Peoria Pundit

From Arab News:

Marines come from well-bred families; others join because they were living off the street. Some join to be educated, others to become part of a family. Some join because they simply “want to be part of the best.”

Many of these young Marines don’t know the difference between an Arab and an Asian. But a Chaplin told me that some of his hardest young Marines’ hearts turned soft “up north” as they witnessed the hard life and poverty Iraqi civilians and military live.

I am greatly concerned that this war has polarized many Arabs and Americans. Knowing these Marines, however, has given me hope for the future of America and its relationship with the Arab world.

This kinda brought a tear by my eye. Read the whole thing.

US Marines,Iraq War

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Romenesko links to a tale out of Salt Lake City, where two Tribune reporters got a tounge-lashing from their boss for assisting the National Enquirer in its coverage of the Jessica Smart kidnapping. Michael Vigh and Kevin Cantera claim they didn’t report for the tabloid, but gave background on the case to the notoriously inaccurate rag.

When the Enquirer, surprise, printed an inaccurate story, they cited the two Trib reporters as sources, which they denied.

Surprisingly, the two reporters were not fired immediately. So much for the Trib’s credibility. These two losers deserved to get fired. Their best contribution to journalism is to serve as a negative example of what happens to reporters who do business with vipers.

I was reminded of my one and only brush with tabloid journalism.

I was education reporter at the Jacksonville Journal-Courier. Jacksonville, Ill., is the site of the plant where many of EMI’s compact discs are manufactured. Country music star Garth Brooks was of their artists, and at the time was at the height of his popularity. One day, Brooks showed up to tour the plant and thank the workers for producing so many of his CDs. It was the biggest event of the year for this city and I was the reporter who covered it. Thousands of people showed up to see and hear Garth. The event lasted for hours because Brooks posed for pictures and signed autographs for anyone who asked. Garth met with school children, including blind and deaf children from nearby state-run schools. I watched as Garth’s wife as she stoically endured listing to women shout crude comments about her husband’s butt.

Brooks made a good impression on the people of this town.

Two days later, I was sitting at my desk working on some mundane school board story when I got a call from a person identifying himself as a reporter for the tabloid “Globe” newspaper. He was doing research and wanted to ask a few questions.

We heard a report that Garth and his wife had a fight during the tour. Not from what I saw, and I followed him around the place for several hours.

Did he look fat? Nope, I said. I should have Garth’s weight problem.

There was a blow-up wasn’t there? Absolutely not. He was completely gracious.

You know, we pay reporters for information. And there it was. The only time in my life I’ve been offered money to lie in print. “No thanks. I have a paycheck coming in and I want to keep it.” Click.

Years before, I worked in Canton, Ill. Fulton County was home to several weird characters, including one lady who made a cottage industry out of her experiences as a UFO abductee and of course sought out as much free newspaper coverage as she could get. We also got phone calls once a month or so from a lady who claimed her Christmas tree or her toaster was talking to her, and did we want to come over and write a story about it. Then there was the guy who wanted us to publish his manifesto about the need to build a huge starship for humanity could escape Earth’s imminent destruction.

A co-worker and I made plans to write these stories for the tabloids, but neither of us had the guts — or the stomachs — to seriously consider it. But, every once in a while, I think wonderful career I could have had making stuff up.

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In its April 9 editorial, the Peoria Journal Star had this to say about a study conducted on the feasibility of turning over the long-empty Sears block in downtown Peoria for use as a museum of Peoria history. Mayor Dave Ransburg questioned the study’s conclusions and wants a new one (which is exactly what happened later).

“Funny thing about consultants and their studies. No matter how solid they may be, no matter how good the math, if they don’t reach the desired conclusion, they’re not worth much to the movers and shakers.”

It’s also a “funny thing” how editorial writers and some city council members are willing to look the other way about a flawed study because it supports, rather than refutes, their desire to turn over a prime piece of real estate to a non-profit entity, forever removing it from the tax rolls.

The official opinion of Peoria’s newspaper of record is that despite obvious problems with the study, it serves the useful purpose of recommending a museum at the Sears site. What a coincidence, that’s what the Journal Star recommends, too. So, the Journal Star concludes, there is no need for a second story. It’s an intellectual dishonest position.
According to its own editorial, problems with the original study include:
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The Journal Star editorial also scoffs at those who doubt the museum would generate new business: “This museum’s proximity to the Lincoln Library and Museum in Springfield is also a plus. Just last week it was reported that the Starbucks coffee chain will put its first downstate store in downtown Springfield, in part because of the additional 300,000 visitors the museum is expected to bring annually. It’s a small thing, but telling.”

Wow. That’s a great reason to turn over a piece of prime retail land over to an untaxed, non-profit agency: The chance to lure in a Starbucks. Thinking like that is why Peoria is in such great financial shape.

The editorial board at the JS is like the city council – willing to spend taxpayer money to support certain developers and certain businesses over their competitors, which keeps property and sales taxes high. Later, they both will wonder why there’s not enough money coming in to pay for enough police officers and firefighters.

Why is the Journal Star and other movers and shakers so hot for a museum? Maybe because Managing Editor Jack Brimeyer fancies himself a local history buff. But, more than likely it’s simply a case of liberalism. They enjoy having taxpayers pay the bill for recreation and cultural activities that are enjoyed by movers and shakers (funny how the PJS describes others that way, but not itself).

The complete editorial is not available on the Journal Star Website without paying a fee, so I posted the entire thing here. Let ‘em sue me.

NOTE: Original links expired.

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They said irony was dead after 9-11. Apparently, “they” haven’t been reading Phil Luciano’s column in the Journal Star. His April 25 entry is especially ironic. It ends with this question: “Does anyone else in PeoriaLand hate the requisite nightly blurbs that our TV newscasts squander on Bloomington-Normal?”

I sure do, Phil. That’s why I wrote about it in the March “City Beat.” As I recall, I criticized all Peoria-area media — including the Journal Star — for spending too much time reporting on the Bloomington/Normal area. That’s been a consistent complaint of mine since I started this column.

Phil also uncorked this statement: “Can’t Bloomington-Normal get their own newscast?”

Umm, Phil? Ever hear of WYZZ? Channel 43? It’s carried on Insight cable channel 6. They’re the FOX network affiliate that shows “The Simpsons.” They have a nightly 9 p.m. newscast. Sure, it’s broadcast out of WMBD-TV’s studios on North University Street in Peoria, but it is a Bloomington/Normal newscast.

Oh, and one more thing, Phil: Stop referring to the Peoria area as “PeoriaLand.” It really annoys the natives.

phil luciano,WYZZ,journal star

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I used to work for Conrad Black. This was back when I was at the Canton (Ill.) Daily Ledger, which was owned by American Publishing Company, which was owned by Hollinger International. I have not the faintest idea who owned whom now, because I escaped that hellhole of a corporation many years ago. I worked for them for slightly longer than one year and not a month in which conditions were not worse than the previous month because of the company’s insistence on increasing profitability by cutting wages and benefits.

So, it was no surprise when I came across this item from Crain’s Chicago Business:

Conrad Black’s empire may look small next to some other media powers, but the press baron ? who is actually a British lord ? collects a king’s ransom from the public company that owns the Chicago Sun-Times.

In the past five years, Chicago-based Hollinger International Inc., where Mr. Black is CEO, has funneled more than $300 million to Mr. Black, his closest lieutenants and entities they control, company filings show.

During the same period, the company’s aggregate net income was only $26 million, with more than a half-billion dollars in losses recorded over the last two years. And its public shareholders saw the value of their stock fall 42%, while the Standard & Poor’s index of printing and publishing stocks rose 24%.
The flurry of inside dealing took place within the elaborate corporate structure Mr. Black uses to maintain control of holdings that include a stable of suburban Chicago papers, London’s Daily Telegraph and the Jerusalem Post.

Hollinger Inc., a public Canadian company controlled by Mr. Black’s private investment vehicle, controls Hollinger International through a class of “supervoting” stock with 10 times the voting power of the Class A common shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange. That gives Mr. Black 70% of the voting power at Hollinger International, even though public shareholders hold about 70% of the company’s total equity.

Someone please explain to me why Black isn’t being sued by a disgruntled stockholder.

Conrad Black,American Publishing Company,Chicago Sun-Times

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