Preparing the Battlefield
LAObserved, a blog by Kevin Roderick that provides commentary on LA politics vis-a-vis the LA Times and media reporting, has posted an email sent out after a "delegation of progressives met with the top opinion editors at the L.A. Times to complain about the axing of Robert Scheer's column and push for more anti-war voices on the op-ed page."
For more information on their program strategy and agenda, please follow the link to the lengthy article: Anatomy of a left-wing cause.
The delegation consisted of Marcy Winograd (Pres., Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles), Wayne Williams (active in SoCal Grassroots), Brad Parker (VP, Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles), Carole Myers (active in SoCal Grassroots), and Bob Elias (Chicano Moratorium). The meeting was scheduled two weeks in advance. Tom Hayden's Op Ed piece "The Myth of the Super-Preditor" ran the day after the meeting. The next day, Huffington's "It's Dirty Tricks all over Again" ran. On Sunday, five days after the meeting, the LA Times ran "America Kidnapped Me," Khaled E-Msri's story of CIA torture.
The email is their "how-to" guide on to influence the LA Times's editors so that the Op Ed pages reflect their progressive opinions. With a few modifications, this strategy can be adapted to any cause, including RKBA issues. It is my hope that the members of this list review these suggestions and pursue a course of action through their MC's as unaffiliated individuals, or in conjunction with state leadership as a larger co-ordinated voice. Not to dump work on him, but I understand Paul would be the contact for anything other than unaffiliated individual opinion.
I am summarizing their recommendations contained in the email for the progressive's side of the argument below. Some specific links and recommended contacts may not be directly helpful to us.
They recommend the following course of action:
1) "Call Evonne Geller in Circulation at (xxx) xxx-xxxx and tell her you are [want to be] a "contingency re-subscriber for 3 months or until March 20th." If, for some reason, you have trouble reaching Evonne, re-subscribe by calling: (xxx-xxx-xxxx)." (NOTE: The email points out that by "canceling our subscriptions for a month and re-subscribing on a contingency basis, we exercise our influence as readers." -Jim)
2) "[Join] a well-organized Media Rapid Response group that evolved from SoCal Grassroots efforts, please feel free to contact Wayne Williams at xxx@xxx.net. When requesting membership, write the phrase "LA Times Watch" in the subject heading of your email." (NOTE: the LA Times Watch is probably not our friend, but may provide some fun reading for counter-intel purposes. -Jim)
3) "Commit to writing at least one letter a month, affirming or challenging LA Times content, paying special attention to columnists such as Max Boot and Jonah Goldberg who repeat the views of corporate-driven think tanks advancing a neo-con agenda. It will be our job to reveal misleading statements, lies and distortions and demand truth and accuracy. Support those progressive editorial and opinion articles that do uncover the truth, as Hayden, Huffington, Cockburn and Brooks did last week. To contact a writer or editor at the LA Times, you can email the person by writing their first name, followed by a period, then their last name @latimes.com Example: xxxx.xxxx@latimes.com (Opinion Page Editor)"
4) "We embrace an inside/outside strategy, whereby subscribers lobby from within and non-subscribers, withholding their subscriptions, exert pressure from without. Please let us know (pdlavote@aol.com) if you want to pursue an inside (subscribe) or outside (boycott) strategy."
5) "[S]tay involved in what the local media publishes and promotes."
6) "Let the editors ([Andres.Martinez@latimes.com and Nick.Goldberg@latimes.com]) know you are re-subscribing on a contingency basis; or that you are not re-subscribing until the LA Times hires a second nationally-recognized progressive weekly columnist."
7) The delegates "provided a list and sample columns of recommended journalists: Robert Scheer, Arianna Huffington, Bill Press, Jim Hightower, Frank Rich, Seymour Hersh, Paul Krugman, William Rivers Pitt, Tom Hartman, Naomi Klein, Norman Solomon, Marjorie Cohn, Andrew Greeley, and a dozen more, later talking up Tom Hayden and the need for a strong anti-war voice on the Opinion page." (NOTE: They later go on to say that the LA Times has a policy of not running syndicated writers, unless the writer originated with the Times, and that Huffington had been dropped by a former editor who became peeved when she ran for Governor. -Jim)
Among some notable comments from the email, Max Boot was equated with Hitler, "6,000 readers emailed and faxed the LA Times to protest Scheer's firing," and "two-hundred of us demonstrated in front of the LA Times building" in a co-ordinated media photo op.
CONTACTS:
LA Times Circulation Dept.: Evonne.Geller@latimes.com (800) 252-9141
LA Times Editorial Dept. Editor: Andres.Martinez@latimes.com
LA Times Op Ed Editor: Nick.Goldberg@latimes.com
The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. They must include valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms and initials will not be used. Letters should be in plain text and not include attachments.
letters@latimes.com
The Times welcomes manuscripts for possible publication. Each commentary must be exclusive to The Times. Unpublished manuscripts will not be returned. For a recorded explanation of Op-Ed requirements, please call (213) 237-2121. Articles may be sent to oped@latimes.com (not as an attachment) or faxed to (213) 237-7968.
For more information on their program strategy and agenda, please follow the link to the lengthy article: Anatomy of a left-wing cause.
The delegation consisted of Marcy Winograd (Pres., Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles), Wayne Williams (active in SoCal Grassroots), Brad Parker (VP, Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles), Carole Myers (active in SoCal Grassroots), and Bob Elias (Chicano Moratorium). The meeting was scheduled two weeks in advance. Tom Hayden's Op Ed piece "The Myth of the Super-Preditor" ran the day after the meeting. The next day, Huffington's "It's Dirty Tricks all over Again" ran. On Sunday, five days after the meeting, the LA Times ran "America Kidnapped Me," Khaled E-Msri's story of CIA torture.
The email is their "how-to" guide on to influence the LA Times's editors so that the Op Ed pages reflect their progressive opinions. With a few modifications, this strategy can be adapted to any cause, including RKBA issues. It is my hope that the members of this list review these suggestions and pursue a course of action through their MC's as unaffiliated individuals, or in conjunction with state leadership as a larger co-ordinated voice. Not to dump work on him, but I understand Paul would be the contact for anything other than unaffiliated individual opinion.
I am summarizing their recommendations contained in the email for the progressive's side of the argument below. Some specific links and recommended contacts may not be directly helpful to us.
They recommend the following course of action:
1) "Call Evonne Geller in Circulation at (xxx) xxx-xxxx and tell her you are [want to be] a "contingency re-subscriber for 3 months or until March 20th." If, for some reason, you have trouble reaching Evonne, re-subscribe by calling: (xxx-xxx-xxxx)." (NOTE: The email points out that by "canceling our subscriptions for a month and re-subscribing on a contingency basis, we exercise our influence as readers." -Jim)
2) "[Join] a well-organized Media Rapid Response group that evolved from SoCal Grassroots efforts, please feel free to contact Wayne Williams at xxx@xxx.net. When requesting membership, write the phrase "LA Times Watch" in the subject heading of your email." (NOTE: the LA Times Watch is probably not our friend, but may provide some fun reading for counter-intel purposes. -Jim)
3) "Commit to writing at least one letter a month, affirming or challenging LA Times content, paying special attention to columnists such as Max Boot and Jonah Goldberg who repeat the views of corporate-driven think tanks advancing a neo-con agenda. It will be our job to reveal misleading statements, lies and distortions and demand truth and accuracy. Support those progressive editorial and opinion articles that do uncover the truth, as Hayden, Huffington, Cockburn and Brooks did last week. To contact a writer or editor at the LA Times, you can email the person by writing their first name, followed by a period, then their last name @latimes.com Example: xxxx.xxxx@latimes.com (Opinion Page Editor)"
4) "We embrace an inside/outside strategy, whereby subscribers lobby from within and non-subscribers, withholding their subscriptions, exert pressure from without. Please let us know (pdlavote@aol.com) if you want to pursue an inside (subscribe) or outside (boycott) strategy."
5) "[S]tay involved in what the local media publishes and promotes."
6) "Let the editors ([Andres.Martinez@latimes.com and Nick.Goldberg@latimes.com]) know you are re-subscribing on a contingency basis; or that you are not re-subscribing until the LA Times hires a second nationally-recognized progressive weekly columnist."
7) The delegates "provided a list and sample columns of recommended journalists: Robert Scheer, Arianna Huffington, Bill Press, Jim Hightower, Frank Rich, Seymour Hersh, Paul Krugman, William Rivers Pitt, Tom Hartman, Naomi Klein, Norman Solomon, Marjorie Cohn, Andrew Greeley, and a dozen more, later talking up Tom Hayden and the need for a strong anti-war voice on the Opinion page." (NOTE: They later go on to say that the LA Times has a policy of not running syndicated writers, unless the writer originated with the Times, and that Huffington had been dropped by a former editor who became peeved when she ran for Governor. -Jim)
Among some notable comments from the email, Max Boot was equated with Hitler, "6,000 readers emailed and faxed the LA Times to protest Scheer's firing," and "two-hundred of us demonstrated in front of the LA Times building" in a co-ordinated media photo op.
CONTACTS:
LA Times Circulation Dept.: Evonne.Geller@latimes.com (800) 252-9141
LA Times Editorial Dept. Editor: Andres.Martinez@latimes.com
LA Times Op Ed Editor: Nick.Goldberg@latimes.com
The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. They must include valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms and initials will not be used. Letters should be in plain text and not include attachments.
letters@latimes.com
The Times welcomes manuscripts for possible publication. Each commentary must be exclusive to The Times. Unpublished manuscripts will not be returned. For a recorded explanation of Op-Ed requirements, please call (213) 237-2121. Articles may be sent to oped@latimes.com (not as an attachment) or faxed to (213) 237-7968.
Labels: Right-to-carry
posted by Dewage | 11:55 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home