AJR Says No to McCaw

Is the December 6 retraction demand by McCaw that prompted Tobin's letter available? Tobin said it would be posted.

A short interview with the author of the L.A. Weekly article about Wendy and her “posse.”

“FBLA EXCLUSIVE: Ross Johnson on Wendy McCaw & Her Posse”

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlLA/on...

Coverage by Editor & Publisher of Jerry Robert’s article today:

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/...

The AP story about the hearing, as it appears in the San Jose Mercury News

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercuryne...

Thanks for the links (probably the same obsessed poster) you all.

The E&P is the best of the lot, and the SJMN piece is a complete cribbing of the Indy's articles.

And the author of the LA Weekly piece comes off as a significant tool, a weenie-esque martinet who is deigns to dive into Dagwood and emerge with the straight dope on the News-Press to relay to the kewl kids in LA. He really should send at least 1/2 of his payment for the article to the Indy, Nick Welsh, Blogabarbara, and Craig Smith for doing his "research."

--virtual frankfurter fry

One new thing is how the Indy this week very quickly got the news out to local readers about the hearings -- five pieces in five days on its blog. The many photos told their own story in a compelling way. The weekly print format alone is a thing of the past.

Along with Edhat, Craig Smith's Blog and Blogabarbara, not to mention others like George, electronic media is becoming a force in this town. LA Observed and the rest from outside only add to the weight.

The News-Press, by contast, has a website that most can't get inside, no blogs, and content of declining quality. It must be one of the worst in show nationally for a daily newspaper's web presence.

Many of us now fire up the computer first thing in the morning to read Craig Smith and the L.A. Times on-line, leaving the News-Press alone in the driveway, if we still subscribe.

No wonder McCaw is losing on all fronts.

Here's link for you all regarding a recent move by former (great) News-Press publisher, under the NYT, Steve Ainsley.

NYT Co. Eliminates 125 Jobs at Boston, Worcester Papers

--virtual pink slip

That photo of her, again. Above. It's so revealing of her personality.

It looks like she's at the Bowl -- one of the happiest and most beautiful places to be during the summer.

But take a close look at her face. She just looks unhappy and pissed and ...

P.S. Is that a black muu muu?

The New Reality--you're right on target.

Thanks Biff for the link to the Globe article. It is very clear why Mr. Ainsley was sent there this year. It is the same reason he was sent to the NP many years ago. The Globe is in trouble and he is there to fix it. We had a similar situation and he was given 5 years to "fix it" Here is the difference between Ainsley and McCaw. He will make painful changes but they are carefully thought out and communicated to the employees. He will only lay off the people he has to and let attrition take care of the rest. He will pull everyone together to make this happen and the Globe will end up a much better and more profitable paper. He makes it a team effort (with him as part of the team)and updates the employees regularly, plus inspires everyone to always put out their best effort. I will make a note though that he does not get involved in the day to day operations of the departments, but rather confines himself to the publisher's role, yet is very accessible and friendly to the employees. He understands and values the contributions employees make to a company's success.

Your article quotes Attorney Tobin as writing, "We are frankly dismayed that a news organization like the Santa Barbara News-Press would adopt the aggressively anti-free speech approach reflected in its December 6 letter to AJR and the frivolous lawsuit that your client has filed against Susan Paterno."

The constant bandying about of the term "free speech" regarding the News-Press situation needs to be grounded in reality.

The First Amendment prohibits the federal government from interfering with the free speech rights of persons under its control: "Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech … ."

Those prohibitions apply to state and local governments as well, via incorporation of the rights guaranteed under the First Amendment by the Fourteenth Amendment.

Nowhere in the text of the amendments, or in subsequent judicial interpretations of them, are individuals guaranteed protection against interference with their speech by non-governmental actors, i.e. other persons, including legal persons such as corporations, unless those persons conspire with public officials to effect the interference.

The Supreme Court, in a case pitting the NCAA against UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian, held: "Embedded in our Fourteenth Amendment jurisprudence is a dichotomy between state action, which is subject to scrutiny under the Amendment's Due Process Clause, and private conduct, against which the Amendment affords no shield, no matter how unfair that conduct may be."

Thus, the dearly departed editors and reporters of the News-Press have no legitimate claim of a First Amendment violation by anyone at the paper or its corporate alter ego.

Perhaps the use of the term of art "free speech" should be reserved to its proper usage.

Michelle, Michelle:

You overstate your case. Constitutional free speech protections are invoked when state action through judicial intervention is sought. Hence, there are limitations on libel and privacy actions arising from constitutional sources - state and Federal. That is certainly something for Paterno and others to assert.

Additionally, free speech has a broader basis legal protection than just the constitution. Thus, Anti-Slapp statutes allow for the enhanced protection of speech attacked by McCaw's favorite weapon, litigation. Other statutory sources also exist in support of free speech.

So lets not try to constraint notions of free speech too narrowly.

Some of you have raised a few very fine and well thoughtful legal points.
However, let me remind you that in the U.S. Supreme Court case (certa 224/2006/Fed. 120.2),
in the case of Daffy Duck vs. McCaw, the high court ruled that Daffy's clothing, voice, physical appearance and even shape are unique.
So any resemblance to Ms.McCaw is coincidental and not a trademark infringment.
However, the Supreme Court remanded the case to the lower court, saying that while Daffy attempts to steer the action back to some kind of normality, McCaw falls short on this.
The justices, however, refused to comment on whether Daffy Duck would make a good newspaper owner. The high court did, by a unimimous decision, find McCaw to be a much funnier cartoon character.

Pandemonium reigns throughout the cartoon as Daffy attempts to steer the action back to some kind of normality, only for the animator to either ignore him or, more frequently, to over-literally interpret his increasingly frantic demands.

Two ongoing disasters playing back to back at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court last week:

--The News-Press Mess, starring the Joker Baron and the usual cast of characters.

--Levitown, starring the usual cast of characters.

Down State Street, Alpha Dogs opens.

Dear INDY WEBGUYS AND GALS:---you might want to do a post on your home page on the emergency shelter locations in SB County. Despite the press release the COunty issued yesterday and 20 degree weather expected tonight, the NewsPress chose to include NONE of the info on its website---- here it is, accessible on the COunty's home page:
http://www.countyofsb.org/documents/2007...

Not entirely true. The locations of shelters are in todays A3 section. Did you ever consider that a attack on the paper somewhat hurts the employess that are stuck in this mess?

Re: posted by "get your facts right!"

The NP is NOT a paper worth reading. I discontinued my subscription 2 yrs ago. Money down the drain. Put the blame were it belongs, on the owner and publishers. Yes, I am sorry for the employees, but we others still have a right to our opinion and to put our money were we can get the most value. What page were locations of the shelters on yesterday?

Yea, less than $.25 a day is a waste of money. Good thinking miser.

The notice about the shelters was sent out by the County on Friday. KEYT news had it on Fri evening news. Nothing IN the newspress till today, Sunday....helluvalottagood that did...

Where is Dr Laura Sunday column or the notice why she's MIA?

Wendy has pulled Santa Barbara and The Mess back into the New York Times, complete with the Indy’s favorite photo of her (from “Paula” Wellman):

"A Newsroom Fight Spills Into the Streets of a Once-Peaceful Town"

By SHARON WAXMAN

Published: January 15, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/15/busine...

Everyone will have their favorite paragraph; here’s mine:

“When asked why Mrs. McCaw has consistently chosen legal action when she has felt wronged, rather than engaging in dialogue with readers or her news staff, [Millstein] said, “A cease-and-desist letter is a form of dialogue.”

Wonder if McCaw will sue Sharon Waxman of the New York Times like she did Susan Paterno of the American Journalism Review?

Wonder if McCaw will ever understand that she’s so out of touch with Santa Barbara County that she doesn’t know what’s up, what’s down, and what she is truly ruining.

Looks like Wendy is making Santa Barbara hairdresser Eric Zahm famous.

Judging from her photo in today's New York Times, our famous newspaper owner obviously has a complicated relationship with hairdressers.

The stupidity of McCaw suing everyone in sight in this small town is an age old brand of stupidity that takes several forms. One example of thses forms is when Christians protest things like Marilyn Manson concerts, and in doing so trump up and draw way more attention to what would otherwise have been an event that would have passed without catching the media's eye.

Had McCaw, instead of legally intimidating a hairdresser, written an editorial outlying why the attack signs bother her and invited the hairdresser to write an ediortial expressing why he put up the sign, the reaction would have been:

A) Wow, she's an actual human being.
B) She really is interested in the community.
C) Maybe she's not so bad.
D) The Nipper still looks like the Joker. (Man, I even think his hair looks a little green in that picture above. Is this just me?)

I digress. Anyways, she's making bad choices again and again that beg for negative attention. She's made this mistake so many times one has to wonder whether she's generating this attention on purpose. Maybe her Hollywood friends have her convinced that all publicity is good.

Has Dr. Laura pulled out of the News-Press for good? Or is she just taking a vacation? (Most responsible newspapers would have a note from the editor-in-chief letting readers know.)

Dr. L is not a New York Times type of gal, but maybe she decided that her association with Wendy McCaw and her live-in boyfriend is damaging the "Dr. Laura brand" that she needs to sell books.

This article is of great interest to me, and certainly an important issue for the SB community. However, this being a blog entry aside, I am astounded at the problems with grammar and flow. As this is a component of the Independent as a print and electronic publication, I am surprised and disappointed -- a closer editorial eye would have done much to improve the style found here. I choose the Independent over the Snooze Press because of its objectivity, but, here, the quality of writing is wanting.

Dear Reader,

Nice soapbox. How long you been retired from teaching jr. high English? I think I had you at La Cumbre...but that was back in the early '70's...

Ummmmm, have you ever heard the adage that substance outweighs style? And that, YOUR verbosity aside, most of these bloggers are using colloquialisms and vernacular appropriately to the medium? Furthermore, you can't possibly be suggesting that Indie editors "fix" or improve the style of these comments, can you? That would be TOTW. (totally off the wall)

Dude: Chill on dogging the style of this forum, or go write a sequel to EATS SHOOTS and LEAVES.

Whatever.

O'ffed by yo' off'ed-ness:

I took the comment as referring to the article itself, of which some improvement could be had. Perhaps a graphic example of timeliness over timelessness. A valid point unworthy of your mini-flame, in my estimation.

--virtual OED

Biff, Reader:

Tru. My bad.

Still, given what Matt and Crew were getting out so quickly, and thoroughly, I think Reader's critique of the article was kinda rough, though.

Sry 'bout the flame...too quick to lash back.

It's all good!

The punchy news blasted out by Kettmann is fantastic style and has no technical errors except may be a little speling. He is famous for how his first drafts do not read like first drafts.

That is how such a long, detailed report can get posted within a few hours after the event occurs. When he writes a feature for Time, as he did a couple of years ago, then the editing can undergo two more rounds of polishing and 5 days of delay.

New Rule:

going forward, Matt will now be referred to by his new nickname, "Punchy Kettman."

thx, David.

On another thread they are mentioning pictures of Dr. Laura's son and fiancee. She is selling books, that does not prevent her workers from making obligations. It is very unprofessional not to inform readers when a column isn't printed. They'll all make up excuses. Remember Dr. Laura just praised Wendy's diversity and claims they only met once (Biltmore November 11, 2006). Does anyone listen to her, she may say something about what is going on? Friday she was not on air because of the Spocko & KSFO show.

Flow and grammar critiques of blog entries? Wow. I thought most readers knew that speed and info were the point of these things, not writerly style or even punctuation for that matter. (Though I still fail to see any egregious errors above.) But I guess not, so here, we're unveiling our OFFICIAL BLOG DISCLAIMER. Never thought I'd be the one explaining how blogs work. Ha.

"OFFICIAL BLOG DISCLAIMER: Due to the fast-moving nature of the blogosphere, The Santa Barbara Independent and Independent.com want to warn readers that blog postings do not go through the traditional editing process. Therefore, please excuse the occasional grammatical error. As well, since the blogs are primarily informational and valued for their speediness, please do not seek out our blogs for examples of excellent writing. For that, please see our printed edition, the award-winning rag that comes out every Thursday."

That about does it. For those who are still dumbfounded, consider blogs like telegrams: informative, fast, but not to be confused with an article.

Hope this helps those who've been comparing blog-writing to feature-writing. If you'd like to see good examples of feature writing by Matt Kettmann or anyone else on The Independent's staff, feel free to reqest such materials by emailing matt@independent.com.

Thanks.

In all this NP mess there must be a book here on how to go from "From Fame to Infamy"?