Some things should just be common sense
“If it’s wrong, it’s wrong” is something I’ve written on more than one occasion, it’s how I try to stay fair and eliminate as much personal bias as possible. This does create situations, where to my way of thinking, some things should just be common sense. Several things took place during the past few days while I was trying to catch up, that shared a common sense theme.
A Star is born anyway
In Michael Miller’s column in the Toledo Free Press, (link) he shares what happened when the Toledo Free Press initially planned to announce the creation of their second weekly publication, Star. Let’s say for one moment that the argument some have presented that UT should not allow a private business to use Ritter Planetarium to make a business announcement is the reason for the cancellation. First, permission should have never been granted, secondly if there was a miscommunication concerning that, the e-mail exchange as shared between UT President Lloyd Jacobs and Lawrence Burns, UT vice president for external affairs and interim vice president for equity and diversity would have been different. Nor would there have been any perception of dissuading others from attending the press conference, especially at a non-UT location. Common sense…
Blaming the Blog
It’s not really an issue for Toledo anymore since Dr. Deborah Hunter-Harvill was not one of the finalists recently selected, but as a postscript to the story, the blog post written that in parts cites Westwood Heights School Board President Brenda Battle-Jordan (link) created a news report in Flint on Friday (link) labeling what was written as an “attack”. Hunter-Harvill was not interviewed on camera, but the impression given by the opening lines of the story is that she contacted the media and it’s also being reported that Hunter-Harvill’s attorney has put the Westwood Heights School District attorney on notice that “non-compliance with the judgment will have consequences.” Toledo residents have the right to raise questions, seek clarification and be aware of videos out there that were legally collected. Those who disagreed with Battle-Jordan and who followed the rules for comments had the same access to this blog and it’s readership. If you don’t want videos of yourself to create questions/concerns then you might want to worry about the consequences of your own actions. Common sense…
Maybe you might not want to have bench warrants
The drama still continues between the two Lucas County Republican Party factions. Jon Stainbrook the party chairman is accusing those who did not support him of sending out flyers to Republican Precinct Committeemen that stated a check for warrants would be done at the June 9 party organizational meeting. There’s no proof on the mailers that the Blade reported on (link) as to who sent them out. Why it was reported ten days later instead of at the time is not known. If it was the anti-Stainbrook faction, it was a dumb move since they had to have known it would be reported and the card as it appears is more cheesy rather than something that should scare anyone, all that was done was create more media fodder. Though it might be a good idea if you know you do have bench warrants to try to take care of them. Common sense…
Better late than never
From the early days of the reporting on the Connecting Point issue back in February 2009, concerns were raised about Executive Director of the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Lucas County, Jacqueline Martin, including commentary when she was given a raise in March 2009. In May 2009 many of us were hopeful when Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken announced that he was seeking public oversight into the Mental Health & Recovery Services Board and slightly disappointed when the report that was released in October 2009 did not garner much attention. Yesterday it was reported in the Blade that Martin will be replaced, but still paid $154,000 (link). Despite the fact that it took over a year, with little transparency, the problems go deeper than Martin and if no real change is made beyond changing executive directors, the community gained nothing. Common sense…
No guts no glory
It’s often said that those who don’t have the courage to use their own names on blogs, message boards, etc., at times write things that are more controversial those who use their own names. While the use of the “unnamed source” is one the media has and will continue to rely on when it’s a scenario where someone doesn’t want to go on the record, whether it’s a senior White House official (link) or a prominent Statehouse Republican (link) — there are no real secrets in politics — while the public may not find out, others will. It’s a more gossip laden business than Hollywood, so if you don’t want to put your name behind it, maybe you should reconsider saying it. Common sense…
The reason why I remain relatively anonymous in posting is because there are more than a few people out there who would have no problem thinking that I should not have a opinion and are more than happy to try get my fired or make threats against my family if they knew who I was or where I worked.
I stopped sending editorials into the Blade, because I’d come home to find my answering machine filled with right wing rants and vague threats.
You have the announcer for Geico recently, who said some not nice stuff and was dumb enough to use his own phone number, but because he exercised his first amendment right, he’s out of a job, because Freedom works posted his phone number and place of work and asked tea baggers across America to call him and complain to Geico, even though what he said didn’t have anything to do with his place of employment.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/21/geico-fires-dc-douglas-vo_n_546038.html
I’ve long stopped sending e-mails to the local radio talking heads, but the few times I sent e-mails from my work e-mail, they’d be happy to read the note on the air making sure they gave my full name and company. People who agree with them, didn’t get the same treatment, but if you disagreed, they’d make sure exposed as much as possible.
Better to remain anonymous, safe and employed.
June 21st, 2010 at 4:34 pmUnfortunately, I agree.
I try to remain relatively anonymous on local blogs, because you just never know who is reading or what that person’s agenda is.
June 21st, 2010 at 6:39 pmI understand the reasoning behind people not using their real names for comments, my main focus was on those who were elected or employed by the government who speak to the media. The ability to be anonymous can create a situation where things are said that would not be said if the person was named. Yet when it comes to politicians and the media, there are few secrets. The public is the last to know if ever in many of these situations but the consequences can still exist since few follow the confidentiality aspect of what being off the record used to mean.
June 21st, 2010 at 6:45 pmWe all knew that politicians can and are bought on a regular basis. This is a case where a public institution funded with public money is too close to a business in town. So we do not allow competition with us and use our friends to help the cause.
It is a real shame that adults have to behave like 2 year olds – actually 2 year olds act better as they have an excuse.
I do use my name, address, etc. when I write local politicians or the media. Although I have told my husband if the mayor comes tell him I left the country.
But if I was still working I would remain anonymous.
June 21st, 2010 at 7:44 pmRegarding Miller and the TFP, I would like to point out that UT has no problem hosting political press conferences – non alum ben konops mayoral kick off and my protest press conference of Ben Konop. I’m still a student.
June 22nd, 2010 at 12:09 amWhile it may be common sense to Lisa to defend her employer, I’m surprised she was so supportive of Michael Miller’s assumptions of the “obvious” conspiracy against him. If this is the journalism the dept of communication is teaching its alums – make accusations of what probably happened through implication, but include enough qualifiers to maintain you were only suggesting what is possible – Michael Miller sounds much more like a Blade editor to me than a journalist (I agree the two are mutually exclusive).
The notion that Miller was owed a forum at UT to promote his newspaper – a press conference designed to show the Blade that UT, the port, the rgp, and the mayor were implicitly supporting TFP over the Blade – defies common sense.
June 22nd, 2010 at 9:25 amJim, I guess it was too much for you to get past your dislike of me and of the TFP to see the larger issue, Miller was not expecting any special treatment or favors, he went through the proper channels and if you read what he wrote, it’s fairly clear, so apparently we have another scenario where we see things completely different. I’m capable of viewing this without bias, but as always thanks for your opposing view.
June 22nd, 2010 at 11:44 amHow do you know he went through the proper channels? Because he stated he did?
Miller is the opposite side of the coin with the Blade on the other. To pretend that the entire existence of TFP isn’t based on being “not the Blade” is intellectually dishonest.
I still remember his article standing up for Tom Noe. Why did he write that? Because the Blade was attacking.
I’m not saying the Blade is good. But by just always being the anti-Blade, Miller falls into the same biases and rigid ideologies he (often correctly) attacks the Blade for.
June 22nd, 2010 at 12:36 pmSince we are focusing on common sense, common sense dictates had he not followed the proper procedures that would have been put out there to counter what he stated. Not to mention I know he did follow the procedure as he described and while I don’t disagree there is a danger that exists whenever there is a pattern of unfair behavior that whoever is targeted could eventually fall into the same pattern of biases — the TFP is more than just anti-Blade, very little of the focus is on the Blade. That written, people should not be afraid of any newspaper or media source or even a blog for that matter. Perhaps you don’t see it since you don’t deal with government the way I do, but I’ve seen the fear and that existed before the TFP was even created.
June 22nd, 2010 at 12:49 pmAh…common sense and personal responsibility. Too bad it is sorely lacking in the world.
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:03 pmHere is some common sense. If your budget is not balanced, then you should not spend as much. The federal government currently has a spending commission to try to figure out what is wrong with the budget. I have a feeling that this commission will be an excuse to raise taxes. The 2010 federal defecit is the largest budget defecit in the history of the world. Common sense would say that spending should be cut immediately, especially since it has not produced the desired effect of reducing unemployment and jumpstarting the economy.
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:13 pmhttp://www.toledoblade.com/article/20100620/BUSINESS03/6200315/-1/BUSINESS
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:22 pmLink to a Blade article from yesterday on how Wood County may lose over 200 automotive jobs to Indiana because of the EPA and UAW. Common sense would say that if unions and environmental regulations are bad for business, then we should reform the regulations and abandon the union. However, common sense does not account for politicians being very cozy with enviros and union cupporters.
Personal Responsibility and common sense seem to be out of style these days.
How about even more complicated ideas like;
Trust… i.e. promises made are followed through.
Honor… i.e. something is done so that it reflects well upon the one doing it.
Respect… i.e. treat others well, and do not take advantage of others, simply because it is possible to do so.
Levitcus 19:14 “Do not place a stumbling block in front of the blind.”
The annotation I found for this was “This means both physically blind people and people who do not understand. Do not trick people” however the page it was on
http://www.akhlah.com/parsha/vayikra/kedoshim.php
contains many details of other Old Testament law including “When you harvest do not harvest the ends of your fields, and do not pick up fallen fruit or stalks.”
So perhaps that is another principal we can all learn from as well… If you have enough, leave the excess for the poor.
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:31 pmI like your post a lot Marty!!!
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:42 pmWe are drifting far away from the main topic of this thread. I don’t think that many people, even those who are relatively well informed, realize the power that The Blade wields in this community. I do believe Miller’s scenario. It would seem too easy to find out if he didn’t do through proper channels to set up his news conference. The correspondence speaks for itself.
While I don’t agree with the actions taken by UT, I believe that they have good reason to fear retribution from The Blade for even a perceived modicum of support for a media rival. It takes a lot of courage to stand up to bullies. When one risks oneself, that’s tough enough. But when one is responsible for the viability of an organization that employs many hundreds of people, and educates tens of thousands, one is not merely risking harm to oneself. Common sense dictates that even greater caution should be used in such cases.
UT is not the problem. The problem is the abuse of power by a corporate bully!
June 22nd, 2010 at 4:45 pmJim, I’d add it’s a good thing you didn’t read my other blog back in 2005 where I felt the Blade was on a crusade when it came to Noe, it’s not surprising others felt at the time that people should wait until trial was held as opposed to trial by the media which is a bit different than what you described. Then in 2006, what I wrote I still believe today:
Four years later, not much has changed…
June 22nd, 2010 at 6:47 pmI’m not originally from Toledo or its ‘burbs.
When I moved here and first started hearing people talk about the Blade as a bully, I dismissed those claims as paranoia.
The more I hear, the more I’m starting to wonder if maybe the anti-Blade people aren’t so paranoid after all.
(I still read the Blade online every day, & I’m not an anti-Blade person. But I am starting to comprehend the other point of view…
June 23rd, 2010 at 7:25 amGood job TPS, it’s just common sense, LoL, Brenda Battle Jordan.
June 28th, 2010 at 2:15 pmBBJ…Did I miss something? What does anything on this thread have to do with TPS? The main focus was upon the TFP, UT, and The Blade.
June 28th, 2010 at 3:30 pmRead – Blaming the Blog
June 28th, 2010 at 3:31 pm