Wednesday, October 17, 2007

The N&O & the Russians.

Correction: Anon @ 8:33 noted the post I reference below was written by N&O deputy managing editor Steve Riley, not executive editor for news Melanie Sill.

I've corrected the post to reflect that and thank Anon for pointing out my error.

I responded further to Anon @ 8:33 on the thread.

John
_______________________________________________

Two editors of Russian newspapers and an interpreter from Moscow are visiting the Raleigh News & Observer this week. An N&O deputy managing editor, Steve Riley, explains the trio is at the N&O as part of a training program to “advance quality journalism.”

Riley also said this:

Journalists in Russia face many challenges: They have no legal right to information, and many media outlets are controlled by the government or seedy business interests. While here, the trio met with several reporters and editors about ways they can advance their work.
Riley’s entire post is here.

I’ve just left the following comment on the thread for N&O managing editor for news Melanie Sill, who's quoted in a previous comment.

Dear Melanie,

So Russian journalists “have no legal right to information, and many media outlets are controlled by the government or seedy business interests.”

I’m sorry for that, but tell them Americans face a very similar situation.

When General Sanchez recently castigated journalists for their politically biased and blatantly inaccurate reporting of the Iraq War, the N&O told readers nothing about it.

Not even that Sanchez had said something as vitally important for Americans to know as: “THE DEATH KNELL OF YOUR ETHICS HAS BEEN ENABLED BY YOUR PARENT ORGANIZATIONS WHO HAVE CHOSEN TO ALIGN THEMSELVES WITH POLITICAL AGENDAS.

WHAT IS CLEAR TO ME IS THAT YOU ARE PERPETUATING THE CORROSIVE PARTISAN POLITICS THAT IS DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY AND KILLING OUR SERVICEMEMBERS WHO ARE AT WAR.”

Sanchez, as you know, devoted half his speech to castigating journalists and news organizations.

Here’s the URL to the full text of Sanchez’s speech:
http://www.militaryreporters.org/sanchez_101207.html

Here’s the URL to your front-page “report” of the speech:
http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/735699.html

Why not give the Russians printouts of both, and ask what they think?

If they can read Sanchez’s speech and your “report,” they’ll know just what kind of newspaper the N&O is.

You could then explain to them the N&O had no legal obligation to tell readers what Sanchez actually said.

Be sure to also tell them American news organizations regularly withhold important news from the public while propagandizing much of the news that is reported.

It will help the Russians understand just how seedy an American newspaper can be if you tell them that for thirteen months the N&O withheld the news, of vital interest to all fair-minded readers and exculpatory for the lacrosse players, that Crystal Mangum had told the N&O the other dancer had also been raped at the Duke lacrosse party and would do anything for money.

Ask the Russian editors if they do things like that?

Or is that the kind of news suppression and manipulation of the public their government does?

Come to think of it, what the N&O did was far worse than “seedy.” It was downright dishonest reporting and very cruel to David Evans, Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann and their families.

Melanie, please tell the Russians for me and most Americans that we hope someday they’ll have the press freedoms MSM has here; and that if they ever get them, we hope they’ll use them with a greater respect for fairness and accuracy then our media does here.

Sincerely,

John in Carolina

PS – Is there any chance you’ll show the translator this comment?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

John

As you can see by my comments, above yours, on the blog I am trying to get her to say yes or no as to if her writers had a copy of the Pressler suit before they wrote about it

Anonymous said...

Melanie is an ideologue. Ideologues neither understand nor appreciate other points of view. She will continue to ignore you and continue to be an ideologue. It's kind of like asking a skunk not to stink or a rattlesnake not to strike. She simply has no frame of reference for what you're trying to say to her. You might as well be writing in Swahili.

Anonymous said...

Why not send this to the Russian newspaper editor? They are free to criticize Americans....

-AC

Anonymous said...

I assume the Russians are coming to get some tips on how to propagandize the news from Melanie.

Anonymous said...

One thing to note about John's post: It is FACTUALLY inaccurate.

1. You say that Melanie wrote the post. But it clearly indicates Mr. Riley wrote it.

2. You write as if the Russian editors are still there. But the post CLEARLY says they are now in Charlotte.

These FACTUAL errors say a lot about the kind of "reporting" at johnincarolina.

JWM said...

Anon @ 5:59,

I tip my hat to you for your efforts to get the N&O to be more responsive.

I hope you’ll stay at it.

Some people think it’s a fruitless task.

I don’t and I’ll post on that soon.
I hope you keep looking in.

Anon @ 6:01,

Melanie Sill, like almost all MSM executives, is a business person. She’s doing what she does primarily to make money for herself and her company.

Is she also an ideologue?

I don’t know for certain.

What I’m sure of is that under her leadership the N&O’s news reporting has a strong Leftist tilt to the point of dishonest reporting.

If you’ve read Gen. Sanchez’s Oct. 12 speech and the N&O’s Oct. 13 front-page “report” of same, you know a recent and notable example of what I mean.

AC @ 6:31,

It would be interesting to see what a typical Russian newspaper editor would do.

Anon @ 7:58 said: “I assume the Russians are coming to get some tips on how to propagandize the news from Melanie.”

Thank you. You brought smiles to many of our faces.

Anon @ 8:38,

Re your first point, see the correction at the head of the post.

Thank you for giving me another opportunity to show readers I care about factual reporting.

Re your second point about my writing as if the Russian trio is still there: Have someone explain to you how one uses time and place references in the cyber world.

Now a question: Are you someone who’s really upset by “FACTUALLY inaccurate” reporting?

In any case, I hope you and others keep pointing out my errors so I can correct them.

John

Anonymous said...

John,

Anon @ 8:38 is either a dope or a troll.

You sliced and diced him.

Keep it up.

Anonymous said...

A great post.

Too bad the N&O won't correct big errors like framing the kids and not reporting that Sanchez said journalists are not telling us the truth and killing our men and women.

You were too kind to anon 8:38.

Anonymous said...

The trolls always show up when John is having an impact.

Anonymous said...

John: 6.01 here.
If Sills were interested solely in making money for herself and for her employers, she would follow the methodologies used by Fox News and The Washington Times. Both media are doing quite well, thank you, and it's because they are producing balanced reporting for public consumption. Ideologues like Sills and Punch Sulzberger are so intent upon forcing their leftist bias down our throats, they don't realize their publications are rapidly sinking into oblivion. No, I think you are mistaken in saying Sills is a "businesswoman;" she's a leftist banshee who will drag N&O down with her own fortunes. And I say good riddance. Tell her to give Dan Rather my regards when she runs into him in Hell.