Bad Journalism + Biased Editor = The Gray News

Friday, July 28, 2006

This week's paper not neutral

The Gray News front page today: Nathan Tsukroff has a bylined article about Gray Fire-Rescue. Nathan is a member of Gray Fire-Rescue. Anne Gass wrote about the Gray Community Endowment. Gass is a member of the Gray Community Endowment. Ray Clark wrote about the Library. Ray Clark is a member of the Library Trustees. Brad Fogg wrote about the Gray Cable. Fogg is Chair of the Gray Cable Committee.

And that was pretty much it for the front page.

Here is the bias: Each of the 4 bylined stories was written by someone with a stake in or is directly participating in what was being presented as news. Newspapers’ stock in trade is objectivity, meaning real reporters who strive to be neutral gather the facts and assemble them accurately. This week’s Gray News was the opposite. Each of the articles was essentially a press release advocating for that person’s pet committee. Reporters must have not only emotional objectivity from the news they report, but as a baseline benchmark must not be part of it. This week’s paper was utter failure in this regard: neutral news. There wasn't any.

posted by Gray Maine at 8:06 PM

21 Comments:

  • You are absolutely 'right on the money'! When will the World realize that Gray News is 'unnewsworthy', biased, unethical, and a Total Failure???

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 8:49 AM  

  • Biasbuster,

    Check your facts. Ray Clark is not a member of the Library Trustees.

    http://www.graymaine.org/Public_Documents/GrayME_BComm/library

    You have also repeatedly erred when you say that Ray is a current member of the GPLA. He resigned in 2005.

    See:
    http://www.monumentnews.com/2005/news/1208/1208c.shtml

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:07 AM  

  • Thanks for letting me know Ray just got off the Library committee. he was on for years and wrote about them while he was on.

    You reference The Monument when you say "I" claim Ray is on the GPLA". If The Monument said it, tell Eliabeth. I am Biasbuster, not Elizabeth. Her blog is at www.monumentnews.blogspot.com

    So, we can revise the entry to say three bylined front page articles are written by people who are part of the committe they are writing about.

    Do you have an opinion about a front page of a news paper that does this?

    By Blogger Gray Maine, at 9:24 AM  

  • Yes, I have an opinion about the front page of the GRAY NEWS... Lookin'good!!

    I call that "taking the news right from the source"
    --Straight from the horses mouth
    I call it good news
    LOVE IT..keep up the good work GRAY NEWS & Friends!!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:42 AM  

  • It's unethical, has newsmakers passing off press releases as news, and has low journalism standards. But it "looks good." I am sorry you prefer flash over substance.

    Thank you for your opinion, though, and I wish you the best. Happy reading of The Gray News.

    By Blogger Gray Maine, at 9:45 AM  

  • Debbie.

    By Blogger Gray Maine, at 9:45 AM  

  • Biasbuster,

    If you had bothered to click on the link to the Monument, you'd have seen it was the Monument News report from December 2005 of Ray's resignation from the GPLA.

    As recently as July 6, *you* have written that Ray is on the GPLA:
    http://gray-news.blogspot.com/2006/07/here-is-100-biased-piece.html

    I did not say you were Elizabeth, although your quick denial makes me think you "doth protest too much." A bit sensitive are you?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:48 AM  

  • OK, then, e-mail Elizabeth at her e-mail address rather than her blog. it's editor@monumentnews.com

    By Blogger Gray Maine, at 9:52 AM  

  • Why would I email Elizabeth? You are the one who has not checked the facts. My comments here have nothing to do with Elizabeth Prata.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:55 AM  

  • Because it was you who brought it up. Because it was you used it as an example. Because it was you seemed concerned about it. Because it was you who admitted it was not a mistake made on this blog, but was Elizabeth's. I suggested that to make the correction, you can e-mail her, rather than post it here, where is makes no sense to do so.

    That is why.

    By Blogger Gray Maine, at 10:14 AM  

  • Biasbuster,

    Apparently we are not communicating here.

    The link to the Monument news article was not an example of the Monument's error. My comment was that *you* have erred by reporting that Ray is on the GPLA and the Library Trustees. The link was to the report of Ray's resignation from the GPLA for you to check the my statement that Ray resigned in 2005.

    I am not concerned about the Monument news article. I am concerned about *your* factual errors that Ray is a member of the GPLA.

    I certainly did *not* admit it wasn't an error made on your blog. It *is* an error made on your blog and your repetition of the error it an example of the bias you so strongly condem in others.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:45 AM  

  • thank you for your comments.

    By Blogger Gray Maine, at 1:04 PM  

  • If you Concerned Citizens of Gray represented the overall intellect here I would certainly be concerned ... I am not concerned.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:36 PM  

  • Ray's gone, Paul's gone, Mitch is gone...Nathan is on his way...the town is healing itself.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:39 AM  

  • I admit that if they all left the town would start to get better, though thanks to The Monument it is on its way. And Mitch leaveing was a Godsend. A pure blessing!

    But, and it's an important but! I was not aware that Ray, Nathan, or Paul had gone anywhere. All three were at the Fire Celebration a couple of weeks ago, working on behalf of the Gray News. Ray had an editorial in the paper this week, mind-numbing as it was. I do not think they have gone, anonymous, unless you know something further...?

    By Blogger Gray Maine, at 11:50 AM  

  • When they report on the committee they are on, you need to be concerned about what they are leaving out....

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:48 PM  

  • How does that work with Gary Foster's letters to the public on the Gray web site? What does he leave out? What does he bring to his report by way of [personal] agenda?

    Many do not attend counci meetings
    Many do not watch the cable broadcast--some do not have cable at all
    But they do read his reports on line

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:19 AM  

  • I am not sure what you mean by Gary's "letters on the Gray website." If you mean the Coucnil Chair reports, he writes a report for the people, reporting what the entire council did , just as Pam did before him and Mark did before her. If you are worried about him leaving something out, you can always ask him.

    What are you 'very concerned' about?

    By Blogger Gray Maine, at 6:40 AM  

  • I'd like to know too! What ARE you so 'very concerned' about???
    Either be specific or Stop attempting to cast doubt on a very capable Leader!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:58 AM  

  • You should have posted my comments

    Just because you may not agree with my answers, doesn't mean that I didn't respond

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:24 AM  

  • If you were the one that called your fellow commenters "piglets" then now you know why I did not post it.

    By Blogger Gray Maine, at 10:30 AM  

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