Incumbent Protection Racket Rolls Around To Akron - Kutuchief/Keeler Axed
Submitted by Jerid on Fri, 01/25/2008 - 12:07pm.
Yesterday I reported the exciting news that the purveyors of the Chief Source, Kyle Kutuchief, and the Keeler Report, Ben Keeler, had made the big time with their own blog with the Akron Beacon Journal. Today I need to hedge back on that.
Less than 24 hours after opening the blog, the Akron Beacon Journal pulled the plug on it. Why? The reason being reported is because Ben Keeler, a Republican, is a candidate for precinct captain in the effort led by Kevin Coughlin to remove Alex Arshinkoff as chairman of the Summit County Republican Party.
Can't say this is too surprising. Whether it's the PeeDee or The Beacon Journal, when the papers get involved in the blogging business they tend to screw it up and shoot the pooch. Just Jean Dubail.
We signed up Ben Keeler and Kyle Kutuchief — two politically active bloggers who are good friends and hail from different parties — to provide commentary on our site. They were asked to be transparent by using their names and disclosing their political persuasions – unlike many Ohio bloggers. We also asked that they take care not use our site to further their personal political interests.
In his effort at full disclosure, Keeler explained that he is a candidate for the Summit County Republican Party's central committee on the slate that would unseat Chairman Alex Arshinkoff. He also explained why.
We're concerned that the explanation as to why – while meant in good faith – left this perception: Ohio.com is paying a blogger who is using the Web site to promote a change in party leadership.
Alex Arshinkoff called and shared the same concern.
We believe that discourse is imperative for an informed electorate. Freedom of speech and the exchange of ideas are an integral part of our democracy.
We want to find a way to engage that process.
Sure, I don't want the papers using their websites to exclusively promote any one candidate. That has trouble all over it. But if newspapers seriously want to move into the realm of blogging, and not make complete asses out of themselves, they're going to have accept the the fact that the people on the internet writing about politics are more than just pizza faced nerds sitting in their mother's basements.
Newsflash - WE'RE INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS!!!! How g'damn long is it going to take these numb nut shmucks sitting in Ohio newspaper offices to understand that.
IF YOU ASSOCIATE WITH AN OHIO BLOGGER THERE IS GOING TO BE POLITICAL GRUFF!!!!!!!!
That's what makes reading the Keeler Report, the Chief Source, Plunderbund, Buckeye State Blog, the Ohio Daily Blog, Writes Like She Talks, Pho'sy, or any of the other illustrious Ohio blogs, fun. We take a position. We pound. We're partisan. We take sides. That's fun stuff.
And papers all over Ohio want a part of that. Well kiddies, you're gonna re-evaluate your models of journalistic integrity (because well, all that don't apply to us. We're bloggers - not journalists). So either swallow it down in all of its goodness, or realize you just can't have what we've got.
Don't columnist essentially endorse candidates?
Submitted by modernesquire on Fri, 01/25/2008 - 2:32pm.
I mean seriously. Don't editorial columnist write columns that essentially constitute as endorsements or anti-endorsements for candidates? What's the difference?
The upsetting thing to me is
Submitted by King on Fri, 01/25/2008 - 2:41pm.
The upsetting thing to me is that in both instances PD & ABJ this crap was started by the panty waist bunch of political pimps hiding behind the title of our party - the GOP.
The conservatives of this state should no longer tolerate the jack-booted, goose-stepping Nazi-like tactics by the egotistical, give two shits about the voters, screw conservatism, I'm more important than our values, bunch of skid marks on the shorts of our party that we call GOP party leaders?
Pretty sad when MY big, bad, tough republican leadership chooses to pick on bloggers, instead of standing up and fighting against phony budgets, Furher Brunnehilda, Rev. Ted's government health care, etc....
Funny how my party tolerates the publishing of a private citizens phone number on their web/blog page, then cries over stuff like this.
Done good
Submitted by Jill on Fri, 01/25/2008 - 2:44pm.
With this post, even if you and don't often describe things the same way. I agree with your conclusion here about the papers needing to stand up for what they know they and the audience wants. What it will take to tell off the politicians and diversify the stable of writers by using bloggers who are partisan, I'm not sure. But if we all are using our names and putting our necks on the line, and we're just unincorporated little people, the papers certainly should have the spine to do something about making these combinations work.
why writers join unions