The Observation Deck

Paul Schrimpf wrote:A trained journalist is hungry for facts and is free to pursue them without fear of retribution. And, back in the day, he/she could feed his/her family because he was getting paid for his work, and i believe society in large part benefitted. Maybe the paid model is indeed dead. But in my opinion there is a hole that the Observer as currently constructed can't fill.

Paul

This is a fantasy constructed by the Fourth Estate.

Every writer has an editor, a legal staff, and a publisher. Every writer that has worked
"professionally" in Lakewood has been constrained on what could or could not be written.
Write one story critical of city hall, and you are on the outs, the same is true with the schools.

David George may he RIP had a classic case of this. The skate park meeting turned into a
riot, as that is how he was told to write it. Other people in the media have other restraints
in this city and other cities. What if a young up-and-comer was to lose parking privileges
in the city lot, or have his occupancy permit trimmed in half because he did not have
enough parking?

At the end of the day, ALL writers have bias, ALL journalists carry that bias with them, into
everything they say and do. Show me one example of someone different. Have you seen
all the President's Men? Woodward and Bernstein were repeatedly told that a mistake would
cost them their jobs. Even decades later, when Woodward wrote about Bush, he still had
to hold part of the corporate line, or risk no more special "favors" like access.

While I appreciate the hard work that reporters do, in this day and age to believe they are
somehow above the fray in worrying about their livelihood, family and friends is foolhardy.

The Observer is nothing more than blank pages and unused electrons until someone decides to use them. At that point it becomes whatever they decide it can be used for. News, opinion, fantasy, fact. It always amazes me that some people think we have an agenda when the only agenda we have is one seat at the table for anyone willing to put up
something.

PS - The paid model is not dead, I have two semi-professional publications that are
working to keep it alive. However on a hyper-local level, it needs community involvement.

.

That everyone in government is looking out for your best interest is a falacy created by the government. So should we have no government?

I never said it was perfect, but I still believe it is essential. Living in a democracy effectively requires critical thinking. Paid journalists can provide a piece of it. Is it unbiased? No. Perfect? Far from it. But I think it has value.

Paul Schrimpf wrote:That everyone in government is looking out for your best interest is a falacy created by the government. So should we have no government?

I never said it was perfect, but I still believe it is essential. Living in a democracy effectively requires critical thinking. Paid journalists can provide a piece of it. Is it unbiased? No. Perfect? Far from it. But I think it has value.

Paul

It can be a piece of it for sure.

But I look at my people from top to bottom and they are some of the best writers,
photographers, illustrators I have ever had the pleasure to work with.

Gordon Brumm (RIP), Doctorate in logic from Harvard, Masters of Philosophy from Yale,
personal cataloger for Dr. Jane Goodall was not a slouch. Ex-Mayor Tom George, with
a minor in Journalism from Ohio State, and years on Council and as Mayor not up to par?
Editor Betsy Voinovich graduated from Case, before she could legally drive, proof reader
for books, years working in Hollywood fixing scripts and writing for TV Shows, Kenneth
Warren, author, poet ex director of the Library, slacker? The designer of the paper 7
International Silver Quills for newspaper design? And on, and on, and on, and on,
thousands have taken part.

The paid journalist, is a wonderful thing, but let's not put them to high on a pedestal.

I appreciate the people that do it for love, because they used to, and are retired, because
they were too busy with careers for writing but have come back. Because they want to go
to journalism school, and want the experience. Because they love their city and community.

I like them all.

Today I was speaking with two women, who will be writing a health column for the paper,
they are 60 something and young 70s. They have been doctors (multiple fields) graduated
from Georgetown, and have retired and husbands are still Doctors in the health care
field. These women who will be explaining the changing health care laws, programs, new
cures and treatments, are somehow less because they have volunteered to help their
community and fellow residents?

I won't sell the paid journalist short if you stop selling my volunteers and paid staff short.

Sooner or later you hope to see residents stop steeping over trash and start to help pick it up.
Even if they are paid street sweepers and garbage collectors. Right?

Jim O'Bryan wrote:I won't sell the paid journalist short if you stop selling my volunteers and paid staff short.

Jim,

You are like a brother to me. The brother I never wanted. But a brother nonetheless.

I'll take the blame for not being clear on my end.

I agree with your above quote.

I don't care what we have ... as long as it helps stop City Hall from playing the role of the schoolyard bully on Sunshine Laws ... and ... helps encourage the sharing of news and discussion.

Matt

Paul Schrimpf wrote:Matt --

Why would a politician post here? Or, frankly, anywhere online? It's like speaking against a mass of shouters. You can't sort out the reasonable from the extreme. Responding to some and not all can be more dangerous than avoiding the fray entirely. Using real names has not stopped incivility. Virtually all web exchanges with even a modicum of controversy degrade into holy wars among the extremes. Everyone knows it. Everyone who's attempted to be reasonable has been caught in the middle of it. Who has time/energy for that nonsense?

I thought it was interesting that the mailbox discussion garnered some atypical responders from the usual dozen or so devotees.

A trained journalist is hungry for facts and is free to pursue them without fear of retribution. And, back in the day, he/she could feed his/her family because he was getting paid for his work, and i believe society in large part benefitted. Maybe the paid model is indeed dead. But in my opinion there is a hole that the Observer as currently constructed can't fill.

Paul,

As a citywide elected official, I had no problem engaging folks on the Deck. But, your points are very well taken.

Ed FitzGerald and Kevin Butler used to engage on the Deck. Shawn Juris did, too. I understand why they all decided to disengage.

David Anderson still isn't afraid to have his opinion recorded openly the Deck.

And, as stated in my above post:

I don't care what we have ... as long as it helps stop City Hall from playing the role of the schoolyard bully on Sunshine Laws ... and ... helps encourage the sharing of news and discussion.

Matt

I meant no disrespect Jim. On the writing and churning of information, it's a matter of attention, not aptitude. Obviously there are very smart and qualified individuals providing contribution to the deck. But the smart people also tend to be very busy, so it can get pretty inconsistent. Events and happenings fly by that are never so much as mentioned here. If it's nobody's job, there's a good chance nobody will do it.

Paul Schrimpf wrote:I meant no disrespect Jim. On the writing and churning of information, it's a matter of attention, not aptitude. Obviously there are very smart and qualified individuals providing contribution to the deck. But the smart people also tend to be very busy, so it can get pretty inconsistent. Events and happenings fly by that are never so much as mentioned here. If it's nobody's job, there's a good chance nobody will do it.

Paul

As you are a member of the family, and we have spoken of many of this before, back when
we were losing churches, and we both agreed it would be better to hear the news from you
about the reorganization than I, I know you get the gist of what I am speaking of.

The funny thing is, Colin and I have spoken, but him coming to the project, if it ever
happens, would not include him surfing every news source in town to rewrite the news for
the LO, as he often did for Patch. There are other sites that are doing that, just not as
boldly as Patch corporate instructed their minions to do. To be honest I always thought that
had to be a miserable life for a true journalist.

I look at other projects that spend their lives re-posting other people's news "aggregate
sites" that create almost none of their own content, and those that rewrite other people's
news stories, and think that might be the lowest form of journalism that exists. At least
Colin created some original content.

As I want from everyone, I would hope he or anyone would cover what they are interested
in, and bring their knowledge base to, as you did with the Catholic Church articles.

The ever present 800lb gorillas in the room are. Sustainable, and needed. A huge
argument can be made for, if no one cares to share, then maybe no one cares. While I
personally believe that is cancerous thinking, and something many will take advantage of,
there is a certain amount of logic in it. The metaphor would be, If the public does not
buy tickets to the ballet, should the government underwrite it?

In the early days, everyone wanted us to cover the council meetings. I then used to pick up
audios of each council meeting and upload them into our video/audio archives (bet you
didn't even know about it). Then I realized that a person would have to listen to a four
hour meeting for maybe 5 minutes of the content they wanted. So I edited them down,
and cataloged them. Took about 6 hours a meeting. The files were accessed 3 times, 6
times, 12 times, 0 times, 2 times. Never in a large enough quantity to justify the work.
After the first year it was ended. It was not sustainable, nor needed to be.

This project could be 1000 times better, but not with the addition of a "paid journalist" but
with the city putting their words where their heart is. We each and everyone one of us
stopping for a second to bend over and pick up that piece of litter. To post the score from
a football game, from talking about the accident that happened, to talking about the
rumor or fact about what is being built at the end of the street.

I love the fact that this discussion was started. As I go around the city, many many people
weigh in on this, and one thing I always mention: when this project was started, the city
was not lacking news, it was lacking a discussion about the news. This city was not lacking
if it bleeds it leads headlines like "Mauling Ends Spooky Pooch Parade" or "Child Missing" posted hours if not days after the child was found. It needed a truthful discussion about how it happened, if it happened or why it happened.

I hope Colin joins someday, maybe even this discussion, but maybe there is nothing he
feels he could add to this project that isn't already being done. Maybe he does not pick
up litter. In America, and in this project, it would be his right, and our loss.

Paul, thanks for sticking with this discussion.

.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:In the early days, everyone wanted us to cover the council meetings. I then used to pick up
audios of each council meeting and upload them into our video/audio archives (bet you
didn't even know about it). Then I realized that a person would have to listen to a four
hour meeting for maybe 5 minutes of the content they wanted. So I edited them down,
and cataloged them. Took about 6 hours a meeting. The files were accessed 3 times, 6
times, 12 times, 0 times, 2 times. Never in a large enough quantity to justify the work.
After the first year it was ended. It was not sustainable, nor needed to be.

This project could be 1000 times better, but not with the addition of a "paid journalist" but
with the city putting their words where their heart is. We each and everyone one of us
stopping for a second to bend over and pick up that piece of litter. To post the score from
a football game, from talking about the accident that happened, to talking about the
rumor or fact about what is being built at the end of the street.

I had to get on here and mention that Chris Bindel does attend and cover every Lakeood City Council meeting. He is not paid-- he does it because he thinks it's important as a citizen and a resident to know what's going on at City Council-- that's why he goes and that's why he covers it for the rest of us.

There are two projects here that sometimes intersect, the Deck and the printed (and online) Lakewood Observer newspaper. Because people on the Deck did not download Jim's meticulously made Council notes does not mean that many people reading the paper do not appreciate having our Council meetings covered.

I think I should know what's going on with City Council, but on the night's when I also want to know what's going on with the Board of Ed meeting, I'd have to pick one, because they are held at the same time, on the same night, as if to deliberately make it impossible for each body to fulfill their responsibilities of being transparent to the public.

Chris "brings it" to the Lakewood Observer every Council meeting. I so wish that others who attended meetings, especially regularly, would cover the meetings that they attend. It wouldn't have to be a regular gig like Chris Bindel's. It could just be a thought, that any neighbor has, that "I'm here, I'll make sure I'll let other people know what happened."

I wish those who regularly attend School Board meetings, Planning Commission meetings, ARB meetings, Meetings of the Whole, Lakewood Collab meetings, Lakewood Alive meetings, etc, would pass it on. It takes some effort to take notes, usually a printed agenda is available at each meeting that you can make notes on and take home. And unlike "regular" reporters, you know your fellow neighbors would like to hear your opinion. "Why did you go?" "Because I thought I should. They were talking about something I'm concerned about." Chances are, if you are concerned about something, a lot of people would be-- if they knew about it-- if they could be there.

You're the one there, you're the one thinking about it, and you don't need to know "the answer" you just need to share the news. If you didn't get it all, or you're not sure you got it right, in this little town, you can email or go see the participants and ask them to clarify and you will suddenly find yourself in the role of interviewer. ANY CITIZEN can say, "I'm writing an article for the Lakewood Observer, and I'd like to know--" or "Please help me share with my fellow Lakewoodites what this means."

And in terms of the Lakewood Observer's stellar team of writers, designers, editors, those of us who volunteer do it to help with the articles that ANY PERSON IN THE CITY turns in. We proofread, we ask questions if there's a confusing paragraph to make sure we get it straight, we make sure the story is laid out and readable in the printed paper.

Unlike those times you write letters to the editor, if you write a story for the Lakewood Observer, it goes into the paper. The paper is community-written. That's where the LO gets all of its stories.

The Deck is not proof-read by LO editors before a post goes up. It's more seat of the pants, and a lot more "real-time," but it's also real names, and how Deck posters really feel.

If you don't find it on the Deck, you might find it in the paper. If you don't find it either place, and you think it is important, maybe you are the one who should be writing about it.

Betsy Voinovich