[GPSCC-chat] SJ Merc article about San Jose Plenary

[Wes Rolley]

For those of you who have read this article, let me pass on the comments 
from GPCA Press Secretary, Cres Vellucci... as posted to the Media 
Committee email list this AM.

> Folks,
>
> One of my very first points in media workshops is: "NEVER trust a 
> print reporter." It's nice to be right. :)
>
> All in all, the story was factually incorrect. And negative. And just 
> poorly written. However, it is better than being totally ignored. It 
> really is.
>
> (We also received coverage Saturday from KCBS radio - the No. 1 news 
> station in the SF Bay Area and Northern California - that focused on 
> Deacon and Laura interviews).
>
> That said, it is frustrating - especially as a former news guy - to 
> see how poor reporters to their job.
>
> Despite spending nearly 2 hours with this reporter, and offering her 
> positive comments on any and all questions, she chose
> to ignore Jane Rands and myself largely the story. She NEVER got a 
> negative comment from us and spent 90 percent of her time with us. But 
> you see few if any direct quotes.
>
> In response to her repeated questions, we spoke about declining 
> numbers of voters generally in all parties, and the large uptick in 
> DTS numbers. She ignored that and instead focused on OUR low numbers 
> in her story, which was incorrect factually in so many places.
>
> If they were relatively little mistakes, I would ignore them. I don't 
> like to complain about coverage. Because that often results in no 
> coverage. Reporters have LONG memories.
>
> But let me count:
>
> 1. "...meeting shrunk to 40 people...even Laura Wells (and) Deacon 
> Alexander skipped Sunday's talks."
> (We explained it was a "business meeting" and that the candidates, who 
> had been around Saturday, were campaigning elsewhere Sunday. She 
> ignored that.)
>
> 2. Our declining numbers.
> (Although she did use some of our explanations (Obama, Kucinich, 
> etc.), it was buried in the story).
>
> 3. "...gathering appeared to have few nonwhite members."
> (She did not note women delegates were many. We repeatedly said that 
> while more people of color would be ideal, because more than any other 
> party, we represent people still fighting for their basic rights in 
> the country, we also understood that people
> fighting for those rights every day don't have as much time to be
> involved in "party business" meetings. We noted Deacon was 
> African-American. She ignored that.)
>
> 3. "The party knows of just 33 Green holding elective office.."
> (Of course, the positive - Greens do hold significant elected offices 
> - was ignored, hence her use of "just." And she found that few held 
> office San Jose/San Mateo, and focused on that)
>
> 4. "....they echoed the perennial lament of small parties...media 
> neglect and scarce resources"
>
> (Actually, what we did NOT say was 'media neglect." What we said say, 
> repeatedly, was that we would not accept corporate contributions, as 
> Democrats and the GOP do - and that's why they are bought and sold-  
> and because there's too much money in elections, we were at a 
> disadvantage. And because the larger parties has worked to keep us out 
> of debates (usually) we were kept out of the voters' view.)
>
> One "tip" that a reporter has done a poor job reporting - frequent 
> today much more than 20 years ago - is the noticeable lack of direct 
> quotes, which usually means the reporter is inserting his/her own 
> opinion in the piece.
>
> And so it goes. 


Gerry Gras wrote:
>
> (From the San Jose Mercury News)
>
> "Green Party in California Trying to Stem Shrinking Numbers"
>
>     http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/03/08-1
>
> Gerry
>
>
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>


-- 
"Anytime you have an opportunity to make things better
 and you don't,
 then you are wasting your time on this Earth" Roberto Clemente

Wes Rolley
17211 Quail Court, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
http://www.refpub.com/ -- Tel: 408.778.3024