Town Hall Audience to PNJ: We Don't Trust You, and You Don't Represent the Values of Escambia County Citizens.....OUCH!

A "Sea of Red" comment cards fly into the air when the following statement is made:  "I believe what I read in the local newspaper, the Pensacola News Journal".....at the D1 Perdido/Innerarity Town Hall 1-22-2022

It has got to sting.  The blistering, unabashed distrust and dismay everyday, ordinary Escambia County Citizens willingly express toward the Pensacola News Journal.  It is somewhat shocking how a local daily newspaper can be so disconnected from the community they (purportedly) serve.

But disconnected they are, apparently.

From multiple inaccurate, deliberate false light portrayals of elected officials...

To a white cartoonist who uses the "N-Word" and is unapologetic about it and is not held accountable....but is actually REWARDED with lucrative, syndicated cartoon opportunities

To what stories and op-ed submissions get no coverage.....

To the blatant pandering expressed to certain so-called influential "community" leaders.....(who also spend heavily on advertising with the PNJ)

To a nonstop bashing of locally elected and statewide elected conservative public figures which the community supports...

and the list could go on.

But people see it.  They spot it.

Monopolies are good for folks like this, folks like the PNJ who do all of these things, yet still reap the monetary rewards from huge national advertisers and local advertisers who have no hard-copy daily news alternative with which they can do business.

But cracks may be forming.  So many of us are increasingly disappointed with the ever shrinking content in the PNJ, that people are starting to point it out.  Saturday PNJ papers here in Pensacola are soon going digital only.  Midweek papers are wispy-thin with content swiped from USA today or other "partner" publications from other parts of the state and country.

It's weak, lazy, lacking credibility and they shouldn't be rewarded.

It's a real disappointment.   

If only we had a local paper that represented our values and our community's ideological slant (center right, PNJ, not left).  But we don't.  We get what we get, and with the dollars we spend on this paper, we not only accept but CONDONE this subpar "news" outlet.

Sad.

I asked for audience input on the following two statements as a part of my townhall last night:

1.         Our local Newspaper, the Pensacola News Journal, is in step with our community’s values.

2.          I believe what I read in the local newspaper, the Pensacola News Journal. 

These statements were specifically about the PNJ---to which both elicited OVERWHELMINGLY  Red, Disagree comment cards held high in the air.  Overwhelming.  (95%-5% Disagree.)

It was a very basic message to the PNJ from our town hall audience:  PNJ, we don't trust you, and you don't represent the values of Escambia County Citizens, period.

Ouch.

Watch this portion of the meeting here at minute 52:41 of this video.  Don't just take my word for it---see it for yourself.

Fight the Power! Part I: How Do You Fight a Goliath?

When attacked unfairly over and over---It becomes time to fight back!  How about starting out by depriving the attacker of about $100K yearly in revenue?  It's like Matt Damon's seminal question in Good Will Hunting..."Do you like Apples?.....How about them apples?!"

No, this post isn't about the Public Enemy song.  (It's more about this Kid Rock Song!, but not really)

It's actually about something far more important; it's about fighting against something that many locally perceive as a "Public Enemy."  Our only local daily print newspaper, the Pensacola News Journal.

Hypocritical, biased, and unprofessional.  Many have cancelled subscriptions, which is good, but that doesn't solve the problem.

The PNJ are hypocrites.  They allow an employee to remain---no they PROMOTE the employee----- who uses disgusting racial and misogynistic tropes---including the "N-Word"  in his cartoons.  Disgusting and unacceptable in 2021 that this goes on unabashed.  Others get cancelled, this guy gets a Gannett promotion and a syndicated cartoon!?!  See--it's all about the money for these folks.  More on that later in this post...

Is this sort of garbage acceptable in 2021?

The PNJ endorses the cartoonist's behavior and they simultaneously, incessantly bash others and report half-truths and incomplete information.  

Is this sort of garbage acceptable in 2021?

They selectively disallow certain folks and elected officials(like me lately) from submitting letters or viewpoints to clarify positions and correct the misreporting.  It's all about message control.

They do the bidding of powerful, local business intersts and allies and carry the water of these selected individuals by tailoring "news" pieces to the whims and desires of these folks--and then--insidiously--- they write editorials that are scathing and based on the very source articles that are inaccurate and present half-truths to demonize those opposed---particularly elected officials.  Kind of a nifty little trick they employ, right?  Nifty if you are not the victim of it.

But what's the PNJ's objective?  It appears that the objective is to marginalize the voices with whom they disagreee, and to "amplify" the topics of their selected patrons to a level that does not represent the community's level of interest.

A vote goes the way they don't want it?---they demonize those who made the vote until it is rescinded.

Want a change in the makeup of a board?--they jump on the bandwagon to oppose those they dislike--with unfair, inaccurate characterizations and hatchet job cartoons.

Can't control the vision and initiatives of a duly elected body?--amplify small numbers of voices that want governance models altered.  

Because now It's no longer about reporting the what, when, and where,-----the facts.  

No.  Now its more about shaping the message and social engineering.  

And more to the point---it's really, at the end of the day, all about three things:  Power, Control, and MONEY.

Gannett and PNJ purposely promote their cartoonist--the guy who uses the N-Word in his cartoons-- because he generates MONEY for their paper.  It's all about the money.  As if this isn't bad enough--they then do dozens and dozens of cartoons insinuating elected officials (with whom they disagree) are racists!  Talk about PROJECTION!  

We have African American employees in our organization---including an African American member of the Board.  We have a significant population of African Americans in our community.  It's disgusting, disappointing, and unacceptable that this form of racism is tolerated.  That's about to end.  I'm not going to tolerate it, I'm going on offense.

Andy Marlette of Gannett's PNJ says you can trust him:    ---he'd NEVER use the N-Word in a cartoon!  Who are you going to believe?  Him, or your own lyin' eyes?

So how do you deprive a GOLIATH in the community of what they love and covet above all else, MONEY--when they hold a MONOPOLY on the daily print media in a community? 

Easy:  Go after what they covet, money.

Escambia County spends as much as $100,000.00 yearly purchasing "Legal Ads" and notices, required by law, in the Pensacola News Journal.

As of the end of last month---we are cutting off this gravy-train income source the PNJ has enjoyed

On WCOA's Real News with Rick Outzen Yesterday Morning--Discussing Racist, N-Word using Andy Marlette among other Topics....

In 2021 in America--How is  wealthy, white, and privileged Andy Marlette able to use the disgusting racial slur the "N-Word" in his cartoons--how is that acceptable?

..........And the reason I was asked to be on the show was to discuss Monday's hatchet piece in the PNJ that was a complete character assassination attempt on me--followed up by a ridiculous, dishonest smear-job cartoon on Wednesday in the PNJ.  At one point, Rick even asked an open question of me--signalling he had never witnessed in 20 years covering local politics such a concerted attempt at discrediting a public official by multiple sources--including internal staffers in the county.  It was a surprising, thought-provoking question which I answered with specific reasons/explanations.  

The conversation was a good one  lots of topics--to include the former HR director's weak, feeble, and unsuccessful attempt at "blaming" me for her (and others) ineptitude in handling the Matt Selover case which led to a $200,000 settlement by the insurance company representing the BCC.  

Interesting conversation and back and forth between Outzen and I.

You can listen to it here