[Vision2020] One Disclaimer re: The Daily News

[Joan Opyr]

Hi Jennifer,

I should have made it clear that I'm not criticizing the (very) young 
reporters at The Daily News.  My criticism is entirely reserved for the 
editorial board and the many poor decisions it has made.  Among those 
-- the Op-Ed page is a complete "ugh."  Do we not have any literate, 
clever, political conservatives we might tap to write in place of the 
mind-boggling Ed Iverson?  Surely there's someone who can do better 
than simply recycle scripts from old episodes of "Maude."  The stuff 
Iverson writes about was current 30 years ago; I remember my 
grandparents talking about "women's lib" in the exact same terms.  
Boring!  Why not ask a smart guy like Bill Lambert to write a column?  
I'd like to read what he has to say, no matter how much I might 
disagree with much of it.

Yes, I know Lambert can't write a column because of his current 
position, but he's the sort of conservative who would spark genuine and 
intelligent debate.  Perhaps he has a twin?  Or what about Jerry 
Schutz?  There are conservatives in this town who could and would write 
a much-better-than-passable column for the DN.  I'm not asking for 
George Will -- I just want something to read *before* I line the litter 
box.

Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment
www.joanopyr.com

On 20 Mar 2006, at 07:32, Jennifer McFarland wrote:

>  In defense of the editorial board of the Daily News:
>
> Since I have been in my current position at the Sheriff's Office, my 
> main
> contact with the DN has changed three times (Alexis started out 
> covering the
> SO, then Megan, now Omie).  In that time, I've seen myself misquoted a
> couple times and have had an "off-the-record" statement printed.  I 
> have
> found that the newsroom editor, Steve McClure, has been more than 
> happy to
> work with me and to work with his reporters to change any irresponsible
> behavior on their part.  He has also given me some good tips about how 
> to
> talk to reporters so that I don't seem evasive, terse, or just plain 
> stupid.
> There are still bugs to be worked out, but I do think they do a fine 
> job
> considering the experience a lot of the reporters have.  True, the 
> Daily
> News is not the Idahonian of the late 70's and early 80's (which I 
> know from
> reading old editions, lest anyone say, "She's not old enough to 
> remember the
> paper from back then").  For what it's worth, I think they are really 
> trying
> to make good reporters out of some very young and enthusiastic people.
> That's a task . . .
>
> P.S. Apparently, according to my mother, I made my media debut on the
> opening credits of  a show that used to air on PBS that was about 
> Moscow.  I
> think she said I was running through East City Park with a balloon.  
> It was
> my 15 seconds of fame.  Sad to peak so soon . . .