THE OJAI & VENTURA VOICE: our new PR company
Well, imagine my surprise today to see issue number 420 of the Ojai & Ventura Voice with the headline, "Inside: Idiot Bloggers Screw Up!", and to open to page 8, where The Voice has a full page dissection of one of our author's posts. You really should pick up a copy of The Voice, the imminently enjoyable red-headed stepchild of Ojai printed media, and check out the "Investigation of OjaiPost Allegations."
Back on May 22, OjaiPost.com author Raymond Powers reprinted a letter to the editor of The Voice, critizing a headline written to describe a story and asking for a public apology. The headline, "Illegal Alien Gets Screwed" was used to describe a story about an illegal immigrant who was abducted, drugged and raped multiple times. (note: I didn't read the original story and The Voice has no online presence for me to read it personally)
Follow me as we get into the "Allegations", "Idiots" and "unethical journalism" after the jump.
Ojai & Ventura Voice editor/publisher Jeffrey W. SanMarchi chafed at Raymond's letter because Raymond referred to the rape victim as female, when in actuality the victim was male. When Raymond challenged The Voice as being "Racist, Misogynist or just plain cruel," SanMarchi took umbrage at being called misogynist, while dismissing the other charges of racism and cruelty as simply being controversial and inviting readers to draw their own conclusions.
SanMarchi also digs into OjaiPost.com author Lisa Snider for, get this, a COMMENT on a BLOG POST, accusing her of being (a) an Idiot for not reading the article or (b) "guilty of unethical journalism" for not correcting Raymond in his identification of the victim's gender. The comment, which by it's very nature isn't a journalistic endeavor, was an off-hand remark that The Voice is a rag. And really, who's to argue with an editorial COMMENT on an editorial BLOG? Is her comment/opinion any less valid if she finds The Voice to be merely racist and just plain cruel, or do they need to be misogynist as well to be considered a rag?
I do find SanMarchi's allegations of "unethical journalism" rather amusing. He himself reprints personal correspondence from Lisa Snider as some sort of quid pro quo. He also attempts to make his case against Raymond by taking information from third-party websites including About.com and Amazon.com.
Finally, SanMarchi posits, "a basic rule of journalism - always double and triple-check your facts. In fact if the subject matter is controversial I recommend checking the facts four or five times, and thinking about your message a whole lot longer than 16 minutes." Perhaps SanMarchi should have contacted me as a "journalistic source" before committing two gaffes of his own.
One, he repeatedly conflates The Ojai Post with The Ojai Network. The Ojai Post is this community blog, while The Ojai Network is a handful of Ojai websites that include ojainetwork.com (a general directory of Ojai websites), ojaiblog.com (my personal blog), ojaijobs.com (a little jobs site), ojairestaurants.com (a restaurant directory) and ojaigarden.com (a community blog). To point, he states that "The Ojai Network appeared to be off to a good start. They've posted some interesting pieces." He further advises that the "Ojai Network runs the risk of degenerating into just another self-indulgent blog with too much misinformation and too many blowhards." But he's clearly referring to The Ojai Post.
SanMarchi makes the same conflation when he states "the Ojai Network is a commercial web network, and certain contributing authors seem to have journalistic pretensions." It is clear he is referring to The Ojai Post which IS NOT COMMERCIAL. How's that for fact-checking, Jeff?
Even if he wanted to argue that the actual Ojai Network of websites is commercial, he'd be hard pressed to do so. The Ojai Post - NOT commercial, OjaiGarden.com - NOT commercial, OjaiBlog.com - NOT commercial, OjaiRestaurants.com - NOT commercial, OjaiNetwork.com - NOT commercial. Ojai Jobs is FREE to Chamber members. I build and maintain these sites at my expense as my contribution to the Ojai community.
So before SanMarchi spouts off about ethics in journalism, he should apply the same lens to the very article in which he makes these pronouncements. Hilarious.
A final note - I'm tired of people on each side of the fence calling the other side Idiots. It lowers the discourse and is a bludgeon used to dismiss the other side as intellectually incapable of discussion, when in actuality its a ruse to deflect criticism when one's own point of view has a hard time standing on its own. It happens in politics ALL the time, particularly in the blogosphere, and its tiresome. I would much rather see people debate on the issues and facts rather than dismiss the other side as Idiots.
Anyway, Jeff, thanks for the awesome publicity - you are welcome to reprint this article IN FULL in The Voice. I hope we get a ton of readers from your article who want to check out what The Ojai Post is all about - a handful of independent community voices on a NON-COMMERCIAL editorial group blog. And to our readers - please support The Voice's advertisers - they are local mom and pop businesses that deserve your support, and they are in no way associated with the editorials of the editor/publisher, who may or may not print racist and just plain cruel headlines in order to "be controversial."
| Permalink | author bio | 
Comments (5)
Well, despite the apparent gender confusion, at least we've now got a half dozen new readers here now! Welcome aboard!
Comment #1 Posted by: Lisa Snider | June 3, 2006 06:42 PM
Wow, I finally got a chance to see the Voice. I must of really gotten under the editors skin for a an entire page to be dedicated to defacing Lisa and I.
Okay, so I didn't read the article question closely enough to see the abused person was male. So I retract the misogyny accusatrions, however, simply calling his headline "controversial" is the very point I'm making. Why would the choice be made in the first place to run a headline that doesn't honor the boy who was abducted and molested. If male child sexual abuse an often overlooked topic, then the voice could print an article about that rather than attacking Lisa and I.
Tyler, I always appreciate your articulate and lucid posts. I do want to say in response to your statement "I'm tired of people on each side of the fence calling the other side Idiots."I never called the editor of the Voice and idiot, I did suggest his behavior was cruel and insensitive and pointed out possible tendencies. Like I wonder if the headline would have had a similar controversial tone if the abused was not a Latino. The personal is political and for me transcendent qualities and compassion need to be practiced in day to day our communities. I've never been one to shy away from stirring the pot when the inner calling is strong. Thus in this case my courageous voice spoke for many i spoke to who felt the headline about the abuse was abusive in itelf.
Likewise, I hope the gender confusion creates new readers for the blog, and maybe the negative publicity about me will be a gateway for others to potentialize their creative nature and nurture a healthy relationship with their sexuality..
By the way, the listing mentioned from about.com was something a publicity company did in 1996 to promote the video Ultimate Pleasures. I was unaware of it and it appears to link to my website SimpleBrilliance.com .
The video, (I don't get any perks for mentioning this,my royalties have long expired) was an alternative healing project about Gay Tantra. I was hired as a consultant, narrator and film composer. That's a whole other story given I was the only one on the set that wasn't gay and I was the one chosen to instruct the actors about tantric and kundalini yoga techniques. It was great experience and I really enjoyed the music I wrote for it as well. I had 1 1/2 weeks to write about 50 minutes of music! Insane.
Comment #2 Posted by: Raymond | June 5, 2006 07:39 AM
Hey Raymond - my comments about people using the word "Idiot" was referring to debates in general - not you. Thanks much for the reply, and its great to have you, Lisa and all the other amazing authors on The Ojai Post!
Comment #3 Posted by: Tyler | June 5, 2006 03:52 PM
Personally, I prefer to leave the idiot talk to my good friend Napoleon Dynamite!
Comment #4 Posted by: Lisa Snider | June 5, 2006 06:35 PM
Hey Tyler,
Just sent the following off to the printer. Thought you might like to ruminate on it.
Disclosure vs. right to privacy is a good topic. I didn’t disclose anything about Lisa that was an invasion of her privacy. It all had to do with her public writing personna.
There’s nothing wrong with using your “web network” as a marketing tool. More power to you. But don’t try to pretend that you ain’t using it for marketing.
By the way, i discussed the “may or may not be racist” comment with my daughters. They thought it was misdirected, but hilarious, especially considering the mutl-ethnic blood that flows through their veins.
But I guess we can debate all this till the cows come home.
Jeffrey SanMarchi
Publisher/Editor
Ojai & Ventura VOICE
ovvoice@ojai.net
805-649-9703
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Guide To Weblog Ethics For Idiots!
Editor’s Note: With the emergence of local “weblogs”, I thought it would be a good time to review weblog ethics, and share this information with our readers. Some bloggers seem to think that the only “unethical” actions are to point out their errors, their failure to disclose conflicts of interest, or their use of their weblogs as a marketing tool. After all a weblog, they seem to think, doesn’t have to be accurate, it’s just opinion, based on a failure to check the facts.
The following is from About.com’s “Guide to Web Logs” and is introduced by Sheila Ann Manuel Coggins with this statement: “If you’re wondering about good blogging practices (and really, every blogger should), here are some important things that you must consider as a blogger.”
Top 10 Weblog Ethics and Etiquette Tips
1) Follow Hotlinking Guidelines.
When it comes to hotlinking or ‘direct linking’ - different weblog/website owners may have different rules. If you’re not sure, just remember that most blog owners do not allow this.
2) Credit Your Sources.
When you use a certain part of an article or blog entry, it’s important to attribute it to the author accordingly. It’s also good practice to mention your source, if you found a useful piece or link from someone.
3) Check The Validity of Your Information.
If someone posted it online, it doesn’t always mean it’s true. Always check your sources! If you’re not quite sure about the validity of your information, but you still want to blog about it for some reason, then please mention your uncertainty rather than posting it as fact.
4) Correct Your Mistakes and Post Updates.
We can’t be right about everything all the time. There may also be times when we blog before we think. When mistakes/errors happen, own up to it and post an update.
5) Never Leave Spam Comments.
You don’t necessarily have to post things about viagra or online casinos to be considered a spammer. When you post comments like, “Visit my blog!” without posting relevant comments, it can also be considered spamming.
6) Post Disclosures, When Necessary.
If you have any conflicts of interest or a personal venture that you’re promoting on your blog, it’s always best to be upfront about it. Your readers deserve to know the real deal.
7) Write in Proper Format.
You don’t have to be a champion speller or to have extraordinarily great writing skills to be good at blogging. However, you also can’t expect to be taken seriously as a blogger if you WRITE IN ALL CAPS and/ or if you wriTe LiKe ThIS. Writing in all caps is usually considered shouting in the online environment. It is also bad practice to use unconventional forms of spelling and presentation.
8) Respect Copyright at All Times.
Never post complete texts or full articles written by other people in your own weblog without permission. Don’t post photos or pictures that aren’t yours either, unless you’ve got permission. It’s always important to follow the rules of ‘fair use’ based on copyright laws.
9) Identify Yourself Properly.
When you leave comments in someone else’s weblog, it’s good practice to identify yourself properly with a real name and email address whenever possible. This fosters proper discourse and healthy discussions.
10) Leave a Way For Your Readers To Contact You.
It doesn’t matter whether you choose email, comments, tag boards or something else. It’s just considered good etiquette to give your readers an opportunity to contact you.
(from weblogs.about.com/od/issuesanddiscussions/tp/weblogethics.htm)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
And this is from Rebecca Blood’s six rules of Weblog Ethics, from “TheWeblogHandbook” (www.rebeccablood.net/handbook/excerpts/weblog_ethics.html)
1) Publish as fact only that which you believe to be true.
2) If material exists online, link to it when you reference it.
3) Publicly correct any misinformation.
4) Write each entry as if it could not be changed; add to, but do not rewrite or delete, any entry.
5) Disclose any conflict of interest.
6) Note questionable and biased sources.
-- Editor
Comment #5 Posted by: Jeffrey SanMarchi | June 16, 2006 08:39 PM