Jimmy: Press Comments Hurt Tourism

13 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

• 

  JIMMYMAC on March 22 at 1:32 a.m.

  I just wanted to clarify that I wasn’t talking to an actual instance, just speaking as to “what if?”. I think it does beg the question.

• 

  OrangeTV on March 22 at 1:57 a.m.

  This is exactly the type of scenario I’ve been carrying on about. Ridiculous really, and quite unnecessary,

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  Dennis on March 22 at 6:17 a.m.

  I just don’t believe that De-Wayne & crew really cares how must damage this can and will cause.

• 

  Dennis on March 22 at 6:18 a.m.

  must=much

  WHERE’S MY COFFEE!!!!!!!!!!!

  :-)

• 

  danofthecommunity on March 22 at 7:51 a.m.

  There is so much over there that is so dark, often threatening and foreboding, and with a default position of believing the worst of people and their motives, that it truly weighs down the soul to even read. And the blog comments ratchet up the negativity even higher.

  Life does have some harsh and ugly realities at times. We all know and recognize that. But I just can’t imagine wanting to let it so color your every thought and expression that it then becomes your own consistent personal viewfinder for judging our community.

• 

  Arch_Druid on March 22 at 9:55 a.m.

  Letter to the editor in the CDA Press this morning. IVO W. Randels of Post Falls engages in a rambling letter in which he claims some sort of attribution from Fox News about AG Eric Holder all set to pardon FLN (a South American narco-terrorist group) who “set up a series of bombings in New York that killed 6 people.” From the best of my knowledge, the FLN was never involved in any such thing but that Islamic extremists were. And while Islamic extremists did plan a series of bombings in New York during the Clinton administration, only one came to actual fruition, the bombing of the World Trade Center. Six people were killed.

  I am not a watcher of Fox News, but if what Mr. Randels reported being correct, then Fox News isn’t now interested in reporting news but engaging in a lot of fiction.

  All this had to do with how Sheriff Joe Arpaio is handling illegal immigration. Huh?

  Those same letters do appear online, folks. And I am also sure that Hagadone has the time to read his own paper. I also recall years earlier when the Aryan Nations sat up shop in Hayden Lake that Hagadone was absolutely appalled that they could come here, apparently racism would have done damage to tourism. Well, given the general tone of the thread and of what has been allowed online at the Press as well as in its print edition, he must think that his guests won’t read thoroughly their complimentary copy. Or just ignore the carping of local haters. Were I an out of town business interest, I check out the paper online and find the sort of garbage allowed into “print” that Jimmy complains of, I’d find another resort that didn’t have such a hint of stink attached to it.

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  Charlie on March 22 at 10:26 a.m.

  I believe Mr. Randels meant the Puerto Rican FALN, not the FLN. The FALN was responsible for over 100 bombings in the USA and Mr. Holder was involved in their pardon to a small degree. There was an uproar when this happened because Hillary was thinking of running for senator of NY. It was view by some as a political move to help Hillary.

  I wonder if any of the higher ups, Duane, Jerry etc. really know what is going in the CdA press? Not trying to give them an out but sometimes the folks down the food chain don’t like to bring up items like this for fear of being made fun of or fired. Does “Peters Principals of Incompetence” apply at the “press”/

• 

  Arch_Druid on March 22 at 1:33 p.m.

  I shouldn’t doubt the Puerto Rican FALN as a separatist group that was responsible for hundreds of bombings in the U.S.A. But, I didn’t much hear of them re the news media during the Clinton era since most of the focus was on Monica Lewinsky. Nor for that matter, Holder who was then a member of the Clinton Justice Dept. pardoning them. Esp. since Hillary Clinton was running for the U.S. Senate. It did not come up on CNN when Holder was facing confirmation hearings. Since at the time, Mark Rich was the bigger focus.

  Which begs the question, what are the priorities of the news media in question? If this was as serious an issue as Fox News is prepared to assert today, then it should have been the focus of the news media almost 2 decades ago and not just that of Fox News and highly selective reporting years after the fact. More than Ms. Lewinsky or for that matter, Mr. Rich. Which is why I continue to have my doubts. Sorry Charlie.

• 

  Sam on March 22 at 3:39 p.m.

  I just want to clarify. So Jimmy’s argument is that newspaper Web sites where racist comments happen mean that tourism is hurt?

  So by that argument nearly every single city with a newspaper that allows online commenting doesn’t have tourists then?

  Go to basically any newspaper Web site at all that has comments. Just pick one.

  Find stories about immigration. Find stories about President Obama. Find stories about any minority.

  You will see racist comments.

  There are racist comments at the Web site of the newspaper I work at. The difference is we have a system that allows the commenters themselves to self-police and if a certain number of them think a comment is abuse they can report it and it is deprecated and then reviewed by a moderator.

  But the fact it, the comments happen everywhere. There are racist people everywhere and their outlet, because of societal mores that have announced we don’t tolerate racism in public venues – that it’s non-normative – their outlet is the Internet. So the few racist people in a place flock to where they can voice their anonymous drivel.

  I’d really like to see some facts to back up anything that says racism hurts tourism. Any statistics to show that the Cd’A Press comments hurt tourism in North Idaho due to racism any more than the reputation the place already has because of the Aryan Nations as well as the racists who are already still there?

  I’ve made my thoughts on the Press known around here many times. And many times I also believe that DFO’s criticism of the Press (especially in regards to the tripe from Mary Souza) is totally founded.

  But in this case it just seems like people don’t really understand how these sites work, how understaffed people are, etc. etc.

  Your solution is kill the comments altogether if they don’t have the staff. It won’t happen.

  The reason? Each story comment and everyone who reads those comments is another page view. It’s something else to show advertisers.

• 

  Sam on March 22 at 3:48 p.m.

  By the way, this would also happen at the Spokesman Web site, too, but it really looks like nobody takes advantage of your story comments.

• 

  JIMMYMAC on March 22 at 6:10 p.m.

  Sam,
  All I am saying is that it doesn’t bode well for minorities who plan on traveling here and happen to come across the comments. I don’t for a second claim that any of this exists or is scentifically factual, just asking the question.

• 

  Lynne on March 23 at 8:51 a.m.

  Question: Do you think the Hagadone Corporation higher-ups — and even Duane Hagadone himself — know what is allowed in the comments section of Duane’s newspaper?

  I don’t think there is a thing that gets by Duane Hagadone. I’m sure if he hasn’t read it himself, it’s been brought to his attention.

• 

  Arch_Druid on March 23 at 10:47 a.m.

  And on that note too, Lynn, it still gets published.

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