An Editorial...Blackmail, Extortion, Defamation and Censorship
Grove has lately become home to a few citizens who want to censor the news. Let us say at the outset that we are not going to be blackmailed, extorted, or allow defamation of character to stop us from printing the truth. Since we have no advertisers we cannot be threatened with loss of advertising and since we have no revenue there is none to lose. All the various "clans" around town can do is keep others from hiring your editor as a paid reporter or editor, and they have surely been successful at that. This week it was the Hospital Clan, complaining about a story on last week's blog; last winter it was the Airport Clan, warning about loss of advertising. In any case, Grove is no place for Spineless Publishers.
In the movie "A Few Good Men," Jack Nicholson shouts "You Can't Handle the Truth, Son." Jack should pay a visit to Grove; he could find plenty of people at which to shout that line.
Some feel that a small town such as Grove cannot have a newspaper that prints all the news, even the unpleasant, since advertisers can be so easily threatened and the newspaper's revenue stream shut down. The public is the real loser. Your editor's problem is the perceived news "slant" towards the previous city administration on this blog. Actually, we really did try to tell the truth, including wrongdoings when we found them.
In any case, here are a few tactics to stop the flow of news:
1. Threaten the newspaper with loss of advertising. Newspapers cannot operate without advertising revenue so cutting this off will put a newspaper out of business in a hurry.
2. One newspaper can threaten its own advertisers with a hike in rates if they advertise in a competing newspaper, or even refuse to run their ads.
3. Blackmail. "If you hire someone we don't like, that speaks the truth, or if you print the truth, we'll stop our advertising and encourage others to do likewise."
4. Defamation of character. "We'll put out lies and make accusations that will cause you to withdraw job offers to anyone who writes the truth."
5. Censorship. This is a self-defeating tactic but practiced here anyway. Just limit your news releases to those publications you like, not necessarily the publications with the most readership. This is also known as cutting off your nose to spite your face.
It seems to us that if you want a cool $1 million in taxpayer dollars to build a new hospital, you would crank up the PR machine, not tell an editor off.
It is interesting that some people say they never read The Observer, but they can quote from it.
Our Constitution recognizes a free press and the public's right to know, and we intend to stick around and do our job, even in the face of the local censors, blackmailers, extortionists, and defamers of character.
In the movie "A Few Good Men," Jack Nicholson shouts "You Can't Handle the Truth, Son." Jack should pay a visit to Grove; he could find plenty of people at which to shout that line.
Some feel that a small town such as Grove cannot have a newspaper that prints all the news, even the unpleasant, since advertisers can be so easily threatened and the newspaper's revenue stream shut down. The public is the real loser. Your editor's problem is the perceived news "slant" towards the previous city administration on this blog. Actually, we really did try to tell the truth, including wrongdoings when we found them.
In any case, here are a few tactics to stop the flow of news:
1. Threaten the newspaper with loss of advertising. Newspapers cannot operate without advertising revenue so cutting this off will put a newspaper out of business in a hurry.
2. One newspaper can threaten its own advertisers with a hike in rates if they advertise in a competing newspaper, or even refuse to run their ads.
3. Blackmail. "If you hire someone we don't like, that speaks the truth, or if you print the truth, we'll stop our advertising and encourage others to do likewise."
4. Defamation of character. "We'll put out lies and make accusations that will cause you to withdraw job offers to anyone who writes the truth."
5. Censorship. This is a self-defeating tactic but practiced here anyway. Just limit your news releases to those publications you like, not necessarily the publications with the most readership. This is also known as cutting off your nose to spite your face.
It seems to us that if you want a cool $1 million in taxpayer dollars to build a new hospital, you would crank up the PR machine, not tell an editor off.
It is interesting that some people say they never read The Observer, but they can quote from it.
Our Constitution recognizes a free press and the public's right to know, and we intend to stick around and do our job, even in the face of the local censors, blackmailers, extortionists, and defamers of character.
Labels: Editorials
posted by Editor | 1:55 AM
5 Comments:
Keep the faith, Jim. You're doing a great job, and we need the truth!
"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend, to the death, your right to say it."
The 2006 summer boating accident that resulted in one fatality was reported to be going to trial in August in Delaware County.
Any news of that? If you remember, that's the case where one of the accident participants left the scene, went to Stillwater, then cambe back to Grove the next day.. What's happening there..
After a year of lawyering the case is set for a non-jury trial in District Court on Sept 24, 2007 at 9 a.m. in the Jay courthouse.
This is the case re John Special, negligent homicide.
The Editor
Keep up the good work Jim. I hate it when people with big money want to control what others think, say and believe. It is sad that these pious hypocrites act like they really care about people. I wouldn't take my dog to Grove Integris. If people knew the truth about the cover-ups and the lawsuits settled out of court, they wouldn't even take their enemy through the doors of that hospital.
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