Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Should the Greensboro News and Record…

be involved with the Downtown Area Consolidated Plan Committee
and the taxpayer funded Greensboro Partnership?

"The 4.2-mile Downtown Greenway, a planned recreational loop around the center of the city, is a big reason why Wisconsin-based Trek Bicycle Corp. is planning to open a store in Greensboro.

The same downtown Greenway
promoted by the taxpayer funded Downtown Area Consolidated Plan Committee
and the taxpayer funded Greensboro Partnership
of which the Greensboro News and Record’s Robin Saul
serves on the Advisory Team for the former
and the Board of Directors for the latter?

“There will be a greater demand because people will see them riding the paths and they’ll be like, that looks like fun,” said store owner Chris Pieck, who lives in Greensboro…

In other words, if you build it, they will come.

Should a journalist with employers serving on committees
whose objective is to promote taxpayer indebtedness
insert opinions in news stories facilitating “advocacy efforts”?

...Phase 1 of Downtown Greenway opened in March.

The remaining two phases could be completed in five to 10 years."

To be paid for with money borrowed from Greensboro’s children
without their consent?

George Hartzman
Mike Fuchs
Greensboro News & Record
Employee of Robin Saul, Greensboro News & Record
Downtown Area Consolidated Plan Committee Advisory Team Member
(taxpayer funded) Greensboro Partnership Board Member

The [Downtown Area Consolidated Plan Committees]
will also serve to lead advocacy efforts to implement projects…

The [Downtown Area Consolidated Plan Committees] Advisory Team
will be…charged with communicating and engaging residents
from throughout the entire community about the planning effort.

Should Greensboro News and Record employees
who can influence “unbiased” news reporting
serve on committees that advocate for increased taxpayer indebtedness
with registered lobbyists?

The Greensboro Partnership works closely with business leaders,
colleges and universities, and other community groups
to create a legislative agenda focused on key policy issues
directly affecting Greensboro, Guilford County and the Triad.

The Governmental Affairs department
advocates for these initiatives through direct staff lobbying
and by engaging every member of the Greensboro Partnership
and its affiliates as advocates.

Should the news industry be involved in lobbying?

Governmental Affairs staff members
are registered lobbyists with the State in compliance with Ethics law."

Other notable news industry board and committee members:


Doug Copeland, The Business Journal
Governmental Affairs Committee, Greensboro Partnership


Ed Mathews, WFMY
Downtown Area Consolidated Plan Committees


Deborah Hooper, WFMY
(taxpayer funded) Greensboro Partnership Board Member


Afrique Kilimanjaro, Carolina Peacemaker
Downtown Area Consolidated Plan Committees


Willie Hammer, Rhino Times
Downtown Area Consolidated Plan Committees

Don't Steal From My Kids
George Hartzman

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Our local News industry is in bed with our elected leaders and the businesses who will make the money from racking up debt for everyone else to pay for.

Have a party for yourselves folks, no one will ever see a headline in the Rhino or News and Record about the collusion of the papers the little people rely on for honest news.

Shame on you.

Anonymous said...

The News and Record sold Greensboro on the Aquatic Center.

The Greensboro Partnership "advocated" for the Aquatic Center.

If Robin Saul is a board member of the Greensboro Partnership, then he "advocated" for the Aquatic Center.

We got sold a bridge.

Anonymous said...

Roch put something up about Saul and Google.

I guess he only works for the connected.


http://roch101.blogspot.com/2010/06/n-publishers-situational-objectivity.html

Anonymous said...

"Propaganda is neutrally defined as a systematic form of purposeful persuasion that attempts to influence the emotions, attitudes, opinions, and actions of specified target audiences for ideological, political or commercial purposes through the controlled transmission of one-sided messages (which may or may not be factual) via mass and direct media channels."

Richard Alan Nelson, A Chronology and Glossary of Propaganda in the United States

Anonymous said...

"Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience. Propaganda often presents facts selectively (thus possibly lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or uses loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the attitude toward the subject in the target audience to further a political agenda. Propaganda can be used as a form of political warfare."

Wikipedia

Anonymous said...

"According to The Elements of Journalism, a book by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, there are nine elements of journalism.

In order for a journalist to fulfill their duty of providing the people with the information they need to be free and self-governing. They must follow these guidelines:

Journalism's first obligation is to the truth.

Its first loyalty is to the citizens.

Its essence is discipline of verification.

Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover.

It must serve as an independent monitor of power.

It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise."

Anonymous said...

"Publishers, owners and other corporate executives, especially advertising sales executives, can try to use their powers over journalists to influence how news is reported and published."

Wikipedia

bubba said...

Are we really surprised at any of this, George?

The Business As Usual crowd calls the shots, and their Cheerleader section shamelessly pimps the programs.

By the way, the new design looks good.

Anonymous said...

"propaganda refers to deliberately false or misleading information that supports a political cause or the interests of those in power.

The propagandist seeks to change the way people understand an issue or situation, for the purpose of changing their actions and expectations in ways that are desirable to the interest group.

The leaders of an organization know the information to be one sided or untrue but this may not be true for the rank and file members who help to disseminate the propaganda."

Source Watch

g said...

It is time to do something about it Bubba.

This is ridiculous.

If Greensboro and Guilford County want to get through this Recession in better shape, this stuff has to stop.

How are we supposed to grow and recruit good paying jobs here if the game is rigged against most looking to move here?

Why would small businesses want to open up shop in a municipality that is borrowing like we are, to benefit those in power?

Honest government and an ethical press could do more our community than the Greensboro Partnership, Downtown Greensboro and all the rest of the handout sponges combined.

Anonymous said...

you need to look at the debt endorsements of the News and record.

Now it looks like those bond issues were sold to the public by a complicit source.

They were all in bed together to sell public works projects to the public.

Sells more advertizing.

Brings in more political ad revenue.

Lots more for the Real Estate section.

And the money goes into the pockets of the developers that fund the political campaigns.

NEWSBUSTED at NEWSBUSTERS.ORG 2-18-2015