Comments on: BlogPeoria site beats Journal Star on Delta story by ONE MONTH

By: David P. Jordan

David P. Jordan — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:56:50 +0000

Wow, I didn’t think this would turn controversial

Terry,

Delta Air Lines’ own online timetables are my verified source for my June 30 post. Anyone can check them, and they tend to come out about 2 months in advance. Someone from the PJStar could, from time to time, spend a few minutes on the website of each airline serving Peoria and check the latest timetables for any changes in flights. Any change noted would be a good reason to contact the airline’s spokesperson and/or the airport authority for comment. And a story.

I find the PJStar’s coverage of local airline service to be inconsistent. In 2005, the paper reported the end of American Connection’s St. Louis – Bloomington/Champaign flights in advance, but reported the end of the airline’s St. Louis-Peoria flights a few days after the fact (coincidentally after I had posted the story on my old blog about Jan 30, 2006, and CJ and Billy picked up on it).

Staff cuts might be part of the problem, but PJStar’s coverage of local commercial aviation has been spotty for years.

By: Terry Towery

Terry Towery — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 01:56:39 +0000

I mostly read the Journal Star online, although I do subscribe to its paper edition. I have never said that journalism happens only in print. If I did, please point it out.
Most blogs are still aggregates of news gathered by MSM sites. It’s a fact, with some exceptions like Politco, Huffpo and the Daily Beast. But I agree that journalism’s future is online. I’ve never said anything to the contrary. It’s happening, slowly but surely.
You forgot to have me google Richard Pryor. Now there was dude who knew how to say fuck.
And I wasn’t changing the subject. I was only trying to be friendly.

By: Billy Dennis

Billy Dennis — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 01:24:45 +0000

1. This ain’t Watergate.

Never said it was.

2. Watergate sure as hell WAS “verified.” By several sources. Maybe not all of them “on the record,” but I can assure you that Ben Bradlee made sure everything was verified before they went to press.

Ben Bradlee did not wait for a press release from the Nixon White House CONFIRMING what Woodward and Bernstein found. That was what I mean and you know it.

3. I still maintain that comparing blogs and newspapers is comparing apples and oranges. Blogs report rumors; newspapers don’t. I’m not saying that’s what David did in this case, but you know that to be true more often than not. That said, I am a big fan of blogs. Really.

There are blogs that commit serious acts of journalism every day. And there are newspapers that hire Jayson Blair. You really need to get over the concept that journalisdm is something that happens only in print.

4. Yes, the Journal Star was late on this story. It’s happening more and more often as their news staff shrinks to nothing. Not their fault; just the nature of the beast, 2009-style.

Agree.

5. You really shouldn’t use the F word, Billy. Kids might be reading this.

Please Google George Carlin and Lenny Bruce.

6. How about those Cubbies?

Stop changing the subject. But, yeah, how ’bout ‘em.

By: Terry Towery

Terry Towery — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 01:16:08 +0000

1. This ain’t Watergate.
2. Watergate sure as hell WAS “verified.” By several sources. Maybe not all of them “on the record,” but I can assure you that Ben Bradlee made sure everything was verified before they went to press.
3. I still maintain that comparing blogs and newspapers is comparing apples and oranges. Blogs report rumors; newspapers don’t. I’m not saying that’s what David did in this case, but you know that to be true more often than not. That said, I am a big fan of blogs. Really.
4. Yes, the Journal Star was late on this story. It’s happening more and more often as their news staff shrinks to nothing. Not their fault; just the nature of the beast, 2009-style.
5. You really shouldn’t use the F word, Billy. Kids might be reading this.
6. How about those Cubbies?

By: Billy Dennis

Billy Dennis — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:37:54 +0000

Read the story, Terry. Jordan went out and gathered the information which he was able to understand without having to explained to him by any officials and he went and reported it. The PJS waited until they had quotes from official sources. Because it wasn’t REAL news until it was official. PJS readers who rely on the airport were ill served by this approach.

Listen to yourself. “Verified.” You know what? Watergate was never fucking “verified” either. Until they started convicting people.

By: Terry Towery

Terry Towery — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:33:17 +0000

So "objective journalism" is a bad thing? Newspapers should just print rumors without verifying? Do you really think that waiting to have a story verified is a problem? Is being first better somehow than being right? Hey, just asking.

By: C. J. Summers

C. J. Summers — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:24:55 +0000

Hey, why haven’t you been arrested yet?