Walter Moore vs. Jim Newton
This email exchange between mayoral candidate Walter Moore and Los Angeles Times Editorial Page Editor Jim Newton may not be the fight of the century but it is amusing and a window into the mindsets of each.
That's a non-judgmental statement, I'm leaving it to you all to score the match as you see fit, in comments:
Round One:
Sun 4/20/2008
To: jim.newton@latimes.com
Why is the L.A. Times coverage of Jamiel's Law biased? In a word,
"money."
Jamiel's Law would apply only to illegal aliens in gangs. However,
the L.A. Times has confused its readers by publishing a raft of
articles about the supposed disadvantages of ending "sanctuary
city" protection for all illegal aliens (e.g., day laborers),
rather than focusing on those in gangs.
Want to know why? The company that owns the L.A. Times also owns a
Spanish-language newspaper called "Hoy." Sales at Hoy would plummet
if
During the past four years, the L.A. Times has lost 20% of its
daily circulation. Hoy, by contrast, is bullish about the growth of
"Spanish Speaking Hispanics" in
a 42% increase by the year 2525, for a total of 7.3 million.
"Hoy publications," the company recently reported, "have a gross
weekly distribution of more than 1,375,000 copies nationwide."
So when you wonder why the L.A. Times hires reporters and editors
who never seem to "get it," just remember: the newspaper is a
business. Unfortunately, it's a business that puts its own profits
ahead of the lives of the people of
The publishers are not going to entrust their English-language
subsidiary to managers who might cut sales at their Spanish-
language subsidiary. Instead, the publishers hire reporters and
editors willing to adhere to the "party line," namely, "there are
no illegal people."
The L.A. Times should, at a minimum, disclose its conflict of
interest. After all, whenever ABC news reports on the Disney
company, the newscasters always disclose that Disney is ABC's
parent company. Shouldn't the Times disclose, when it reports on
illegal immigration, that it is owned by the same company that owns
a Spanish-language newspaper?
ROUND TWO:
Dear Walter,
This is absurd, and I think you know it.
Jim Newton
Editor of the Editorial Pages
ROUND THREE:
Mon Apr 21
Your "coverage" of this issue is absurd.
You go out of your way to attack straw men, distort the facts,
mislead the public about the provisions of Jamiel's Law.
You're not running a newspaper; you're running a propaganda machine.
ROUND FOUR:
First, I run our opinion coverage, not our news coverage. And we can have whatever opinion we want on this. If you're concerned with our news coverage, take it up with those editors.
Second, however: whatever you think of the coverage, to blame it on Tribune's ownership of Hoy is ridiculous. I don't give a damn about the effect of this issue on Hoy. I have no idea whether they've taken a position. I don't even know who runs Hoy or how it's doing -- any more than I do about Newsday or the Baltimore Sun.
Criticize all you want. But this argument is just nuts.
ROUND FIVE:
Why do you think YOU have the job?
Why do you think the Tribune hired and keeps you instead of someone able to acknowledge that importing gang members from abroad might not be the greatest idea in the world?
And why don't you let readers decide whether it's "nuts" by disclosing your conflict of interest? ABC discloses its financial relationship when it reports on Disney. You should likewise disclose your paper's stake in illegal immigration. Your paper has a vested financial interest in maximizing the number of Spanish-speaking people in
Your editorials, moreover, ARE slanted. The argument that Jamiel's Law wouldn't have saved Jamiel Shaw, II is -- to use your word -- absurd. You claim that because Espinoza's most recent arrest was by
You're not a journalist. You're part of big business's propaganda program to boost profits. Maybe you don't realize it. I don't really care if you do or not. But for you to claim that the Tribune's multi-million dollar conflict of interest isn't relevant, well, good luck with that one!
Ron Kaye
I don't think the Times needs to disclose owning a Spanish language paper everytime they write about Latino issues, but I do think this Jim Newton is probably an ignorant stooge who is in his job because he never gets real about any issues. For exposing this I think Moore should be congratulated - even if his other arguement is absurd. This is fun - keep it up Kaye!
Spanish speakign hispanics in 2525 will be up on 42%? Who does 500 year population projections? I doubt Hoy or the Los Angeles Times will be in business by 2525. If that's just a typo... then I still stand by my statement that Hoy or the Los Angeles Times will not be in business in 2525.
I think these crazy email exchanges should be a regular feature here. Very entertaining stuff.
Moore reveals his low-brow, idiotic ideas and their inability to withstand any common sense reasoning at all. I mean come on people!!! There are plenty of reasons to be upset about illegal immigration, but resorting to the old "liberal biased media" line...it just doesn't make any sense!
Just one example of many:
"ABC discloses its financial relationship when it reports on Disney. You should likewise disclose your paper's stake in illegal immigration."
why?...because the paper is owned by the Illegal Immigration Importation Co.??? (They do disclose when they report ON the newspaper Hoy, even though it still has no influence on its coverage.)
Clearly Moore gets all is knowledge from watching Fox News.
Let me get this straight. Moore thinks Newton has a stake in another company maintaining their grip on the all important Hispanic gang banger demographic? Or is it, Moore thinks that Hispanics in general will identify more with hardened criminals than with fellow innocent civilians because said hardened criminals are Hispanic? Yeah..this guy should definitely run for mayor.
Yes Walter, you are off base on this issue. You have taken the Jamiel Shaw tragedy and just made it into a circus. Your view and opinion of illegal immigrants is so biased, and you've made it your main focus in life. I suppose it's for your mayoral platform, but you aren't going to win on that. No matter how much you want to believe the very few, but vocal allies you have in this town can elect you, you're wrong. If we thought you could separate illegal gang members/criminals from illegal family men working hard to eke out a living - we might take you a little more seriously.
Moore's still relevant?
Oh, wait. That would imply that he'd been relevant to begin with.
Of course the Times is trying to capitalize on the huge Hispanic population, some half our city now, with its launch of Hoy ("Today"), in Spanish, and its initial features like the weepy story about a single illegal immigrant mother rummaging through recycling to support her family. Of course, this hits on the emotions of Hispanics and liberals, and the fact that this women is precisely the kind of immigrant we don't need coming to the U. S., vs. those with the education and skills to contribute to our economy now and when boomers retire (another Times story), shows the low level of these pieces, aimed at an Hispanic population who comes here with barely an average 8th grade education. But they buy food, clothes and products the Times advertises, so it's reasonably business practice to pitch stories at them so they'll read the paper and buy the stuff and increase revenue...
And of course these Hoy pieces will not feature Darryl Gates disowning the way SP40 is used today, to discourage the cops from cooperating with ICE when it comes to illegal criminals.
But where Moore is naive and comes off as crude, is in his total lack of understanding of how any major newspaper works. The news and editorial page editors are independent of each other, by and large, as are Hoy and the blogs, and often of the publisher -- why there's been such musical chairs at the paper. Is the current editor, Moore's sparring partner, more of a wet noodle, and that's why he was picked, to kiss up to publisher Hiller and Zell? We'll see.
But some writers like Steve Lopez and Tim Rutten, even David Zahniser, have been running stories about the mounting public outcry against the way Chief Bratton and the Mayor have misinterpreted SP40 (Bratton claiming that his critics like Zine are the ignorant know-nothings, whose opinions are worth no more attention than insect bites). They've also admitted that illegal immigration has huge financial and social costs when it comes to the crisis in the schools (Lopez), and in terms of being "those who needs" vs. the fed- up middle class who are "those who give." Zahniser has been writing more objectively about the costs of illegal gangmembers and criminals. They don't pursue these ideas to a political conclusion but they're still significant baby steps towards at least, finally being able to discuss these issues without being drowned out as being racist.
There's nothing Moore is proposing or saying which is racist or offensive to most citizens, but his lack of sophistication in how he says it, and in not understanding how the 4th Estate works as part of the dialogue toward change.
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