Stop what you’re doing. One of the more important local media stories just came out and you’ll want to be among the first to read it. It’s about this paid political ad submitted to the Orange County Register — the ad that wasn’t.
The Register puts the desire of certain politicians don’t want to be criticized by name above its profits. That should cost them.
Adam Elmahrek of the Voice of OC — whose journalistic chops would leave me green with envy if I fancied myself a professional journalist — has come out with a blockbuster story exposing the Register‘s buckling under to the demands of a couple of Anaheim City Councilmembers not to be criticized even in paid political advertising. This, for what is supposed to be the county’s newspaper of record, is mind-boggling. Yes, they don’t have to cover the county fairly, but not even letting you buy space to criticize public officials — and to do so factually? Pardon my having a Yakov Smirnoff attack here, but: “In Soviet Orange County, newspaper tosses you out when it’s done with you!”
I have nothing to add to Adam’s article except that if you want to see how journalism is supposed to be done, you have got to read it. I can give you a taste of the first few paragraphs:
The Orange County Register abruptly altered its advertising policy, barring ads that challenge politicians by name, after two Anaheim city councilwomen complained to the newspaper’s new owners about ads from a local activist that criticized their support of a controversial hotel subsidy, Voice of OC has learned.
The ads came from Jason Young, a City Hall blogger at Save Anaheim who opposes the council majority, which is heavily backed by Disney and other influential local business interests. In December, the Register ran an ad submitted by Young in its Anaheim weekly publications asserting that Councilwomen Kris Murray and Gail Eastman violated state law when they approved a $158-million subsidy for local hoteliers.
The ads apparently infuriated Murray and Eastman, and according to multiple sources, the two made their feelings clear during a meet-and-greet session with Eric Spitz, who along with Aaron Kushner, purchased the newspaper last year.
I’m leaving out most of the tastiest stuff, such as Elmahrek’s devastating interviews with professors and professional experts in journalistic ethics and practice — with some of whom one would think that the Register would have consulted, by the way. It’s delicious and meticulously prepared.
That Murray and Eastman made this request in the first place is bad enough. But nobody expect much of them. That the new ownership of the Register said “oh, sure, we’re not going to let someone even pay us money to explain to the public that your action was ruled illegal by a trial court Judge” is unconscionable.
Well, now that we know that the Register will back away fleeing in the face of pressure, I guess it’s time to bring some of our own. The Voice of OC story is open for comments — as is this one — as is any article that the Register prints on Anaheim from now until when this decision is reversed. Do you care about the free flow of information in OC? Then you know what you’ve gotta do.
“Blockbuster story” – phufftt … gimme a break .. that’s a joke – right?
The OC Register doesn’t print liberal OR conservative hit piece ads. And that is what this is – a dirty political hit piece. How do you or anyone know if a law was broken? It could have been poor judgement without intent to violate the Brown Act. That is not “breaking state law.” And it is your OPINION that this is a “giveaway.” This is a nothing story.
A Judge decided that it violated the Brown Act, skally. That’s a fact. That may be overturned on appeal — I doubt it — but at this point the record shows that the Council did violate the Brown Act. As with many crimes — think “statutory rape” — intentional action is not required to for the law.to have been broken.
Do you think that the Register scrutinizes all political ads — including ones that were basically factual like this one — the same way? Thanks for your insight into the probable reaction to this story, though.
Let’s put it another way – It was a bullshit liberal political hatchet-job ad that the Reg rightfully turned down – and they would do the same to any similar conservative ad.
Do you have any examples of similar conservative hatchet-job ads being run by the Reg? No? – I thought so.
Nothing “liberal” about that ad.
I think it’s your own prejudices (to which you’re entitled!) that lead you to call it “bullshit.” I think that the question of whether this itself is a “hatchet-job ad” comes before your other question — and I don’t read the Register in print so I wouldn’t know of any. Does anyone else out there pay attention to the ads they run?
So I guess the question that readers have is: do they believe the interested political player skallywag about this situation, or the various independent ethics experts cited by Adam? Hard call … theoretically.
I don’t even know that skallywag is “interested” – he’s just confused. He’s already said he doesn’t know anything about Anaheim; and he’s been spending way too much time at Cunningham’s blog which can make a conservative forget what they believe in.
What is liberal about calling out excessive corporate welfare; about calling out the biggest businesses constantly picking the taxpayers’ pockets?
You’ve been hanging out at that shill Matt Cunningham’s site too much. You wanna know what a real conservative looks like, look at Mayor Tait, or Cynthia Ward, or Ryan Cantor.
Uh, that IS liberal, Vern!
Imagine that a newspaper getting involved in politics!
I think I heard something about this thing a ship being sunk and a war some guys named Hearst and Pulitzer……….maybe it was a dream.
You are not so dull as to think “a newspaper got involved in politics” is the point, right? The goes to the presence or absence of an informed electorate — and who acts as the gatekeeper regarding what information the public sees.
Of course not. I have never been accused of being dull…..Oh you meant as in stupid or lacking perception….I got ya.
In that case, no I am still not dull. While this is a valid bitch, it’s a fight that won’t be won. It will draw some attention to the EVIL RIGHT WING RAG OC REGISTER, maybe even some readers!
This is after all the same paper that alledgledly banned posters who bashed Andrew Galvin for his Julio Perez charade. This stuff happens all the time. While it sucks, Jason Young should get clever. Pay for an insert, those are generally not regulated by the paper, if they still fucked him then he could draw him in further.
I am hoping that this whole Voice Of OCEA thing is to just bring more attentio the issue! Now thats smart.
I promise you if he dropped coin for a full page ad, ON SUNDAY they’d think twice. Remeber the Ralphs price fixing scandal w/ the LA TIMES AD’s???
I understand your part, but be careful not to overplay it.
Here is another example of an ad The OC Register approved and then rejected once I added the names Kris Murray and Gail Eastman:
Version 1 – APPROVED
Attention Anaheim Taxpayers. Did you know the council majority approved a $319 million streetcar system that travels only 3.2 miles? That is roughly $100 million per mile for system that only serves the Anaheim Resort. What’s wrong with this picture?
Version 2 – REJECTED (names added)
Attention Anaheim Taxpayers. Did you know that Kris Murray and Gail Eastman Aapproved a $319 million streetcar system that travels only 3.2 miles? That is roughly $100 million per mile for system that only serves the Anaheim Resort. What’s wrong with this picture?
Apparently that follows the Reg’s new guidelines – live with it and stay on top of the Reg to call them out on any deviation from this policy. I am sure that Vern and Greg will.