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What's on your mind? Tell the Editor and start a discussion
Do you have an idea, question or comment on something that can help to improve our communities or this news organization? Click on "comments" below to share your views. Tell the Editor and start a discussion.
posted by Tom Skoch, Editor at
11:39 AM
17 Comments:
I have a suggestion to make this blog better (IMHO).
The time from submitting to posting of a comment seems too long; the moment is lost.
Can you speed up the process?
How's this?
A single point DOES NOT make a trend, but it's a good start.
Kudos to TS.
congratulations on emerging from bankruptcy:
http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/pressed/2010/03/23/bankrupt-newspaper-companies-cutting-75-percent-of-debt
but the writing is on the wall for this paper with it's overwhelmingly conservative misinformation despite an overwhelmingly democratic readership and community. perhaps if you found a way to sever your ties to the sinking mother-ship of the JRC and find a bond with your community like these papers that are actually thriving in this environment...
http://www.portfolio.com/industry-news/media/2010/03/01/local-newspapers-lead-the-way-over-big-newspapers/
The Morning Journal was never in bankruptcy; that was our parent Journal Register Company, and bankruptcy was a solution, rather than a problem.
The Morning Journal itself is doing well and is among those fortunate smaller newspapers that you referenced.
Our parent firm, Journal Register Company, emerged from bankruptcy nearly a year ago, as we reported at the time http://tinyurl.com/yfzkpko.
Far from being a "sinking mother-ship" JRC today is an industry leader in the evolution of newspaper companies.
We're transforming from a newspaper company with daily print delivery into to being a multimedia news company with constant and concise online news updates plus a more in-depth daily print edition. Here's a recent industry story about JRC http://tinyurl.com/yeuruen
miles2go is like many "liberal-progressive" thinkers...they love freedom of speech as long as the speech is in tune with their beliefs.
miles2go, are you only interested in getting feedback that justifies your position? That's not very progressive, is it?
Tom, keep doing what you're doing, but please cancel that socialist Osborne because I don't like what he says (tongue in cheek).
Far from sinking? The JRC basically traded it's massive debt for equity in it's new company that emerged from bankruptcy. The *only* way that deal works is if the new business takes off and is able to be sold at a huge profit so I guess there is a chance that it will survive but not by misinforming it's readers.
You stand stand by your statement urging, "Ohio to join the group of other states planning to challenge the constitutionality of ObamaCare all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court."
If so maybe you should have done some more research because the bill provides for states to opt-out of the individual mandate which seems to be your only, albeit very weak, claim that this law is unconstitutional. If you think wasting taxpayer money on this political stunt is wise then I have even less hope for the survival of this newspaper.
It's time for the MJ to get in line with it's readership instead of trying to force feed misinformation and slanted editorials. You have an opportunity to try to calm the violent rhetoric spilling about and try to mend our broken community. Focus on the positive aspects of the recent health insurance reform or talk about ways to improve it, talk of repeal and negation are childish folly and are not even newsworthy.
JRC is taking off and has excellent plans to do well for itself financially while doing good things for the communities it serves.
Our investor/owners wouldn't want to let go of a chain that pays off its debt and keeps turning profits thereafter. But even a sale wouldn't mean we go away. In my years here, we've been making money and doing good community journalism through three owners and two parent corporation bankruptcies. That's just life in business. I don't worry about it; I worry about giving readers the news they want, when they want it and in all the new technologies as well as in print. If we do that, we'll be fine.
The views I express in my columns and our editorials are, in fact, supported by many of our readers. I know because I hear from them by phone, e-mail, letters and on the street. Never assume otherwise.
I imagine we could go around and around like this forever. So, let's agree to disagree on some things, and use this blog for its original purpose which your words "mend our broken community" describe well enough.
Ex-Lorainite,
"miles2go is like many "liberal-progressive" thinkers...they love freedom of speech as long as the speech is in tune with their beliefs.
are you only interested in getting feedback that justifies your position? That's not very progressive, is it?"
Label and dismiss, nice. I made no request to quash anyone's speech, rather I find misinformation from journalists to be problematic. Our democracy thrives on freedom of the press when the press is doing it's job. When the press misinforms or doesn't apply due diligence the country our democracy is weakened. I am against misinformation from either side and will speak out against it in all it's forms.
"Tom, keep doing what you're doing, but please cancel that socialist Osborne because I don't like what he says (tongue in cheek)."
Ex-Lorainite, you prove my point for me, you may be joking about Osborne being a socialist, but that actual charge has been and is currently thrown around in serious debate. There is a guy on FoxNews that would liken the political opposition to "cancer" that is "killing" our country. Is that reasoned debate? Is that not polluting the air, making intelligent debate about the role of government impossible? It's certainly making compromise between our elected officials impossible. Who makes deals with a kenyan grandma killing social/commun/marx/fasc-ist?
Tom,
The important thing to note here is that the MJ is a part of a chain which makes it all the more susceptible to outside corporate influence. The fact that financial ruin is upon the print newspaper industry makes the possibility for checkbook journalism via corporate edict all the more likely. If you were being honest you would at least find some common ground with the new health insurance reform laws; it's Romney-care plus. Not something that should be repealed, rather improved upon.
"The views I express in my columns and our editorials are, in fact, supported by many of our readers. I know because I hear from them by phone, e-mail, letters and on the street. Never assume otherwise."
I have no illusions and I make no assumptions in my claim; the public has been fed a steady dose of disinformation regarding this law for 14 months. So I am not surprised that you would hear this sort of nonsense from some readers. The surprising part is that you would take that gossip as fact and not look into it. You do realize that this lawsuit is a waste of taxpayer dollars and a political stunt? You do realize that there is much that will aid our broken community? You do understand that the new law has an amendment by Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon called the "Empowering States to be Innovative" amendment. And it would, quite literally, give states the right to set up their own health care system -- with or without an individual mandate or, for that matter, with or without a public option -- provided that, as Wyden puts it, "they can meet the coverage requirements of the bill."
Said Sen. Wyden, "Why don't you use the waiver provision to let you go set up your own plan? Why would you just say you are going to sue everybody, when this bill gives you the authority and the legal counsel is on record as saying you can do it without an individual mandate?"
I thought conservatives were against frivolous lawsuits? So I may have to amend my claim of misinformation, but at the very least the idea that Ohio should join in this game is an example of a lack of due diligence in forming your opinion based on fact rather than on what you "hear from them by phone, e-mail, letters and on the street."
As I said in the first post on this thread: "Do you have an idea, question or comment on something that can help to improve our communities or this news organization? Click on "comments" below to share your views. Tell the Editor and start a discussion."
By improving the news organization I mean coming up with better ways to cover local news and hear local opinions on local issues that can grow jobs, improve school systems, make the streets safer, etc. Local issues about things in our neighborhoods.
People can argue national politics on any number of blogs, but that isn't what this blog is about. Let's all stay on topic: Local, local, local.
Tom, why not allow an avenue for local guest columnists? I think it would be interesting to say the least.
I'm NOT volunteering for the job.
We do welcome local guest columnists, when they volunteer and write. But not many people volunteer. Anyone interested in being a volunteer should write to me at tskoch@morningjournal.com
Dear Mr.Skoch,
I am hoping that you didn't think that my previous sarcasm was in any way directed at you.It was directed at the other comments.
Thank you for allowing my posts, even though they contained capitals.I didn't know that you had that rule.So exactly why can't people yell about things? You know as well as I do, that in some instances, and in certain situations,yelling is necessary.Using only lower case letters is like speaking a constant monotone.Are we not to have emotions as we write? I find that rule rather limiting.People NEED to get more emotional about some things.I am very disgusted with the multitudes of people I talk to who have no emotions at all,like they are dead inside.Lifeless,worthless,limp rags.I find it disgusting.Is it because they've been taught not to show emotions? Are they thinking it's not proper to show anger,elation,or the whole other myriad of stronger feelings?
I believe that writing is an art form.It is a way of expressing ourselves, and asking someone to only use lower case letters is like telling an artist they can only use one size of brush.(I'm an artist.Oils.Canvas.Etc.)Just my point of view.
Hope you have a great day, Barbara
P.S.Why is your "complete profile" so incomplete? Surely there is a great deal more to you than two or three impersonal points? Or is it because if you said more about yourself that some idiot would come along and invent a way to be nasty about it? (Like some of the one's I've seen on here..)I'm sorry you have to tolerate that.Maybe you should get out your capital letters..LOL!
No offense taken. The capital letters thing isn't a flat-out ban. It was part of a column talking about the need to be civil to one another online, the same as in person. It's OK to be excited about things. Internet "language" has grown to assume that capital letters mean angry yelling. That's why it's better not to use them in posts. People can take them the wrong way.
As for my incomplete complete profile, everything that is "me" gets laid out for everyone to see in what I write here, in my Sunday columns and our daily editorials. Thanks for the suggestion; I'll add some more info to my profile.
Hi Mr.T,
Did you go on vacation? Are you ok? No posts from you for the last couple days.
I'm here and OK, thanks. Tell the Editor is for people to Tell the Editor what's on their mind about, mostly, local issues, and spark a community conversation. I'll chime in whenever appropriate these various threads.
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