Moore was less, in this reader's eyes
| Monday, Nov 14 2011 02:00 AM
Last Updated Monday, Nov 14 2011 02:00 AM
Reader: On Tuesday night, Nov. 8, author Wes Moore gave a presentation at CSUB. His book, "The Other Wes Moore", was the assigned text for the First Year Experience and for all freshman English composition classes at CSUB, as well as the book for the "One Book, One Bakersfield, One Kern" program. Several area high schools also used the text in their classes.
Over 1,700 students, faculty, and community members packed the hall. There were so many in attendance that overflow rooms were needed. When he climbed the stage, the cheering and applause was of the sort normally reserved for rock stars and professional athletes.
After his talk, which received a standing ovation, people lined up and patiently waited as much as 3 hours to get Wes to autograph his book and to shake his hand. This inspirational and generous man stayed until he had met and signed for every last person, greeting all with charm and humility.
On Wednesday morning I opened my copy of the Californian expecting to see coverage of this major community event. I found nary a word nor a photograph. The Californian did see fit to put on its cover a photo and words of a university event, but it was of Pennsylvania State University students rallying around their embattled, iconic football coach.
Not a word about Bakersfield students rallying for Wes Moore and his resonant message, no matter how pertinent and topical for Bakersfield and Kern County.
So much for our community newspaper.
Michael H. Way
Associate Professsor
School of Business and Public Administration, CSUB
Arthur: You are right -- this was a major event. However you are wrong about our coverage.
We have provided massive -- and deserving -- coverage about Wes Moore in recent weeks.
For instance, on Sunday, Sept. 11, the entire cover of the Sunday Eye Street section was devoted to coverage of Moore and his book, with additional stories inside.
Since then we have repeatedly reported about his public appearances and in fact had multiple stories in the week prior to his CSUB appearance about that event. (It's even possible, I might venture, that our advance coverage of the eagerly-anticipated event contributed to the big crowd.)
In the Sunday, Nov. 6 Eye Street section, we ran still another feature story about Wes. It was a Q&A interview.
Kern County is a busy place and we simply can't be at every event. But when someone like Wes Moore comes along, we cover him appropriately, and I think we did so in this case.
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Reader: The Californian's coverage of Tuesday's election results are typical of the liberal rags across the nation. They covered the union victory for the public employes in Ohio, but not one word was printed about the rejection of ObamaCare by two thirds of the same Ohio voters.
It's just another example of the liberal media showing only what advances their socialist agenda.
True comprehensive journalism is officially dead.
Ed Bender
Bakersfield
Arthur: The result wasn't noted in our Wednesday coverage, which focused on other elections. But we did cover it the following day, with a story that said:
"Ohio's rejection of government health care mandates, cheered by Republicans as a repudiation of President Barack Obama's plan, was a largely symbolic victory, since Democrats didn't vigorously challenge the measure and it won't affect implementation of the federal law."
The two Election Day initiatives that were the most significant and noteworthy were the defeats of the union vote in Ohio and the measure in Mississippi that would have defined life beginning at the moment of conception. Both, if they had been approved, would have had far more consequences than the Ohio vote on Obama's health plan. That's why we gave them more prominence.
The real battle over the health care plan is being fought in the federal courts, not at the ballot box, and the Supreme Court will have to decide the outcome.
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Reader: I'm an elderly person who does not use the Internet and I would appreciate it if you could convince the theaters to run an ad in the paper at least once a week giving the movie listings.
I love to go to the movies, but I don't ever know what's on and I have no way of finding out. If I phone, I don't always understand what they're telling me. I don't know the names of the movies that are on. See if you can get ads from them. Thank you.
Phyllis Yacopetti
Bakersfield
Arthur: Believe me, we have tried! Now we need customers like you to tell the theaters to advertise in the paper.
The movie theaters' decision to not advertise has really hurt many moviegoers.
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Reader: I'm calling because we did not get our holiday newspaper today (Nov. 11). I am much disturbed to find that The Californian, according to your Circulation Department, no longer recognizes Veterans Day as a national holiday. I fail to understand the reasoning or whatever about that. It's absolutely ridiculous...!
Thomas S. Ingram
Bakersfield
Arthur: Thomas and I spoke Friday after he sent this note. He apparently reached a circulation agent who might have been misinformed about our policies. Employees of this newspaper, like those of many other companies and of even some government agencies, do not get a paid holiday on Veterans Day but the paper saluted the occasion with prominent coverage on Thursday, Friday (on the cover) and Saturday, with a story and many photos of the downtown Bakersfield parade.
It's an important holiday for the paper and we cover it as such. Our Circulation Department was told of Thomas's call and was planning to deliver a paper to him Friday afternoon. The Californian welcomes your comments and suggestions. To offer your input by phone, please call 661-395-7649 and leave your comments in a voice-mail message or send an email to soundoff@bakersfield.com. Please include your name and phone number. Phone numbers and addresses won't be published. This feedback forum is designed to give readers a way to voice criticisms and compliments or ask questions about news coverage. Your questions -- which may be edited for space -- are answered each Sunday by Executive Editor John Arthur. Sound Off
