Media News & Reports
Blogfight of the week
Who says real estate is boring? High Point ethics watchdog keith Brown, who keeps a close eye on neighboring Greensboro’s real estate industry, posts a critique of the Triad Real estate and Building Industries coalition’s clout in the shaping of Greensboro’s draft land development ordinance on July 27. over the next six days, it attracts 70 comments, many of them barbed with schoolyard taunts. Brown’s blogging ally, Fecund stench, accurately predicts the storm on Day 3, writing, “Prepare for the TReBIc trolls. They have a lot of time on their hands these days.” For the first dozen or so comments or so, stench takes up the sword against those arguing the developers’ case. one of them, identifying himself as Bud, writes, “It wasn’t the real estate industries [sIc] fault that individuals were buying their homes and banks were lending the money to buy them. Is it the candy stores [sIc] fault that its buyers are buying candy with money that’s not theirs?” much of the exchanged comment is a) incoherent or b) hopelessly longwinded and technical, but stick with it. on Day 4, an anonymous antagonist named “Triad Watch Truth” shows up — Brown blogs under the moniker “Triad Watch” — saying that Brown is mistaken, and that indeed the drafted land development ordinance requires developers to meet with neighbors before proceeding with a rezoning request. As the day wears on, David Wharton, a member of the ordinance rewrite committee, weighs in and sets the record straight: The draft ordinance requires no such neighborhood meeting.
Wharton continues by asking “Triad Watch Truth”
if she is actually Paula sloneker, TReBIC’s regulatory affairs
director. Then an anonymous commenter accuses Brown of impersonating
Wharton and warns of legal action. The real David Wharton continues to
argue. We never learn the true identity of “Triad Watch Truth.” — JG
Dobbs under fire
CNN’s
talking head lou Dobbs is facing the firing squad for his ongoing
comments regarding the legitimacy of President Obama’s birth
certificate on both his CNN show as well as his syndicated radio show.
Dobbs and others calling the president’s birthplace into question have
been given the nickname “birthers.” The “birthers” believe that
President Obama was born in kenya and would therefore not be eligible
to be the president of the United states.
The non-profit
organization Media Matters for America has created a television ad to
air during Dobb’s program Tuesday that calls for CNN to address the
issue and for viewers to hold CNN responsible for its reporters. The
closing line of the commercial states “let CNN know there’s nothing
‘legitimate’ about racially charged paranoia.” Dobbs has responded to
reports of the commercial by calling Media Matters “a rabid, left-wing
operation.” CNN President Jon klein has spoken up saying that he can
only control what Dobbs says on the air for CNN, he has no control over
what he says on his radio show. The show’s ratings have had about a 15
percent decrease in viewers since Dobbs began the “birther” controversy
on July 15 and many are wondering if CNN will step up if the viewer
numbers continue to drop. – LC
Pairing up
Alternative
Press (AP) Magazine has joined forces with sony’s ReD distribution
along with Wal-Mart to produce an additional summer title called Summer
of Rock. The special summer editions feature a CD hosting music from
over 20 bands.
Wal-Mart is selling the special-edition magazines in its stores across the country and AP Magazine is reaping the benefits.
The
publication produced the special edition last year as well but it
worked as a contributor along with several other magazines. This year
AP is the sole editorial contributor. sony’s ReD is responsible for
production, manufacturing and working with Wal-Mart’s music department.
AP created four special editions that featured four different bands.
The magazine enjoyed even more success when the Summer of Rock CD
insert reached number 165 on Billboard magazine’s Top 200 Chart. The
Summer of Rock issues have sold about 7,656 copies according to AP
president and founder Mike shea. He also says that AP is discussing
Wal-Mart carrying the magazine’s regular monthly issues as well. – LC
Fec
