Saratoga looking to close bars earlier

Key to accurate information is a functioning standards and practices department

By Ken Tingley

There will be fireworks in downtown Saratoga Springs Monday night.

No, not that kind of fireworks.

The Saratoga Springs City Council has proposed a law that will hold city restaurants and bars responsible for any crimes their patrons commit after 2 a.m. by revoking their business permits. It is a rather radical response to last month’s late-night shooting in downtown Saratoga Springs and one that should get an enormous response in tonight’s public meeting. The Foothills Business Daily first reported on this issue.

The law sounds like a reach, but it should get the bar owner’s attention in a city where Saratoga Springs bars are currently open to 4 a.m. and the late-night revelry has become legendary, especially during racing season.

City officials admitted this was a stopgap measure while asking Saratoga County officials to address an earlier bar closing. Glens Falls Mayor Jack Diamond did this nine years ago when he asked Warren County officials to close bars at 2 a.m. The county subsequently rejected that idea, but compromised on a 3 a.m. closing.

There was the usual howls of protests from local bar owners who believed they would go out of business. That did not happen. It turns out there are plenty of hours in the day for patriots to drink.

If officials in Saratoga Springs are serious, they should review the results of the Glens Falls decision. In the year after the bars closed earlier, Glens Falls Police saw fewer DWIs and generally less mischief late at night.

Glens Falls became, not only a safer place to live, but a better place to live.

Saratoga Springs is also going to consider changing zoning laws as a way to force bars to close by 2 a.m. There seems to be little pushback among the elected officials in Saratoga Springs who appear to have seen enough of the late-night party scene.

They definitely will hear the other side of the story tonight.

Standards and practices

I’ve struggled to understand criticism over “mainstream” media for years, especially when it comes to news stories.

There is a continuous drumbeat about bias from conservative consumers. I’ve written extensively about my own experience as an editor for more than 20 years. We had ethics policies in place and vigilant editors who edited stories carefully to ensure they are fair and impartial.

After seeing former CNN host Brian Stelter speak at the University of Albany, I bought his book “Hoax.” Stelter, who covered the media on CNN, examined closely the evolution of Fox prime time programs and how they become, not only partisan, but less vigilant with their journalism.

Stelter writes this in an important passage I think we all should remember:

“At the New York Times and CNN and other established news organizations, there are departments with names like “standards and practices” and rows of editors who supervise what is being produced and published. Their assignments and processes differ a bit depending on the newsroom, but the mission is the same - to uphold basic standards about sourcing, fairness and accuracy. In practice, this sometimes means they third-guess and fourth-guess the reporters who have already second-guessed their own work. Now, these news outlets will make mistakes, no doubt. Even the best-designed systems will fail. But the systems are like a shield that tries to protect reporters and their institutions.”

As a long-time editor, I expected that readers and viewers already knew this. We often had stories ready three and four times and would argue about specific words. There was a religious fervor toward getting it right while being fair and impartial, especially when covering politics.

Stelter goes on to report that Fox in recent years has seen its journalism standards eroded and reporters are rarely asked who their sources are or asked to get a second source.

It something to keep in mind.

Speaking today

I will be speaking today at the Queensbury Senior Center on Bay Road.

I will be talking about both my books - “The Last American Editor” and “The Last American Newspaper,” journalism and the future of newspapers.

I hope you can attend.

To register ahead of time, you can call 518 761-8224.

I will also be speaking on Wednesday at the Prestwick Chase at Saratoga retirement community.

Loving the soccer

Every four years, I try to set aside the time to watch World Cup soccer. Since my late father-in-law was British, I always root for England, especially since the United States tends to exit early.

That said, the U.S. was more competitive than ever before. It did not lose in group play and played England to a 0-0 draw before advancing to the knockout round.

It’s game against the Netherlands was as entertaining as any game the U.S. has played in World Cup play. The U.S. dominated for long stretches of time and had many, many opportunities to score.

This was soccer at its best.

It lost 3-1 to the Netherlands, but it was another step toward being an elite team.