Politics 2011

“January 20, 2011
YOUR Poverty is Virtuous
You should labor mightily and for little money, so that I can admire your picturesque and quaint industry from my well-appointed sitting room:

Seven months into its bid to reinvent the metro newspaper, The Bay Citizen, the San Francisco-based nonprofit news site, has so far raised a total of $14.5 million in philanthropic gifts, rolled out daily online news and culture coverage with a 26-person-staff, and, during November, attracted a monthly audience of approximately 200,000 unique visitors. It’s on track to spend $4 million during its first year.

[snip]

In a world where many local nonprofit startups are shoestring operations run by refugees from downsized or shuttered metro papers, The Bay Citizen’s relatively large budget continues to attract scrutiny — and some hostility. (As a quick comparison, the national investigative nonprofit ProPublica spent approximately $9.3 million last year, and the local civic news outlet Voice of San Diego spent approximately $1 million.)

“I’m honestly mystified as to why so many journalist-commentators seem to think that spending real money on journalism is a bad thing,” Weber told me. “I’ve been there, and there is nothing especially virtuous about being broke.” Moreover, he said, “I would challenge anyone to take a hard look at what we do — and I mean really dive in, in a serious way over a period of time — and tell me that we are wasting money.” [my response below - kirwan]

Right. Just for comparison's sake, here's what a for-profit newspaper company thinks is appropriate spending:

Mr. FitzSimons, 57, who has been with the company since 1982, became president in 2001, chief executive in 2003 and chairman in 2004.

He leaves with a total of about $15 million, which includes severance, a “gross-up” to cover taxes, and a bonus, in addition to retirement, deferred compensation and other benefits worth more than $4 million, according to an analysis by James F. Reda & Associates, a compensation consulting firm. In addition, he will cash in $19 million in stock, restricted stock grants and stock options that he would receive even if he were not leaving.

But oh, these little non-profit startups are supposed to be scrappy and poor and not at all a reasonable competitor to an actual for-profit company! They can't have a budget that looks REAL! We can't have that!”

Posted by Athenae on January 20, 2011 at 14:56 in Athenae.

kirwan:

Crime Scene

Aside from the fact that you have a shitty little rag that has never taken on the powers that be; regardless of your so-called operating budget’s size: I find your view of people other than yourself to be criminally obscene.

Your views do not excuse what you fail to do routinely; nor can this attitude ever justify the mumbo-jumbo numbers game that 501c3’s have always been (the legally accepted way to game the system for fun & profit while pretending to help the society at large). This massive deceit has been cursing the arts since its inception. While it has no doubt brought in much in the way of “found money” for the owners of the 501c3; it has also done catastrophic damage in keeping those that make it all possible (the writers & artists that you routinely screw) from ever literally profiting from the sweat of their talents on your twistedly sick behalf.

You and your rag are examples of the worst kind of journalistic deception: claiming to be one thing while existing as something else entirely.

For instance where were you and your so-called paper while the Board of Supervisors gave-away the right to be in Civic Center, in San Francisco to another private, for-profit corporation that is now able to bill the city for services that the tax-payers have already paid for?

They awarded a ten year contract for a CBD to a bunch of private land-LORDS who are now charging the city (and the taxpayers here) for the use of city property over which ONLY the CBD has TOTAL PHYSICAL-AUTHORITY and absolute control; which just happens to violate the constitution’s of both the State of California and the USA.?

This scam had been in the pipeline in San Francisco for seven years: How did you manage NOT to cover it! Where were your reporters when the Board of Supervisors broke the law and voted in the basement of City Hall – with no member of the public present – on a ten year contract multi-million dollar that was never even discussed in public and to which the public only then had one opportunity to comment, for 2 minutes each.

This all took place before a meeting of the board that had delayed the public’s testimony for three hours in order to spend that time congratulating themselves upon their wonderful and superlative accomplishments as “nothings” on the City’s Board of Supervisors?

Any real journalist would have made this a major story, and done the necessary follow-up on the violations of the Brown Act and the Sunshine Ordinance which owe their existence to the fact the public is supposed to be included and not blind-sided by legislative actions of the only body they have to speak with: The City’s Board of Supervisors!

I was a late comer to this one, and unfortunately as I am one of those laudatory paupers that you feel must remain in poverty; I was not able to spend the time needed to do what could have prevented this crime from taking place. You on the other hand – have your pensions and your sitting rooms to worry about; so I can understand how you might not want to rock the local corruption scene too much, because that might actually change something here which might then spoil your “picturesque view” from “your well-appointed sitting rooms”. Or maybe the Board of Supervisors actually contributed to your continued existence so that they would not be inconvenienced by having any story appear about them or this seizure of the public's right to be inside their own civic center?

Here’s what you missed: Privatizing the Public.

Whatever you do - don’t ever even think about trying to be journalistic about this one, because that myth has been dead since long before there even were 501c3’s. Maybe it’s time that someone finds ,or makes the time, to challenge your 501c3 status, as a totally fraudulent misrepresentation to both the government and the public?

Maybe the public will write to you Mr. Weber (which is why I sent this to your email address above) and to the rag you call a paper to ask you personally about this fraud that has been so good to you and yours? After all; since you are so very proud of screwing others then the whole world should know just exactly how very cleaver you really are - no?

Jim Kirwan

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