A confused op-ed by The Union publisher

George Rebane

The Union’s new publisher, Jim Hemig, gave us his understanding of today’s media landscape.  In his 18apr14 op-ed he compared “the difference between a journalist and a blogger.”  His point was that a journalist, especially if he works for The Union, has available all kinds of sources for reporting news and uses them to present a “balanced” view in the published product.  Hemig then let us know that “bloggers often don’t have such integrity.  They only share one opinion: their own.”

He later goes on to also paint the entire online community (here we’re talking about a global resource with practically infinite content) as somehow speaking with voices that are intrinsically and ubiquitously biased, claiming that “if you really read The Union … you will find it is a balanced and a much fairer place than anywhere on the Internet (and definitely in print).”

Now I am not familiar with Mr Hemig’s background and may well be underestimating the gentleman, but this op-ed piece does give me pause as to what kind of publishing and journalistic talent our newspaper is currently brandishing.  First of all, he grossly errs in posing the initial question, putting in doubt his understanding of the structure of today’s information media.  To wit, a blogger is a person who publishes a weblog or blog, and can be a journalist, commentator (like me), affinity group (e.g. gardening) editor, or simply a family member maintaining a family information and communication repository (e.g. on Facebook).  And a journalist is just one type of wordsmith from the many who can publish his work on one or more kinds of media outlets – print newspapers and magazines, TV, radio, cable, documentary videos, online news outlets (Reuters, AP), blogs, … .  Comparing the difference between journalists and bloggers is at best failing to distinguish between the content provider and the outlet medium.

The Rebanes are long time subscribers to both the print and online editions of The Union.  The newspaper itself is a run-of-the-mill small town publication that often displays its best efforts in sometimes humorous, sometimes frustrating, and sometimes even infuriating ways.  We cannot characterize it as a career fulfillment workplace for anyone who works in the news industry.  Nevertheless, it is the most read news outlet in our community, and it is the best print medium we have and the best that our dollars can support.

The good news is that for most local thinking people The Union is but one of a hundred sources from which they regularly get their news and commentaries that offer competing viewpoints.  The paper should be considered within this perspective, and our criticism of it should not be done in the context of putting it next to the big guys like the NYT, LA Times, or Washington Post.  Most certainly the claims of any news outlet for being fair and balanced – be it Fox News or MSNBC – should be taken with a block of salt, and that includes the breast beating of our little Union.  Not every story is or can be ‘fair’ to all concerned, and most certainly every news item doesn’t come with a hidden ‘balance’ that a journalist or commentator must always dig out and reveal.  The world is not built that way, but it can be painted as such by people pushing this agenda or that – and everyone has an agenda, which reality is easily verifiable from a perusal of the so-called world class media.

In sum, The Union is Nevada County’s cosa nostra (‘our thing’) in news, let’s enjoy it as it is, and just smile when its management tries a little puffery to rebut its often gratuitous critics.

Comments

[Russ Steele]

I wrote Mr. Hemig an e-mail on his views of bloggers and their contributions, then posted it on my blog Sierra Foothill Commentary Here are my opening paragraphs:

Dear Mr Hemig,

I read your Op-Ed with some interest this evening, as I am a blogger. I became a blogger in August of 2004 when the Union could not keep track of my Other Voices, they just seem to keep disappearing into some round file, or when they were found and published the issue was long forgotten. There was a concerted effort to stifle my voice in The Union. This came after I wrote columns for The Union for many years. My only option was to start my own blog NC Media Watch. The purpose was to offer another voice in the community, when The Union could not get it’s facts straight.

Once Jeff “The FUE” Pelline was no longer The Union editor the need to write other points of view diminished and I moved on retiring NC Media Watch, focusing more on politics and again offered to write columns for The Union. Well that is until the Publisher/Editor did not want to hear that anthropogenic global warming could not be supported scientifically and did not want anyone presenting arguments the ran counter to Amy Goodman’s liberal crap science, which he paid for. Therefore, I agreed to never again write for The Union, as the paper was not interest in scientific facts, only AGM clap trap science. “Fair and Balanced”??

You can read the rest HERE.

[Michael Anderson]

George, you hit it out of the park on this one. Your post very accurately describes both the local and universal media landscape.

Jim Hemig has done the impossible, in managing to align Jeff Pelline, George Rebane, Russ Steele, and Todd Juvinall in their commentaries today in response to Jim's OpEd. I imagine that Doug Keachie and Barry Pruett are also of the same opinion, though they have not yet weighed in.

Whether or not we hear from George Boardman and RL Crabb also remains to be seen, but my guess is that they would also think that Jim stuck his foot in it.

[Jeff Pelline]

Michael,
LOL. I thought the same thing. But when I thought more about it, I wondered if the new publisher of The Union (a long-timer with Swift) "threw out the baby with the bathwater." The trend is going in my direction, and Jim is jeopardizing alienating his long-time subscribers (aging, declining and boring ideologues) at the expense of new voices. It's a risky proposition and could wind up being a lose-lose proposition that has Jim replacing Jeff Ackerman, when he retires from his job in Siberia (I mean Roseburg, Ore.) in a few years. Ackerman made the same miscalculation about our community, and I believe it cost him his job. One upside: Jim can do "glossy" newsprint, which should help him compete against Gold Country Media. But it is only a short-term solution. Stay tuned.

[Todd Juvinall]

Before I hit the hay I have to say that no matter what the Union does, Pelline will whine about it and blame Ackerman. You are old lettuce man. Move along nothing to see here from you.

[Jeff Pelline]

Todd,
You bet on the wrong horse, who got transferred to Roseburg, Ore. I still live here and am doing fine.

[John]

By what standard and definition are you "doing fine" Pelline?

[Todd Juvinall]

My goodness Pelline, your last response was creepy.

[fish]

By what standard and definition are you "doing fine" Pelline?

It means he can afford to live there until his eToys.com money runs out.

[stevenfrisch]

Really, are you going to make this about Pelline again? Jeff, don't make the mistake of falling into it.

I laughed outright yesterday when I noted that Mr. Hemig's editorial unknowingly aligned every entry in the local dogfight.

The real issue is that the entire concept of 'the media' as we have known it is over; the fragmentation of the media world and new technology changed it forever. User created content, non-profit media, citizen media, and other competitors yet unanticipated are going to rise.

The question as 'new media' rises is will we gradually create the same or GREATER standards of excellence than those we once expected from print and broadcast media.

So far I am not encouraged as unsourced information, petty bickering, wild accusations, insult, anonymity, and peoples 'feelings' have been allowed to masquerade as 'media'. You want to start making the new media world a productive place to replace what people are romanticizing they had in the old media world set some quality and behavioral standards.

[Gregory]

" You want to start making the new media world a productive place... set some quality and behavioral standards" -Frisch

Physician, heal thyself.

[Michael Anderson]

Greg snarked: "Physician, heal thyself."

Monkey fece, fling thyself.

-OR

Tar baby, stick thyself.

-OR

Mr. Know-it-all, crown thyself.

-OR

...

[Gregory]

Thank you, Michael Anderson, for illustrating the following new media complaints of Frisch's:

petty bickering, wild accusations, insult, 'feelings'

[Joe Koyote]

Hemig comes from the old school of journalism that no longer exists..that is journalism that is supposed to provide vetted, sourced, and accurate information in an unbiased and factual manner. Conglomerated mainstream media no longer provides such information as it has become nothing more than shills for their owners' points of view. The blogosphere is an entirely different animal. While "journalism" is supposed to have some sort of rules about multiple sources and story confirmation, the blogosphere has no such rules or expectations. Anyone can blog anything they want and are held to no journalistic standards whatsoever. The political internet and blogosphere has become a rumor mill and forum for quacks of all shapes and sizes. The problem is that many people do not realize that just because information is in print (electronic or hard copy) does not mean it is true. The blogosphere is the misinformation and confusion maven's paradise.

[Todd Juvinall]

Frisch never acknowledges that his bosom buddy Pelline started the dissing here. Why is that? Butt sniffers are so obvious on the left.

MichaelA then does his own version of "creepshow" here. Butt sniffers all. Too funny.

[Gregory]

Ahh, the late, lamented old school of journalism:

Journalists aren't supposed to praise things. It's a violation of work rules almost as serious as buying drinks with our own money or absolving the CIA of something. ~P.J. O'Rourke

The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers. ~Thomas Jefferson

Advertisements contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper. ~Thomas Jefferson, letter to Nathaniel Macon

Journalism — a profession whose business it is to explain to others what it personally does not understand. ~Lord Northcliffe

Everything you read in newspapers is absolutely true, except for that rare story of which you happen to have first-hand knowledge. ~Erwin Knoll

I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and photographers. ~Attributed to Mahatma Gandhi

[stevenfrisch]

Posted by: Gregory | 19 April 2014 at 08:30 AM

Hey you know what Gregory, I do not unilaterally disarm, so fuck you and the horse you rode in on. You feed on this crap. Heal yourself and then come back and tell us about it.

[George Rebane]

I am not a journalist.
http://rebaneruminations.typepad.com/rebanes_ruminations/2007/12/i-am-not-a-jour.html

[Russ Steele]

My first awakening to how the news is covered by The Union came after I retired frome the Air Force and was living in Grass Valley, while building our house on Banner Mt. I would go to the Grass Valley City Council meetings and sit through a lot of boring stuff. Then I would read The Union Reporter's story on what happend at the Council meeting. Either I fell asleep, or the report was having hallucinations. The report had no relationship to what I had observed or was discussed at the meeting.

Many years later a Nevada County City Council meeting, I made a presentation and then one of the Councilmen went off on a rampage spewing all kinds of nonsense. The reporter left, before the meeting was over and I stopped her in the hall and asked why she did not stay and try to get to the truth of the issue, by questioning both of us. In summary she said, her job was not to get to the truth of anything, she was just paid to file a story by a specific time, and there was not overtime for getting the facts. I had lunch with the editor and discussed the young lady's action and she was soon gone, but then again so was the editor. The issue with Union reporters is they are hourly employees and they had to have specific authorization for any overtime. The result is we only get the onion skin of the news, no pulp. No examination of the underlying issues is covered up by the onion skin, we are left to discover on our own if it was a good onion or a rotten onion.

[Gregory]

9:54AM Frisch

Oh, my.

BTW, I think you've erred over at the FUEhrer's sandbox, as my recollection is I've never actually threatened you with legal action.

Now, I did say I wanted to write your board about your antics in the blogosphere (new readers may not recognize Frisch as the President and CEO of the wretchedly misnamed Sierra Business Council, a supposedly non-partisan 501c3) and you promised to send me their contact information if only I'd email you with the request, which I did. That was months ago.

Does that make you a liar?

[Walt]

I don't know who is getting what info from where, as Mr. Jeff A. is concerned.
He was "done" with this place and requested the "move" himself. I have my own set of "informants" who's info has yet to be wrong.
Seems the people of Roseburg are vary happy with their acquisition of Jeff A.
Our loss was their gain.
What has happened since Jeff "hit the road"? Circulation is down, and prices have gone up.. WAY up. yet reported news is pathetic, and the political "leaning" has gone so Left, it may soon need a kick-stand.

A while back The Union made a big deal out of the French Corral mine being re-opened. ( and showed it in the wrong spot a mile away.) Then a year later made reference to the mine being "in operation". To this day, it's yet to move one shovel full of dirt.
If the local rag can't even get that correct, how much else has it got wrong?
I won't even get into the "picking and choosing" of what to print on the opinion page. ( look how long it took for a Letter about "gun running" Lee to show up.)

[Todd Juvinall]

Walt, my informants are the horses mouth. LOL! Pelline knows nothing and just like most of his views it is made from whole cloth. Of course like any "myth" he has a tad bit of truth.

The Union was well run by Ackerman, he cleaned house of the deadwood and it seemed to be just fine. JA's wife had been ill and I have heard she may be having a recurrence. I pray for her and her recovery.

The Union changed a lot after Moorehead left. His editor though did not care for me since I was a vote against a "pension" request as a County Supervisor. I had to deal with sniping all the time and since I was young and untested the editor tried to push me around all the time. Then Seelmeyer came and it got much worse for the community. He allowed a story to be published about a debate I had with a SYRCl jerk at a local school. I was with CABPRO and no reporter was there. But then the next day there was a front page story about the debate and how I "bullied" students! It was all made up and a total lie! Seelmeyer and I got into a shouting match because he would not retract the lie. What an a**hole he was. Ackerman sent him packing thank goodness.

I did a story on my blog too as has Russ. We all have our stories. But, we have to have a local paper and so I subscribe. Oh, and I would like to see them do a story on why the County Planning and County Counsel are screwing over the proposed mine in NSJ. Law says one year for a project approval and they are now over two years and no EIR is completed yet! But hell why care about the jobs? County Counsel is at the bottom of this travesty apparently. America is screwed up even at this level.

[George Rebane]

FYI, I call your kind attention to the 19apr14 update of 'A Takeaway from Bundy Ranch'.
http://rebaneruminations.typepad.com/rebanes_ruminations/2014/04/a-takeaway-from-bundy-ranch.html

[Brad Croul]

Mr. Hemig is wrong, of course. I would assume he is just shilling for his newspaper.

Here is a relatively new site I heard about - don't know if it has been tagged as either lefty or righty,

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/

[Bonnie McGuire]

We've subscribed to the Union for about 62 years, and our parents and grandparents before that. Some of us wrote many opinions that were published over the years. The Unions policy was very generous to writers compared to newspapers like the Sacramento bee. Personally I read many things, and prefer the bigger picture even if I may not agree. We've all seen and experienced things others haven't, altogether filling in the gaps. No one and nothing is perfect. Mr. Hemig may be a little tired of those who constantly gripe and complain about everything. Some blogs have very insulting people, while others like this one have good subjects and discussions. And we have one local blog that finds fault with the Union continually. The impression is that if Mr. Hemig lets it influence him there won't be much of an exchange of ideas. I wish him and the Union well. It's always been our wonderful community newspaper. Maybe not perfect but almost. Who the heck are we to say otherwise. Are we perfect? Have a blessed, joyous Easter everybody....

[Walt]

Seeing not one "letter" to the editor, after all this time about the Bundy showdown
says a lot. But a local "pro pot" letter makes it in...
( Can't give those uppity Conservatives around here any ideas.)

[Walt]

Seeing not one "letter" to the editor, after all this time about the Bundy showdown
says a lot. But a local "pro pot" letter makes it in...
( Can't give those uppity Conservatives around here any ideas.)