"Non-profit" VoiceofSanDiego.org literally trashed former Congressman Bob Filner from the earliest moment of his mayoral campaign via scurrilous "reporting" from writer Liam Dillon. VOSD simultaneously promoted the beauty pageant that was Nathan Fletcher's failed and schizophrenic (Rep? Dem?) mayoral bid. (Both Fletcher and VOSD remain Jacobs' projects.)
"Non-profit" KPBS over at SDSU has established a shadowy connection with "non-profit"
i-newsource. Together they were instrumental in pushing Mayor Filner's resignation. This tag-team scooped and live-covered Donna Frye's two public plaza rants against Filner. Subsequently they ran interviews with a long queue of women who claimed sexual harassment by him -- including, incredibly, ex- U.S. Navy Admiral Ronne Froman.
KPBS has a newsroom and who knows what else donated by Joan and Irwin Jacobs. Its coverage traditionally has been soft on local GOP politicians most of whom attended SDSU. Founders of i-newsource are ex-U-T editor Karin Winner and reporter Lorie Hearn. Today i-newsource's published list of "members" is loaded with avowed Filner-haters and Fletcher supporters.
Whatever else it may be, the "non-profit" designation is always a guarantee of deep cover. The Reader is transparently for-profit, based on advertising and, fortunately for us, it is independent.
— September 26, 2014 4:02 p.m.
Who will rule Mayor Faulconer?
"Non-profit" VoiceofSanDiego.org literally trashed former Congressman Bob Filner from the earliest moment of his mayoral campaign via scurrilous "reporting" from writer Liam Dillon. VOSD simultaneously promoted the beauty pageant that was Nathan Fletcher's failed and schizophrenic (Rep? Dem?) mayoral bid. (Both Fletcher and VOSD remain Jacobs' projects.) "Non-profit" KPBS over at SDSU has established a shadowy connection with "non-profit" i-newsource. Together they were instrumental in pushing Mayor Filner's resignation. This tag-team scooped and live-covered Donna Frye's two public plaza rants against Filner. Subsequently they ran interviews with a long queue of women who claimed sexual harassment by him -- including, incredibly, ex- U.S. Navy Admiral Ronne Froman. KPBS has a newsroom and who knows what else donated by Joan and Irwin Jacobs. Its coverage traditionally has been soft on local GOP politicians most of whom attended SDSU. Founders of i-newsource are ex-U-T editor Karin Winner and reporter Lorie Hearn. Today i-newsource's published list of "members" is loaded with avowed Filner-haters and Fletcher supporters. Whatever else it may be, the "non-profit" designation is always a guarantee of deep cover. The Reader is transparently for-profit, based on advertising and, fortunately for us, it is independent.— September 26, 2014 4:02 p.m.
Drug-fueled Sun God chomps into UCSD budget
So depressing. Give the kids an inch, they take a mile. Clean up the overdosing and deaths at UCSD's Sun God Festival or drop the bacchanal altogether. Oh, and do "address the broader concern of drug and alcohol use on campus." It's past time.— September 26, 2014 2:31 p.m.
Kensington Video is closing!
Where is Malin Burnham when we REALLY need him? Kensington Video is a wonderful place. Surely there is someone who wants to learn the business and continue to run it. I am heartbroken at this news.— September 26, 2014 2:24 p.m.
"Military style" pot raid backfires
God, the pot lobby is as bad as the gun lobby. Six hundred POUNDS of weed for personal medical use? Really? That could blunt a lot of depression. All I can say is that Dorian's story has a distinctly righteous ring to it and that Lawyer Shaman is aptly named. I guess they're in trouble, but I think DD&Z did the right thing.— September 25, 2014 7:39 p.m.
LaRue’s big day
You said it: "House of Cards." I hope La Rue is dry. Anyway, that Third Way agenda is pretty disgusting. Susan Davis' multiple Israel lobby trips are pretty disgusting by now too.Surely she long ago absorbed whatever message AIPAC wanted to convey. Depressing. Somebody please send Matt Potter a tip about an altruistic politician doing good.— September 24, 2014 9:37 p.m.
San Diego stadium, convention center lies you will hear
"As long as it has the media to slant the news its way...." Before today, I had never heard that story about the U-T moratorium on reporting infrastructure breakdowns preceding the 1998 Padres ballpark vote. I thought bribing a city council member was bad enough, but this news makes my lateral habenula fire off a lot of dark thoughts. (That's a recent brain science reference.) Anyway, it reinforces my worries about recent reports from you and Matt Potter that insider Malin Burnham may form a consortium to buy the U-T from wild & crazy Doug Manchester, enabling a media monopoly for other rich players who already unduly influence KPBS at SDSU, its kissing cousin inewsource and VoiceofSanDiego.— September 24, 2014 12:14 p.m.
San Diego stadium, convention center lies you will hear
"Keeping San Diego a world class city?" That's a sweet idea, but so far from reality that one wonders at your prescription for rose-colored glasses. The best thing about this place is its natural setting, and that has been degraded by overdevelopment and toadies at City Hall who sell out rather than lead. There is so much to be done here to repair years of neglected urban decay that it is scandalous to even talk about another (!) football stadium or an expansion of the behemoth at the harbor, the convention center. And that Texan John Moores might again profit from such expansion ventures at the expense of residents and taxpayers and our quality of life -- well, it seems criminal. Put that last paragraph first, Don, and keep repeating it -- a genuine public service announcement.— September 24, 2014 11:12 a.m.
Lincoln Club heaven
Maybe the Lincoln Club is just showing its respect for conservative women and Latino voters. Not a bad strategy, since the LC is a basically a bastion of rich white guys.— September 24, 2014 10:47 a.m.
Moody's newspaper outlook grim
Even though prognosticators say print is over, I don't think money matters as much as power, Don. The regular players of Burnham, Jacobs, Woolley and Price have been collaborating on civic enterprises and personal gain for years: how much more gratifying to hold a virtual media monopoly to effect their ambitions, including mayoral placement that has a future in state or federal halls. And since there is so much money floating around in the 1%, there doubtless are others who would be glad to join in the civil takeover. No more wild west Papa Doug. Smooth and cool. Add a new U-T to the collection of handmaidens VOSD, inewsource and KPBS/SDSU. It would be like a sweep of Park Place.— September 23, 2014 4:28 p.m.
Who will rule Mayor Faulconer?
When I look at the homepage of inewsource where you work, Brad Racino, I see a lot of "members" who were backers of failed mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher. Since it's impossible to know if these same people are donors to inewsource -- because as a nonprofit you are not obligated to report where your money is coming from -- it makes me uneasy about KPBS/inewsource's many strange interviews of women who alleged they were sexually harassed by Mayor Filner, interviews that led to his resignation. Are you and KPBS two different organizations, or one and the same? Also on that homepage is another inewsource member who is allegedly a founder and an employee. She's running for a City Council seat. That doesn't seem right. I think we're building a monolith of unaccountable "nonprofit" media organizations which have a lot of movers and shakers in common -- Burnham, Woolley, Jacobs -- and none of them knows a thing about the value of a free press or the free marketplace of ideas.— September 23, 2014 5:55 a.m.