First, a note: While based on this week and last, it would appear that this section of the paper is quickly becoming a space for me to complain about people who contact me here at the Weekly, I’m going to have something positive to say next week. I’m relatively sure I will, at least.
Now, on to the complaining.
I welcome your comments, suggestions about what we can do differently, kudos, insults, whatever. Believe it or not, even the unpleasant recognition still lets me know that someone’s reading the paper or online product. However, you can spare yourself the trouble if you’re planning on telling me that the Weekly is too liberal.
Yes, generally, we’re going to report on things from the perspective of left-of-center. We usually endorse Democratic candidates. I think “TS Beauty Jada” who advertises in the back voted for Obama, although most of her clients probably voted for Romney. None of this is news, really. Your complaints will not likely change anything.
However, we’re not taking notes or editorial advice from local Democrats or leftist activists. In fact, they’re generally irritated with us as well. It’s sort of the nature of this business. You can’t please everyone, but if you are, you’re doing something wrong.
I still believe that the Tucson Weekly is essential reading for anyone who cares about this city, regardless of party leaning. Our news items are extensively researched, which is more than can be said for the average consumable unit of right wing media. If you can spot an actual fact during an hour of the Jon Justice show, they should probably give you a prize. The Arizona Daily Independent is more like a parody of a news source than anything.
Even if you ignore the first 13 pages this week, the rest is largely politics-free and full of useful information. What to do, where to eat, what to listen to; it’s all in there, past the stuff that might offend our right-wing pals.
If there’s nothing there that you’re interested in, there’s not much I can do for you. Good luck being no fun at all.
This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2013.
Bitch away, dude. You own the ink barrel.
A friend mentioned that you (Chuck?) mentioned ME in News of the weird 3-5 weeks ago and just wanted a copy for my own archives. I am the Wall St astrologer so it’s not too weird for me to be mentioned in generally weird news. My phone is 520-577-1158 and address is 6890 E Sunrise Dr #70 85750 Arch Crawford
Shame on you – A paper should NOT sway either way!! You are to report the FACTS unbiased as it is not your JOB to persuade your readers to one side or the other
I think this is irresponsible journalism bordering upon unethical! But then again you are simply following suit to the majority of American printed publications – few are brave enough to actually be the responsible media of yesterdays
Lisa: I’m not exactly sure where you got that idea. Unbiased journalism is an illusion, since human beings aren’t really capable of creating a tabula rasa on demand. Reporters have information in their heads, from past experiences, from previous reporting, from common sense, so to pretend that they don’t, that they’re creating a story from a blank canvas is an absurd notion.
What, in essence, you’re getting wrong is that we’re generally not trying to persuade our readers, we’re trying to inform them as completely and accurately as possible. As we know it, we try to tell the truth, and sometimes people should be called on their nonsense. If a city official is wrong, we don’t have an obligation to present their erroneous comment and present it as valid, we have an obligation to give our readers the best information available. That’s what we do every week in print, and (nearly) every day online. At least with us, you know where we stand … and that’s far more important than being unbiased.
Oh man, I didn’t know they actually hired people as STUPID AS YOU. What a dolt.
Susan: actually they look to avoid readers as dumb as you, but here you are. I’m sure there’s something stupider out there with monosyllabic words you might enjoy.
Stupider? Not a word, I am quite certain. Nice of you to insult an occasional ‘reader’…I wonder how your boss would feel about that.
Susan: Looks like I won’t be shopping your Etsy store anytime soon.
I love that someone reported my comment above as “threatening,” when I was responding to someone who called me “stupid” and “a dolt.” Well played!
Yeah, Lisa, I think you got your Pollyanna glasses on when you thought about how journalism “used to be.” The very choice of what stories to print involves bias, never mind how the pieces themselves are written.
Stupid right wingers always love to be victims, no matter the circumstances. They see the world as being besieged on all sides every day when they wake up. Oh, those dastardly liberals are telling me what to eat and they want to take away my guns, oh no! People like LaGuidce (aka Justice) make good money feeding into the stupidity and resentment of said idiots. And they love nothing more than to bitch about the so-called liberal media, even though they say they don’t believe the so-called liberal media on anything.
Lisa, the Weekly is a FREE paper. Don’t like what they say? Then don’t read it. Again, with the right wing victimhood whining. I love it. It’s like right wingers are irony impaired…they rail about “TEH LIBERAL BIAZED MEDIA DERP” and they claim not to believe it, so where do these people get their ‘facts’? From Fox News and talk radio show hosts. Oh yes, sure, really unbiased sources.
Even Jon Justice reads the Weekly.
I laugh when I read editorials such as this, but even more at the comments.
The writer, and probably more so, the responders, have this belief that the politcal continuum is a straight line, with liberals on the left and conservatives(so called), on the right.
In actuality, it is a circle, with those on the left and right very close together, the common item with them is control, as both, in their own minds , think that they know better than us what is good for us. A pox on both.
Back to the issue at hand. Keep writing and I will keep reading. As you said, journalism is very seldom bias free, as everyone brings some baggage to the table.
Well seems I hit a nerve! Guess that has something to do with my right wing victim status – REALLY??? I stand by my statement that TRUE journalism whether it be for a FREE paper or not should be Unbiased! Naive??? in saying this that doesn’t mean the articles shouldn’t contain the pointing out of idiotic ramblings of elected officials (regardless of party affiliation) but as the editor admits he will sway LEFT thus the left will enjoy soak in and repeat – for me I enjoy hearing all sides of an issue fact checking and forming my own opinion. So I shall continue to read the Weekly and comment as allowed
Bottom line for America at the moment is our Constitution is being drug through the mud and the liberal left is standing by to grind it in.
See the thing about “unbiased journalism” is that readers are biased. One could write a sentence that could be read any number of ways.
The Right does seem to be forever in the “individual rights are more important than what is for the greater good” mind-think, but what makes America the Great so great is that journalism, no matter the bent, can thrive and grow and influence.
There’s some serious furniture in this thread to argue with. I count at least one desk, a bassinet, and some sort of tuffet (maybe an ottoman?). I wonder whether the tuffet knows anything at all about the Constitution until I remind myself that of course it doesn’t, it’s a tuffet.
Lisa Andrews, please list all the ‘true’ journalist sources/publications/newspapers in your eyes. I need a good laugh.
Oh sure, the liberal left (I always get amused by this redundant term so often overlooked by wingnuts) are just licking their chops to shred the Constitution. And what makes you believe this? Because Jon Justice and Sean Hannity told you so?
Dan, got no problem with left of center, that’s really not a bad place to be. Do think, though, that to really do discussion, and information dissemination justice, one must be exposed to all arguments in order to train one’s mind to filter reality without pre-conceptions. Our life experiences and associations color our views and if they’re only from one perspective we suffer by lack of what could have been. Regards, – Mammey