Mason County Press'd for Cash

[XLFD]

The rise of crowd-funding platforms like GoFundMe has given people the opportunity to raise money for those in need or help fund worthy causes they believe in, and it can be truly inspiring to see and help some reach their monetary goal.  Yet, there are also people with ideas that see these crowd-funding sites as an easy way to get money for any ridiculous request that might pop into their head, like these.

Another local news source has decided to use this resource to bring in more resources.  On Wednesday, January 9th, the Mason County Press (MCP) established a GoFundMe account in order to help with their "goal of providing free online news and information to the people who live in or have an interest in Mason County, Michigan."  

Now, if their goal is to provide free on-line news and information, wouldn't a donation upset that goal?  But beyond that, why is Rob Alway, editor-in-chief of the MCP effectively begging for alms, four days in a row and counting, to keep his media operation afloat and continuing?  

To his credit, Rob obviously spends a lot of time getting out news and information to the public, and to that end he has been rewarded with a fair amount of advertising revenue from those who put their ads on his pages.  But one might think that Rob is going to the poorhouse unless the public can raise that $10,000 goal he desires to provide more 'free' news.

Truth is, Rob made enough through the course of his news and photography jobs to afford a very expensive historic Edwardian house in Scottville, purchasing it in October of 2017.  The old Mack House (110 N. Columbia) cost Rob $181,000 and has been renamed the Reverie Retreat.  He even wrote about its grand opening last year in the MCP.  

The problem with owning such a house, and two others in Scottville, is that you need a lot of money for upkeep.  You are looking not only at house payments for this house alone to likely be north of $10,000 each year, but around $4000 in taxes, and a couple thousands in utilities even if it sees no use. 

One might ask, when they learn of this purchase, why, oh why, is Rob asking you to send money to help him provide 'free' news, when he had enough disposable income just a little over a year ago to buy this mansion to give him a full monopoly of nice homes in Scottville?  

Spend your money on those you love, the causes you care about, and the truly needy, allow us at the Ludington Torch to provide you with free news and information without the pledge drive.

[John Doe Jr]

Hilarious! I was just having this discussion with friends 20 minutes ago. The cost of boot licking just went up!  

$584 of $10,000 goal.  Thanks Anonymous!

[Willy]

I can appreciate Rob's situation but I cannot support it. He has lost a lot of credibility, in my opinion, ever since he involved himself in local politics while maintaining a supposedly independent news reporting agency. 

[XLFD]

I greatly appreciate Rob's sense of service that allows him to chronicle the area's happenings and also to become a Scottville Planning Commissioner and finally a City Commissioner.  But I offer a warning.

A good analogy may be found in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.  Geek alert.  The one ring of power was enticing for those who knew about it, but it brought ruin to those who used it, wars were fought over its possession.  Sméagol couldn't be a fun loving hobbit and retain the ring without becoming the foul Gollum.   And neither could Bilbo, Frodo, and Samwise.  But the temptation was always there for everybody to get ahold of the ring, much like a reporter may think he could run the city better as a journalist/politician.  But they find out like Boromir, below, that the lust for additional power comes at a cost to the soul, and for the credibility of both professions.  Michigan Congressman Jack O'Malley did the right thing, he resigned from his long-standing radio personality job at the beginning of his election bid.