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Ours is hardly the biggest news in Michigan journalism this week.
Many newspapers in Michigan and nationwide are cutting newsroom staff and thereby paradoxically cutting their experience and expertise at delivering relevant news and information. Dome Magazine editor Tom Scott recently illustrated this death spiral…
The Lansing State Journal’s otherwise solid editorial against legislation approved by the House to ban wine shipments to Michigan consumers includes this revealing lapse: “(Mid-Michigan Reps. Joan Bauer, Rick Jones and Mark Meadows voted ‘yes.’ Rep. Barb Byrum’s office declined to report her vote and Rep. Paul Opsommer was unavailable.)” Say what? One rep’s office refused to say how the public official voted and another couldn’t be found by the newspaper? Talk about throwaway lines, that one should make you want to throw away the paper. The fact that the capital’s newspaper couldn’t find out quickly how two of its local reps voted in a public legislative session on an issue of keen interest to its own editors says more than I ever can about the lethal effects of thousands of paper cuts.
That’s what made this week’s announcement in Detroit somewhat of a relief. As any consumer of Michigan news now knows, the News and Freep are cutting back to just a few days a week of home delivery. But the cuts preserve every current job in the newsroom. CEO Dave Hunke reasoned it simply didn’t make sense to cut at the meat in a way that would be so destructive to the product.
(Having worked as a reporter at both the News and the Freep, I’m especially relieved for so many of my former colleagues, some of whom are having a blast innovating in the digital world and others who are frustrated by ever-increasing workload with highly questionable prospects for medium- or long-term economic security.)
The question in Detroit is now whether the numbers will hold up. It’s a tenuous balancing act between cutting printing and distribution costs while trying to maintain circulation, ad rates and ad rates that depend in part on circulation, while also boosting online-only advertising revenue.
Beyond Detroit, the Oakland Press is taking another approach altogether, essentially outsourcing the news gathering to readers through what it calls The Oakland Press Institute for Citizen Journalism. There are shining examples of citizen journalism, but there also are reasons to be circumspect.
In an email to the Center for Michigan, Portland, Michigan resident Steven Calley recently applauded the even-handed watchdog reporting of his local paper, the Portland Review and Observer and questioned whether citizen journalism could adequately replace paid reporters and editors: “Bloggers are a last resort and would be unnecessary if more papers both national and local would implement this same kind of reporting.”
One Comment
My name is Tammera Morefield. I have a story for you. This is how Governor Granholm and Mike Cox (Attorney General) are spending Michigan tax dollars. The State of Michigan, Attorney General’s Office is extradicting my brother, Edward Morefield, from the State of Idaho for child support arearage. He is not a criminal and the so called “child” is an adult (currently 20 years old). Edward has been paying his child support payments to the State of Michigan weekly through garnishments for the past two years. The State of Michigan also received almost $11,000 of his tax refunds for the last two years. HOW CAN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN JUSTIFY SPENDING MONEY TO EXTRADICT SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN MAKING AN EFFORT TO PAY BACK-CHILD SUPPORT? IS THIS HOW THE PEOPLE OF MICHIGAN WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO SPEND TAX DOLLARS? Since Edward was laid off from his job, he hasn’t made an arearage payment in approximately six months. He has a pregnant wife and two lovely daughters. He recently graduated from truck driving school. He has been looking for work since the day he graduated, but it has been difficult trying to find a job in this economy. He wants nothing more than to provide for his family and pay his debts.
The AG office issued a felony warrant, had the local police arrest Edward, and he is in an Idaho County Jail awaiting extradiction. He is facing a felony charge and up to four years in prison for a child support AREARAGE, most of which is interest.
If Edward is charged with a felony, he will not be able to find a job anywhere, and the State of Michigan will never get their money, not to mention the fact that his current wife and three children will most likely end up COLLECTING ASSISTANCE FROM THE STATE OF MICHIGAN…AGAIN TAX DOLLARS. Right now the State of Michigan at least receives his tax refunds, and when he finds a job they will also get weekly payments. If they incarcerate him, the state will again USE TAX DOLLARS TO INCARCERATE SOMEONE WHO IS WILLINGLY PAYING SUPPORT AND DOING THE BEST HE CAN TO FIND ANOTHER JOB.
Edward and his family moved to Idaho two years ago to live near family. He willingly gave the Michigan child support office his address and set-up payment arrangements. He did not flee the state of Michigan or try to run from authorities.
Since moving to Idaho, Edward has turned his life around. He is no longer a dead-beat Dad. He has a family to support, and has been diligently looking for work since he was laid off from his job six months ago. He is a good man, and should not be locked-up. Will this guy ever get a break! It seems like everytime this man tries to get his life together something like this happens. Why doesn’t the State of Michigan arrest actual Dead-Beat Dads OR REAL CRIMINALS instead of arresting Edward.
MY POINT IS THIS. WHY SPEND TAX DOLLARS TO EXTRADICT AND INCARCERATE SOMEBODY WHO IS ACTUALLY TRYING TO PAY THEIR DEBTS. BY DOING THIS, THE STATE OF MICHIGAN WILL SPEND MORE MONEY ON EXTRADICTION AND INCARCERATION THAN ON WHAT THE MAN OWES IN CHILD SUPPORT AREARAGE, MOST OF WHICH IS INTEREST. ADDITIONALLY, IF HE IS INCARCERATED HIS CURRENT WIFE AND CHILDREN WILL BE FORCED TO COLLECT WELFARE..YOU DO THE MATH!
Eddie is a productive member of society, and now he will probably be labeled a felon when the State of Michigan gets threw with him.
Below is a quote from the Attorney General’s office: My nephew “the so called child” is 20 years old. He is not “fending for himself”or “going hungry.”
“The problem of child support nonpayment is pervasive. When I took office, there were over 650,000 children in our state left to fend for themselves, not getting the court-ordered child support they needed. That’s an over $8 billion debt. In our society, we have parents who have the means to pay, but simply do not. We can not stand idly by as these children go hungry.”
–Attorney General Mike Cox
Michigan Sheriffs’ Association
December 6, 2004
Respectfully Submitted,
Tammera Morefield