Twilight
M. Stewart
Did you read The Review this morning? Apparently Columbiana County is “in line for massive coal-to-energy plant.” Wowee! I ain’t never heard that before.
The story is written by someone “special to The Review” name of Larry Ringler, and the piece reads like it was written two years ago by someone who has neither seen nor heard of Wellsville.
The angle of this news flash is that Baard Energy plans to make the coal business “green” as it turns the dirty, black stuff into diesel fuel. The secondary angle is that we’re all going to get rich. Yipee! Thank you John Baardson! You’ve descended from the clouds just in time.
I’d like to ask The Review flat out: Why would you run a stale story like this?
The average person on the street knows more about the proposed Baard project than the guy who wrote this story. Larry Ringler is not from our area, nor is he even the slightest bit familiar with the current issues involving the proposed plant. What’s even more clear is that the outdated story came from a press release most likely authored by one of Baard’s PR guys.
In short, it is nothing but propaganda. It most definitely is not news.
Unfortunately, the word “green” has been appropriated by marketers for use as a meaningless, subversive propaganda tool. This is obvious when a filthy, environmentally unsound project like this coal-to-liquid-fuel plant can be called “green.”
Maybe I wouldn’t be so against the Baard Energy thing if the proponents would just tell the truth about it. As absurd as it sounds, we can't expect our newspaper to force the issue. The outdated corporate crap printed today tells me that much.
Sorry, but I’d rather my newspaper deal in the truth, or at least something current—you know, news. I’d rather my newspaper be written by local journalists who are still naive enough to think their job is to discover and present facts. I’d rather my newspaper be owned and operated by local people who have a stake in our community, not some corporation from another state whose only concern is carrying off our money.
We in East Liverpool should be proud that our city could support a newspaper for 120 years. Let’s just hope that regardless of what’s going on with the bottom line, the Morning Journal is able to keep giving us genuine local news. If not, trust me when I say that an entirely new model will come along to fill the void.
Did you read The Review this morning? Apparently Columbiana County is “in line for massive coal-to-energy plant.” Wowee! I ain’t never heard that before.
The story is written by someone “special to The Review” name of Larry Ringler, and the piece reads like it was written two years ago by someone who has neither seen nor heard of Wellsville.
The angle of this news flash is that Baard Energy plans to make the coal business “green” as it turns the dirty, black stuff into diesel fuel. The secondary angle is that we’re all going to get rich. Yipee! Thank you John Baardson! You’ve descended from the clouds just in time.
I’d like to ask The Review flat out: Why would you run a stale story like this?
The average person on the street knows more about the proposed Baard project than the guy who wrote this story. Larry Ringler is not from our area, nor is he even the slightest bit familiar with the current issues involving the proposed plant. What’s even more clear is that the outdated story came from a press release most likely authored by one of Baard’s PR guys.
In short, it is nothing but propaganda. It most definitely is not news.
Unfortunately, the word “green” has been appropriated by marketers for use as a meaningless, subversive propaganda tool. This is obvious when a filthy, environmentally unsound project like this coal-to-liquid-fuel plant can be called “green.”
Maybe I wouldn’t be so against the Baard Energy thing if the proponents would just tell the truth about it. As absurd as it sounds, we can't expect our newspaper to force the issue. The outdated corporate crap printed today tells me that much.
Sorry, but I’d rather my newspaper deal in the truth, or at least something current—you know, news. I’d rather my newspaper be written by local journalists who are still naive enough to think their job is to discover and present facts. I’d rather my newspaper be owned and operated by local people who have a stake in our community, not some corporation from another state whose only concern is carrying off our money.
We in East Liverpool should be proud that our city could support a newspaper for 120 years. Let’s just hope that regardless of what’s going on with the bottom line, the Morning Journal is able to keep giving us genuine local news. If not, trust me when I say that an entirely new model will come along to fill the void.
posted by M. | 6:39 AM
23 Comments:
Larry Ringler usually writes for the Warren Tribune; this piece ran a few days ago in the Salem News, where I saw it first. It may have run in other cities, as well.
I would note a couple of things: the article says Baard has 'snagged' $2 billion in loan guarantees from the federal Department of Energy. This is flatly incorrect, as we confirmed with DOE this week. I guess if you know a reporter won't fact-check what you tell him, you don't mind telling him anything that occurs to you. I'm sure if Baardson had said the plant will produce gold from pewter, that's what we'd be reading in Ringler's article.
Beyond that are the usual falsehoods and misrepresentations. Too bad. Baard has not lined up a speck of financing from the investment community, which so far is too worried about staying afloat to consider giving $6 billion to a tiny, untested company from Vancouver.
Speaking of energy, a little eco-hypocrisy on the part of "The One" here:
http://michellemalkin.com/2009/01/29/obamas-thermostat-setting-he-likes-it-warm/
Change we can believe in!
Oh, and I do need to get those "carbon credit" forms printed to sell to all my enviro friends..."Oh, you drove to work today?...Here, let me sell you this to assuage your guilt...."
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/12/26/eco-guilt-assuasion-in-san-francisco/
Rarely I agree with Matt on almost any subject. However I recently cancelled my subscription to the Review as why buy two copies of the Morning Journal.
As far as Baard, I sure hope that the Port Authority will not be "on the hook" for this project. The Port Authority was recently burned with a company that was going to make "Columbiana County the new Silicon Valley". If memory serves me correctly the Port Authority built them a big building (in Leetonia?) and they never followed thru with their lease. My bet is that the Baard plant will never be built. If that is the case, what becomes of the land that they bought? How much money does Baard actually have invested in this land?
She murdered syntax, slayed Vladimir Putin's floating head, killed John McCain's dreams of being president, now the First Hillbilly is going to be palling around with people that pal around with terrorists? That isn't very "pro-America."
"How often will I have an opportunity to have dinner with the president," she said. "I will take up that offer to do so, yeah.”
Tsk, Tsk, Tsk. Someone should tell Mrs. Palin that being magnanimous and gracious are not desirable attributes in the modern day Republican party.
You Betcha. And. Also. Such As. Like. Go Palin '12!
How I sees it -
The Columbiana County Port Authority will indeed be on the hook for the land. Ohio Dept. of Development has granted money to buy the land on the condition the plant is built and fulfills various criteria. If the plant is never built, CCPA is $5 million in the hole, on top of other unfortunate gambles they have taken recently (as you pointed out).
Either way, the story of liquid coal is ultimately an example of a speculative private enterprise made possible only through large subsidies from taxpayers. For all we hear about Ohio needing to cut drastic amounts of public spending on schools, mental health care, and the rest, politicians will still rush to spend our money on their pet projects.
And, where will the coal come from? I say South America and/or China. There is coal in Ohio and I read somewhere that Illinois has enough coal to supply the United States for 100 years. If it's our tax money let's use local resources.
Yes us can,
Your thoughts on how the president is performing on his first few days in office?
His cabinet selections?
Actually, Larry Ringler is a pretty decent business writer for the Warren Tribune, where the people most likely do not know that there is a coal plant planned or even that there is a Wellsville. The fault lies in that someone picked up the story and put it in, because it was offered up through the Ogden network, and ran it because it seemed local. I don't really understand, however, why a reporter from Warren is reporting on it and sharing it, or a reporter from Wheeling, but not a reporter from East Liverpool OR Lisbon. Maybe it's time to combine all three Columbiana County newspapers into one really good one?
Given the incessant cutbacks, I've got to believe that morale at the newspapers is at an all-time low. The whole do-more-with-less approach has ruled The Review since long before I left. Attrition has reduced the newsroom staff to just a handful of underpaid people. Working in those conditions, it's very hard to do your best. As such, I never blame the reporters, who go to work every day with an ax hovering over their heads. The problem extends beyond our local papers; it's nationwide.
However, we newspaper readers continue to expect (and need) first-rate journalism from people who work in an environment that not longer supports it. I believe something new and better will come of it once the old system falls under its own weight. Face it, there are lots of trained and experienced journalists out there who need (or will need) jobs. If they are able to join together in an entrepreneurial spirit and be creative, the future can be bright--at least much brighter than it is now.
This is so off the topic but falls in line with reporting by the local papers. It seems when they were reporting on the reductions in staff at city hospital they neglected to report on allegations that most of the managers there received Xmas bonuses in the 5 digits. I would love for you to look into this more and find out once and for all why are papers not digging a little deeper to get the truth out there. I know you don't like anonymous but I still work at the facility in question, and let's just say they are not to forgiving of the truth.
Like the newspapers, hospitals are private businesses, which means they can handle their money any way they wish. Disclosures are required when businesses receive public funds, but that's not the case here. Do I think the newspapers should look into these allegations? Yes, but I don't think a private business is required to discuss such matters with the media.
I agree, Matt, it's sad when the papers have cutbacks..and even sadder when people expect the three reporters, two sports guys, and two copy desk people to do the work that nearly three times as many people used to do, and to do it even better. Then when you add in the special sections, progress editions, etc., to make the paper enough money to keep going, you have the small staff working overtime to keep on going..and eventually people burn out. That's why the papers should merge. Imagine what a good paper the county would have! 10-12 reporters, enough sportswriters to cover the county, enough people to layout and edit things so they look good. It's crazy to have three newspapers in one county the size of Columbiana County.
Given the current environment, I think one county paper is a reasonable idea for a company that clings so tightly to a 20th-century model. Actually, it's pretty close to one paper now all but in name. For whatever reason, the company continues to believe there is value in the separate brand names.
On one level at least, ownership is afraid that if it abandons East Liverpool and Salem for Lisbon, someone in each of those larger cities will step up to compete with an exclusively online product, which is an area current management clearly doesn't understand. Rather than invest in the kind of intellectual capital it takes to compete, the idea has been to absorb all competition. Given that strategy, the last thing you want to do is open the door to competition. I'm sure there are other factors, but that's how it looks from my perspective.
As I See It - I would give him a sold B thus far. The transition, by all accounts, has been one of the smoothest in histroy. With the exception of Geithner and Holder there has been very little controversy surrounding his cabinet nominees. Appointing Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) to head the Commerce Department would be a stroke of pure genius if it gets him a filibuster-proof in the majority before the 2010 midterms. I like the decisions to close down Guantanamo and end torture. I'm a little disappointed he gave himself wiggle room though and that there will be detainees that will never go to trial or be released. Like allowing states to set their own emission standards I don't like that he's met with GOP congressional leaders moreso than leaders of his own party on the stimulus bill. He has the votes, personally I would like to see him cram his agenda down the throats of Republicans, like Bush did so well for eight years.
these papers are a joke you guys are right they are so quick to run stories on the front page but the when another story comes up they hide it in the back or like the review don't even put it in the paper matt you should start your own paper
The papers are operated separately so they can collect three times the advertising revenue. However, when you are paying three managing editor, three publishers, three ad directors, I would think that would cut into the ad revenue they're bringing in. Fact is, Columbiana County doesn't have the population to support three newspapers. Heck, even Pittsburgh only has two major papers.
Holmes--
I think calling the papers a "joke" is not accurate. Despite the corporate model, good work gets done by capable people. There's just not enough of them.
Curiously--
I can foresee a single managing editor and a single publisher somewhere down the line, but we need more writers with more time to develop stories. When you're down to a handful who only have time to cover meetings, you have a very limited product.
In the end, I would do just the opposite of what the company is doing. I'd load up on good writers, pay them well, and set them loose. Currently it's an upside down model: the highly skilled workers are seen as expendable, while managers who produce nothing suck up all the wages.
you might be right they aren't a joke but like they said the same story is in all 3 papers i think the salem news does a better job of elo and wellsville news then the 2 papers in this area do i thik alot of the articles are oe side and how can a wpd officer keep getting suspended and it's never in the paper and another one does and it's all over the paper
That's where the beauty of combining the papers works. You have four reporters in Lisbon, three in East Liverpool, three in Salem. That's a good pool of 10, not counting the sports writers, copy desk editors and photographers. One managing editor, who will of course need an assistant, one photographer, one ad manager. Then you might just have a paper that works. Three little papers, all fighting each other for a scratch, are just silly. After all, there are only 110,000 or so people in the whole county. Again, in Pittsburgh, there are two papers covering 2,462,571 people.
Oh, I get it Holmes! You're one of those Wellsville conspiracy people. It's not that the papers are so bad, you just don't like how they treat that one poor victimized cop in the papers..what's his name, Eddie Wilson?
And as for Salem having the news about Wellsville first, how could they? They don't have anyone covering Wellsville. Any story they have HAS to come from Lisbon or East Liverpool.
It all comes out now.
no buddy i'm on nobodies side i was just asking what matt thought i could careless what they do with any of those cops and if you knew what you was talking about and checked the news online you would see what i'm talking about
Re the Baard plant in Wellsville: When I first heard about it several years ago I thought it was the best economic news in years for the area. I still think so as long as it can produce fuel at a competitive price. Its OK with me if government loans are used to build much of it. A lot of government money is used for a lot less important things as far as the people in this area are concerned. I vote for energy independance and a number of good jobs.
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