Bias / Fact Check https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-post-star/ they are.. though if you read that it is mild when it comes to reporting)
Mr. Tingley's response had been that the editorial board had picked democrats before.. which maybe be true.. it has never been pointed out (by either of us) which party they most often pick... or which party they contribute to...
""
Funded by / Ownership*
Lee Enterprises owns and publishes The Post Star. According to Open Secrets, Lee Enterprises donated 88% of its money to Republican politicians from 1990 until 2016. However, during the 2020 election cycle, they donated 70% to Democratic candidates and causes. Advertising and subscription fees generate revenue.
____
* from Media Bias / Fact Check
""
====
I am pointing this out for a couple reasons. 1) when it comes to bias, there are certain factors that are (many times) left out of the discussion; 2) way to many times in the discussion about a newspaper's bias, happens people often don't look at the full picture.
I see in the facebook discussion is of the adirondack daily enterprise (as an example) by readers that it is a liberal rag.
I have had discussions with friends about how it is bias and when they say this.. I ask for examples, they often respond with: "I can’t think of an example, but there is ways that they wrote a story that is bias towards democrats.” I should point out here.. they have NEVER followed up with an example.. so I wonder if this is a believe their theory because they think ‘facts have a liberal bias.’
And ironically the owners of the paper are right leaning.. and right leaning in operation (anti-union, anti-safeguards to our society).. but I don’t think you see that in reporting.. directly.. you see it indirectly because the reporters often have short tenures.. and those who are good at reporting go onto other, bigger, newspapers and those who are not go into advertising.
....I would contend the biggest factor that makes the newspaper bias - - - and not to the left or right - - - but the reporters are still learning their craft, then moving on.
Add to this...
ª when you become part of a newspaper... you often lose touch with what is bias or not
ª I see this with all types of media get defensive..if you point out a bias... or a lack of coverage of a certain story (for example not pointing out the newspaper has a anti-union approach to unions.. when discussing a prison union)
ª and what I see as the biggest problem with media, ESPECIALLY small media, and that is the bunker mentality. The reporters and editors will be presented with a criticism and and instead of thinking about if it is accurate or not.. The response will be: “we know what we are doing.”
Lot to unpack there. When The Post-Star was accused of bias I always asked for exampled. Probably 90 percent of the time, the person could not think of any. The other 10 percent they would point to a poorly crafted headline that did not reflect the content of a story. I think the more important point is "intentional bias." Did you start with a specific conclusion when writing a story. I doubt that. The intention was always to write a story based on the facts we knew it. I believe I base my columns on the same premise. I'm giving an opinion based on the research and facts as I know it. Is my interpretation biased? Perhaps. The lives we live gives us certain experiences on which we base our opinions. "Bias" is a tricky word that gets thrown around too easily.
When a story is put together.. the reporter was trying to express what the issue at hand was and in a way that it is understood.. (better if a solution (if needed) was expressed)
In other words: here is a story about doge... these are the intentions, but the reality is..
I would think doge would say.. our intentions are more important than the reality. and some would say the intentions are only what they 'say' and are not anything close to reality...
Thus, doge would fall back on the fact that they want people to believe the reporter is bias.
====
I would agree with your assessment of the word 'bias', but it is kicked around like a soccer ball as well, as in it is often back and forth... Such as: is the story bias? maybe not, but the words have implications and could be seen as bias... and maybe are (often it comes down to is the reader seeing the story and words the same way as the writer intended them)
Also, a bad headline... is bad journalism.. if you have to read the story to realize the headline is wrong, you are doing an injustice... And we would probably both agree that is often what click bait is... and isn't that also what a bad headline does
People thinking “facts have a liberal bias.” What a quote! Thank you, because that explains the current situation to me in a nutshell!! Somehow, while most of us were looking the other way, the Republican/conservative machine figured out how to lie so convincingly that vast swaths of the American population are practically impervious to the truth. Well, as the Trump administration goes on, I think truth is going to start getting really truthy, maybe enough to wake his supporters up out of their fever dream.
I think sometimes we need to question things from different context. WithOUT a doubt doge is going to cost more than it saves.
Saving money for anyone, but the richest Americans is not the intentions of fELON. Just as I think any story about pos_tfnKKK or hmpy trmPEDO needs to mention they are liars and then point out the lies they are telling now.... and how hmpy (and probably) pos_tfnKKK is a criminal and currently committing a crime.. in EVERY story about them
- - - > it should be pointed out that doge is in place to increase the wealth of the wealthy.
And what is saving money? if 30% of Americas (and probably more from other countries) do not get to enjoy public lands (or worse, lose public lands)... do we save anything (and if we can't process park passes, it is also a lost revenue).
In essence doge is transferring many costs onto the bottom 90%.
What is a decent savings.... to the U.S.. (notice how United States abbreviates into us) if we save a million dollars (or even a billion dollars) by firing heath inspectors, but now salmonella and bird flu kills 10,000,000 people.
Would we save money by not requiring seatbelts or airbags in cars..
We aren't saving anything fro doge, we are just transferring money into lost lives and the loss of a quality of life..
Of course cutting the Internal REVENUE Service employees is going to cut revenue.
But what it doesn’t do is change the laws that require people to pay taxes. The bigger threat has already happened.
The rich and their lobbyists have already cut revenue*
The hopeful news is people wake up (yes woke) and realize those who voted for hmpy trmPEDO actually voted for a system where they (and sadly the democrats to) pay for the free ride fELON, rich and big corporations will get with a decimated IRS.
We can start change our leadership in future elections. Then we can do retroactive audits of those companies and people... AND just as importantly, enact some fair (for the lower 70%) tax structures.. and then America won’t be living in a hole (deficit and debt)
Another thought that popped into my mind. If the IRS is gutted, what if regular people stopped filing income taxes returns in masse. Of course, it would only be the ones who owed money. Seems like that is the corporate philosophy. Just don't pay and see if they catch you. Dark thoughts this morning.
first.. the rich would do the same.. even though many of them don't pay much as it is.. they would still choose nothing
and.. if I wasn't going to file taxes, (I had to pay by the way), I would go and set the amount deducted to zero... and promise (lie) I would pay in April
====
but you do address the point, what if we were all Ecolab and the government gave us money for research so not only did we not pay taxes, we also benefited from grants, subsidies, etc...?
I had a bizarre thought the other day: What is I am wrong about DOGE and all these things Trump is doing? What if the way to rein in unchecked government spending is to gut the system and build it back correctly? Unfortunately, I don't believe that is the intention of DOGE. I believe it is something much more nefarious. But I gave it a shot.
one of my all time favorite sayings: "a camel is a horse designed by a committee."
you can align that sentiment to the Declaration of Independence, but especially to the Constitution...
"All men are created equal" back then meant: men, white and owning property (slaves were considered property)... regardless how we interpet NOW.
The compromising that went on with those documents were crazy/interesting. with lots of (rich, white) partisan interests.
If we were to redo today (as your thought was).. I think it would be wrought with so much personal interests and gripes (we would have people arguing for slavery as much now as then).
====
my personal saying: "Just imagine what a wonderful world we would live in if people only did the right thing."
know that so few people have the morals and decency to do the right thing
yes, that is what I meant... AND when you consider how many slaves there were at the time....
(there were 2.5 million people in the colonies in 1776, one fifth of those were slaves 90% and former slaves 10%)
MORE than half of humanity were second class (or worse) citizens.
One of the ironies that is sad to reflect on.. I have read that while many women of color (as well as white women) worked to achieve civil rights in the 50's and 60's, but the men often did not consider women as equals....
the 15th amendment (passed in February 3, 1870) gave half of black people the right to vote.... BUT
it wasn't until August 18, 1920 when the 19th amendment was ratified that gave women the right to vote...
Of course when it comes to people of color....even when they gained the right to vote, there have always been roadblocks to stop them from voting*
The beauty of the Constitution is that even though the men who wrote it were flawed, and their interpretation of it at the time seems flawed to us now, it was crafted in such a way and with such lofty ideals that it could evolve as our society evolved. However, it’s only a piece of old parchment and its only true power is in the respect it is given. We are seeing now what happens when the people we elect have no respect for it.
Not sure if I totally agree... for one saying someone was 'flawed' kind of implies subtle problems, not that they owned men/women and saw them as property not people.
Thomas Jefferson is a good example...his ownership mean free to rape. and his friend John Adams (on the otherhand) knew owning slaves was wrong and I am sure told him...
And the ability to interpet the constitution, as we have seen of late... a surpreme court that wants to turn back time.. some, I would suggest, would like to see 'separate but equal' at the very least and at the worst.. slavery (ironically) that includes Clarence Thomas who in one ruling made a statement that would make his marriage illegal
re: Hudson River Dredging, this is what I wrote in 2009 ...
The dredging of the Hudson River: a missed opportunity for General Electric
Published: 24 October 2009
General Electric, by working to first defeat, and then to delay and weaken the dredging of PCB’s from the Hudson River, has done a tremendous disservice to their stockholders. This project, based in General Electric’s backyard, was a unique opportunity for GE to build an entirely new business division based on Environmental Remediation.
Such a division would have unlimited growth opportunities for at least a century, remediating not just properties in the United States, but throughout the world. We learned after the fall of the Berlin Wall the extent of the environmental degradation in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The rapid industrialization in India and China are creating another growth opportunity for a GE Environmental Remediation Division.
With foresight and careful planning, such a business unit could use it’s expertise to advise industrial concerns how to construct non-polluting facilities, creating yet more opportunities to boost GE’s profits.
The cleaning of the Hudson River was a extraordinary opportunity for a corporation to act socially responsible while simultaneously advancing their bottom line. It’s not too late for GE to change its approach to dredging. It’s in their own financial interest to do so.
My husband bought a Tesla 3 years ago, before all this nonsense, and to be fair, it is a pretty great car. Fast, safe, comfortable, cost effective and of course, no tailpipe emissions!! I almost want to put a sign on it saying “Views of the owner of this company do not reflect the views of the driver,” though.
The irony is driving a Tesla had been seen as such a bougie, liberal thing to do. We went on a cross country trip two years ago, and were camping overnight in a state park somewhere in Illinois and some obnoxiously loud and drunken neighbors in the campground castigated us for being from New York and for plugging the car in overnight, like we were stealing electricity. I can’t say for sure what their politics were, but I could hazard a guess…
It kind of scared me too! I hadn’t thought of what happens if it loses power. I asked my husband if he knew how to open the doors if the car lost power, and he said yes. He did such extensive research before he bought it , I guess that’s something he had already covered. But I’m glad I know too, now. Hope I never need to use the knowledge!
I am always moved when anyone stands up for those who are silenced or fired or condemned for their good words or good actions. So thank you Ken and Will...for being those voices. I just called Al Green who yelled out to Trump that he didn't have a mandate to destroy medicaid to thank him. Some Democrats walked out, some had signs--all the Republicans cheered vigorously at Trumps bullying, arrogance and lies, at his dictatorial actions dangerous to democracy and literally destroying all that really helps us all live, and helps our earth to survive. Ten Democrats and all Republicans censored him. I called Al to thank him and called the ten "moderates" who voted to censure him. So to repeat what you say: it feels important to speak out. As the sign in ny subways used to say: if you see something dangerous, say something.
The Tesla drivers were "bombarded by beads, barbs and boos from the usually easy-going parade-goers."
Oh, my!
I think the Tesla drivers were lucky that "the liberals" just yelled and threw beads. If the "haters" used right-wing tactics, I suspect the Teslas would have been set on fire and burned to the ground.
sadly... many have stooped to gQped tactics and vandalized teslas
I went for a walk yesterday and saw a tesla truck in the parking lot... my first thought was: kind of ballsy to drive a tesla in this climate.
It was a medical facility and I assumed it was a Doctor's vehicle and s/he had more than one vehicle.. then thought maybe this person isn't rich, maybe they bought the vehicle two years ago.
I don't think there are many Tesla drivers who are making a political statement..and even if they were.. do they deserve violence?
Honestly even the jan6 terrorists don't deserve terrorist actions against them.. jail yes, but to vandalize their property is not fair
While New Orleans is a blue city, Louisiana is a red state and the Times-Picayune has been reporting regularly how Doge is already impacting jobs around the state. Saying the bead throwers are liberals is probably a good guess, but people losing their jobs and services are also impacted. Times-Picayune ran the story on the front page.
“Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed; everything else is public relations.” - George Orwell
That quote stills remains true.
Even more so.
I always think if a newspaper isn't making some people uncomfortable
especially by exposing
Then they are not serving a purpose
That's what I was taught in school.
Exactly.
"Back in the day..." we got the daily Post Star, the weekly Greenwich Journal and the Sunday Times. The Journal carries on, thanks to the determination of Darren Johnson. The Post Star is a skeleton itself and I cancelled my online subscription to the NY Times in 2016 after they eviscerated Hillary Clinton. Yes, I am and always have been one of her staunchest supporters. IMHO, she was and remains the most qualified candidate, since 2016, to run for President. Her biggest mistake was staying in her marriage. I read a lot of Substack, get daily emails from Bloomberg (whodauhunkit?) and the Wall Street Journal. But my first read every morning is this. I'm a firm believer in the importance of local involvement. The Front Page is essential in its reporting of local activity. Thank you, Ken and Will. BTW, the NYS prison situation is a hot mess and terribly frightening. Jessica Craven of Chop Wood, Carry Water writes about it. I'm not sure she gets the complexity of the situation but she has a wide national following. I've known many corrections officers, policing prisons is brutal business.
That's not to say that correction officers and the management are blameless. Little good can come from warehousing humans and it's common knowledge that men of color are imprisoned more often than white men. That's a subject in itself.
points:
ª Bernie Sanders was/is a viable candidate.. who I would contend was on par with Ms. Clinton
ª Kamala Harris was a qualified candidate and in 2024 very close to being much more qualified... but let's say just as qualified against hmpy trmPEdo in her campaign as Ms. Clinton was in 2016
Sadly, we live in a ' bro ' where many people can't support a woman..* It embarrasses me how misogynist and racist we are in this country... so much so that we ignore all the history that shows the country was founded on racism and misogyny.
(In "The 1619 Project" it is pointed out that the 13 colonies became wealthy and powerful off the slave labor... enough to be able to go to war with one one of the biggest empires (England) that history has seen.)
To this day.. the concerted attacks republicans and the republican party on women is disgusting
* or a guy who says 'socialist democrat'
It embarrasses a lot of us.
....and
(don't see this as a defense of Bill Clinton).
What people do in a relationship.. be it for love, for money or for power... should not be seen as a mistake or a flaw. Who one loves (hello DEI... as well), unless it is Putin hopefully is something we can accept and not seen as a political flaw.
Everything I have seen about the Clinton family.. gives me a sense that they are (at some level) soulmates.
AND... I would say the flaws that kept her from being president is not who she is married to, but the evil misogony and republicans' campaign of evil (when you hold a hearing (as was done to Ms. Clinton) to tarnish her reputation and chances of winning an election, while willingly KNOWING she did nothing....then admitting to it... well that is more an indictment of the gQp evil than blaming her marriage.
Benghazi was the ultimate atrocity of weaponizing Congress.
I can't disagree. I watched the hearing on Benghazi. It was shameful. But, here we are.
Sara, Thank you so much for that high praise. I think we have the makings of our next endorsement post.
...the Post Star lost a lot, when it lost [in alphabetical order] Will Doolittle and Ken Tingley / -we are fortunate, indeed, to still have their incisive writing here: in Ken's "The Front Page" and in Will's "Afterthoughts"...
Very humbling, thank you, but at one time our newsroom had about 45 people and now it last fewer than 10. It lost a lot over the years.
Sending renewed gratitude to you, Will, Mark and other previous Post Star staff whose journalistic integrity once hallmarked the power of the written word… when local and national newspaper editors still dared to stand their ground despite publisher pressure.
And many thanks to the Light Brigade for continuing to keep Ukraine’s crisis as a focus for our concern and prayers. The added violations perpetrated by our psychopathic Prez and sadistic VP might have crushed the spirit of a lesser man than Pres. Zelenskyy. But his commitment to country-over-personal ego shined an even bigger light on the need for other countries to take a stand on behalf of Ukraine… vs. staying in an alliance with our decaying democracy led by demented men determined to destroy what once made our country worth emulating.
Let me mirror your thoughts on the Light Brigade. I don't support all their views or beliefs, but it takes real courage to stand in public and make your feelings know. More than one person has shouted expletives at them for simply enacting their right to free speech. For a brief period at The Post-Star we gave out a citizen of the year award. They would be my choice for citizen of the year for their relentless pursuit of free speech and doing the right thing.
This is excellent! I cancelled my subscription to the Washington Post about 6 weeks ago. An independent, honest press is vital to our sustaining a democracy.
The Press Republican used to print my letters, mostly about Elise Stefanik, but since the inauguration I have written two letters which have yet to be published. They only seem to publish letters one day a week now and at that only 2 or 3.
We used to have four full-time clerks to handle basic functions like prepping and verifying letters to the editor. I think current staff levels at most newspapers make that a burden and difficult to get them all in the newspaper.
Kudos to the Post Star for reviving a letter-to-the-editor section over the past month, with 7 to 8 entries weekly, including 4 or 5 familiar Front Page contributors. 🤗
LTEs are great to include, but I wouldn’t congratulate papers for publishing what amounts to free content, especially because the letter writers are the most invested customers. They will be among the last customers, right up until their obits.
I am not sure I understand the point here... are you saying that because the paper doesn't have to pay the letter writers they are profiting off free content?
...if so, there is there is an irony in that the paper will likely profit from said writers obituary since many papers are charging to have a death notice printed
Yes. And the corollary is that the people who are dropping reading are unlikely to ever have been letter writers, and their family will not pay for an obit when they die.
I suspect that is true as well. While there are many remarkable obits written by family members, I suspect most find out about the passing of friend or acquaintance through social media these days and not in the newspaper. Even obits may be a dying art.
There is/was a local legend in Saranc Lake: Phil 'bunk' Griffin who's obit* is as funny as he was.. and I suspect he wrote it himself
Edit: and many are getting notices from funeral homes.... I am expecting there will someday be a service where funeral homes will have a mailing list that goes out (as in: "who died from Glens Falls this week"_
https://www.fortunekeoughfuneralhome.com/obituaries/philip-bunk-griffin
To follow up, the reality is that letters are not entirely free content, because most letters need to be read and edited for basic grammar, spelling etc. Some have to be edited a lot just so they make sense. So there is a cost to letters to the editor in terms of preparation.
And they are often one of the most read features - after obits of course.
I would say letters often provide the checks and balances that were missed in editorials and news
Ken, it's so sad to see this trend of censured news these days. However, I, just like many people I know have cancelled their subscriptions and have looked on line for balanced journalism. It's out there, we just have to take a minute or two to research the sources. As far as I'm concerned, Jeff Besos can go to H_LL! His day will come. Thank you for showing the "emperor really has no clothes"..
so... newspapers are bias...
I think it is interesting.. this post that is..
I have long contended newspapers have had biases... but quick to add it isn't aways seen in the news.. but often in the operation. That is a newspaper may run a story about prison guards and not tell the reporter or the city desk how to fame it, how ever after two stories... or from past experience... if the owner is against unions and the prison guards are unionized... there may be some sense of framing because the newspaper is also anti-union.
AND
If the newspaper is anti-union there is a good chance that reporter and the city desk will never be in a union. Nor will they benefit from higher pay, security and benefits (like insurance and retirement). Which means profits for the owner, more so than the people creating the product.
I believe Mr. Tingley have had discussions about if the Post-Star is bias (according to Media Bias / Fact Check https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-post-star/ they are.. though if you read that it is mild when it comes to reporting)
Mr. Tingley's response had been that the editorial board had picked democrats before.. which maybe be true.. it has never been pointed out (by either of us) which party they most often pick... or which party they contribute to...
""
Funded by / Ownership*
Lee Enterprises owns and publishes The Post Star. According to Open Secrets, Lee Enterprises donated 88% of its money to Republican politicians from 1990 until 2016. However, during the 2020 election cycle, they donated 70% to Democratic candidates and causes. Advertising and subscription fees generate revenue.
____
* from Media Bias / Fact Check
""
====
I am pointing this out for a couple reasons. 1) when it comes to bias, there are certain factors that are (many times) left out of the discussion; 2) way to many times in the discussion about a newspaper's bias, happens people often don't look at the full picture.
I see in the facebook discussion is of the adirondack daily enterprise (as an example) by readers that it is a liberal rag.
I have had discussions with friends about how it is bias and when they say this.. I ask for examples, they often respond with: "I can’t think of an example, but there is ways that they wrote a story that is bias towards democrats.” I should point out here.. they have NEVER followed up with an example.. so I wonder if this is a believe their theory because they think ‘facts have a liberal bias.’
And ironically the owners of the paper are right leaning.. and right leaning in operation (anti-union, anti-safeguards to our society).. but I don’t think you see that in reporting.. directly.. you see it indirectly because the reporters often have short tenures.. and those who are good at reporting go onto other, bigger, newspapers and those who are not go into advertising.
....I would contend the biggest factor that makes the newspaper bias - - - and not to the left or right - - - but the reporters are still learning their craft, then moving on.
Add to this...
ª when you become part of a newspaper... you often lose touch with what is bias or not
ª I see this with all types of media get defensive..if you point out a bias... or a lack of coverage of a certain story (for example not pointing out the newspaper has a anti-union approach to unions.. when discussing a prison union)
ª and what I see as the biggest problem with media, ESPECIALLY small media, and that is the bunker mentality. The reporters and editors will be presented with a criticism and and instead of thinking about if it is accurate or not.. The response will be: “we know what we are doing.”
Lot to unpack there. When The Post-Star was accused of bias I always asked for exampled. Probably 90 percent of the time, the person could not think of any. The other 10 percent they would point to a poorly crafted headline that did not reflect the content of a story. I think the more important point is "intentional bias." Did you start with a specific conclusion when writing a story. I doubt that. The intention was always to write a story based on the facts we knew it. I believe I base my columns on the same premise. I'm giving an opinion based on the research and facts as I know it. Is my interpretation biased? Perhaps. The lives we live gives us certain experiences on which we base our opinions. "Bias" is a tricky word that gets thrown around too easily.
(Bias aside) I HOPE, I REALLY HOPE...
When a story is put together.. the reporter was trying to express what the issue at hand was and in a way that it is understood.. (better if a solution (if needed) was expressed)
In other words: here is a story about doge... these are the intentions, but the reality is..
I would think doge would say.. our intentions are more important than the reality. and some would say the intentions are only what they 'say' and are not anything close to reality...
Thus, doge would fall back on the fact that they want people to believe the reporter is bias.
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I would agree with your assessment of the word 'bias', but it is kicked around like a soccer ball as well, as in it is often back and forth... Such as: is the story bias? maybe not, but the words have implications and could be seen as bias... and maybe are (often it comes down to is the reader seeing the story and words the same way as the writer intended them)
Also, a bad headline... is bad journalism.. if you have to read the story to realize the headline is wrong, you are doing an injustice... And we would probably both agree that is often what click bait is... and isn't that also what a bad headline does
People thinking “facts have a liberal bias.” What a quote! Thank you, because that explains the current situation to me in a nutshell!! Somehow, while most of us were looking the other way, the Republican/conservative machine figured out how to lie so convincingly that vast swaths of the American population are practically impervious to the truth. Well, as the Trump administration goes on, I think truth is going to start getting really truthy, maybe enough to wake his supporters up out of their fever dream.
it is a Stephen Colbert comment from the Colbert Report
And this backlash of Musk and tRump is just beginning...stay tuned everyone!!
please please PLEASE
let this be true
DOGE...
I think sometimes we need to question things from different context. WithOUT a doubt doge is going to cost more than it saves.
Saving money for anyone, but the richest Americans is not the intentions of fELON. Just as I think any story about pos_tfnKKK or hmpy trmPEDO needs to mention they are liars and then point out the lies they are telling now.... and how hmpy (and probably) pos_tfnKKK is a criminal and currently committing a crime.. in EVERY story about them
- - - > it should be pointed out that doge is in place to increase the wealth of the wealthy.
And what is saving money? if 30% of Americas (and probably more from other countries) do not get to enjoy public lands (or worse, lose public lands)... do we save anything (and if we can't process park passes, it is also a lost revenue).
In essence doge is transferring many costs onto the bottom 90%.
What is a decent savings.... to the U.S.. (notice how United States abbreviates into us) if we save a million dollars (or even a billion dollars) by firing heath inspectors, but now salmonella and bird flu kills 10,000,000 people.
Would we save money by not requiring seatbelts or airbags in cars..
We aren't saving anything fro doge, we are just transferring money into lost lives and the loss of a quality of life..
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Of course cutting the Internal REVENUE Service employees is going to cut revenue.
But what it doesn’t do is change the laws that require people to pay taxes. The bigger threat has already happened.
The rich and their lobbyists have already cut revenue*
The hopeful news is people wake up (yes woke) and realize those who voted for hmpy trmPEDO actually voted for a system where they (and sadly the democrats to) pay for the free ride fELON, rich and big corporations will get with a decimated IRS.
We can start change our leadership in future elections. Then we can do retroactive audits of those companies and people... AND just as importantly, enact some fair (for the lower 70%) tax structures.. and then America won’t be living in a hole (deficit and debt)
* https://itep.org/55-profitable-corporations-zero-corporate-tax/
Another thought that popped into my mind. If the IRS is gutted, what if regular people stopped filing income taxes returns in masse. Of course, it would only be the ones who owed money. Seems like that is the corporate philosophy. Just don't pay and see if they catch you. Dark thoughts this morning.
yes, but
first.. the rich would do the same.. even though many of them don't pay much as it is.. they would still choose nothing
and.. if I wasn't going to file taxes, (I had to pay by the way), I would go and set the amount deducted to zero... and promise (lie) I would pay in April
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but you do address the point, what if we were all Ecolab and the government gave us money for research so not only did we not pay taxes, we also benefited from grants, subsidies, etc...?
We are having the same thoughts…I doubt we are alone in that.
I had a bizarre thought the other day: What is I am wrong about DOGE and all these things Trump is doing? What if the way to rein in unchecked government spending is to gut the system and build it back correctly? Unfortunately, I don't believe that is the intention of DOGE. I believe it is something much more nefarious. But I gave it a shot.
one of my all time favorite sayings: "a camel is a horse designed by a committee."
you can align that sentiment to the Declaration of Independence, but especially to the Constitution...
"All men are created equal" back then meant: men, white and owning property (slaves were considered property)... regardless how we interpet NOW.
The compromising that went on with those documents were crazy/interesting. with lots of (rich, white) partisan interests.
If we were to redo today (as your thought was).. I think it would be wrought with so much personal interests and gripes (we would have people arguing for slavery as much now as then).
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my personal saying: "Just imagine what a wonderful world we would live in if people only did the right thing."
know that so few people have the morals and decency to do the right thing
...and when they said all men....they also weren't including women, half of humanity.
yes, that is what I meant... AND when you consider how many slaves there were at the time....
(there were 2.5 million people in the colonies in 1776, one fifth of those were slaves 90% and former slaves 10%)
MORE than half of humanity were second class (or worse) citizens.
One of the ironies that is sad to reflect on.. I have read that while many women of color (as well as white women) worked to achieve civil rights in the 50's and 60's, but the men often did not consider women as equals....
the 15th amendment (passed in February 3, 1870) gave half of black people the right to vote.... BUT
it wasn't until August 18, 1920 when the 19th amendment was ratified that gave women the right to vote...
Of course when it comes to people of color....even when they gained the right to vote, there have always been roadblocks to stop them from voting*
* there were Jim Crow Laws in my life time
The beauty of the Constitution is that even though the men who wrote it were flawed, and their interpretation of it at the time seems flawed to us now, it was crafted in such a way and with such lofty ideals that it could evolve as our society evolved. However, it’s only a piece of old parchment and its only true power is in the respect it is given. We are seeing now what happens when the people we elect have no respect for it.
Not sure if I totally agree... for one saying someone was 'flawed' kind of implies subtle problems, not that they owned men/women and saw them as property not people.
Thomas Jefferson is a good example...his ownership mean free to rape. and his friend John Adams (on the otherhand) knew owning slaves was wrong and I am sure told him...
And the ability to interpet the constitution, as we have seen of late... a surpreme court that wants to turn back time.. some, I would suggest, would like to see 'separate but equal' at the very least and at the worst.. slavery (ironically) that includes Clarence Thomas who in one ruling made a statement that would make his marriage illegal
Had precisely the same thought and conclusion as well.
re: Hudson River Dredging, this is what I wrote in 2009 ...
The dredging of the Hudson River: a missed opportunity for General Electric
Published: 24 October 2009
General Electric, by working to first defeat, and then to delay and weaken the dredging of PCB’s from the Hudson River, has done a tremendous disservice to their stockholders. This project, based in General Electric’s backyard, was a unique opportunity for GE to build an entirely new business division based on Environmental Remediation.
Such a division would have unlimited growth opportunities for at least a century, remediating not just properties in the United States, but throughout the world. We learned after the fall of the Berlin Wall the extent of the environmental degradation in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The rapid industrialization in India and China are creating another growth opportunity for a GE Environmental Remediation Division.
With foresight and careful planning, such a business unit could use it’s expertise to advise industrial concerns how to construct non-polluting facilities, creating yet more opportunities to boost GE’s profits.
The cleaning of the Hudson River was a extraordinary opportunity for a corporation to act socially responsible while simultaneously advancing their bottom line. It’s not too late for GE to change its approach to dredging. It’s in their own financial interest to do so.
https://mohilldesign.com/index.php/words/essays/61-the-dredging-of-the-hudson-river-a-missed-opportunity-for-general-electric
and remember GE doesn't pay much in taxes
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meet-the-18-companies-that-paid-no-taxes-over-8-years/
and sometimes even zero
I have to say - how did ANYONE believe putting Teslas in the parade was a good idea? Talk about blindness.
My exact thought when I read that.... I mean you wouldn't drive a Ford Pinto in a car safety parade!
My husband bought a Tesla 3 years ago, before all this nonsense, and to be fair, it is a pretty great car. Fast, safe, comfortable, cost effective and of course, no tailpipe emissions!! I almost want to put a sign on it saying “Views of the owner of this company do not reflect the views of the driver,” though.
From the attitude changes towards Musk & Tesla - the sign might be a good idea!
The irony is driving a Tesla had been seen as such a bougie, liberal thing to do. We went on a cross country trip two years ago, and were camping overnight in a state park somewhere in Illinois and some obnoxiously loud and drunken neighbors in the campground castigated us for being from New York and for plugging the car in overnight, like we were stealing electricity. I can’t say for sure what their politics were, but I could hazard a guess…
Then there is this, Tanya - this would scare the heck out of me! Just the thought of it!
https://philkoopman.substack.com/p/people-are-still-being-burned-alive
It kind of scared me too! I hadn’t thought of what happens if it loses power. I asked my husband if he knew how to open the doors if the car lost power, and he said yes. He did such extensive research before he bought it , I guess that’s something he had already covered. But I’m glad I know too, now. Hope I never need to use the knowledge!
That IS scary - the thought of being stuck in a car on fire & trying to logically do what it takes to get the doors open or just be able to get out.
It sort of sounds like there werent a lot of safety concerns for the people who bought the cars. Does make you think, tho!
How about pentagon deputy spokesperson Kingsley Wilson? She is rabidly antisemitic. Wonder if Elise would be interested in investigating her?😝
pos_tfnKKK is a hypocrite at a level that can't be explained
one of the top antisemite is hmpy trmPEDO
I am always moved when anyone stands up for those who are silenced or fired or condemned for their good words or good actions. So thank you Ken and Will...for being those voices. I just called Al Green who yelled out to Trump that he didn't have a mandate to destroy medicaid to thank him. Some Democrats walked out, some had signs--all the Republicans cheered vigorously at Trumps bullying, arrogance and lies, at his dictatorial actions dangerous to democracy and literally destroying all that really helps us all live, and helps our earth to survive. Ten Democrats and all Republicans censored him. I called Al to thank him and called the ten "moderates" who voted to censure him. So to repeat what you say: it feels important to speak out. As the sign in ny subways used to say: if you see something dangerous, say something.
Bernice continues to walk the walk.
Amazing - haters among the liberals can even spoil Mardi Gras.
The Tesla drivers were "bombarded by beads, barbs and boos from the usually easy-going parade-goers."
Oh, my!
I think the Tesla drivers were lucky that "the liberals" just yelled and threw beads. If the "haters" used right-wing tactics, I suspect the Teslas would have been set on fire and burned to the ground.
sadly... many have stooped to gQped tactics and vandalized teslas
I went for a walk yesterday and saw a tesla truck in the parking lot... my first thought was: kind of ballsy to drive a tesla in this climate.
It was a medical facility and I assumed it was a Doctor's vehicle and s/he had more than one vehicle.. then thought maybe this person isn't rich, maybe they bought the vehicle two years ago.
I don't think there are many Tesla drivers who are making a political statement..and even if they were.. do they deserve violence?
Honestly even the jan6 terrorists don't deserve terrorist actions against them.. jail yes, but to vandalize their property is not fair
I agree with you. My reply relates to the difference in behavior and tactics I perceive between liberals and right-wingers.
I used to ask people.. two cars
one with an Obama Bumper sticker and one with a trmp one
which one gets the key job
.. I think you and I agree it owuld be the Obama one
While New Orleans is a blue city, Louisiana is a red state and the Times-Picayune has been reporting regularly how Doge is already impacting jobs around the state. Saying the bead throwers are liberals is probably a good guess, but people losing their jobs and services are also impacted. Times-Picayune ran the story on the front page.