Jim Martin, a former CU regent, expounds on the death of Newspapers and it’s effects on a free society. He postulates…
We are witnessing the death of reporting in this country, and that loss threatens our republic far more than anything an extreme left- or right-wing government could ever do.
As an example…
Just this year, The Daily Telegraph, a London newspaper, found that dozens of members of Parliament were fleecing the public by billing the government for personal expenses such as cleaning a private moat. This expose, months in the making, emerged on the paper’s website as well as in print. The worst offenders felt the wrath of the voters in the subsequent election.
Perhaps it’s because I don’t get the local paper, but I can think of many local issues that the Daily Camera could investigate but doesn’t. For example…
1. Red light cameras. Are they about safety or revenue? What would happen if the yellow light timing was increased by 1 second at intersections that have these cameras? Georgia’s tried it and it made the camera’s unprofitable and accident and injuries were reduced as well. The fact is a little research and a critical mind would easily show it’s all about the money. Of course, the Daily Camera knows what it’s like to not have much money and they’re not about to criticize the City. The more money and power the City has the better.
2. Bicycle rules of the road. The Daily Camera has been pretty good at providing a forum for pro and con on cyclists actions on the road. Why not take an actual video camera, go out to some intersections and see what’s going on? Go to the intersection of Hwy 36 and North Broadway and tape the intersection for a couple of hours on a Saturday morning. Another good place would be Hwy 36 just south of the old Beech Aircraft buildings and document the interaction between cyclists and motorists.
On the last two weekends during my single trips into town, on Hwy 36 I have seen cyclists suddenly swerve out into the car lane to pass other cyclists. The first time I was far enough away that it was hard to determine if it was a real case of carelessness or arrogance, but the 2nd one was definitely irresponsible.
Are there drivers at fault as well. No doubt about it. The camera shouldn’t be picking favorites though, should it?
Also, it has already happened at the intersection of Hwy 36 and North Boulder Road, but more cyclists are going to be killed on Hwy 36. Perhaps shining a little light on the interaction between drivers and cyclists would help prevent some deaths.
Oh, and lets not forget the cyclists riding in the dark on Hwy 36 with no (or vastly inadequate) lights and reflectors. This should be easy to document, although there probably aren’t as many violaters at the moment since the days are so long. Try August and September.
3. County Commissioners. I try and stay away from the power troika as much as possible. I’m sure they operate above the law at (whoops, I meant “within the law” really!) all times, but any time so few people have so much much power, there absolutely have to be some issues to investigate about how they weld this power. Rarely, very rarely is the paper critical of the commissioners. It just seems that the paper is much to cozy with the local government. Of course, this is because the editors of the paper and the County Commissioners would all like to go back in time and make almost all of Boulder County Open Space if they could.
Ok, then Jim Martin concludes…
When newspapers close, then news doesn’t get out. While every despotic country around the world is tyrannical in its own way, the one thing they all have in common is repression of a free press. Corrupt leaders, from small-town driveway pavers to murderous thugs, cannot abide the bright light of independent reporting and commentary.
The crisis in the American press is much more than a series of sad stories in the business section. When American steel mills shut down, construction companies could still buy I-beams. When clothiers went overseas, there was no shortage of shirts and suits. But nothing from foreign shores can replace the power of the American press. The newspaper crisis is far more threatening than the problems with banks and insurance companies.
When Jim Martin talks about the free press and puts them on such a pedestal, he simply can’t be talking about the main stream media that I’m familiar with, can he?
