Did you ever wonder why newspaper stories are biased in favor of government and business — and against public interests ?
Livernois vs Citizens
Well, we got a rare insight in a Monterey Count Herald blog article by the Herald’s “City Editor” Joe Livernois. A city Editor is responsible for all local stories. A City editor can and does Block stories (sometimes for years), remove or “edit” your quotes, and writes (sometimes highly) misleading headlines.
Livernois boasts of his disgust with citizens who speak at public meetings. He is apparently not the least bit embarrassed about his bitter name-calling attack on those few members of the public who try to help elected officials make good and better decisions, and give them informed advice against making bad decisions.
Livernois is bothered claiming “gadflies and kooks waste our time.” (See http://heraldeditors.blogspot.com/2009/08/gadflies-and-kooks.html )
Lets review whether the Political Power Deck that Livernois is supposed to report on objectively is even reasonably balanced:
Political Gap
The Political Gap is the difference between how the public votes on issues and how their elected officials vote.
For example on our Monterey Peninsula every time Development is put to a public vote – the voters reject it – powerfully.
Yet elected officials almost always vote for development (and the Herald typically gives them cover and supports development too.)
Nothing ever changes Elected officials votes for development. Science, law and voters will are irrelevant to them and is ignored.
World class science experts are dismissed, some of California’s most competent attorneys are disregarded, and petitions signed by thousands of voters are rejected.
And then even when Courts overturn Elected officials’ violations of law – electeds still re-approve development.
Our Monterey Area Political Gap is just as wide for Environmental Protection (voters always approve it) and Campaign Finance Reform.
Agenda Setting
Elected officials set the agenda and focus subjects on just those issues they want to deal with. The public can not add an agenda item unless they can get government to agree to do so. I estimate the ratio of government set agenda items vs public requested agenda items is roughly 1,000 to 1, probably even worse.
Who Gets to Vote
Elected officials get to vote on one to several dozen issues at every meeting. The public only gets to vote on one of those issues if they force it onto the ballot. And when the public tries to put a subject on the ballot – elected officials typically fight to prevent the public from voting on it. Some governments fight this fiercely and bitterly; and they fight it with the public’s own money. And when they lose – they have to pay the public interest attorney – again with public money.
Reversing Bad Decisions Expensive
When elected officials make a harmful decision (remember the up to several dozen decisions per agenda), again the public has to spend huge amounts of time and money to put the decision before a court. And even then the courts bend over backwards to allow the most outrageous excuses for why government made such an absurd decision.
Court’s Power Limited
Finally, the courts are prohibited from overturning a government decision unless the decision was a flat out failure – an “F”. If the decision could get as bad a grade as a D- (yes like school grading) — the public loses in court.
Who Is Paid?
Citizens are rarely paid to attend governmental meetings, but elected officials and staff are paid — often overtime to fight against public interests. Along with developers and their attorneys, Livernois and his reporters are paid to attend as well.
Against all these odds, it is amazing that citizens still have the courage to speak at public meetings.
Public Comment Is Valuable
So one way to try to head off the many goofy governmental decisions that occur every meeting, members of the public get a tiny opportunity of 3 minutes to try to point out why not do do something, or how to do it better. (That’s rarely enough time to give a diplomatic warm up.)
Sometimes citizens have to wait hours to have their 3 minute moment to be heard.
Citizens have to wait while staff makes long presentations (sometimes 45 minutes long for subdivisions), then the applicants’ lawyers and experts usually get 10 to 15 minutes.
Then we get 3 minutes to rebut the avalanche of blatantly false and misleading information.
Public Comment Is Difficult
Study after study show that most people are deeply frightened of speaking in public. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld put it well with “At a funeral most people would be more comfortable being in the casket than giving the Eulogy.”
So it is more responsible to encourage the public to speak.
But, the Herald’s City Editor believes that’s a distasteful waste of his time because public comments is only done by “gadflies and kooks” with absolutely nothing valuable to contribute.
Do we owe Livernois an apology?
I just am not familiar with the concept that thousands bled and died in our 1776 American revolution — just so Joe Livernois could get back to his Lazy-boy recliner faster. And why should he care if government decisions are worse for it ?
So, if you aren’t happy with government decisions, you can take Livernois’ advice:
Shut-up, stay home and when it comes time to vote for candidates – obey the Herald’s fraudulent endorsements (that’s another story) – so Herald reporters and editors lives will all be a lot easier.
Or if that sounds a bit silly and hostile to the fundamental concepts of Democracy – lets encourage people to speak out at government meetings at every opportunity they think they can help.
And keep in mind how a City Editor can seriously harm our community by blocking important stories from ever showing up !
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Update: Livernois was fired by the Herald in 2011. I wonder if it was for his personal name-calling attacks on readers and public citizens.
