The Columbian owners and editor have been under pressure in recent years to stop the biased reporting and stop the overt pettiness toward people they oppose. In a declining industry one would think they would make adjustments and not accelerate their demise.
It isn’t surprising that arrogant ideologues cannot stop such behavior. Even with declining readership and advertising they cannot stop.
The most recent example of the childish and snarky behavior of the caustic editor Lou Brancaccio is his July 2nd and July 3rd articles about recall effort of three county councilors who have a clear record of overt corruption and anti-citizen behavior. Their record of corruption and incompetence has consumed most of our writer’s time at ClarkCounty.info for five months and we have dozens of carefully vetted articles on these matters. The Columbian was mentioned in the recall letter, as it has had material participation and collusion in promoting these establishment politicians and was illegitimately awarded the lucrative contract for publishing legal notices, among other reasons the recall authors may have in mind. The delusional editor Brancaccio sees this as a sign of relevance for the Columbian.
Here’s a Brancaccio quote that had us on the floor laughing and our ribs are hurting. Be careful reading this as we’re sure you’ll have the same reaction. Here it goes. . . “And our credibility is even more important than our reach. Readers trust us. We will always strive to be fair and accurate.” Or you may just shake your head in disbelief that this partisan hack can utter these words with a straight face. It truly is an alternate universe. Up is down. Black is White. And in this case corruption is altruism.
ClarkCounty.info has reported on the continued pettiness and gross misinformation of this old media. More recent articles are here and here.
The day is coming in which the Columbian newspaper no longer exists. Removing their corrupting influence on truth will be a very positive local development for citizens. However, many Columbian readers don’t pay attention to this political news and might wonder how other news can be received. More than 20 years into the Internet age, effectively all local information from sports news, weather, classified ads, general advertising, events, and other local information is available from other reputable sources. All the writers at ClarkCounty.info are over 50 and we grew up with the fun and comfort of the morning paper, especially the Sunday paper. But this comfort has become increasingly less motivating as alternatives have expanded and many old media, like the Columbian, have increasingly become corrupted and partisan. So we let this old way go and look to a better day and a better media delivery paradigm.
A local citizen sums up what many of us think in his recent letter to the Columbian that voiced his disgust. The end is near and we will all benefit.
June 20, 2016
I cancelled delivery of your paper long ago. I had a follow-up call on my cancellation, and with prodding found out most cancellations are a disgust for Brancaccio and the editorial page. Unfortunately, my wife likes the Sunday paper for the ads and coupons and I buy it for her.
It takes me about 15 -20 minutes to get through the Sunday Columbian. (I used to schedule an hour EVERY morning to read the Orange County Register and more now to read the internet). I scan The Columbian Politics mumbo jumbo to see how long it takes me to find the name Madore or Benton. Usually a pretty quick read. I read “Berko” and find maybe four cartoons fun.
I check out the political “cartoon” and the headline of Jayne’s gibberish and I scan the letters to the editor.
This week the Columbian outdid itself. With the cartoon totally based in HATE, a letter that refers to HATE and Jaynes headline referring to Trump and HATE.
There is more HATE in your paper every Sunday than any reasonable person can take. The fact that newspapers are dying is encouraging. I work with the paper industry, and the number of newsprint manufacturers in the northwest that closed and the jobs lost reflect the deplorable product of The Columbian and others. I recently spoke with a person in newsprint sales, and while his market is dying (and The Columbian paper volume purchases are also dying), he’s glad to see on a personal level The Columbian digging its own grave.
What is your business model that tries to offend half of your potential market? Who is the brains behind this? Mr. Campbell? What successful business does this?
When you have an Opinion Page Editor that chooses to print letters comparing Trump to Hitler, then discusses “hate” (like he understands his own) and not “love”…
DISGUSTING! (Jayne has nothing to say that I would bother to read and apparently many, many others agree).
Soon, I will celebrate the final demise of your sad product.
Sincerely,
Greg Zilker, Clark County