The other day, the El Paso Times masquerading as a newspaper, published an editorial on its Media Buzz blog. Yea, I know who knew the El Paso Times has a blog. In yet another instance of editorial incompetence, Bob Moore, through his newspaper’s blog is crying that KVIA was taking credit for being first about the merging of two schools in EPISD. The March 6, 2015 blog post decries that KVIA for “hyping” an “exclusive” about a school consolidation plan involving Villas Elementary and Sunset Heights.
Oozing with hypocrisy, the blog argues that the El Paso Times, masquerading as a newspaper, published a “far more detailed look” at the consolidation plan before KVIA. As if that hypocrisy wasn’t bad enough consider what the blogger closed with “Since when does a journalist thank a ‘PR team’ for doing what they’re supposed to do, which is provide the media with information?”
Writing that I’m disgusted is such an understatement but I do not have the words to express my outrage.
Let’s start with the simple notion of informing the community about the news. How is it that a news publication wants to be “first” or “exclusive” in reporting the news? How about the simple notion of just informing the public accurately and timely?
Apparently that simple notion is lost in Bob Moore’s publication.
However it gets even worse than that. Just yesterday I shared with you another example of how the El Paso Times controls the public debate on important issues by limiting community information. I have argued for many years now that the El Paso Times is nothing more than the public relations department for the various governmental bodies that pay it, through advertising, to positively report what benefits the political class. They even sold their building to the city while writing news items and editorials supporting the fleecing of the taxpayers for a stadium the city simply cannot afford.
Yet, Bob Moore obviously doesn’t see the hypocrisy in his complaining about KVIA’s use of a PR teams because, I guess he doesn’t get thanked enough for being the city’s premier public relations team!
When is a newspaper a newspaper? When is it a story, when is it a proganda piece?
The purpose of a newspaper is to keep the public informed and help our freedom by reporting facts not publishing stories or editorials to favor .
Of course the city is no better. They hired a NY PR firm to ensure that El Paso is awarded titles that shows the council in a very favorable light. Pre-Paid titles to be awarded whenever public opinion of the council is low. The system is a holdover from the last administration. That council was absolutely terrible, so El Paso was being “Best city or Mayor” every week. Don’t believe it, research the contract.
This city is being manipulated by the media and the local government. What is amazing is how gullible the public is. They strut around bragging about the titles.
Well, how about we award them a title free of charge, ” the city that couldn’t shoot straight”.
The press – print or electronic -is to be the 4th estate. There is no sceptical journalism here and the local press seem content to reprint the PR hype coming form the Horde. The inc (and not always) occasionally does good investigative pieces but never in a way that asks hardball questions.
how but El Paso’s Gotham. EP Gotham? Who would be the Joker 🙂 Penguin:)