University of Cincinnati Hires Enquirer Editor Tom Callinan: Newspaper Boss To Become Journalism Prof By Winter Qtr.




Enquirer's Editor Headed To Academia

 

[UPDATED: Gannett Blog founder Jim Hopkins names three candidates who are possibly in line for the top editor job at the Enquirer.  None are based in Cincinnati. The University posts Callinan's bio and title and tells prospective students, "Since 2002, Callinan was Editor of (sic) Vice President/Content of Enquirer Media . . . ]

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- There hasn't yet been an official announcement or a press release.  Wags say that's why there's been nothing in the newspaper Tom Callinan edits -- without handouts the Enquirer is lost.  But University of Cincinnati insiders tell The Daily Bellwether that Tom Callinan has already accepted a job in the school's Journalism Department and will start teaching winter quarter.  Callinan will have the title McMicken professor of journalism.  The insiders said Callinan will give up the editorship to become a full-time academic.  According to a senior U.C. official:  "He starts winter quarter.  There's going to be an announcement.  It's a done deal.  He's going to have one class at the start, and we'll see what kind of teacher he is.  The feeling here is that somebody who has been the editor of a major newspaper is qualified to teach one class."

It is not quite clear how wide a search process U.C. conducted it for the new professorship.  There are sure to be public records requests filed seeking access to resumes, applications and whatever other hiring material went into the selection process.  Were their other candidates considered and rejected?  Apparently, the university believes that it has landed a big name because Callinan ran the newsroom for SW Ohio's largest daily newspaper and its companion dot.com web portal.  The University of Cincinnati has been trying to build a journalism program, and awarded its first bachelor's degrees in journalism in 2005 from the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences.  The program has been headed by Jon Hughes, who has been a booster for upgrading the program and getting the journalism BA established.  There could be some push-back against Callinan who is jumping from a slumping newspaper to academia at age 62.  The Enquirer does not have a good reputation in newspaper industry circles -- it is considered staid, stolid, understaffed and uninspiring.  One U.C. faculty member said one of Callinan's selling points is that he served on the panel that awards Pulitzer Prizes.  However, others have pointed out that the Enquirer's only Pulitzer in recent memory involved editorial cartooning by Jim Borgman.  And Borgman left the Cincinnati Enquirer under the Callinan regime.  The newspaper no longer publishes locally drawn editorial cartoons.

Said one faculty member:  "U.C. has an editor who will teach journalism.  Mostly this editor has cut and cut.  Maybe he wants to inspire people.  Here's the chance.   I don't know what to think about this, especially since the guy (Callinan) tried to get hired by Miami University a few years ago.  I read that he didn't get the Miami job at the time."

The Enquirer's publisher, Margaret Buchanan, serves on the University of Cincinnati's board of trustees.  She was appointed by former GOP Gov. Bob Taft.  Buchanan listed her political affiliation as Republican.  College officials said that Buchanan played no role in Callinan's hiring by the university.

[UPDATE: 12:48 pm -- Jim said...
The Daily Bellwether story does not say anything about who would succeed Callinan.
Speculation on this blog has focused on three people: Palm Springs Executive Editor Rick Green; Reno Gazette-Journal EE Beryl Love, and Des Moines Register EE Carolyn Washburn.]

[UPDATE 2: 1:24 pm -- Callinan e-mails The Bellwether with some details about the UC post.  It doesn't look full-time.  Bill: Your post seems to infer that my UC class is a full-time position.  It's just a 3-credit adjunct job one night a week. Thanks.]

[UPDATE 3: 2:52 pm -- The Bellwether sent Tom Callinan an e-mail in response to the above message that included an inquiry about the title McMicken professor of journalism.  The Bellwether wondered what a public records request at UC would turn up.  Here's Tom Callinan's reply:

"I don't know what you would find in a public records request but I can tell you what I know.  I have had a very good relationship with the UC Journalism program.  I have been a big supporter as it has grown from 0-200+ in a few years.  They are good kids and I have helped many with internships, etc.


"Jon and Elissa have asked me to teach a class on and off over the years...but I have been too busy.  Infer what you want from that but I expect to have time after the first of the year.  That's all I can say today.  Not trying to be evasive just honest and respectful my employer and staff.


"As we talked, Jon told me he wanted to try for a 'title and affiliation' that would give me supposed status.  The Dean approved it.  (Buchanan had no hand in it...in fact learned of it from me). I plan to remain active in journalism and industry organizations.  Perhaps that title works to heighten UC J's exposure. I'm a bit humbled.


"While I concur my years at The Enquirer have had ups and downs in these changing times...the title recognizes my work over 35 years as an editor and previous teaching experience at the University of South Dakota, Arizona State and Michigan State. I also have a M.S. from the Rochester Institute of Technology. That would be on a resume on file with UC. All the best Bill ... It would be an honor to have you to speak to a class down the line."]

[UPDATE 4: 4:12 pm -- Here's what's up on the UC website:  

Tom Callinan
McMicken Professor of Journalism
English - Adjunct Faculty
22 McMicken Hall
513-556-5924
thomas.callinan@uc.edu

Professional Summary

Tom Callinan joins the University of Cincinnati in the Winter Quarter 2011 as McMicken Professor of Journalism.

Since 2002, Callinan was Editor of Vice President/Content of Enquirer Media, which includes the daily Enquirer, 27 community weeklies and Cincinnati.com and its more than 230 web sites and social media initiatives.

A Minnesota native, Callinan worked as a reporter and editor at newspapers in Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Michigan, Florida, New York, and USA Today in Washington, D.C. Before coming to Cincinnati he was Editor of The Arizona Republic in Phoenix, where he worked with partner Gannett TV station KPNX-12 on one of the nation's first and largest convergence initiatives with Azcentral.com. His journalism awards include two Willam Allen White awards for editorial writing and a Society of News Design medal. He has twice been a Pulitzer prize judge at Columbia University.
Callinan holds an M.S. degree at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where his master's thesis focused on management and new media.

His previous teaching experience has been as an adjunct instructor at Arizona State University's Cronkite School of Journalism, Michigan State University, the University of South Dakota and the University of California at Berkeley's Summer Program for Minority Journalists.

Hamilton County Judge Nadine Allen Victim of Cincinnati Newspaper Smear: Enquirer Info About Bail Bond Ruling In Dispute

 Newspaper Blames Dem For GOP Scandal

 [UPDATE: Full text of Jugde Nadine Allen's letter to Enquirer Editor Tom Callinan that demands a retraction.  See below.]
CINCINNATI (TDB) -- A Cincinnati Enquirer story Nov. 15 about the unfolding bail bond scandal in the Hamilton County Clerk of Court's Office tries to shift blame for the $2.1 million mess from GOP officials to a Democratic Common Pleas Court judge.  But the newspaper's reporting doesn't appear to stand up when measured against public records easily available in online court filings.  In other words, the Enquirer swallowed hook, line and sinker a Republican contrived effort to discredit Judge Nadine Allen.  The GOP spin looks to have made the Gannet Co. Inc. newspaper so dizzy it fell down on the job.  Judge Nadine Allen intends to hold a press conference today -- which is an unusual move for a judge -- to point out gaping holes in the Cincinnati Enquirer's story.   Here's what The Daily Bellwether has gleaned so far:

The Sunday story by Reporter Kimball Perry said $2.1 million in forfeited bail bonds has been uncollected by the clerk's office.  It said Hamilton County is going to have to refund $105,000 to a bailbonding company because Judge Nadine Allen set aside a forfeiture last month.  The story said the county doesn't have money available to pay back the bonding company.  The story -- and this is really the guts of the slam against Nadine Allen -- reported the $105,000 forfeiture had been distributed to police and prosecutors.  Truth is, that never happened.  Court records show the county had a lien against the bonding firm and the criminal defendant who jumped bail.  The lien represented an unpaid debt that had been on the books for three years.  If the county had distributed the money, there would not be a lien because legal procedure requires the lien to be cancelled when a debt is paid off.  It would be massive incompetence for the clerk's office to maintain liens against people who had cleared their debts.

Here's the Enquirer version with the disputed statements in bold face:

"In 2006, Ismial Salaam was arrested and jailed on drug charges.  A judge set bond at $105,0000.  A bond agent posted that bond.  Salaam was released and told to show up in court.  Instead, he ran.  A judge ordered the $105,000 forfeited on June 12, 2007.  That money was given to the prosecutors and the police department that arrested Salaam.

"Salaam then was arrested in June 2009.  When he was brought to court, his bond agent asked for the return of the $105,000 bond.  Common Pleas Court Judge Nadine Allen agreed on Oct. 6 and ordered the money returned to the bond agent.  'The money's spent,' [Assistant Prosecutor Mike] Florez said.  'I don't know how you're going to get it back.'"

Lien For Bail Bond

However, there is nothing to show the money has been spent.  In fact, the records indicate it was never collected.   You can look at the lien that was pending for three years.  Additionally, The Daily Bellwether has a Nov. 19, 2009 computer printout prepared by the Clerk of Court's office that lists uncollected bail bond liens.  The $105,000 is shown as an open debt.  That means the money wasn't given to the police and prosectuors as the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.  And it means that the Cincinnati Enquirer --  for some reason -- wrongly tried to make Judge Nadine Allen a player in the scandal.

[UPDATE: 2:43 pm -- Judge Nadine Allen has just finished her press conference.  She is demanding a retraction and public apology from the Cincinnati Enquirer.  The lawyer for the bail bonding company, Bradley Hoyt, was present and said that no money had been distributed to the police or prosecutors.  Hoyt said no money had been collected from the bonding company by the clerk of court's office on the forfeited bond, therefore nothing was available to distribute.  Hoyt said he had not been contacted by anyone from the newspaper prior to the story's publication.  He said the portion of the story that referred to Judge Nadine Allen contained inaccurate information.  The judge was drafting a written demand for the retraction.  Her letter was addressed to the Cincinnati Enquirer's editor, Tom Callinan.  In the letter, she says that the newspaper had damaged her reputation as a judge and published information with a "reckless disregard for the truth."   She did not say she was considering legal action, but the wording was stern and could open the doors to a possible defamation claim.]

[UPDATE: 11/16/10, 9:49 AM --  Here's the letter Judge Nadine Allen has sent to Cincinnati Enquirer Editor Tom Callinan that demands a retraction:   

"Tom Callinan

Editor & V.P./Content & Audience Development 

The Enquirer/Cincinnati.Com

312 Elm Street

Cincinnati, OH 45202

"Dear Mr. Callinan,

"I write to you in response to your November 13, 2010 article, “Bond agents owe $2.1M,” reported by Kimball Perry.  I request a public apology and retraction of the clearly false and misleading statements.  The statements have caused damage to my reputation as a Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge. The article contained reckless statements that were made without regard for the truth.

"The article states that, 'A judge ordered the $105,000 bond forfeited on June 12, 2007.'  It goes on to falsely claim, 'That money was given to the prosecutors and the police department that arrested Salaam.'  This claim is false.  No money was ever collected and no money was ever dispersed to the Prosecutor or the police department.

"The article singles me out, stating that, 'Common Pleas Court Judge Nadine Allen [...] ordered the money returned to the bond agent.'   Again, this statement is false.  No money was ever collected and no money was ordered to be returned to the bond agent.

"A simple review of the court records would have revealed that:

·        No cash was deposited with the Clerk of Court by the bond agent, the bond agent’s insurance company, or the defendant;

·        No cash or funds were disbursed to the Prosecutor’s office or the police;

·        Dale Bernhard of the Hamilton County Prosecutors office stated, on the record before Judge Allen, that none of the forfeited bonds had been collected or disbursed.

"The Enquirer’s decision to single out me while not mentioning the other judges that have relieved a bond looks like an effort to smear my good reputation.  Additional research would show that since 2009 at least three other Hamilton County Common Please Judges have relieved this same bond agent and insurance company of bond forfeiture judgments.  I am willing to provide you the name of the other Judges, if you're interested.

"I eagerly await the retraction and a public apology.

"Judge Nadine Allen

"Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas"

So far, there does not appear to be any word from the newspaper about what action, if any, it will take.  I have asked the judge to keep me posted.  Stay tuned.]

Surprise!!! Lawyer Who Pushed 'Major Expansion' Of Colerain Township Garbage Dump Wants To Put Law Partner Pat Fischer In Judgeship

Landill Expansion Among Career Highlights

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Cincinnati Enquirer ran lawyer Joseph Trauth's letter-to-the-editor today without mentioning that the judicial candidate he backs is his partner at Keating Muething & Klekamp, a downtown Cincinnati law firm.  It's a significant omission.  Trauth has a reputation as a hired gun for major corporations.  Trauth favors his partner, Pat Fischer, over Democratic Judge William L. Mallory in the race for a seat on Ohio's 1st District Court of Appeals.  Cincinnati Magazine in October 2008 reported that, "Trauth specializes in land use battles, generally squaring off against citizens and local governments."  Here are a couple of Trauth's legal accomplishments as taken from the official bio posted on the law firm's website:

"Obtained regulatory approval for the Star 64 1,000 foot TV/radio tower in the City of Cincinnati at the top of Winton Road near North Bend Road."

"Handled cases for Rumpke Landfill, Inc. involving the rezoning for a major expansion of the Colerain Township, Hamilton County, Ohio Rumpke landfill, expanding their landfill area by 65 acres and creating a planned light industrial district of 73 acres."

The Enquirer has been criticized before for wearing blinders about Trauth. NewsAche, a defunct blog that was authored by an Enquirer insider had this to say in Feb. 2008:

"Read Cliff Radel's near-blow job today about Joe Trauth, a lawyer who specializes in representing big corporations in real estate and zoning fights. He's represented home builders, shopping center developers, Wal-Mart and Rumpke. Radel did manage to quote one attorney who's faced Trauth in some of these cases, but this story is a largely uncritical, unskeptical look at a corporate hired gun. No attempt is made to look at the outcomes of the cases Trauth has won. Have they been good for the community? Trauth is never asked if he feels like a corporate bully, overwhelming lesser-funded groups of homeowners who oppose many of these projects. That would be disrespectful. Radel didn't say what Trauth's hourly rate is, or how Trauth has spent the money he's made representing big companies. (Radel does write that Trauth represents small clients, but names only one and doesn't talk to any. I'll guess that Trauth has many more large clients than small ones.)


"Radel is capable of this kind of reporting, but was he given the time and the direction to pursue something other than what was published? Doubtful. The Enquirer doesn't have the resources or the will to hold someone like Trauth accountable, because that type of journalism takes time and costs money, and Radel probably has other work that needs to be done. Overall, I'm not sure why this story was assigned, why it was published, or why it was on the front page. But this is the kind of uncritical journalism produced by stingy, dying newspapers."

Judge Bill Mallory is my friend and I know first hand that he is fair, hardworking and has a first-rate legal mind. His docket was always up-to-date, cases did not lag and justice did not drag. He is endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police. Mallory has served as a judge in Hamilton County since the mid 1990s.  He is the first African American ever to serve on the Court of Appeals in Hamilton County.  Here's what I had to say back in January: "When I retired from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, he invited me to be his law clerk (a job with the archaic title 'constable') for a time while he served on the Common Pleas bench. He thought it would be enlightening for a journalist to see how things worked from the inside. He was right. But I also got to see him at work -- how he was consistently conscientious and conscious of his responsibility to society, all levels or society. He knew the world wasn't perfect. But he was adamant in his pursuit of justice."

Chad Ochocinco's Feed The Children: Huge U.S. Charity Rocked By Scandal Bigger Than Sex Line Snafu

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- At least 1-800-HELP-FTC wasn't the number to the charity's $1.2 million house in Los Angeles.  Kroger grocery supermarkets in Cincinnati Bengals country are pulling Chad Ochocinco cereal boxes -- the "honey nuts" -- off the shelves because a snafu has the phone number for the sex line printed on the packages.  But there is a much larger scandal engulfing Chad's favorite charity, Feed the Children, which was supposed to benefit from the cereal sales.  Oklahoma-based Feed the Children is embroiled in a bitter court battle with its founder Larry Jones, who was fired last year.   The American Institute of Philanthropy, a charity watchdog organization, calls Feed the Children the nation's "Most Outrageous Charity," because of dirty linen that is emerging through the lawsuits.  Charity Watch has a lot of the background. Here's a tidbit:

"Since Jones was fired from FC, he has gone from being a defender to a critic of the charity. Last summer Jones defended the Oklahoma City based charity's purchase of a $1.2 million house in the Los Angeles area 'to reach out to celebrities' and told the Oklahoman that his daughter 'lived and worked out of the house as intended.' Yet in legal papers filed 1/19/09 against FC, he accused his daughter of 'treating a business residence in California as her personal residence.' In the same lawsuit he criticized other employees who worked for him for many years when he was head of the charity, including accusing FC's chief financial officer, Christy Tharp, of being incompetent even though she had worked for him as FC's CFO since 2002."

None of the turmoil seems to show up on Feed the Children's website, although something might be there that was overlooked by The Daily Bellwether. The Associated Press had a long piece by reporter Sean Murphy about the issues confronting Feed the Children. The AP piece was distributed in mid-September.

In Ochocinco's case, the charity seems to have supplied the wrong phone number, which is odd. It should know its own phone number. Today's Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Feed the Children admitted it made the mistake about the phone number: "A spokesman for the Oklahoma City-based Feed the Children conceded the error appears to be the organization's mistake, one they are working to fix. 'We didn't even know the other number existed,' said spokesman Tony Sellars." Ochocinco apologized but said the boxes were printed in Pittsburgh -- city that is home to the Steelers, the Bengals rivals: "Something isn't right."

Is Cincinnati 'Roadshow' Causing Confusion? Public TV's Antiques Roadshow Has Complained Of Misleading Advertising In Court Action

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The advertisement above appears on the front page of today's Cincinnati Enquirer. It is hawking this week's Roadshow, which opened downtown Monday at the Duke Energy Convention Center. But the event has no connection to the popular public television series Antiques Roadshow, which is produced by the WGBH Educational Foundation in Boston. That Roadshow -- which has complained it is being victimized by a fake -- isn't scheduled to be on the road this year until June 12, when it does its first event in San Diego. The owner of the public TV show, WGBH, contends in a federal court lawsuit filed last month in Springfield, Ill., that its good name has been sullied by an impostor. It is seeking a permanent injunction for trademark infringement, false and misleading advertising, and unfair competition and business practices. The 26-page lawsuit, filed Feb. 23, 2010, says consumers are being confused:

"This action arises out of and is based on Defendants attempt to usurp the good will of an knowingly trade on WGBH's famous and hugely successful Antiques Roadshow television program and its ARS Marks and treasure chest logo. Defendants' use of the names TREASURE CHEST HUNTERS ROADSHOW and ROADSHOW to refer to themselves.,their appraisal events and their online and television programming and their use of a treasure chest is without WGBH's authorization, and is done with the knowledge that such use is in violation of WGBH's rights. Such activity is designed to deceive and has deceived consumers into believing Defendants are associated with Plaintiff to generate interest in their own services and events . . .

"Defendants misappropriation of Plaintiff's ROADSHOW mark and the treasure chest device has had the intended effect of confusing consumers. Plaintiff has received numerous letters and e-mails asking whether Defendants' events are connected to Antiques Roadshow. Consumers who see the advertisement placed by Defendants have contacted WGBH to ask whether in fact Antiques Roadshow is coming to the advertised cities, asking how to obtain tickets and asking about what can be brought to the appraisal events."

While the Cincinnati Enquirer has not yet seemed to notice there is a legal dispute under way, the Springfield State Journal-Register in Illinois has covered the flap in-depth. It notes that the treasure hunters say they won a ruling in 1999 that the Roadshow name is not solely WGBH's. The company's president defended its business practices. A full-text version of the lawsuit filed by the Antiques Roadshow is available here (pdf).

Cincinnati Enquirer Editor Declares War On Content Parasites: 'We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore'

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Of course, he seems to have swiped the line from a movie script. The editor of Ohio's third largest newspaper said in a Sunday column that the Gannett Co. Inc. property is using technology "that scours the media landscape for illegal use of our content." Cease and desist commmunications reportedly have been sent to blogs, radio stations and Websites. Yet none were identified -- which means the Enquirer is sitting on a huge story framed against the Internet, the free flow of information and intellectual property rights. Editor Tom Callinan also borrowed -- without crediting the source -- the "mad as hell" line from the 1976 film Network, a movie that won an Oscar for Peter Finch. In Callinan's appropriation of the line, he altered it only slightly by adding "we" in place of the screenplay's "I'm." Perhaps a studio in Hollywood is scouring, too. Meanwhile, there is little known about the Gannett-owned newspaper's threatened legal actions against the unnamed pirates alleged to have taken its content without permission:

"We're no longer willing to idly watch our good efforts stolen . . . In recent weeks, we have sent warnings to several blogs, Web sites and radio stations. We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore."

But what of others who may have had their material recycled in the Enquirer? For example, the Sunday sports section -- the same edition of the paper in which Callinan's declaration of war appears -- contains a quote from Cleveland Browns President Mike Holmgren. The quote dates back to late February when it originally appeared in other newspapers and Websites. Holmgren's remark is about Tim Tebow, the University of Florida star who is hoping to become a high draft pick in the NFL's quarterback selection process. Holmgren wondered about Tebow's delivery, his throwing style. Here's the Cleveland Browns president's quote from the March 7 Enquirer sports section: "It's always been my opinion that that's the most difficult thing to change in any quarterback. I've read he's got a number of guys coaching him up on that and he's trying to change it, but it's really hard to do, I think. Particularly in pressure situations."

But that quote didn't originate in the March 7, 2010 Enquirer. It is all over the Internet. The Akron Beacon Journal's Maria Ridenour used a truncated version of Holmgren's remark on Feb. 27, which is 10 days before it showed up in the Enquirer. The quote was on the Feb. 26 version of the Seattle Seahawks team Website. Actually, there are some 836 references to the quote that turn up in a Google search. None of this is to suggest that the Enquirer stole the quote. It is meant to suggest that Holmgren's remark was widely circulated, and even appeared under copyright as content in several news and Web sites before finding its way into the Sunday Cincinnati Enquirer. It was neither fresh nor new in the universe of sporting news. The Houston Chronicle -- which claims a February 26 copyright on the Holmgren comment -- would look silly sending a cease and desist letter to Cincinnati.

[UPDATE: 6:16 pm: Tom Callinan and I have now exchanged e-mails. I won't publish the verbatim version of his reply. My e-mail can be seen below. But it appears he is informing me that he does not consider the content parasites to be a significant problem for the newspaper after all. His private communication seems to run totally counter to what his column said today. He noted that radio stations aren't really problematical. He would not name any violators. The radio stations don't have much of a news staff in this economic climate. He said he would not out any of the blogs or people that the Enquirer has a problem with because the problem often goes away without much head butting. He said the Enquirer uses a program called Attributor to track down possible offenders. Here is what I wrote to the Enquirer's editor: "I found your column quite interesting and have posted about it on The Daily Bellwether. I wonder if you would be willing to identify those who have gotten warnings for stealing content. That is huge news. You have covered similar disputes in the paper between record companies and downloaders. There does not seem to be any reason why this issue should not be aired in the Enquirer's pages, or online. I would be willing to publish the letters if you would give them to the Daily Bellwether. That would be strange, obviously, because the Enquirer is in the middle of the story. You have publicly said thievery is taking place, but you haven't said who the thieves are. You have tarred a lot of competing media -- blogs, radio stations, Websites. Anyhow, thanks for your time. I think you have raised an important issue. I think you should disclose more and be more transparent." ]

[UPDATE 2 - 3/8/2010 9:44 am: The Cincinnati Beacon reacts to Callinan's column. It notes that there is plenty of derivative work floating around the journalistic sphere in Cincinnati, and that the Enquirer might be doing some poaching of its own from blogs and other outlets. From the Beacon: "So, Mr. Callinan, let’s tone down the rhetoric a bit. People shouldn’t steal your stuff, but before you talk about parasites and your hard work, let’s take a bit of a reality check, okay?"]

[UPDATE 3 - 3/9/2010 5:52 pm: Larry Gross weighs in today and points out Gannett's local version of Metromix tried a pickpocket job on Cincinnati's alt/weekly CityBeat earlier this year. Talk about content parasites. It was a raid of the corporate kind; something that could have been dreamed up by Wall Street banksters. CityBeat has been running an annual Best of Cincinnati contest for years. Metromix tried to horn with its own best of. CityBeat raised cane and got the best of Metromix, which slunk away from its copycatting.]

[UPDATE 4 - 3/10/2010 9:52 am: CityBeat's Kevin Osborne shows that the Enquirer is selling ads and making a profit from an advertiser accused of wrongfully appropriating material from the PBS series called Antiques Roadshow. The Enquirer's conduct, the Cincinnati CityBeat writer contends, puts Editor Tom Callinan's claim of victimization from "content parasites" on thin ground. In other words, the Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper is raking in money from someone that WGBH in Boston is suing in federal court for alleged trademark violations.]

Cincinnati Skirts Stink Embroiling Toledo: Procter and Gamble Puts Up $50K For Proper Spot For City Dogs To Poop

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Ohio is a state with split personalities and deep regional differences. Here's proof: Toledo-area residents can't get their act together over how to handle dog crap. Maybe that's why the NW Ohio city is America's 15th most miserable community, according to Forbes Magazine. Toledo produced this memorable line: "Who the hell wants a bunch of dead grass where dogs poop on in their park?". Meanwhile, P&G's pet care division says it is giving a $50,000 grant to Cincinnati's downtown council for a dog park that will cover nearly a half-acre. SW Ohio's urban hounds will get to romp off their leashes. And poop within sight of downtown's skyline. Lisa Renee's Toledo-based blog Glass City Jungle has been red hot in cyber space (I was going to say flush with readers) about that city's dog poop flap. Here's a quote from a local parks official:

“Once this dog park is in use, the area will become brown. The beautiful grass will deteriorate,” Diane Shankland, President of the Ottawa-Jermain Parks Advisory Board said. “It was kind of shoved down our throat as a board, we weren’t advised at all and all of a sudden we find in the paper the fence is going up March.”

In Cincinnati, the dog park is going onto a slice of urban space that is mostly owned by the Ohio Department of Transportation. Some of the P&G grant money will be used for fencing and screens. The Cincinnati Enquirer's Carrie Whitaker did some excellent reporting about the downtown dog park today.

Former Enquirer Publisher Bill Keating Feuds With Financial Advisor: Claims $2.5 Million Loss On Gannett Stock

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- So far, this peek into the lives of the rich and famous, about wealth and how it is managed in Cincinnati, hasn't seemed to make many ripples here in the city where it is unfolding. Bill Keating, a former GOP congressman from Ohio who ran Gannett's newspaper operations in Cincinnati and Detroit, contends his $20 million investment portfolio was mismanaged. He wanted his newspaper stocks dumped, and dumped quickly. His lawyers claim Keating and his wife, Nancy, took a $6 million hit on holdings in Gannett (43,558 shares) and Fifth Third Bank (225,000 shares) that Keating ordered aggressively liquidated. Keating says his orders were not followed. Keating says in an affidavit filed with his lawsuit in Hamilton County that his instructions were given before the economy slipped into recession and the share prices sank to historic lows. Both the bank and the newspaper chain have been beaten up on Wall Street -- Fifth Third for lackluster management and Gannett for the erosion of print publishing in the face of online challenges. Keating had been an insider at both corporations. He served on Cincinnati-based Fifth Third's board for much of the 1980s and 1990s. At Gannett -- the nation's largest newspaper publisher -- he ran the Cincinnati Enquirer, was president of the company Central Newspaper Group, was v.p and general counsel of Gannett Co. Inc., and ran the Detroit Newspaper Agency which published the News and Free Press. He was chairman of the Associated Press from 1987-1992. His brother, Charles, was the poster boy of the S&L scandal in the early 1990s.

In his Jan. 6, 2010 affidavit, Keating said: "Both before and after investment accounts were opened with SWRW LLC, I and members of my family made clear on numerous instances our instructions to William T. Sena Sr. and William T. Sena Jr., to immediately liquidate the Fifth Third and Gannett holdings and reinvest the process so as to create a well diversified investment portfolio."

The Sena's see things differently. They have submitted several memos (see an example above) that were sent to Keating about efforts to manage the $20 million account. The financial advisors said their strategy was to unwind the portfolio piecemeal. The Sena's lawyer, Charles Reynolds, said during a Hamilton County Common Pleas court hearing last month that Keating gave no direct order to liquidate the shares:

"There are no documents which say sell Fifth Third. There are no e-mails that say sell Fifth Third or Gannett. There is nothing in writing that exists that says sell Fifth Third. All we have is the oral representations supposedly in place to sell Fifth Third. It is a 20-month relationship. Each month the Keatings got account statements. Several times a week, there are phone calls. Interspersed with that is written communications from Bill Sena describing what the account is doing."

Reynolds also noted during the hearing that Bill and Nancy Keating could have sold their stocks at any time on their own:

"Mr. and Mrs. Keating were the trustees at all times in question and they could have at any point before or after June 2007, diversified their portfolio. In fact, it would have been a simple matter to buy an S&P 500 fund and achieve complete diversification without the need to buy individual stocks. They elected not to do that. They elected to come to Sena, Weller, Rohs, Williams and Mr. Sena Sr., in particular, to use his investment expertise to make those stocks decisions, including the buy and selling of Fifth Third stock."

The lawsuit is pending under the caption Charles Miller, Trustee et al v. Sena Weller Rohs Williams LLC et al, Case No. A0911952. It is assigned to Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Jerome J. Metz, who has scheduled a case management conference and hearing for Feb. 17 in his Cincinnati courtroom. The docket is available on the clerk of court's website.

Toyota Story In Cincinnati Enquirer's Backyard: Newspaper Sleeps While Americans Have Died

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Toyota is catching hell for its faulty gas pedals and the company is reeling. Yet the Cincinnati Enquirer appears to be sleeping through the story, even though Toyota's North American manufacturing headquarters is in the Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper's circulation area. What if this was a Detroit automaker with a problem? Guess here is the Enquirer would be all over the story. The Japanese carmaker's offices in Erlanger, Ky., are about 15 minutes away from the newspaper's offices in downtown Cincinnati. The Toyota factory is in Georgetown, Ky., about an hour's drive from Cincinnati. Yet the Enquirer doesn't seem very interested in devoting resources to cover national news in its backyard. Apparently, it hasn't even assigned a reporter to cover the gas pedal crisis. The Enquirer has broken no stories, nor has it developed any new angles or raised new issues. The newspaper has printed a handful of wire stories, but hasn't jumped full bore into covering the Japanese automaker's woes. The Enquirer -- which is owned by the nation's largest newspaper company -- repeatedly boasts to advertisers and readers it is the dominant news source in the region. But boasts can ring hollow. And perhaps there is a caveat. Maybe the region's largest news gathering organization doesn't want to offend advertisers who sell Toyotas. Maybe it doesn't want to offend a major corporation with a headquarters in Greater Cincinnati. Maybe it lacks enough staff to jump into the story. Or maybe it just doesn't give a damn about a major development occuring in its backyard. Of course, that would mean The Cincinnati Enquirer doesn't want to dig for information. And that would mean the newspaper really doesn't care about the interests of subscribers and readers who own Toyotas and want to know what the heck is happening. And that would mean the Enquirer is in the tank.

Cincinnati Enquirer Follows Blog's Scoop About Iranian Steel Shipment: Gives No Credit To Bellwether

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- On Monday, the Daily Bellwether was first to report that U.S. officials seized 2.5 tons of stainless steel in Cincinnati that was bound for Iran. Today's (Jan. 29, 2010) Cincinnati Enquirer has the story on the front-page of the local section. No mention of where the news first broke five days ago. Still, Reporter Dan Horn did an excellent job of following The Bellwether, and even made efforts to add information to what is known about the Iranian trade embargo violation. The feds, however, would not offer much. The Enquirer report is online. You can get the details:

Cincinnati.Com » Local news
Last Updated: 7:06 am
Wanted: Owner of 2.5 tons of steel

Here's the lead paragraph from the Enquiry story: "Immigration officials are looking for the owner of 2.5 tons of stainless steel that was seized in Cincinnati because it was being shipped to Iran without U.S. government approval."

Right Wing Ex-Enquirer Columnist Peter Bronson: Has New Gig At Cincy Magazine

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Bronson somehow managed to write a nice thing about a Democrat. Still, the rabid rightwinger mostly drones on and on from his one-note political hymnal -- he has claimed the White House keeps a list of "dangerous conservatives." He admits the newspaper threw him overboard last July. Bronson writes he was a casualty of the lousy economy, but neglects to mention the national flap over a faked photo of Sen. Al Franken that preceded his departure by a few days. In his new gig, Bronson produces a bimonthly column for the city magazine that's aimed at the business and professional class, and there is buzz that he soon may be moving into an editor's spot. Bronson's piece in the current issue is available online and he's offered some (surprise!) praise for Cincinnati's Democratic Mayor Mark Mallory, whose anti-crime efforts he sees as paying dividends:

"Still, I am optimistic.After a peaceful time-out from the daily menu of fast-food headlines, I have a much healthier view of the city. Downtown is more dynamic than it’s been in years. It even shows vital signs of a nightlife. Crime is in check because Mayor Mark Mallory came up with the radical plan to let the police do their job. The bulimic growth of local government has been put on a revenue-starvation diet. And, compared to many cities, we have clean government. For all the partisan thumb wrestling, Cincinnati is just too darned well mannered for corruption. So I’d say Cincinnati is a stock with lots of upside growth potential for one big reason: Its human resources."

Cincinnati Enquirer Says Website Gets 2.1 Million Uniques Monthly: Other Surveys Raise ????

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Cincinnati Enquirer is claiming its Cincinnati.com portal is drawing "more than 2.1 million unique users per month." The claim might be a hollow boast and it looks suspiciously inflated. National data released less than a month ago measured the U.S. newspaper industry's most-visited Websites, and that data does not show the Enquirer among the Top 30. If the Enquirer had 2.1 million unique users on a monthly basis, one would expect to see the Gannett Co. Inc. daily holding place No. 20 in the national rankings. Its online audience would have been larger than that measured for the Seattle Times, which has 1.915 million unique users, a 6% increase over 2007. But the list (see link above) does not show the Enquirer ahead of the Seattle Times -- the Enquirer doesn't even show up among the top 30. The Enquirer's claim would make it the most-visited online holding among Gannett's newspapers after USA Today, which is shown with 10,785,000 unique users monthly, No. 2 after the New York Times.

Where did the Enquirer's claim of such a huge online audience originate? In a house ad. In today's print edition classified advertising section on page C-7, the Cincinnati morning daily is running a help-wanted ad for an account executive to sell online advertising. The ad states:

"Would you like to become part of a dynamic organization. Cincinnati.Com is the region's most-visited an informative local website with more than 2.1 million unique users per month. In addition, it received the industry's highest national journalism accolades for content, including the Eppy, the Digital Edge, the James K. Batten Award and more . . ."

Those "highest national journalism accolades" don't include a Pulitzer Prize -- normally considered the the industry's highest award, nor a Polk, a Society of Professional Journalists or a National Headliner. Another boast by the Enquirer? Other data about newspaper online audiences is
available here, but it is from 2007.

Cincinnati Enquirer Censorship? Newspaper Rejects Dem Response To Republican Jean Schmidt's Column

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Caleb Faux, executive director of the Hamilton County Democratic Party and chair of the Cincinnati Planning Commission, asked the Cincinnati Enquirer for equal time to reply to U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt. Faux says the newspaper rejected his request for space to face off against Schmidt over her claim that the Chinese are drilling for oil off the coast of Florida. From Faux, the Democratic submission the Cincinnati Enquirer has refused to publish:

"My response below, which they decided they weren't interested in

_________

"In today's Guest Column, Congress Member Jean Schmidt blasts the Enquirer for calling her to task about a false statement on the floor of Congress. She laments that the Enquirer "has lost sight of the larger picture." Yet ironically, it is that larger picture that Jean Schmidt is being least forthright about.

"Schmidt falsely claimed on the floor of Congress that the Chinese are drilling for oil in waters 60 miles off the Florida Coast. When challenged she claims, again falsely, that other members of Congress including Democrats said the same thing. She then tries to change the subject to the high price of gas and her proposed solution, drilling in coastal waters.

"Schmidt, like her other GOP colleagues including John Boehner and Steve Chabot, are trying mightily to blame high gas prices on environmentalists and Democrats. This effort is little more than a shell game designed to divert attention from the real story, which is that more than anything it is Schmidt's beloved free market, supply and demand, that is driving gas prices higher.

"We may well end up drilling in coastal waters due to efforts like hers. But what she ignores is that any oil produced that way will not reach the market for at least 10 years and when it does, it will be in such small quantities that it will have little influence on price. It won't solve the problem.

"To those who've paid attention to energy policy, none of this is much of a surprise. We've known this was coming for at least 30 years, since the oil crises of the 70's. But during that same time it has been Schmidt and Republicans in Congress and elsewhere who've stood stubbornly in the way of preparing for it. They've blocked attempts to increase mileage standards for vehicles. They've blocked attempts to fund public transit. They've blocked efforts to develop alternative energy sources. They've blocked efforts to slow or reduce the urban sprawl that results in vastly increased oil consumption. Their solution has been consistent; more of the same, continued reliance on oil.

"Jean Schmidt's column is ample demonstration of why we need to replace her in Congress, why Vic Wulsin and Steve Driehaus should be elected and Jean Schmidt and Steve Chabot should come home. Energy policy and high gas prices are serious business, the cure is going to be slow and painful, more painful now because due to people like Jean Schmidt, John Boehner and Steve Chabot we've waited far too long to begin the change.

"Caleb Faux
Executive Director
Hamilton County Democratic Party
6109 Webbland Place
Cincinnati, OH 45213-1405
513.421.0495"

OH-02 GOP Jean Schmidt: Cincinnati Enquirer's Online Edition Seems To Have Scrubbed Her June 21 Column

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Was there something the newspaper found fabricated or deceptive? Republican U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt's guest column appeared in Saturday's print edition of Ohio's third-largest daily newspaper under this headline: "Others also have been wrong about Chinese drilling off shore of U.S." But in the column, Schmidt never said she was wrong. Unfortunately, you cannot read it online today in the Enquirer (but The Daily Bellwether has the full-text below). The Gannett Co Inc.-owned newspaper -- which was criticized by Schmidt for having "lost sight of the larger picture" -- does not have her article posted on the Internet.

The omission from the paper's Opinion section is odd. An editorial appeared the same day in the Opinion section with several reader-authored limericks about the emergence of cicadas in Cincinnati. The editorial remains accessible on the Web, and the editorial and accompanying limericks can easily be found by clicking this link.

Meanwhile, a search Monday afternoon for Schmidt's guest column turned up nothing on Google. Perhaps the Enquirer will eventually post her column. So far, there's been no explanation about why it is unavailable online.

In print, Schmidt was combative. She refused to admit that her statement on the House floor June 5 (captured by YouTUBE) "that the Chinese are drilling off the coast of Florida" is totally false. Both Vice President Dick Cheney and conservative columnist George Will have retracted similar claims. Schmidt did not -- and so all can see the position she has taken -- the The Daily Bellwether is reprinting her June 21 Cincinnati Enquirer guest column. Read on for the complete text of Schmidt's article:

"A recent story that appeared in this newspaper strongly implied that I simply made up a portion of a statement I have on the floor of the U.S. House. On June 5, I stated that the Chinese were drilling for oil in conjunction with the Cuban government. I was not the only one to have made that statement. House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), and the Chairman of the Senate Energy Subcommittee Byron Dorgan (D-N.J.) both made the same assertion. In fact, USA Today, a newspaper owned by the Enquirer's parent company, Gannett, reported Feb. 22, 2007: 'After the Soviet Union collapsed, Cuba opened its oil program to foreign investment in 1993. Today, companies from Spain, Norway, India, Malaysia and China are involved, either drilling wells offshore or using horizontal drilling to reach reservoirs in shallow coastal waters.'

"I am now called into question by one Gannett newspaper for saying what is published in another Gannett paper. By the way, USA Today has not retracted its story.

"According to a report issued by the Congressional Research Service, the Cuban government has signed agreements with oil companies from Spain, India, Norway, Venezuela, Malaysia, Vietnam and China for oil and gas. I am certain that citizens of Ohio's Second Congressional District, as they pay more than $4 a gallon to fill their gas tanks, are breathing a sigh of relief that oil companies from at least seven countries have the right to exploit resources within 60 miles of our borders -- a right that the congressional Democrats will not grant to our own domestic oil producers. And that was the larger point of the statement I made June 5.

"While the leadership of the current Congress dawdles, other countries are acting to increase oil and gas supplies. As we consider legislation to allow the United States to sue OPEC, increase taxes on energy producers, and re-start investigations of price gougers and speculators -- actions that will not lower gas prices by one cent -- other nations get it. In fact, it seems that even communist nations understand the law of supply and demand better than the Democratic congressional leadership. It is truly a shamed that The Enquirer lost sight of the larger picture. There is no way to ease the burden of rising energy prices without finding and taking advantage of, in an environmentally sensitive way, our own domestic resources.

"At the very least, we should be discussing the issue. The Enquirer missed a golden opportunity to further the discussion."

Cincinnati Enquirer Parent Gannett Co. Inc's (GCI) Stock Chart: When Will The Asteroid Strike?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Cincinnati Enquirer has been writing a lot lately about Fifth Third Bank and its problems in a difficult business environment caused by a slow-growth economy. But the Gannett-owned newspaper has been largely silent about the near 50% plunge in its own parent company's stock price over the past year (see table). According to the chart, Gannett has done worse than its peers in the media industry, and worse than the S&P 500. None of that has been widely reported by The Enquirer, a major source of news and information in Ohio -- both online and in print. And the steep reversal in Gannett's value on Wall Street since last June is an indication that the company's business practices and business model are out of step with reality in the 2008 economy -- that it hasn't yet figured out how to compete, grow, or rally when faced with adversity. The Ohioans who depend on the company for news and information and entertainment may find themselves left in the lurch if there are cuts. John Friedman at MarketWatch, a financial news service that operates online and serves the nation's investment community, noted in commentary Thursday that Gannett and the New York Times, another newspaper giant, are both headed down, down, down:

"Meanwhile, Gannett, the publisher of USA Today [along with more than 80 other dailies, including Cincy], said its May ad revenue had dropped 14% from a year ago. Its classified ad figure fell 19% for the month, underscoring the impact of online services."

A link to Friedman's commentary is here, and its speculates the New York Times could become a takeover target as its share price falls. Gannett stock traded for a time at $91 a share in 2004, but was around $24 when the Bellwether checked today around noontime. At that price, the yield on the dividend is near 6.55%, which is better than any bank savings account pays. But how long will it be before the dividend is cut? And how long will it be before Gannett considers selling off its newspaper holdings like the Cincinnati Enquirer?

A Boomlet For Chandra? Cincinnati Enquirer Editor Says He's The Man

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Enquirer's editorial page editor Dave Wells is pointing out his newspaper endorsed Subodh Chandra in the 2006 Democratic primary for Ohio attorney general. Wells says Gov. Ted Strickland should seriously consider appointing Chandra to the office now that Marc Dann is gone and selling dishes over the Internet in Youngstown. Wells says Chandra is smart and competent and ready for the job. He's right. Here's the Enquirer's editorial (pdf) from two years ago. It is worth re-reading. The Enquirer wrote, "Chandra is one of the most impressive statewide candidates Ohio Democrats have produced in years."

Also, Republican Betty Montgomery has issued a statement saying that she is not interested in seeking the office again. Montgomery served as AG from 1995 through 2003. She was state auditor for four years, then tried to reclaim the office in 2006 and was upset by Marc Dann. Matt Hurley at Weapons of Mass Discussion found Montgomery's statement on the Enquirer's website in a story about Dann's resignation.

Cincinnati Enquirer's Mother's Day Column: Rips Feminists, But Doesn't Note That Feminist Started Mother's Day

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Your Voice column in today's Mother's Day edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer is a slam at the feminist movement and appears under the print version headline: "Ideals of feminism run counter to the values of Mother's Day." But it doesn't say that the holiday is largely the invention of a feminist named Julia Ward Howe, who issued the proclamation for a Mother's Day of Peace in 1870. She was an anti-war activist, an abolitionist and campaigned for women's rights in an era when the idea of gender equality was widely considered extreme or radical. You can read the 138-year-old proclamation here. Julia Ward Howe was from Boston, and wrote the Battle Hymn of the Republic. She remains an icon of both the feminist and anti-war movements to this day. While we are still cursed with war and battlefields, there is no doubt the author of the Enquirer column is a beneficiary of Howe's efforts to raise the status of women in American society.

Still, the Enquirer column declares that feminists hate both motherhood and Mother's Day. It dwells mostly on birth control and abortion:

"In America, the ability to prevent pregnancy has overwhelmed society, so much that women who choose to have two children become stigmatized and outcast as religious fanatics. Women who chose to have children in their 20s are deemed unmotivated and intellectually worthless."

And feminists get the blame:

"A high standard of mothering was not created arbitrarily as feminists think. It was created out of experiencing that kind of motherhood. It's the discouragement of feminists that encourages women to detest something that truly makes women special -- the ability to nurture and carry human life within us. Feminists then must hate Mother's Day."

But Julia Ward Howe, who issued her proclamation at a time when women were still nearly a half-century away from the right to vote, clearly recognized that women nurture and carry human life. That message was at the heart of her declaration:

"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,

Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,

For caresses and applause.

Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn

All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.

We, the women of one country,

Will be too tender to those of another country

To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

Cincinnati Enquirer's Marc Dann Coverage: No News Of The AG Scandal Has Appeared In Its Pages

[UPDATED TUESDAY 4/15, 7:00 AM -- A story appeared in this morning's print edition on page B-2 of the metro section. It broke a week long black out, and was mostly an AP report about developments over the weekend in Columbus. It contained two quotes from Cincinnati-area lawmakers, State Sen. Eric Kearney and State Rep. Steve Driehaus, both Democrats like Attorney General Marc Dann. Apparently, no Republicans were available for comment, or the newspaper did not contact any members of the opposition party. Kearney said of Dann: "He's a little provocative, but in a good way. It sounds like somebody did something they really shouldn't have done." Driehaus, who is running for the OH-01 congressional seat, was quoted saying: "Any of us who are accused of wrongdoing, or any of our staff that are accused of wrongdoing, it is incumbent upon all of us as elected officials to cooperate in the investigation, and I would expect the attorney general to do that." That's the latest from Cincinnati's morning metro daily about sexual harassment allegations in the attorney general's office, allegations that are rattling state government.]

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Cincinnati Enquirer, Ohio's third-largest newspaper, has not yet published or produced a news story in its print edition (as this search shows) about the sexual harassment scandal now enveloping Democratic Ohio Atty. Gen. Marc Dann. The paper did print an editorial Saturday that calls for a special counsel on the case. But with what seems to be a news blackout in its printed pages, Enquirer customers might wonder: Why an opinion piece about something you have not told us anything about? If this isn't newsworthy, why bother with an editorial?

Meanwhile, Ohio's other major metropolitan dailies -- from Cleveland to Columbus, from Toledo to Dayton -- have been filled with stories all week. Here's a sample from the Akron Beacon Journal, the Columbus Dispatch, The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, and the Dayton Daily News.

Cincinnati.com, the online version of the Enquirer, linked to some Dann news earlier this week in the Politics Extra political blog. But the material came from other newspapers around the state and was not produced by the Enquirer's staff. Some comments on the blog were critical, and one anonymous commenter noted:

"Isn't it embarrassing to the Enquirer that they have to link to other state newspapers so their readers can know what is happening with the state Attorney General's office? Seriously, I would like an answer to be posted from Enquirer management as to why they are failing on their watchdog role?"

Another wrote: "It appears the Enquirer is attempting to join Dann's cover up of pajamagate, or more accurately, the uncovering of it. Yo poor people in Cincinnati --this paper really keeps you in the dark. But at least you know how the Reds are doing."

And: "What is wrong with the Enquirer? I have to go to the Internet and read other Ohio paper just to know what is going on in this state. I wish someone could sue them for false-advertising for their failure to deliver the news."

Those comments appeared on the newspaper's own political blog -- so it is not censoring critics. But the comments show there is dissatisfaction with the Gannett Co. Inc. daily's extreme lack of news coverage about a major political scandal in Columbus. It may be that the newspaper is so thinly staffed it just doesn't have enough reporters to cover the Dann story. If that is the case, Gannett's budget cutting seems to have pared not just fat, but even the muscle that undergirds any meaty news coverage. Still, budget cuts cannot be entirely behind the Marc Dann news blackout in Ohio's third largest paper, the paper that serves the state's most populous metropolitan area. There are AP wire stories available for publication, along with copy from a story-exchange program set up last month with Ohio's other large dailies. None of that has made it into the Enquirer's pages.

Cincinnati Enquirer Page 1 Headline: 'Christ Defends Practices'

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Wow, the messiah is speaking to a newspaper in Ohio. Muhammad, Krishna or Buddha up next to defend their practices? What is Christ defending? His custom of consigning sinners to hell? Wine with his meals? Turns out it is medical practices, healing the sick. Here's the headline just as it appeared:

"Christ defends practices
Says feds are overreaching; suit could cripple hospital"

And here's the online version from Cincinnati.com

No. 2 Administrator At U.S EPA Responds To Blogger: If You Want To Call Me A 'Weasel' Go Ahead

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- U.S. EPA Deputy Director Marcus Peacock says he's been encouraging other federal officials to start blogging. So far, not much luck. They are nervous about the rough-and-tumble of the 'net. Peacock says he's been called names and doesn't mind. He'll be blogging away despite the insults.

On his EPA blog, Peacock writes:

"I'm trying to get other federal officials to blog. One official fretted about being called names. They noted that another blogger had called me a 'weasel.' Big deal. Every senior EPA appointee since 1970 has taken all kinds of criticism from all corners. It's understandable. EPA's work touches deeply held convictions regarding everything from property rights to the morality of contaminating nature."

Contrast Peacock's view to that of Kentucky State Rep. Tim Couch, who has filed a bill to ban anonymous comments on blogs. Couch doesn't like the unrestrained nature of the Internet. And contrast Peacock's view to that of Cincinnati Enquirer editorial page editor David Wells, who calls those who post anonymously on blogs "cowardly blowhards." Wells says he hates -- yes, he used the word hate -- both the commenters and Couch's attempt to curb them:

"But they have an absolute First Amendment right to be cowardly blowhards if that's how they prefer to communicate with the rest of the world. Couch's objection to anonymous postings is that they often are nasty. He said he's been the subject of anonymous online nastiness himself. That's rude, but it's no reason to rewrite the First Amendment."

Peacock, at the EPA, seems to have a better handle on the debate over Internet comments. He says live with the warped views. And he added a poem:

Never tease a weasel
Not even once or twice
The weasel will not like it
And teasing isn't nice