I have lived in San Diego and been a member of the news media here for 25 years. I have witnessed a shrinking presence and influence of the local media, especially in the last few years, and so I was amused to hear about a recent incident at City Hall. Apparently a couple of Union-Tribune reporters yelled at some city workers.
I’m not much of a yeller, personally. Not even when I went to San Diego Gulls hockey games. My friends aren’t yellers. My parents weren’t yellers. As a parent, I wasn’t a yeller. There’s plenty of yelling on talk radio and cable television. After a while, all that yelling is just noise. But sometimes, when it’s done infrequently, like when we need to warn someone or snap someone out of a stupor, it’s probably a good thing to do. So when our local news organizations yell a little at the city, it’s probably a good thing. That’s how we let them know that we’re watching, holding them accountable.
In light of that view, I wrote this column in the Union-Tribune, and it ran in the paper and on its website Sunday, July 19.
Great article! So glad to see you joining the blogging revolution…can’t wait to read the new book. I’ll keep my eye out for you on facebook next – you know, even Dr. Martin is on FB. 🙂 Check out our blog when you get a chance – no books on the horizon, but I did manage to publish three children in the last few years! http://www.butlerfive.blogspot.com
I honk.