The Lackadaisical Daily News

[XLFD]

The recent abduction of Baby Kate has shown the limited ability of our local newspaper of record.  Reduced to having its stories either delivered to them by the local officials, with the inherent slant they add, or through the wire services, its journalists have grown lazy and primarily motivated by a desire to not offend the sources of their toothless stories. 

To whit, the paper dutifully reports what officials are telling it, and then runs with it, with little analysis or further investigation into what is going on.  To do so might make their inside sources upset, and not alert them to news in the future, one may presume. 

Do I say this because the paper has accepted two slanderous reports from City Manager John Shay about me in November and March, and went with them without even consulting me?  That helps; but just read the local paper since the abduction (http://www.ludingtondailynews.com/ search "kate")and then check out WOOD TVs coverage of the story.  :

1) WOODTV from Grand Rapids did a FOIA on the 911 call and printed the results 911 Call Baby Kate

2) That same news organization broke the story about the crucial delays of the Amber Alert by LPD Chief Mark Barnett.

3) Consistently, they have supplied more information, and have not just provided fluff and a bunch of coverage about the school forest searches, which really should have been accomplished a lot quicker than one and a half weeks after Baby Kate went missing if it has any likelihood of being the place she is (which no evidence made public seems to point to).  It seems to me more like Chief Barnett and other civic leaders are utilizing that search more to save the image of Ludington in the national spotlight.  But maybe that's just my cynical interpretation.

Here is just a sample of more of their (WOOD) news articles; they along with other outlets like Mlive,the Muskegon Chronicle, TV 9&10, local radio, and WZZM have been the ones to turn to for the latest information on this story.

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/nw_mich/Blood-droplets-found-n...

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/nw_mich/Phillips-friend-Doesnt... 

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/nw_mich/Kates-alleged-kidnappe...

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/nw_mich/Where-is-Kate-Baby-van...

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/nw_mich/Wendy's-worker%3APhill...

 

Bland news with no journalistic substance, with only an occasional flair of style that wins them newspaper awards from modern-day journalists more attuned to style without substance.  That's what daily passes for newsprint in Ludington.

 

[AQUAMAN]

The plain undeniable fact that the LDN has a monopoly on printed news in Mason County, certainly could and does continue to explain the inept laziness of reporters to do their job with any fortitude and accuracy. It doesn't help that the publisher has been said by the editor to be located out of state most of the year and leaves the day to day operations to him and his chosen team. I wish Mr. Jackson would take a more active part in person to see that the news operations get a kick in the rear to motivate them to a higher level of professionalism, but that doesn't seem to be in the works at all. Why should they, they will get the same paycheck either way, or would they?

[XLFD]

Today's paper is another example.  The headline about Baby Kate "Custody Disputes Documented", rely on FOIA requests submitted by another media outlet to tell us that there have been at least seven custody dispute complaints or phone calls made to LPD by the mother and suspected dad/kidnapper. 

Up until now, I've been following the news, and this is the first I've heard of this, and this information  would have remained hidden to the public by the LPD if only the LDN was following the story.  This also makes you wonder why the Amber Alert took so long to be spread by the Chief. 

When this story gets further along it will be interesting to find out what else was kept from the public eye when this young lady's life may have been at stake.  For that, I'm following other news outlets.

[Dave]

Maybe you should file a FOIA request, asking about how much the LDN and any other media outlet was charged for their FOIA request... just a thought.

[XLFD]

Dave, I thought about that last night before I went to bed (before midnight), to do a FOIA request on the FOIA replies sent to the various news outlets (by the City of Ludington) that have been following the Baby Kate story.  Great minds must think alike. 

I hear diseased minds also think alike, as well.  I'm going to get that out this weekend.

[easymoney]

the amber alert was out the day of the kidnapping. I drive truck, and the drivers were asking us to look for a silver olds, can't remember the license # but, that was up by flint that same night.

[XLFD]

The WOOD article found that the AMBER alert was out, but some agencies did not receive it until many hours later.  It could have been something wrong with the process or the incident commander just didn't do it right.  The article's interview with Chief Barnett did seem to indicate some problem happened on his end.

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/nw_mich/Did-Amber-Alert-suspec...

[Willy]

The LDN is really just an advertising handout with a few stories sprinkled inside. I don't blame the paper for trying to raise revenue but it really shouldn't call itself a newspaper. The people of Mason County get very little indepth news coverage and must rely on outside sources for the real story as X has pointed out. It's to bad because this area needs a newspaper that will serve the public.

[AQUAMAN]

Unfortunately, you guys are all correct. The main purpose for the LDN's existence seems to be to quote the AP releases, print classifieds and advertisements, along with some feature articles and church news. Of course there are also a few choice pictures of the area and other such mundane information. When it comes to actual investigative reporting of local interest, well, it's just another missed opportunity to copy what the real investigative papers are printing, as well as what LE may release to them. Real duds imho. And if you look at the daily news price of $.75 per paper, well, you can get a better buy of any other western Michigan paper for less money and get far more factual news to boot. Too bad someone else can't get a gazette or weekly paper going that hits the nail on the head so the public can be truly informed, and for a reasonable price.

[XLFD]

Unfortunately, with the decline in print media overall, this town isn't big enough to support two newspapers.  And the current one has got quite a head start.

[AQUAMAN]

The town is big enough to support another printed news outlet imho, maybe not a full blown daily, but I think it would support a factually based non-biased paper, perhaps a weekly edition on Fridays or such, that would not sugar coat the local news, and only be local news. Resting on you laurels because you own a monopoly, is a prime reason for starting a second source, and perhaps an incentive to try.

[XLFD]

A weekly might work with dedicated volunteers/part-timers and clearness of vision.  Maybe one day someone can purchase a printing press and publish print that isn't pure pablum.

[XLFD]

John, the ladies of the court offices have loose lips, ... and they do sink ships.  The inability of the 79th District Court gossipping gals to keep information about the formal hearing on my bicycle-stop sign  confidential was first noted by me in The Lawbreakers:  Episode 2  thread:

 "Before I had even got a notice for my hearing (which arrived ten days later, 21 days after my request), these two LEOs had gotten wind that I was boldly denying the ticket from the 79th District Court. Wanting to not have to go to court, they told my superiors that I needed to drop the case, and exaggerated their story accordingly. The meeting notes I received recently through FOIA, plainly state that Chief Barnett specifically brought it to the fire officer's attention, and all but one figured they had an obligation to address the matter accordingly. That lone dissenter had figure it was a private matter between me and the LPD. He was right."

 

If these nattering magpies of the court had kept true to their oaths of confidentiality, the saga of XLFD may have never began, and I would be still out fighting fires, and helping in missing-person searches. Hopefully, their part in my story will be brought to public attention when this matter of mine gets set aright.