Independent Endorsements Questioned

I've heard more than a few candidates question The Indy's endorsements this year -- especially since Indy management apparently did not conduct interviews with all candidates. To be fair, I don't know if they interviewed anyone. Still, either course of action would be a marked change in policy from more years than I can remember.

There has always been a ringer in The Indy endorsement that is a bit of a surprise. This year one might look at the SB School District race where Annette Cordero has hardly campaigned and two other candidates who are hardly known are getting the nod over State Superintendent Jack O'Connell and Rep. Lois Capps endorsed Ed Heron. Cordero, who deserves another term, does not look like she wants it. Heron, who is too polite to be one of the ones who wrote to me, is someone I have been watching because of his broad-based, bi-partisan support.

In the Carpinteria City Council race non-endorsement endorsement, they say that Joe Armendariz has brought "intelligence, civility, good faith, and common sense to the [Carpinteria City] Council proceedings." Their reasons for endorsing the other candidates were good but their positive reasons for not endorsing Armendariz don't make sense.

Has the polarization witnessed by otherwise God-fearing people on the national level trickled down to Santa Barbara like so many tax breaks for the rich? Errr, maybe not as they never trickle down but you get my point....this hurts to say as I have good friends at The Independent but doesn't The Indy not interviewing candidates make them no better than COLAB endorsing Tony Strickland?

Seen on the Web: Tornado Redux

Last November, we saw an Independent web site screen shot that showed John Travolta and an article on Scientology on their left column.

Today, a reader pointed out that there was a Western Goleta tornado and reverse 911 set of articles in today's Independent on the web. So, you may or may not have heard about the tornado warning last night from the reverse 911 -- but you sure as hell can take advantage of the system without a landline. Pretty funny.

Some editor at The Indy has a great sense of humor or is just not paying attention. I have a feeling it is the former.

Moral Turpitude, Photos and Copyright Issues

A picture may be worth a thousand words but two court losses in one week means that The Independent is showing they have some mettle in refusing to turn over more than 300 photos from the day Luis Linares was killed behind Sak's Fifth Avenue in what was egregiously called a "gang melee" by the News-Press.

Judge Brian Hill ordered that the photos be turned over this past Monday by a November 28th deadline or allow photographer Paul Wellman to be faced with contempt of court charges. Well-known local constitutional attorney Michael Cooney is representing Wellman and The Santa Barbara Independent.

Also important on the front page of their web site is a story that was not entirely told by the News-Press about a copyright infringement case they had against The Independent. I, myself, read the headlines on the News-Press from a newspaper stand. Checking my pockets and considering my mores, 25 cents wasn't enough and I figured I'd catch the story later...kudos to The Independent for covering both stories so well.

From Matt Kettman's story in The Independent:

It’s interesting to see what the News-Press picked and chose to write about,” said Randy Campbell, The Independent’s publisher. “There were five different claims and the article mentioned one of them. And that one’s going to trial — the story made it seem like it was a done deal. It left out the other four claims, one of which is hanging on by a thread to go to trial, and the other three were dismissed by the judge.”

I am sure our friends that seem in such adamant support of the News-Press of late can explain why the whole story wasn't explained in the News-Press today....can they? I say that there is more bias in the newsroom now than ever was alleged before -- but perhaps one of you can defend their actions as defense against moral turpitude.

I looked back to see what we were talking about back then. We published Wendy's response in toto but somehow failed to link to Scott Hadly's piece in question that ran on The Independent's web site.

The News-Press' effort to get Nick Welsh to divulge sources is contrary to a bias-free newsroom.

What about the public good? Do we have a right to know? Perhaps more importantly, why should Nick Welsh reveal his sources? Why would anyone give him background or off-the-record comments ever again if Wendy and Arthur can get a hold of the sources screen name by simply spending the same they spend for a few tanks of gas for the Calixe to cross the pond?

What is a 'club reporter' anyway?

Here's an interesting Editor and Publisher article passed on to me from an avid reader on bias in the newsroom -- which describes a much more reasonable way to handle the issue than firing anyone and everyone where the label might stick if you say it enough times. Ironic that the article is partially about a man that perfected that technique for President Bush.

Editor and Publisher also reported on the NLRB union certification at The Santa Barbara News-Press.

Too bad we have to get detailed news on the certification from a national publication...even our very own Santa Barbara Independent had "Club Reporter" pretty much only refer to our friend Craig Smith on the story which broke late in the week -- saying he "hops all over this". Is a "club reporter" kind of like a "staff report"? Why isn't "Club Reporter" covering what's happening at Tonic or Velvet Jones tonight? Odd name that doesn't instill trust for this issue....

To be fair, it seems they are using many resources for covering the Zaca Fire and doing a great job at that -- but I would have thought one of their main reporters would want to write about this issue. There is likely a fair explanation....but should we hear about it, rather than guess?