Sound Off for Jan. 11, 2009
| Saturday, Jan 10 2009 09:04 PM
Last Updated Friday, Mar 27 2009 01:41 PM
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Reader: On Friday you printed a letter from Leighann Vogel. I question why you would print a letter that was so grossly factually incorrect.
Her complaint was that BPD officers are breaking the law by using hand-held cell phones.
The law clearly exempts law enforcement while performing their duties.
The responsible thing for you to do would be to either refuse to print her letter and perhaps contact her and explain the factual error, or print an editor's note with the letter explaining that her accusations are factually wrong and baseless.
I understand everybody has a right to their opinion. Had Vogel expressed her disagreement with the exemption, I'm OK with that. But to wrongly accuse somebody, especially a law enforcement officer, of being a criminal is inexcusable, and you share the fault by printing the letter.
— Robert Tackett
Editorial Page Editor Robert Price responds: I agree with Mr. Tackett. We should have contacted the letter writer and explained the law enforcement exemption. That said, we've heard many people complain that too many officers are violating the spirit of the law, even if they are within their rights taking advantage of the exemption, as we noted in an editorial a few months ago.
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Reader: It appears to me The Californianis slowly and methodically going out of business. Cutting costs to the point that many things people enjoy are reduced or eliminated. Now, we see the Opinion Page cut to one page except on Sunday. That is my favorite part of the Local section.
It seems that the parts of the paper where The Californianhas to purchase the information or subscribe to it from some other news sources are some of the first to go. At the same time, the Sports section seems to be fat everyday.
If things continue to decline, it will not be prudent to spend our money on something totally useless and the same information is readily available somewhere else.
— Jim Milledge
Reader: I have been a reader and, as an adult, subscriber to The Californian,or as my grandson says, "the daily disappointment," for well over 60 years, but as I ponder to renew my subscription, I am beginning to think I will join many of my friends, and drop it.
As I write this, I am listening to the News Hours from Public Television over the Internet, as they discuss the bankruptcy of the Tribune Company, the owner of the Los Angeles Times.I recognize that newspapers are going through trying times, and am sure that The Californian is trying to do its best to satisfy its base.
Unfortunately, for me, and for many of the folks that I know, more pictures on the front page and a larger font is not bringing local news to the people of Kern County. I have a friend whose daughter lives in Los Angeles who subscribes to The Californianjust to read the letters to the editor. She and I enjoy those letters as it allows us to maintain our humility, in other words, remind me where I live.
Several years ago, you tried to do away with Mondays, by condensing that issue, putting the obituaries on the second page, disguising the front section as a glorified Nation and Local edition in one. I am glad that the editors found that it didn't work and returned to a more traditional paper.
Maybe something the publishers of your paper might do is have your new reporters go to the Kern County Library and read old issues of The Californian, those from the '40s, '50s and '60s, and discover what local reporting can and should be. You might find that The Californianof old was a quality newspaper that was head and shoulders above its cousin, the Fresno Bee. I don't mean, as the paper did in the old days, report on Mrs. Robert Jones presenting flowers to the outstanding graduates of the Kern County Union High School, but in a city of 300,000 people, the paper could and should concentrate on events that take place in our city each day. I recently noticed that you brought back a reporter to report on the arts and, hopefully, write on performances of the symphony, and other musical and cultural events.
If I read another article on Buck Owens it will be too soon for me, but many in Bakersfield identify with that form of music. Keep in mind, however, that many people in this city do things other than play guitar, ride a dirt bike, or identify with the Republican Party.
Oh, and yes, I did renew.
— J. Randy Fendrick
Jenner: I appreciate your loyalty, though I'm sorry we don't meet your grandson's expectations.
It's true that the unprecedented economic crisis that's battered the housing market, the credit markets, the automakers and retailers has also hammered newspapers, which traditionally have served all these sectors of the economy. We're not trying to make big profits here. We're just trying to stay in business and help our advertisers do the same.
Revenue declines have pushed us to try some different packaging solutions to help contain our costs.
And we've reduced the amount of space we devote to world and national news.
But we do believe local news is our franchise, and we've tried to protect that area.
I won't argue that The Californianof old didn't contain good local reporting. But the reporting our staff is doing today is of a higher quality, not lower.
We remain committed to covering the issues and events that matter most to our core readers. If you look at many of the stories we published in just the last week, from the local effects of the state budget shortfall to what's going on with the Big West refinery to Gottschalks' effort to stay in business, you'll find stories you can't find on local TV or radio. And while I respect NPR, you won't find this local depth there, either.
Thanks for your support and your readership. We're doing our best to not just survive this rotten economy, but to be even more relevant than ever to our readers.
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Reader: I always love reading Lois Henry's column, as she is such a voice of reason in this sea of insane reactionary conservatism that we call Bakersfield. I was particularly struck by your column "Looking into the crystal ball" (Jan. 4).
I was reading the paper while riding the bike at the gym. When I finished the section on Ann Barnett, I was laughing so loud that people were turning around to stare at me.
That was great.
I was one of the courageous few to speak out at the Board of Supervisors meeting about Ms. Barnett's appalling behavior. In fact, I was the one who compared her to the fanatics in Iran, so I particularly liked your reference to the burqa.
Thank you so much for your courage in pointing out the cruel and bigoted behavior of one of our county's elected officials.
Respectfully,
— Lamar Kerley
