It Can't Get More Local

That brief by Mr. Kuznia was nice, but the text below is the long version today in Santa Maria Times and its clone, Lompoc Record. Seems like some bias has been interjected by Mr. Kuznia, who writes that horses were the intended lickers, not sheep. "Editor" Steepleton needs to send a disciplinary memo to Kuznia about that, because all trained Education Beat reporters now work best on the Agriculture Olive Oil beat.

Thankfully, though, Kuznia leaves out the address of Mission La Purisima, because publishing that address (unlike the irresponsible Santa Maria Times), from a public-record Sheriff's report, obviously would attract more of such Orange County fetishists.
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Lompoc, FROM SANTA MARIA TIMES
Man arrested acting on sheep ‘fantasy'

Santa Barbara County sheriff's deputies found a bizarre scene Wednesday morning when they stopped outside the La Purisima Mission to investigate an empty car.

Thinking they would find a suspect trespassing on state park property, deputies discovered 69-year-old Alfred Thomas Steven of Huntington Beach naked and coated in olive oil and oats in the sheep enclosure.

When deputies confronted Steven, they found that he had a loaded .357 revolver, officials said. Steven also allegedly admitted that he was enacting a fantasy and he drove up to the mission, at 2295 Purisima Road, from Huntington Beach for that purpose.

Steven was arrested on misdemeanor charges of trespassing on state park property, animal cruelty, sexually assaulting an animal, and possession of a loaded firearm, deputies said.

Park rangers were called to help with the investigation, and Steven was eventually released with a citation, officials said.

No animals were hurt in the incident, according to deputies.
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Interesting how many facts the NP version left out. So this is responsible journalism, submitting factually incorrect, watered down stories.

No ex inmate, it is another obvious example of bias in the news pages. Wonder what Steepleton has against horses? Or is he protecting sheep? Wendy and Travis will make sure somebody's head will roll over this blatant biasness.

The story is woefully unbalanced and biased: Kuznia is used to school board meetings and needs to step up his game. He forgot to answer burning questions that readers will have to have answered under the new regime.

First, what brand of olive oil, did it have a smoky flavor, and were there any overtones of basil?

Second, the animals sexually assaulted, male or female? The doctor will need to know for her Sunday column.

Third, banish the bias--who exactly was doing the licking, horses or sheep? Let’s set the record straight for the obligatory animal rights editorial to come.

More news you probably won’t see in the News-Press. Former Publisher Steve Ainsley is now the Publisher of the Boston Globe and related properties.

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtm...

He was a professional publisher and well-liked and respected in Santa Barbara.

Does anyone know what the hell Steve is thinking about Wendy’s hands-on management of the News-Press?

Steve has been following very closely the goings on at the News-Press, and I can say on his behalf he is underwhelmed.

--Randy Campbell

October Vanity Fair is now on the stands at Gelsen's and the Front Page, Goleta. Turn to page 188 for "The Battle of Santa Barbara."
Best Quote: "I have yet to be bored," says von Wiesenberger happily, "and I've been around a lot of women." Then from his ex-wife, Leslie Sinclair, presumably one of those women, "I had no idea Arthur had virtually no income and that I would have to support the marriage and our family by the depletion of my separate property." Anyway Santa Barbara, plenty of "dish" for dinner tonight, thanks to Vanity Fair!

Those who us who still work at the News-Press love all the community support, but one that really bugs: Everything we write now is scrutinized. Come on -- Rob Kuznia interjected bias into a story about a man who rubbed olive oil on him? That's ridiculous.

Rob Kuznia is a great reporter with high journalistic standards ... I hope these comments were a joke.

von Weinerburger, McCaw, Travis, Dr. Laura possess exactly zero percent of the spine and integrity of Rob Kuznia.

He is a close personal friend of mine. The unsettling working conditions this extremely smart, mild mannered and hard working fellow steps into every day weigh heavily on his mind.

None of the hard working and honest reporters deserve to be covered in the psychotic overflow gushing from the utterly useless individuals in control.

Kuznia obviously is a dangerous INTIMIDATOR. He and his hefty 110 pounds of body mass were part of the newsroom cabal that was threatening and intimidating The Wendy even though she was not in the room nor in the building.

Scott Steepleton: after you spend half the day trying to sharpen a pencil, you need to write another stern memo and stop the KUZNIA BIAS. Put The Kuz on the Cemetery District Beat and end this madness that obviously is the reason why subscriptions are tanking!

Kuznia of course is a great reporter. The olive oil, basil, etc. references are a bad parody of the new bullsh*t conditions he has to work under.

Anonymous, Kuznia is King and True Fan of Kuznia my earlier post was not intended as a slam of Rob Kuznia's skills or ethics. I was just using it as an example of the ridiculous bias charges leveled again all of us former editors, copy editors and reporters. You know who we are.

I would like to point out to those who have never worked in a newsroom, after Rob Kuznia wrote his story it passed through an minimum of 5 other sets of eyes with the possibility of alterations being made to it before it hit the street as a finished product. At least it would have made at least 5 stops back when the News-Press was produced by professional editors. Those stops would have been city editor, possibly assistant city editor, news editor, design editor, copy editor, back to news editor. Only then did it become type ready for publication. Then it still had to be cleared by another copy editor who was in composing checking the pages a final time before it went to plate making and eventually onto the press.

So, defend Rob Kuznia. You obviously know him and I do not. But I am very familiar with the process and am just pointing out some possibilities. I support your and your co-workers completely. I am sure many of my now departed collegues feel the same way. Keep up the good work, but most important, Keep The Faith!

I never imagined any of the above comments were serious, by the way.

A couple additional comments need to be made concerning the path a story takes from reporter to reader.

First, at any point along the line an editor is free to question a story and stop the process until he/she is satisfied. This may result in changes being made (with consultation) or sent back to the reporter for revision. If questions still remain, it might be passed up the chain of command to the managing editor, who may either pass on the story or order further revision. He/she may also send the story to legal counsel if there is a question of ethics (there's that word again) or legalities.

Once all this has been accomplished and it goes to the design editor a second time for pagination, a page proof is made. This is handed out at random to other copy editors for review. Granted, they often have to fit this into working around other stories, but they are required to initial the proofs and send them back to the news editor.

Finally, the copy desk is probably the most anonymous and least understood position in a newspaper's operation. I am sure the present copy editors are working under such stress that their jobs are doubly difficult. As I was once one of you, I sympathize. We appreciate you, if present ownership does not.

Again, Keep The Faith!

Let's making sure the follow-up sentencing story is not spiked, like ...

We have so much to be proud of in Surf City USA. An 18-year-old guy was just murdered in the Huntington Beach Hotel several weeks ago. An 18 or 19-year old girl knifed her mother and was shot and killed by police in Surf City last week. Now we have this guy who didn't find happiness in a Jan & Dean song, 2 Girls for Every Boy. Maybe we'll all start moving to Central Coast to get away from this rat race.

Looks like Court TV has picked up on the rollin' in oats story on their home page!:

www.thesmokinggun.com

The Kuz slacking off to miss this story, now scooped by the Indy, based on the Sheriff report fully available at Smoking Gun
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/090...

LAW AND DISORDER
By Indy Staff, September 14, 2006

A Huntington Beach man has been charged with having sex with animals one week after sheriff’s deputies arrested him for cavorting nude with horses and sheep in the La Purísima Mission animal pen. Deputies also charged Alfred Stevens, 69, with trespassing on a state park with a concealed .357 handgun. Stevens reportedly broke into the pen, stripped, and slathered his body with olive oil, salt, and oats so that the horses would lick him. Deputies – who wore night-vision goggles – also reported seeing Stevens standing behind a female sheep and hearing loud rhythmic thumping sounds. Stevens, whose phone number has since been disconnected, denied having sex with sheep, but reportedly told investigators he has long fantasized about getting naked with animals.

It's funny how the cops sat around and watched for 20-30 minutes before they did anything - perverts!