Saturday, August 05, 2006
Blogger and "publisher" Bob Ellis offers not a news story but an editorial on his website on Rapid City's recent Old Storybook Island Festival in the Park AKA "Hills Alive, Too."
As it did contain inaccuracies, I chose to send him the following letter.
Mr. Ellis,
It would have been so nice for you to introduce yourself and perhaps ask for a quote.
You did not apparently ask why I was there, and what group I was representing. It was not as a writer from the Rapid City Weekly News, but you didn't ask. One staff member was there possibly for an item on it. Another staffer I'm told may have shown up later in the day.
I'm hurt that you didn't mention what booth you would assume I was working at. I'd think it would be in your best interest to find out. I can provide you with a full description of my outfit and where the individual items can be purchased. It is so nice to have obsessed fans.
We had at the very least the Rapid City Journal there taking photos and introducing themselves as members of the press. That you have no actual quotes would suggest that you were not truthful about your intentions and interest in candidates or organizations’ literature, or interested in an actual news story on the event. Bob Ellis, Religious activist, blogger, and editorialist (or do you actually use the word journalist, which would seem to imply degrees in journalism)?
Mr. Coats, in all likelihood, would have allowed you to take the stage and the microphone had you simply asked. We can supply the names of the songs he performed.
Melissa Lawler would be happy to present you with a full list of sponsors she sought and obtained raffle items from, and if you wish to publish the names and addresses of everyone who participated in the raffle, SDAD would be pleased to provide it, along with the amounts of donations raised by the event, including the gag gifts which would be found at the mall at Hot Topic, and the retail values of all the donated items.
Had you been truly concerned about the condoms, you might have mentioned it to the staffers at the Sioux Falls Center's booth, and educated them on whatever failure rate your literature makes claims of. That someone might die because you didn't, might haunt you for the rest of your life?
Allow me to add a few facts to your editorial.
All permits were obtained for the festival (its second time at Old Storybook Island) as I would imagine there were for Hills Alive. If noise complaints are lodged against the festival, SDAD will be happy to provide them. In addition, the Rapid City Police Department did guarantee that things were in accordance under city law, be it parking or first amendment rights of religion, press, assembly, speech. All that stuff guaranteeing your right to publish your non-news story.
Unity Church does believe in the concept of being "born again”: (The Unity Church suggests that being born again is a continuous process that must be done repeatedly as one "dies" to old, ineffective ideas and redirects oneself toward Christ consciousness.) You might mention that Vicki French leads a "Bible Explorations" scriptural review session at Unity Church which relies on Bishop Spong's world view and plug his most recent book "The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible's Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love" or past hit "Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: A Bishop Rethinks the Meaning of Scripture." If you'd like an actual church bulletin from Unity, several months could be provided.
Participation in the diversity festival was not limited by denomination. Had the Catholic or Baptist Churches, the South Dakota "Family" Policy Council, Dakota "Voice," or "Concerned" Women "for" America wished to participate, they would have been happily welcomed. (Aren't random quotation marks "used" to suggest sarcasm "fun?”)
SDAD's Jon Hoadley would be happy to provide you with a total count for either the Festival, the dance (age restricted as it was an event open to the public, where access to alcohol could be limited, and frankly I would prefer not to watch dancing at the Canyon Lake Senior Center either ... it boggles the mind what goes on at them) or the near sellout performance of Bill Russell's "Stories and Songs" (A cast list and names and addresses can also be retrieved for publication, as well as a majority of the names of anyone who purchased tickets.) SDAD can also provide you with Mr. Russell's website and links on where to purchase his CDs.
You didn't mention the Republican party presence at the festival, or as it's unlisted, presumably grab their literature.
You presumably didn't notice what other bloggers were at the event. One in particular had a delightful conversation about sexual harrassment defendant and "slumlord" (Rapid City Journal story adjective) Doug Hamilton and the Republican candidates he's heavily funding.
As I understand it, there was a candidate gathering for the Democrats in the morning along with a training session of some sort, similar I'm sure to any held by the Republicans. SDAD would be happy to provide a list of the candidates who did show up and speak.
I know the names of multiple heterosexual families (or as you might prefer to list them, "heterosexual activists") who had children under the age of 18 at the event.
There were assorted hecklers at the festival including those spending a long time with candidates during the day over their views on the abortion ban. Names were unfortunately not asked, though certainly they might already be in your subscriber lists.
"You" might in your hyper linked "claims" of "harm" point to the lawsuit by five heterosexual couples in Arizona suing over their "quasi marital" ban as its "broadly written nature would strip them of domestic-partner status they receive from various cities in the state."
Or the AARP's notations on such bans "having a horrible effect on older adults by wiping out their health and inheritance benefits."
Or mention that when South Dakota legislators attempted to pass this bill in 2005, it was hog housed because of fears it would negatively impact adoption in the state.
Mention the Ohio 2nd District Court of Appeals ruling on March 24, 2006 that the state's domestic violence law could not be applied to a non-marital household as a result of its passage.
Admit that Amendment C does not "protect," "affirm," or "strengthen" anything.
Mention that a "Yes" vote will not suddenly allow new marriage rights for anyone.
Mention its possible interference in the contracts and hiring policies of businesses from Harley-Davidson to Wells Fargo.
It would be fair and balanced to mention and/or correct any of these factual discrepancies even if you do "put" quotes around every "other" word. (Does the Dakota Voice actually have a Style Guide?) I'm sure festival organizers would hate to have such inaccuracies make the print edition.
And should you choose to editorialize on my Rapid City Weekly News columns in their entirety, I would be happy to correct any inaccuracies in any commentary you might have about Mr. Fisher, whose HIV diagnosis story unfortunately shut down your blog before you were able to comment on both parts, and the full story.
As a fellow member of the media, (with 20,000 and still growing circulation) I'd hate to have to seek troublesome corrections in future print editions of the Dakota Voice when corrections can still be made before the legal obligations for such printed material apply under South Dakota laws.
In addition, representatives of Dignity, Unity and Universalist Church, the church whose population was represented there that you didn't seem to find out or ask about (presumably they were as stealthy as you were), Democracy in Action, the candidates represented, the musicians, caters, and pictures of all animals present would all be available for comment and interviews.
God bless, yours in accuracy,
Thomas Allen Heald
As it did contain inaccuracies, I chose to send him the following letter.
Mr. Ellis,
It would have been so nice for you to introduce yourself and perhaps ask for a quote.
You did not apparently ask why I was there, and what group I was representing. It was not as a writer from the Rapid City Weekly News, but you didn't ask. One staff member was there possibly for an item on it. Another staffer I'm told may have shown up later in the day.
I'm hurt that you didn't mention what booth you would assume I was working at. I'd think it would be in your best interest to find out. I can provide you with a full description of my outfit and where the individual items can be purchased. It is so nice to have obsessed fans.
We had at the very least the Rapid City Journal there taking photos and introducing themselves as members of the press. That you have no actual quotes would suggest that you were not truthful about your intentions and interest in candidates or organizations’ literature, or interested in an actual news story on the event. Bob Ellis, Religious activist, blogger, and editorialist (or do you actually use the word journalist, which would seem to imply degrees in journalism)?
Mr. Coats, in all likelihood, would have allowed you to take the stage and the microphone had you simply asked. We can supply the names of the songs he performed.
Melissa Lawler would be happy to present you with a full list of sponsors she sought and obtained raffle items from, and if you wish to publish the names and addresses of everyone who participated in the raffle, SDAD would be pleased to provide it, along with the amounts of donations raised by the event, including the gag gifts which would be found at the mall at Hot Topic, and the retail values of all the donated items.
Had you been truly concerned about the condoms, you might have mentioned it to the staffers at the Sioux Falls Center's booth, and educated them on whatever failure rate your literature makes claims of. That someone might die because you didn't, might haunt you for the rest of your life?
Allow me to add a few facts to your editorial.
All permits were obtained for the festival (its second time at Old Storybook Island) as I would imagine there were for Hills Alive. If noise complaints are lodged against the festival, SDAD will be happy to provide them. In addition, the Rapid City Police Department did guarantee that things were in accordance under city law, be it parking or first amendment rights of religion, press, assembly, speech. All that stuff guaranteeing your right to publish your non-news story.
Unity Church does believe in the concept of being "born again”: (The Unity Church suggests that being born again is a continuous process that must be done repeatedly as one "dies" to old, ineffective ideas and redirects oneself toward Christ consciousness.) You might mention that Vicki French leads a "Bible Explorations" scriptural review session at Unity Church which relies on Bishop Spong's world view and plug his most recent book "The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible's Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love" or past hit "Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: A Bishop Rethinks the Meaning of Scripture." If you'd like an actual church bulletin from Unity, several months could be provided.
Participation in the diversity festival was not limited by denomination. Had the Catholic or Baptist Churches, the South Dakota "Family" Policy Council, Dakota "Voice," or "Concerned" Women "for" America wished to participate, they would have been happily welcomed. (Aren't random quotation marks "used" to suggest sarcasm "fun?”)
SDAD's Jon Hoadley would be happy to provide you with a total count for either the Festival, the dance (age restricted as it was an event open to the public, where access to alcohol could be limited, and frankly I would prefer not to watch dancing at the Canyon Lake Senior Center either ... it boggles the mind what goes on at them) or the near sellout performance of Bill Russell's "Stories and Songs" (A cast list and names and addresses can also be retrieved for publication, as well as a majority of the names of anyone who purchased tickets.) SDAD can also provide you with Mr. Russell's website and links on where to purchase his CDs.
You didn't mention the Republican party presence at the festival, or as it's unlisted, presumably grab their literature.
You presumably didn't notice what other bloggers were at the event. One in particular had a delightful conversation about sexual harrassment defendant and "slumlord" (Rapid City Journal story adjective) Doug Hamilton and the Republican candidates he's heavily funding.
As I understand it, there was a candidate gathering for the Democrats in the morning along with a training session of some sort, similar I'm sure to any held by the Republicans. SDAD would be happy to provide a list of the candidates who did show up and speak.
I know the names of multiple heterosexual families (or as you might prefer to list them, "heterosexual activists") who had children under the age of 18 at the event.
There were assorted hecklers at the festival including those spending a long time with candidates during the day over their views on the abortion ban. Names were unfortunately not asked, though certainly they might already be in your subscriber lists.
"You" might in your hyper linked "claims" of "harm" point to the lawsuit by five heterosexual couples in Arizona suing over their "quasi marital" ban as its "broadly written nature would strip them of domestic-partner status they receive from various cities in the state."
Or the AARP's notations on such bans "having a horrible effect on older adults by wiping out their health and inheritance benefits."
Or mention that when South Dakota legislators attempted to pass this bill in 2005, it was hog housed because of fears it would negatively impact adoption in the state.
Mention the Ohio 2nd District Court of Appeals ruling on March 24, 2006 that the state's domestic violence law could not be applied to a non-marital household as a result of its passage.
Admit that Amendment C does not "protect," "affirm," or "strengthen" anything.
Mention that a "Yes" vote will not suddenly allow new marriage rights for anyone.
Mention its possible interference in the contracts and hiring policies of businesses from Harley-Davidson to Wells Fargo.
It would be fair and balanced to mention and/or correct any of these factual discrepancies even if you do "put" quotes around every "other" word. (Does the Dakota Voice actually have a Style Guide?) I'm sure festival organizers would hate to have such inaccuracies make the print edition.
And should you choose to editorialize on my Rapid City Weekly News columns in their entirety, I would be happy to correct any inaccuracies in any commentary you might have about Mr. Fisher, whose HIV diagnosis story unfortunately shut down your blog before you were able to comment on both parts, and the full story.
As a fellow member of the media, (with 20,000 and still growing circulation) I'd hate to have to seek troublesome corrections in future print editions of the Dakota Voice when corrections can still be made before the legal obligations for such printed material apply under South Dakota laws.
In addition, representatives of Dignity, Unity and Universalist Church, the church whose population was represented there that you didn't seem to find out or ask about (presumably they were as stealthy as you were), Democracy in Action, the candidates represented, the musicians, caters, and pictures of all animals present would all be available for comment and interviews.
God bless, yours in accuracy,
Thomas Allen Heald
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