Halloween

Quick blurb about stories here. Now go and eat some candy.

The Newbie Returns

What do the PE and Cal have in common? Click here to find out. Oh yeah newbie counted local stories. Are you shocked who has more in today's paper?

Hump Day

The PE stirs with two decent dead people stories and the Cal -- well it acts Cal-Like. See the reviews.

Begin anew

A new review is in and let me know how my new partner in crime is doing.

Go check out the quick review.

Also look at the poll on that web page. It appears the Valley News hijacked the polls. Either that or the Cal and the PE has some enemies.

Starting next week

A new blogger will join me in making observations of the papers.
I will set up a poll so you can let me know if the newbie is any good, should get canned, or should replace me.

Quick hits

Nelsy Rodriguez had a good story about another delay in the Warnie Enochs case. I’m sure many residents are wondering when this will go to court.

Good story by Aaron Burgin about a lack of funding costing residents a fire station. Read it here.

Weekend fun

Rani Gupta did a good job in revisiting a new cell phone policy at Temecula schools. But I do have an issue with the lede:

You won't see Great Oak High School senior Tyler Harrington give a ringing endorsement to a new policy barring the use of cell phones and iPods from district campuses during the school day.

Ringing endorsement huh. Did that get spit out of the cliché machine?

Nice Job Aaron Claverie. Interesting read on illegal vendors in Lake Elsinore. 'nuff said.

Claverie also did the story on a Vista Murrieta High School student suspended for wearing an anti-obama shirt. Regardless of how I feel about this, this was plain and simple terrible journalism. If you can’t get the parents to give their names or the student to use their name then you shouldn’t be writing this story. This isn’t Watergate here. This violates the reader’s trust. DO NOT USE ANONYMOUS SOURCES for school stories. Maybe I’m wrong but I think the editor should never have allowed this. What’s next using an anonymous source for a school board meeting? Wait the Cal has already done that when quoting John Hunneman.

Over at the PE it’s rehash time.

Do these reporters even check what has been written in the past?

Jeff Horseman did a story about the local hospitals expanding and does it like it’s new news. It’s not. Anyone driving past Rancho Springs for the past two years could have seen the construction. Check your clips PE reporters.

Story here.

Anything with ties to the Zodiac is interesting. Doug Quan and Sonja Bjelland do this nice piece on an Inland victim.

IS there a newcomer to the area?

The double homicide in French Valley had everyone in the area on edge. Let's break down how the two papers reported -- wait I mean, the three papers. In a surprise twist, the Valley News appeared to report on this.

The bleeding continues at the PE. Today the newsroom was once again thrown into turmoil with the news of a round of layoffs. People knew they were coming but it still is shocking that they expect to get a paper out daily.

The ax has dropped at the PE once more.

Lay offs hit Thursday morning and the list saddens me. I debated whether to post these names out of respect for those who are affected. But I was convinced by friends that people need to know what is happening in “The Inland Empire’s” paper.

Here is a list of who was laid off:

I am told several others were laid off but I don't have names.

Hemet editor and former Temecula editor Jim Rothgeb

Long time Photographer Carrie Rosema

Graphic Artist Maggie Delbon

Business Reporter Rodd Cayton

Tony Ruiz

Features reporter Mark Benoit

Auto Reporter Peter Bohr

UPDATE*****

I'm told two designers were fired and one more is expected to be let go.

For now there will be no more lay offs. The rest will head south to the Dallas Morning News.

Kudos to the southwest

I would have to say both papers were strong today. Find out why click here.

Fires are starting and stores are closing

Is it coincidence that both papers are not really doing anything newsworthy and then the fires pop up? Interesting. Here is a little recap of today's southwest papers.
And you need to read the comment from the day before because that is a classic comment. They should be writing this blog.

I'm back

Hogbacks and no-duh reporting. Find my southwest recap here

Ethical Question

I have been sick with that flu going around. I'm sure some of you have cheered my recent demise but I will be back. In fact I have a journalism ethics questions..please answer this:
John Hall quotes two women who were forced to testify that they were teenage prostitutes. Both papers will not quote underaged minors in sex cases. Isn’t this the same thing? Why is the name of the girl who was targeted for snitching and forced to be a prostitute have her name splashed in the paper? Here is the story. I don’t know the ethics of this so if someone could enlighten me.