Feb 28, 2015

Do we have a free and objective local press?

No accountability for previous officials, should current local officials be blamed for "crisis"?

While it is good that the top heavy local management of DHHS is being questioned, this problem did not develop overnight. So, why the sudden outrage about MAC and DHHS? Why didn't the press look into any one these issues when mental health is a major part of crime, a major issue when people are arrested and families screaming for help. Does the major resignation over at Mental Health have anything to do with Phil Crandall's retirement?

The press is happy to write about lawsuits against the City for damages by families, they were happy to scapegoat law enforcement for deaths like the Cheri Moore case and the lawsuits but they never addressed why an agency that is one of the largest employers in the County has high paid bureaucrats and a fancy administration building on 5th Street while over worked social workers, psychaitrists and county workers try and put a band-aid on a burgeoning problem.

I can sympathize with the DHHS workers speaking out. I have spoken about many of these same issues to the Board of Supervisors in the last few years. It is disappointing to see the anonymous mob lynch mentality of blog commenters attack someone like Mitch Trachtenberg and reveal personal, unsubstantiated information.

This government growth mentality did not start with the current Board of Supervisors. It started with several previous years of Supervisors which included Bonnie Neeley and Mark Lovelace. The current Board inherited the problems. Thanks to the one rule fits all government mentality, change comes slowly.

Phil Crandall is office for years so why the sudden exposure of DHHS and Mental Health now?

The local media did not question Paul Gallegos once during his administration, they did not question Bonnie Neeley, they still fawn all over Mark Lovelace and give him a free pass.

I have questioned people I have supported. I am a blogger. They are journalists, supposedly objective. The local media loves to be wooed by business, County, City for stories handed to them. Where is the investigative reporting on outrageous pensions, top heavy government management, and any challenge of powers to be on both sides of the political spectrum?

Where is the questioning of those who supply the canbabis ad revenue that supports local media? Or any of their other advertisers? The publishers of all local media and general managers of television stations should be held accountable.

The problems in Humboldt today cannot be blamed on one group. Some people on both sides of the political spectrum are guilty of allowing an underground economy of drugs to grow combined with unions and top heavy county government as well as some in the business community that have not created any new jobs in years while they continue to grwo wealthy.

All this has contributed to the increase in crime and homelessness and the local left -leaning media needs to put blame where it is; their lack of providing the public complete and objective information.

Now, people want to attack the police and courts for a problem they did not create.

Ryan Burns has done some good articles but not enough. I would like to see more articles like Linda Stansberry's exploitation of women in the weed industry. Kym Kemp is another favorite of mine. She rounds out the stereotypical image of SoHum and puts a human face to and diversity to SoHum.

The public will never get the full story from a media dependent and unwilling to challenge their advertisers.

I disagree often with the Tuluwat Examiner but there have been posts I agree with and they do seem to be reflecting in the comment section and some posts a reality ignored by local mainstream media and raising questions worth asking.

How many posts have you seen on my blog or others that are then pursued by media. Who is watching out for the average person?


1 comment:

  1. You make some very good points here John. Having a real news outlet means some in depth reporting which takes time and dedication. The Tuluwat examiner has a good piece but only touches the surface on some of the curruption in the county. They tend to over focus on the timber industry but there is plenty of problems in the environmental industry also.
    The mental health issue is much larger than I thought and probably much larger than I can imagine. It would be curious to understand what other communities are going through for comparison.
    The two problems I see with local journalism are A. attention span of the average reader B. the fear of offending someone or threatening their sacred cash cow
    "A journalist can have no friends"

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