August 29

The CAL
I have to be honest. It has been an extremely tough week for the Cal. I partially blame those useless candidate profiles because it takes time away from reporters to do actual news reporting.
The Local section was basically a follow up to everything the PE did earlier in the week.
Rani Gupta covered the fun painting guy. Ms. Bustamante from the PE easily outdid her. While Gupta paints a beautiful picture, it took 7 grafs to get to the point. After reading Gupta’s story I still don’t know why the district would pay for this guy to do his show? Can someone answer that? I believe I know but it’s never spelled out.
What gives the PE the easy win in the battle of the paint guy is Frank Bellino’s photo over Steve Thornton’s. Bellino’s picture popped then caused the reader to linger and stare at it. It was intriguing. Thornton’s is blurry and you brush right over it. He also has it cropped so there are what appears to be speakers hanging down over the MLK painting.
Link: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/08/28/news/californian/murrieta/zdc6d7d1682d36491882574b300684314.txt
John Hall followed up Sarah Burge’s story about people pretending nurses to scam the elderly. While they did get beat on the story I take my hat off to the editors and Mr. Hall. It was a story that needed to be done and every reporter knows – to follow a story you have to suck up a lot of pride. Not shocking or beautiful prose but a much needed warning for the community.
Link: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/08/28/news/californian/murrieta/zc06f8507b88fbb5b882574b300835e87.txt
The PE
I do not want to reap such praise upon the PE – but boy, oh boy are they having a helluva week.
Today’s A-1 has THE defining story on the ex-marine found not guilty by Sonja Bjelland. This reporter weaves in the appropriate amount of intricate details, color and backstory. She even talked to the police officer Jose Nazario has been staying with and painted a picture of what happened the night before as he had to wait for the verdict.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/riverside/stories/PE_News_Local_S_nazario29.448c9e5.html

Okay Okay I jumped the gun on today. The PE local for Friday is blah.
Aaron Burgin needs to take a step back or have his editors make him slow down. It’s constant meeting coverage and petty stuff that no more than 5 people in the city care about.
Voluntary green liens by a water district for foreclosed homes.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_E_sgreenlien29.49fca1c.html
Boring. He also uses the phrase “Green liens are a go.” A go—huh.
Mr. Burgin then proceeds to write a barn burning Mayor’s address story. Bore me once shame on you. Bore me twice – still shame on you.

Sarah Burge you dastardly devil of great stories and scoops. You got another one today.
She updates the Chad Huber case. This is the twat who killed a Winchester family, including a 4-year-old, then fled to Mexico. She uses court records to detail the night, the accident and what proceeded. http://www.pe.com/localnews/rivcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_S_huber29.4768dbd.html

Carl Love’s column once again has a few nice lines in it about Menifee planning a city hood party.
A city that built a program around Halloween is not a place to be taken seriously, given how some people are already frightened by the prospect of higher taxes when towns incorporate. Trick or treat -- we just doubled your property taxes!
By comparison, Wildomar, a new city that started July 1, knows how to time things. Not only did it happen when school was out, but Wildomarians had July Fourth to connect to. Independence from the shackles of county government; that's a battle cry!
Funny stuff Mr. Love.
http://www.pe.com/columns/carllove/stories/PE_News_Local_S_slove29.47694c4.html

Other Papers
Terrible terrible tragedy in SD. I’m glad both the PE and the Cal put the story in their A-1s. People here really connect to the city and it was such a freak accident. Good reporting by the UT to uncover past violations.
Link:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080829/news_1n29collapse.html

The LA Times has a scary story about a serial killer who has come out of hiding to start work again.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-killer29-2008aug29,0,334507.story

Here is why people get the Times and why this paper still matters. This is why journalism will never die. I am still wiping away tears. The Column 1 stories are sometimes freaking unbelievable. This one is beautifully written and takes a different look at Obama’s speech and the convention.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-bertha29-2008aug29,0,2952712.story
I also love these Southern California Chronicle stories. So well written and it takes you directly to that neighborhood.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-outthere29-2008aug29,0,1431651.story
I could have done without the first sentence. Sometimes color is used solely for color. It does not advance the story but it does messes with the flow.

I'm still looking for someone to do the week-end reviews and Monday morning quarterbacking. It's too much work for me.