June 2008 by Bill Babcock

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’s

by C.D. Stelzer

‘60s corruption story suppressed

Now revealed:

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June 2008 Vol 38 Number 306 $4.00 Profile of Sylvester Brown (pg.12)

How Globe-Democrat reporters Delugach and Walsh o ut f l a n ke d t h e i r b o s s a n d wo n a P ul i t z e r

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June 2008 Volume 38 Number 306

FEATURES Editor Roy Malone

No Hall of Fame for them Al Delugach & Denny Walsh won the Pulitzer in 1969. Their reward was a one-way ticket out of town By C.D. Stelzer

Media Halls of Fame to honor Sweets, others By C.D. Stelzer

St. Louis Media Halls of Fame 2006–2008 inductees

Editor/Publisher Emeritus Charles L. Klotzer Illustrator Steve Edwards Designer Frank Roth Radio History Frank Absher

Sylvester Brown: Pardon his edge By Joe Pollack

Ad/PR Rick Stoff

Tyndall Report on television coverage

Sports/Media Joe Pollack

Covering Iraq: Much more dangerous By Terry Ganey

Commentary: Analysis of candidates uneven— What passes for reporing By Don Miller

Elaine Viets: Murders she wrote By Eileen Duggan

Confessions of a political analyst By Daniel Hellinger

A visit to review press freedom in Cuba— Cuban journalists admit to some self-censorship By Peter Phillips

AM/FM Joe Sonderman

Media/Politics Terry Jones Assistant General Manager/Online Editor Tammy Merrett Board of Editorial Advisers Frank Absher Roy Malone Lisa Bedian Tammy Merrett Ed Bishop Avis Meyer David Cohen Michael Murray Don Corrigan Steve Perron Eileen Duggan Joe Pollack David P. Garino Lou Rose Ted Gest Joe Sonderman William Greenblatt Michael D. Sorkin Daniel Hellinger Jim Kirchherr Lynn Venhaus Board of Directors Robert A. Cohn Michael E. Kahn Don Corrigan Charles L. Klotzer John P. Dubinsky Gerald Early David P. Garino Ray Hartmann Paul Schoomer Dr. Moisy Shopper Alberta Slavin Ken Solomon The St. Louis Journalism Review 8380 Olive Blvd St. Louis, Mo. 63132 Phone: (314) 991-1699 • Fax: (314) 997-1898 e-mail: sjreview@sbcglobal.net

COLUMNS 4

Off the Record - Institutional memory lapse - Cable seeking political ads - Post: ‘Please unsubscribe’ - Unfortunate contrast - Times have changed

The shortcomings of online publishing/ Charles L. Klotzer

Politics & Media ‘Bradley Effect’ gone, but race still matters / Terry Jones

Sports & Media Meanwhile a horse was dying / Joe Pollack

Ad/PR Illogical arguments can be persuasive / Rick Stoff

AM/FM Satellite radio is the future / Joe Sonderman

Radio History KXOK romped in Radio Park / Frank Absher

Sources Say - Wente fired at KWMU - Post upgrades Web site - Beacon up and running

Media Notes

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SJR The St. Louis Journalism Review (ISSN: 0036-2972) is published monthly, except bi-monthly in December/January and July/August, by The St. Louis Journalism Review Inc., a non-profit corporation. Subscription rates: $25 (one year), $44 (two years) $62 (three years), $80 (four year), $98 (five years),. Foreign subscriptions higher depending upon country. Periodical postage paid at Washington, Missouri and additional mailing offices. Please enclose stamped, self-addressed envelope with manuscript. Copyright © 2008 by The St. Louis Journalism Review. No portion of this journal may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. Indexed in the Alternative Press Index. Allow one month for address changes. Postmaster: Send address changes to The St. Louis Journalism Review 8380 Olive Blvd. St. Louis, Mo. 63132. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 73-85160

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commentary

off the record Institutional memory lapse wo former St. Louisans who had achieved national recognition died recently. If you relied on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for all your information, you would have no idea they had St. Louis ties. In fact, you wouldn’t even know one of them had died. The former Lynne Cooper grew up in St. Louis and attended Washington University. While a student there, she took a job at a new radio station in town, KXOK. It was there she met a young newsman, whom she eventually married. They moved around, settling in Chicago, where

Correction

illiam Freivogel was incorrectly identified in the May issue of SJR as a past St. Louis Post-Dispatch Washington bureau chief. A retiree of the Post, Freivogel had worked at the Washington bureau. He retired as deputy editorial page editor and is now director of the school of journalism at Southern Illinois University–Carbondale.

she worked to create a huge broadcasting empire for her husband, which they named after him, “Paul Harvey News.” The Harveys owned property near Kimmswick in Jefferson County, where they often went to escape the stresses of the big city. They had a broadcast studio on the premises so Paul could continue his daily broad-

casts while they were visiting their “farm.” Lynne “Angel” Harvey, who never forgot her St. Louis roots, died in Chicago on May 3. Our local paper didn’t run the story. The Post did run an obit May 9, about a famed country singer who had died the day before, but the continued on next page

SJREVIEW.ORG The new site is active, but parts are still under construction At sjreview.org, e-mail your subscription account number or name and address to get an archives password Site created by Richard Gavatin of IMS, Inc.

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off the record (continued from previous page) paper took the easy way out and printed the Associated Press story of his passing without doing any additional research. Local readers would have had to pick up The New York Times to learn that Eddy Arnold had worked at a couple of radio stations in St. Louis. In the late 1930s he was heard on both KWK and KXOK. Frank Absher

Cable seeking political ads harter Cable in St. Louis is being much more aggressive this year about seeking campaign advertising, especially for down-ticket races. It has a full-time political sales manager who is touting cable’s overall audience share (more than 50 percent), its ability to target by area (e.g., West St. Louis County) and its flexibility to concentrate on specific channels (e.g., Fox News for Republican primary contests). Many candidates were offered the ability to tape a professional ad in March, with the spots now available at www.youtube.com/CharterMediaSTL. Among those accepting Charter’s invitation were Democratic Attorney General candidates Margaret Donnelly and Chris Koster and Republican State Senate candidates Jane Cunningham and Neal St. Onge.

circulation department about the letter, it was told that a state law requires that subscribers be informed about any charges in excess of subscription rates. Charles Klotzer

Unfortunate contrast nce upon a time, newspapers had policies aimed at not causing embarrassment to themselves or their key advertisers. For example, stories about airplane or cruise ship accidents that began on Page 1A never jumped to an inside page that carried a travel ad. Even defenders of the wall between the news room and the advertising department, thought this action seemed like a pretty good idea. Given today’s production methods, this sort of check may be harder to do. But someone should have done something to prevent this in a recent St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The top half of Page 3A carried a story about poverty and lack of food for American children, discussing poverty levels and inadequate diets. The bottom half of the page was filled with a Dillard’s ad that featured frilly clothes and Barbie-style outfits for children of the very same age bracket.

Terry Jones

Post: ‘Please unsubscribe’ Well, not really Kirkwood reader forwarded to SJR the following baffling letter he received from the St. Louis PostDispatch. A note he included read, “No wonder newspapers are having their problems.” “Your current subscription in cludes a charge for the convenience of having the paper delivered. On average, this fee is 15 cents per weekday and 40 cents per Sunday. Delivery fees vary depending upon location. Instead of having convenient home delivery you may elect to pick up your newspaper at one of our distribution centers by calling our customer service center at 800-3650820, ext. 8888, or have it mailed (USPC postal charges will then apply).” The subscriber wondered whether he was being asked to unsubscribe. When SJR questioned the Post

Mowbray is on a variety of local boards including the RCGA, RBC, Variety Club, Matthews Dickey, the Arts and Education Council and United Way. Traditionally, top editors and publishers abstained from even joining any local groups in order not to influence reporting on such organizations because reporters are aware their boss sits on a board. All of these organizations have made significant contributions to the St. Louis community. We do not want to imply that top Post executives have tried to influence reporting. That is not the point. The very knowledge that the publisher sits on a board which may be scrutinized by a reporter could be intimidating. The time has long past of a policy adhered to by the late Irving Dilliard, editor of the editorial page and an icon in the St. Louis journalistic community, who lived in Collinsville, to be as far removed from community entanglements as possible. We do not recall that Joseph Pulitzer was a member of civic or other boards. Times have changed. Charles Klotzer

Joe Pollack

Times have changed t. Louis Post-Dispatch President and Publisher Kevin Mowbray was interviewed at length in the May 2008 issue of St. Louis Commerce. He gave a detailed and optimistic view of the future of the Post and heralded the reach of the print and online services. They have, “The second (behind the Washington Post) best reach of any newspaper/web combination in the top 25 markets. The Post-Dispatch has a circulation of 277,000 daily and 421,000 Sunday. The Suburban Journals reach 475,000 adults each through 31 publications. In addition, a weekly advertising package, Local Values, reaches over 966,000 households.” Since the readership of St. Louis Commerce obviously is the business community, Mowbray’s emphasis on circulation and reach makes sense. But then the article revealed that

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Join Ed Bishop for conversations about journalism and media

Every Wednesday 7 p.m.

KDHX (88.1 FM)

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Charles L. Klotzer Charles L. Klotzer is the editor/publisher emeritus of SJR.

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have heard this sermon before, you may think. True. But that is a risk I must take because we keep hearing, “SJR is fighting a losing battle,” and “you are out of touch with the young generation.” Save mailing and printing costs and just go online. Of course, online news and reports are here and bound to grow. It opens up the media to millions around the world. We are in the midst of a profound revolution touching all of us, young and old. No doubt, online has many advantages. Stock reports, classified ads and, for those satisfied to read only precis of reports and investigations, online reports are perfect. When you consider going to the Web for news, it offers thousands of outlets. Almost every newspaper in the U.S. and around the world are at your fingertips. Thousands of blogs, thousands of organizations are willing to share their wisdom with you. It’s a bewildering array of offerings. This inundation of news actually presents one of its shortcomings. Among these many offerings, SJR would be lost. Moreover, an online experience never comes to you. It depends on you to select one among thousands. A print experience does not depend on you — it busts into your home. It calls attention to itself. The implications of that difference are profound. We can ignore, if we choose, the online news we do not like, be it a cyclone, numbers of war dead or local misdeeds. The print version does not ask you for permission; it shouts at you, convinced that its passion for democracy and equality is the one you should notice. In the online world, you click on, read, and go on to the next item. What you have just left is now history, but when you close a book or a journal, it will still stare at you and burden you. And we do want to burden you. When SJR comes to you in the mail, you pick it up; you are face to face with one journal. While you hold it at that moment, there are not hundreds of other journals competing for your attention. Print is physical and real. It can present issues in depth, while the Web is virtual in the infinite world of no borders. Investigative journalism re-

If the virtual world is the solution, why don’t we save all these millions spent on buildings and staff for museums? Every one of these displays can be seen online, probably from more angles than in a museum.

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quires attention at length, which is not the hallmark of quick Web consumption. Depending on resources, a printed version can be like a sculpture; print is art. It represents credibility and gravitas, which simply cannot be matched by any screen image, no matter how well designed. With all of its shortcomings, print in your hand is a finished product — a quilt made up of many pieces. It is not ephemeral; with a click online copy is gone as if it never existed. If the virtual world is the solution, why don’t we save all these millions spent on buildings and staff for museums? Every one of these displays can be viewed online, probably from more angles than when we stand behind a barrier. Of course, the same goes for zoos, theaters, operas and a host of other institutions. You may argue that if we do that the feel, the touch, the personal engagement and actual experience would be lost. I agree. To retain these qualities, of course, a journal must be presented appealingly, accurately and with integrity. Interestingly, some exclusively online publications have now decided also to issue print versions. SJR has a Web site that is still being perfected, featuring past issues and, we hope, many more to come. But reducing SJR to the lowest common denominator of convenience and to a flicker on the screen is something, we suspect, our readers would not appreciate. ■

The shortcomings of online publishing

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by C.D. Stelzer indictments loose and resulted in their winning the Pulitzer Prize. The reporters were an odd couple — Walsh looking like a boxer and Delugach like a shy botany professor. Bauman, who became their nemesis, had such an ego that he had himself named the city’s Man of The Year in what he thought would be the GlobeDemocrat’s final Sunday magazine in 1984. It included 33 photos of him. In 1995, Bauman told St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Jerry Berger that he halted publication of that story to save the integrity of the newspaper. “I found he went to great lengths to link Mayor Cervantes to organized crime,” said Bauman. “I then made some personal phone calls to the sources that Walsh said he was using and found out Walsh was not reflecting the views of those sources accurately. So, I told Walsh we would not print that installment of the [series]… . Walsh became angry and quit.” t’s been a while since the last St. “He lied to Berger,” counters Walsh, Louis newspapermen garnered a who, at 72, is still a working reporter Pulitzer Prize for reporting – 39 for the Sacramento Bee. “He couldn’t years to be exact. St. Louis Globehave talked to any of my sources. They Democrat reporters Denny Walsh weren’t in St. Louis, and they wouldn’t and Albert L. Delugach received have talked to him. The sources were the honor on May 5, 1969. all federal. I believe he let his unsavory Their award now hangs on the connections in the community guide wall behind the reference desk at his stewardship of the Globe,” Walsh the Mercantile Library at the Uniadds. “I know that he told Cervantes versity of Missouri–St. Louis. Surthat he had taken care of that series.” rounded by unrelated bric-a-brac, After leaving the Globe-Democrat, journalism’s highest honor and its Walsh joined the staff of Life Magazine, Denny Walsh (1975) taking his spiked story and notes with recipients are easily overlooked. The St. Louis Media Halls of him. His eight-page investigative Fame are also located at the Merreport — “St. Louis, the Mayor, the cantile, which acquired the GlobeMob and the Lawyer” — appeared in Democrat files after the newspaper the magazine’s May 29, 1970, issue. folded in 1986. But when the The account named names, dates and group’s third annual awards are places and included information from presented at a gala dinner on June FBI reports and wiretap transcripts. 7 at the Khorassan Ballroom of the The story that Bauman had preChase Park Plaza Hotel, Walsh and vented from running locally had Delugach are not on the list — gained national exposure. again. Walsh alleged the mayor had Their former boss, the late G. mobbed-up business ties and mainDuncan Bauman, however, was tained a “steady liaison” with orgaamong the first to receive the laurel nized crime figures through Anthony three years ago. On its lower level, Sansone, his campaign manager. Santhe Mercantile displays a permasone, a successful real estate broker, nent exhibit of his memorabilia, was the son-in-law of Jimmy including his desk. As publisher of Michaels, leader of the Syrian faction Albert Delugach the Globe-Democrat, Bauman was of St. Louis’ underworld. Michaels, in (1969) most likely seated at that desk turn, was a criminal associate of when he decided to kill Denny Anthony “Tony G” Giordano, don of Walsh’s story that linked then-St. Louis Mayor A.J. the St. Louis mafia. Cervantes, Jr. to the St. Louis underworld. Walsh reported Sansone arranged a 1964 camAnd it’s also where he probably sat when he paign-strategy session between Michaels and the refused to allow Walsh and Delugach to report on mayor. After Cervantes won the mayoral primary, stymied federal indictments of the steamfitters according to Walsh, Sansone attended another stratunion, which they had investigated. They gave their egy meeting with Michaels and Giordano. story to the Wall Street Journal, a ploy that broke the The lawyer mentioned in Life’s headline was St.

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Louis criminal defense attorney Morris Shenker, part owner of the Dunes casino in Las Vegas and counsel to numerous mobsters and corrupt labor bosses, including Teamster President James R. Hoffa and Lawrence Callanan, the head of Steamfitters Local 562 in St. Louis. Despite these questionable associations, Cervantes had brazenly appointed Shenker, a political crony and Democratic power broker, to head the city’s Commission on Crime and Law Enforcement. The mayor and his backers reacted to the Life story as if Walsh had set off a bomb inside the rotunda at City Hall. Cervantes complained that he was not only defamed, but that the reputations of the entire city and all its inhabitants were under attack. Shenker and Sansone denied wrongdoing, labeling the accusations as false. The mayor subsequently sued Walsh and the magazine for libel but failed to recover damages. In the court of public opinion, however, local broadcast and print media overwhelmingly sided with Cervantes. The St. Louis PostDispatch, for instance, editorialized that “. . . visible evidence of everyday affairs in St. Louis does not support the correlative accusation of Life that organized crime flourishes here. On the contrary the city appears to be unusually free from the usual symptoms of such crime. . . .” The idea that St. Louis had been spared the deleterious influence of organized crime must have come as news to Delugach, Walsh’s former partner. They shared the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for doggedly investigating Local 562. The byline of Delugach and Walsh appeared at the top of more than 300 stories from 1965-1968. Their collaborative effort revealed a pattern of labor racketeering that resulted in multiple federal indictments having to do with a kickback scheme related to the sale of insurance to the union’s pension fund. By the time Walsh’s Life article appeared, Delugach had also left the Globe-Democrat, joining the staff of the Post. His tenure was brief, however, lasting only a year-and-a-half. Shortly after the Post absolved the mayor and declared the city free from organized crime, Delugach quit in protest. “If I had thought that this was just the opinion of the editorial page of the Post, I might have borne up under it,” he told SJR, which covered his resignation in its first issue. Instead, Delugach found that the same attitude permeated the newsroom.

“I didn’t want to work for a newspaper that had this view of organized crime and that had this way of dismissing the most serious accusations against its top (city) official.” Delugach found the premise that organized crime was non-existent in St. Louis untenable. “I think it has been voluminously proved that it is a major factor in all kinds of crime—in all cities,” he said. When he made this statement, Delugach was 44 and had been a staff reporter at three daily newspapers in Kansas City and St. Louis for nearly two decades. After leaving the Post, he moved to the West Coast, where he continued as an investigative reporter for another 20 years, retiring from the Los Angeles Times in 1989. Reached by phone at his home in Los Angeles, the 82-year-old retiree still expressed outrage over the affair. “It was really an insult for them to come out with that attitude in print,” says Delugach. “I took it very personally. I figured there was no future here for me. The GlobeDemocrat had people that had an interest in not stirring things up, but the Post-Dispatch, they were just so aloof. Even after what we did — getting the Pulitzer Prize — they didn’t act like it had any validity at all. They didn’t demonstrate at all that they considered it important after they hired me. I don’t know why they bothered.” Delugach recalls the Post sent him to Alaska to cover the oil boom for two months. It was a plum assignment, but far from the beat that had nabbed the Pulitzer. In retrospect, it almost seems like the Post used its deep pockets to send him into exile. By contrast, Delugach and Walsh had the full support of Richard Amberg, the previous publisher of the Globe-Democrat who originally teamed them up. But after Amberg died and Bauman took over in 1967, Walsh noticed a change in course. “Al and I were having a lot of difficulty with Bauman,” says Walsh. “He began to squeeze us on what we were doing, in respect to the steamfitters.” The impasse reached a critical stage after Walsh learned through his sources in Washington that top Department of Justice officials had quashed the federal criminal prosecution of those involved in the $1 million steamfitters’ kickback conspiracy case. “We wrote that story and handed it in,” says Walsh. “He (Bauman) killed it.” continued on next page

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Walsh says he then leaked the piece to Wall Street Journal Reporter Nicholas Gage. After the Journal ran the story, Delugach and Walsh were free to report on it in the Globe-Democrat. More important, the news coverage forced the justice department to reverse its decision and go forward with the prosecution. “We wouldn’t have won the Pulitzer Prize had the indictment not been returned,” Walsh says. The defendants included the president of the First United Life Insurance Co. of Gary, Ind., and two officials of Local 562. Court documents named Shenker and Callanan as beneficiaries of the scheme, but they weren’t charged. John “Doc” Lawler, another top steamfitter official, also allegedly benefited from the kickbacks. John O’Connell Hough, Lawler’s personal attorney and un-indicted coconspirator, agreed to cooperate with fedWe wouldn’t eral prosecutors, but never got the chance have won the to testify. The Clayton-based Pulitzer Prize lawyer disappeared in the had the Miami area on Aug. 12, 1967. indictment Two months later, fishermen not been discovered his body in a sereturned. cluded pine grove near the Inter-Coastal — D en n y W a l s h Waterway several miles north of Bal Harbour, Fla. Hough had been beaten and shot to death with .38-caliber handgun. After Hough’s murder, two prosecution witnesses refused to testify, and the defendants were acquitted. In the intervening decades, the Post’s editorial position has been accepted as unequivocal. Nowadays it is taken for granted that organized crime no longer exists in St. Louis. Walsh refuses to speculate on whether the mob is dead or alive here. “I’ve been gone for 40 years. I don’t know what’s going on there. I don’t know what the Post is doing or not doing.” The veteran reporter is sure of this much: “I would not want to be a member of any organization, or any group or any entity that counts Duncan Bauman as a member. I think he’s a stain on St. Louis journalism.” ■ C.D. Stelzer is a contributing writer for Illinois Times in Springfield.

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Media Halls of Fame to honor Sweets, others by C.D. Stelzer hen the annual St. Louis Halls of Fame awards are presented June 7 at the Chase-Park Plaza Hotel, the honorees include the only St. Louis journalist to defy the U.S. government’s Cold War ban on travel to Cuba. The late Melba Sweets, a columnist for the St. Louis American, went to Cuba in the early 1960s with the National Newspaper Publishers Association, an African-American publishing organization, at the invitation of Cuban leader Fidel Castro. On her return, Sweets wrote a two-part series on Cuban progress in the fields of health care and public education. Sweets died in 2006. She was the widow of the former owner of the American, Nathaniel A. Sweets. Another career highlight for Sweets was her 1947 interview with Paul Robeson, the famous black singer and outspoken Communist. Other honorees include the late Dan Kelly, the voice of the St. Louis Blues; Dan Dierdorf, a former football Cardinal and sports broadcaster; Joe Pollack, former St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist and St. Louis radio personality; and Charles L. Klotzer, editor/publisher emeritus of the St. Louis Journalism Review. This year’s awards ceremonies are sponsored by CNN. Discussions to form the Halls of Fame, which are affiliated with the Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, began in fall 2005. “They thought about us because we have the huge newspaper files,” says Mercantile Executive Director John N. Hoover, referring to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat files. The impetus for its creation, however, came from devotees of the radio and television media. The St. Louis Radio Hall of Fame, founded by SJR Columnist Frank Absher, acted as a model, says Tom Eschen, UMSL assistant chancellor for development. “We thought, ‘why not expand this to include print, as well?’” says Eschen, who is the son of a hall-offamer. The late Frank Eschen, a 2006 St. Louis Television Hall of Fame inductee, was a pioneer broadcaster for KSD-TV.

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The local chapter of the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences already has an annual awards program, but like the St. Louis Radio Hall of Fame, there was no physical space to further honor those who had been selected. In 2007, the St. Louis Halls of Fame created a separate category to honor local leaders in the advertising and public relations fields. In the first two years of its existence, nominees were selected by a small committee that included Absher, Eschen and Hoover. This year the process has been expanded to include members of the Press Club

of Metropolitan St. Louis and others, Eschen says. The Halls of Fame are currently located in a temporary space in the lower level of the Mercantile Library at UMSL, but there are preliminary plans in the works to expand the Mercantile. “We hope to be digging the first spade of dirt for that in about three years,” says Hoover. Once the new quarters are completed, the Halls of Fame are expected to include interactive displays and gallery space for temporary exhibits. ■ C.D. Stelzer is a contributing writer for Illinois Times in Springfield.

St. Louis Media Halls of Fame 2006–2008 Inductees Print 2006 Amadee Wohlschlaeger Duncan Bauman * Bob Broeg * Bob Burnes * Irving Dilliard * Martin Duggan Daniel Fitzpatrick * Alfred Fleishman * Elijah Lovejoy * Joseph Pulitzer * William Marion Reedy * Nathan Young, Jr. * 2007 O.K. Bovard * Joseph Charless * Mary Kimbrough David Lipman Mike Peters Donald Suggs 2008 Marquis Childs * Richard Dudman Greg Freeman * Charles L. Klotzer Joe Pollack Melba Sweets *

Radio 2006 Ben Abell Gene Chase * Lee Coffee *

Danny Dark * Jerome Dixon * Richard Ward Fatherley Lynne “Angel” Harvey * Ron Jacober Ron Lundy Guy Phillips

2007 Dick Ford Karen Foss Harold “Hod” Grams * Harry Gibbs Keith Gunther John Roedel *

2007 Donny Brooks * Jim Holder William Hopkins Anne Keefe Ray Otis Steven B. Stevens

2008 Betsey Bruce Fred Burrows * Allan Cohen Dan Dierdorf Jerry Kleiman * Fred Porterfield

2008 Dan Kelly * John Oelke Jack Sampson

Television 2006 Spencer Allen * Jack Buck * George Burbach * Harry Caray * Dianne White Clatto Bob Costas Frank Eschen * Joe Garagiola David Garroway * Charles Guggenheim * Robert Guillaume Harold Koplar * Charlotte Peters *

Advertising/ Public Relations 2007 Bea Adams * William D’Arcy * John Graham * Bob Hillard * Michael Roarty Helen Weiss 2008 Walter “Wally” Armbruster * Charles Claggett, Sr. * Charles Claggett, Jr. Marty Hendin * Bob Kochan Arthur “Archie” Harvey * Ted Simmons * deceased

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ublic opinion scholars and practitioners call it the “Bradley Effect.” That’s Bradley as in Tom, the former Los Angeles mayor. As an African-American Democratic candidate for California governor in 1982, polls conducted shortly before the election showed him with a comfortable lead well above the statistical margin of error, but when all the votes were counted, he lost. Why the discrepancy? Many argued that there were enough white voters, ordinarily Democratic supporters, who were privately against voting for an African American. But in responding to an interviewer, gave the more socially accepted response that they supported Bradley. This explanation gained credibility when, seven years later, another African-American candidate, Douglas Wilder, seemed to be breezing toward winning the Virginia governorship. Early November polls by the Washington Post and the Richmond TimesDispatch had Wilder ahead by 11 and 9 percentage points, respectively, but the election a few days later saw him winning by less than 0.5 percent. A scholarly post-mortem of this race by Steven E. Finkel and colleagues in the Autumn 1991 Public Opinion Quarterly, provided empirical support for the social desirability hypothesis especially among white Democrats and white undecided voters. They were reluctant to tell a black interviewer that they were not for Wilder. For the past 15 years, however, the Bradley Effect has apparently vanished. In 2006, black and white candidates opposed each other in six statewide races—two for the U.S. Senate (Maryland, Tennessee) and four for governor (Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania). In each contest, there were between two and four polls conducted within two weeks of the vote. According to an analysis by the Pew Center’s Scott Keeter and Nilanthi Samaranayake, all but one of the surveys had the African-American candidate’s ultimate vote well within the margin of error. And the one exception, a Mason-Dixon poll in the Tennessee race for U.S. Senate, underestimated Harold Ford’s vote rather than exaggerating it. They concluded that “fewer people are

politics & media / Terry Jones

According to an analysis by the Pew Center, ‘fewer people are making judgments about candidates based solely, or even mostly, on race itself.’

Terry Jones is professor of political science at UM-St. Louis

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making judgments about candidates based solely, or even mostly, on race itself, and that relatively few people are now unwilling to tell pollsters how they honestly feel about particular candidates.” But what about 2008? Do findings that apply to statewide offices also ex tend to the presidency? Earlier presidential candidates like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton were not good tests since they projected a sharply drawn racial appeal. Until the Rev. Jeremiah Wright situation forced Sen. Barack Obama (D–Ill.) to address race directly in his March 18 speech in Philadelphia, his approach was to transcend color. Both before and after that address, what does the Obama case tell us about the relationship between pre-election poll preferences and actual vote outcomes? Two University of Washington social scientists, psychologist Anthony Greenwald and political scientist Bethany Albertson, have been following this connection. Their cumulative results, posted May 8 on the Pew Research Center Web site (www.pewresearch.org), show “a more complicated pattern (than the Bradley Effect).” For Democratic open primaries (in which independents and, in some cases, Republicans can participate) in states with large white majorities, they find some confirmation for the Bradley Effect in about half the cases. Making this conclusion shaky is that there are many exceptions, including Missouri, and one substantial outlier— Wisconsin—where the polls significantly underestimated the Obama share. Greenwald and Albertson also postulate a “reverse Bradley Effect” in states where African Americans constitute a substantial share of the Democratic primary electorate. In Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina—to take the most striking examples—pre-election polls had the Obama proportion considerably below the ultimate outcome. As a result, they both showed that “race is still strongly operative as a factor in America’s state elections” and that “its impact depends in substantial part on the racial mixture of the state in question.” ■

‘Bradley Effect’ gone, but race still matters

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ike most Americans, I become a horse-racing fan during the first week of May and remain dedicated to the improvement of the breed for about six weeks, or until after the running of the Belmont Stakes. But this year was different, because as the horses in the Kentucky Derby cooled down on the way back to the paddock, one of them collapsed—and never stood up again. It was Eight Belles, euthanized a few minutes later as a result of suffering fractures in both front legs while slowing. The only filly in the race and one of few who ever have run in the Derby, she had finished second to Big Brown, probably the only race horse in history to be named for a truck. But there was post-race television, which turned the tragedy into a very different story, somewhere between a scary documentary and an exhibit of corporate-speak that covered everything with a rant about how wonderful everything was even as millions of Americans knew that a tragedy was afoot, that no one wanted to talk about it and that we, the people, were not allowed to see it. In a minute, in a microcosm, we had an instant replay of 21st-century America—while our eyes were blinkered and our ears were exposed to meaningless prattle about the wonderfulness of everything. The chairman of Yum Brands, one of the most distasteful corporate names ever, spoke about the great day. Bob Evans, the president of Churchill Downs, thanked the sponsors and NBC. Steve Beshear, the governor of Kentucky, babbled about the greatness of his state. And a pre-teen girl chewed gum, rhythmically, monotonously and with her mouth wide open. Meanwhile, a horse was dying, sacrificed on the altar of Mammon, the same altar that Big Brown will use after his racing career ends with an expected victory in the Belmont. He will be retired after only six races and will garner millions to stand at stud, his owners hoping his DNA will help create more outstanding horses. Bob Costas, sort of an emcee to introduce the politicians and money men at the Derby, told The New York Times that he had told the three speakers and Michael Iavarone, a co-owner of Big Brown, about the injury and death of Eight Belles. The three men spoke of money and personal glorification.

sports & media / Joe Pollack

Meanwhile, a horse was dying, sacrificed on the altar of Mammon, the same altar that Big Brown will use after his racing career ends with an expected victory in the Belmont.

Joe Pollack is a former St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist

Meanwhile, a horse was dying

Iavarone, to his everlasting credit, showed good manners, the kind your Mom always tried to instill in you. “First off,” he said, “our sympathies go out to the connections of Eight Belles. She was a terrific filly.”

Media games

The Cardinals seem more interested in media games than in almost anything else these days. They’re certainly more interested in avoiding discussion of injuries. After the Jason Isringhausen collapse, we suddenly discover that he had a laceration on his hand. After Mark Mulder makes three bullpen appearances in simulated games in Memphis, we suddenly discover that there will be no fourth session, just a “rest.” Rick Ankiel, playing well in center field, suddenly misses a game, and we are told about a shoulder condition and a possible place on the 15-day disabled list, or DL, which is the favorite spa for nonworking Cardinals these days. No one has accused the Cardinals of taping other team’s practices, or stealing pitching signs, but since Tony La Russa is a pal of Bill Belichek and Bobby Knight, all roads to victory are open. But the most interesting facet of the game between the Cardinals and the media showed up recently when a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article about injuries reported that the team had not made Dr. George Paletta, its physician, available for comment. That raises additional questions. Who on the team—Bill DeWitt, John Mozeliak, La Russa—did not want the doctor to talk on the record? Or did the doctor not want to talk on the record and asked someone on the team to shield him? Who is muzzling whom?

What would Bernie do? And then there’s Jim Edmonds, fired by the Cardinals and the Padres. When the Cubs offered him salaried work, he signed up. But several Post sports writers reacted as if he had turned into a child molester. Let’s hypothesize that the Post fired Bernie Miklasz, and the Chicago Tribune offered him a job as a sports columnist. What would Bernie do? ■

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Sylvester

Brown

Pardon his edge by Joe Pollack ylvester Brown has the toughest newspaper job in the city, but almost five years into being a three-aweek columnist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, he thinks it’s getting easier. “People who used to call up and scream at me now call up and speak to me,” he said with a smile. “And sometimes they listen for my side of the discussion.” He paused as his smile grew wider, and added, “And a few of them actually say they agree with me. A few. Sylvester Brown Rarely.” But the soft-spoken, 51-year-old Brown, who has received as many as 300 e-mails in a day — that was for Brown had been running Take Five, a monthly magathe column defending the Rev. Jeremiah Wright — knows that no one man, even a man who speaks to as zine that focused on entertainment, but touched on many as 400,000 people each time he writes, is going to many other subjects. His wife Vicki helped him publish cure the illness of racism that St. Louis has lived with it. As the person who contributed practically all the writsince its earliest days as a fur-trading post. To most watchers of the Post (like Kremlin-watchers ing, Take Five reflected Brown’s opinions as writer, editor and publisher, echoof a few decades ago), its ing A. J. Liebling’s top editors made a wise memorable comment, choice when they selected “Freedom of the press Brown to succeed the late belongs to him who owns Greg Freeman as the one.” newspaper’s second genBut, as Brown pointed eral columnist. out, “There’s a difference Brown writes Tuesdays between reaching about and Thursdays and shares 20,000 people and about the front page of the Metro 250,000.” section with Bill McClelHe paused over a lan on Sundays. Freeman lunch-time sandwich, was very popular, but if thought a few minutes, the editors wanted reflected on his readeranother African-American ship, and continued, columnist like Freeman, “There’s been a lot of they were not paying adjustment on both our attention to Brown’s writparts. I have more knowlings. edge of where they (the Freeman was a kind readers, those who comman, who hoped that conplain and those who comversation with the white pliment) are coming from. power structure would I know that some of them ease the city’s inherent look at me as if I were the Sylvester Brown and Bill Cosby in 2005 when Brown racism. He was naive in crazy uncle at the family that thinking but still had arranged Cosby’s “Call Out” forum at Harris-Stowe reunion, but . . . .” made many contributions here in St. Louis. His voice trailed off, to the community.

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ments with Donald Suggs, pubbut his eyes twinkled. Despite its limited circulation lisher of the St. Louis American, the and the fact that it never turned a city’s leading black newspaper, but profit, Take Five turned out to be those have mostly ended, Brown the straw that stirred the drink, to said. He noted that he and Suggs use Reggie Jackson’s phrase. have united as supporters of former During the tenure of the late Cole Fire Chief Sherman George and Campbell as managing editor, the opponents of Mayor Francis Slay. Post was busy acquiring other print Brown took a lot of heat when he outlets in the area. The Suburban took on the legendary Bill Cosby, Journals were one. During 1992, disagreeing with the famed Dr. Campbell suggested to publisher Huxtable about how to rear children. Terry Egger that the Pulitzer PubCosby was critical of some black lishing Co. add Take Five — and parents for being too lenient with Sylvester Brown — to its portfolio. their children, and Brown charged “Terry didn’t see much point in buying a publication that was not only losing money, but also showed no prospects of earning any,” Brown said, “but we got to know one another. Sadly, Greg died in December of that year, and the following spring, Take Five won six or seven awards from the Association of Black Journalists. Ellen Soeteber, then the managing editor of the Post, was at the awards banquet, and she asked me why I was writing for Take Five and not for the Post. “Later, when I was talking to people at the Post,” he went on, “no one spoke to me about being another Greg Freeman. They knew that I had an edge, and they apparently wanted that.” Not all of Brown’s Sylvester Brown, standing, with his family, from columns breeze into the paper with ease. ters Lexi (12) and Kyra (7), and wife Vicki. Some have reportedly been sidetracked. Others have run after some rewrite Cosby with being too judgmental or editing by Brown himself. and without sufficient understand“I’ve had a few problems, but in ing. The two later met at an event at general, I haven’t had much trouble,” he explained. “Sometimes an Harris-Stowe State University and editor will ask me to defend a par- resolved their problems. Brown, like many other people, ticular point of view with more facts. In some respects, it’s been good black and white, decries the lack of because it makes me think or progress in St. Louis race relations, reflect, or organize my thoughts a and in smoothing the playing field for all people. little better.” “I look at Atlanta,” Brown said, As for being a leader, or spokesman, for the opinions of the “and I realize how much can be done black community, Brown isn’t with real leadership. When Andrew Young was mayor of Atlanta, he sat totally happy with the role. Early on, Brown had disagree- down with the business community

and demanded that the planned airport find jobs for minority workers and contracts for minority businesses or he would not support its construction. Young made sure that the community’s economic base was in place for everyone. “St. Louis leadership still is too fragmented and without a vision, which would include retail businesses to go along with all the downtown construction of shops, condos and apartments. “St. Louis still is stuck in the past, and as long as it is, and as long as we cannot overcome the personal animosity that affects too many of us, we will remain there.” Brown endured the slights and the rudeness, the insults and the roadblocks, of being an African-American St. Louisan when he was a young man, and he overcame a variety of adolescent attitudes and errors that might have sidetracked him. He grew up in a broken home with an absent father, and that has made him more devoted and accessible to his wife, Vicki, and his four children (Sannita, 29; Sylvester III, 22; Lexi, 12; and Kyra, 7); the oldest two are from a previous marriage. He does not write about his famleft, daughily or his personal life as much as McClellan, but one of Brown’s favorite columns, and one of his rare humorous ones, deals with a trip to the store in search of personal products for the women in his life. Thinking about his time in a far larger spotlight than he ever had experienced, Brown says, “I’ve been blessed. People welcome you, talk to you, thank you for some of the things you’ve written. You learn humility, but at the same time, if you’re lucky, you learn a lot more than that.” ■ Joe Pollack is a former St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist.

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Ad/PR / Rick Stoff RIck Stoff, a former St. Louis Globe Democrat reporter and editor, now practices public relations at his own firm, Stoff Communications

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f you’re spoiling for a good argument, you may meet your match in Kathleen Farrell’s office. She is the chairperson of the department of communication at Saint Louis University. One of her academic interests is argument theory. In alternating years, she joins other argumentative intellectuals at argument conferences. Aristotle introduced the formal study of argument, Farrell said. Millennia later, theories continue to evolve. “Arguments are a special kind of communication. They make claims with reasoning, which assumes that someone is going to argue against what you have to say,” Farrell said. “The social scientific study of argument started in the World War I era. We had an Office of War Information for the very first time. It was trying to drum up support for the war,” Farrell said. “People were starting to study in this fledgling field of psychology and communication, studying very systematically how people construct beliefs.” Argument theories have been revised in recent years to contend with evidence that an overwhelmingly illogical argument can be extremely persuasive. “Argument has become more complicated contemporarily because now we know that people are persuaded not on the basis of long, developed, intricate lines of reasoning, but from fragments from here and there,” Farrell said. “There are so many sources of information. We don’t have Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln debating for three hours. We don’t have long, developed lines of argument very often, except sometimes in court decisions. People are taking snatches of things from different kinds of sources and desperately trying to make sense of things. “People have always been misled. It is now done in a more sophisticated way. That means we need to find new ways of trying to understand how argument works.” The sophistication of political argument has advanced considerably. Farrell said people continue to study the misleading “swiftboating” of 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry. By the end of that negative ad campaign, the decorated Vietnam War hero was viewed by many voters as a liar and coward. “How in the world was that belief constructed?” Farrell asked. “Testimony is very powerful, and people believe there is

People have always been misled. It is now done in a more sophisticated way. That means we need to find new ways of trying to understand how argument works.

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something magical about people under fire, which means that every one of them tells the truth. If they can find three or four people who were under fire who said Kerry was a coward, we give great credence to that kind of evidence.” Ad hominem attacks on sources of inconvenient facts also are a powerful tool in modern argument. These are central to the arguments of fundamentalists and ideologues, Farrell said. “Studying fundamentalist argument is very interesting—be it political, religious or scientific fundamentalism. Ideologues argue in particular kinds of ways. Ad hominem argument is a staple of ideological argument. They are attacking the person, not just in a trivial way but in a serious kind of way.” “Guilt by association,” making one person responsible for the acts of a possibly remote other, is another staple of ideological argument. “Be it ‘birds of a feather flock together’ or ‘guilt by association,’ people have a strong belief in that,” Farrell said. “Guilt by association is an argument fallacy, but people who do argument theory say, ‘Let’s not argue about whether it is right or wrong, the point is that it works. So let’s try to figure out the source of belief in that line of reasoning.’” Are there any among us who have not encountered a debate with a friend or associate (not to mention politicians or pundits) who seemed immune to recognized facts and logic? That is the nature of fundamentalist argument. “Fundamentalists argue in absolutist terms. They have a full ideological construction of the world. They never argue from specifics up to general principals. They argue from the top down, from general principals to specifics,” Farrell said. On the journey from the top down, specifics are selected and deleted to protect the worldview. Discarding facts “is the very standard, typical argument of the ideologue. It is tremendously hard to argue with them unless you can demonstrate that their world construction is at fault.” The argument constructions of leftwing fundamentalists can be very similar to those of the right wingers, whose constructions can be very similar to those of the Islamic religious fundamentalists they rhetorically attack, Farrell said. “It is interesting to me how similar

Illogical arguments can be persuavive

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eporters who covered the Vietnam War had much greater access to the stark realities of combat and encountered fewer obstacles from the military than their counterparts covering Iraq, according to journalists who have covered the wars. Interviews conducted during the past year and a half with three Associated Press reporters who covered the Vietnam War and seven newspaper journalists who reported from Iraq show that journalists in Iraq have faced greater physical dangers and worked with a military less willing to facilitate coverage of the conflict. There are other differences as well. Technological improvements give reporters in Iraq better communications, which journalists said should make coverage more accurate. Reporters covering Vietnam were more likely to have had military experience, which might have given them a better understanding what was going on. It may be unfair to compare the coverage of the Iraq conflict with Vietnam, which many believe to be the most accessible and visible war in U.S. history. But there is no denying that the American people got a more vivid picture of what was happening in Vietnam than from the level of news coverage in Iraq. “The best way to report a story is to be there,” said George Esper, who was an AP correspondent during the Vietnam War. “And you were able to do that in Vietnam for the most part.” Esper said the “huge advantage” reporters in Vietnam had over those in Iraq was access to what was actually going on. Esper believes the military of today wants to limit press access partly because of the way the Vietnam War was reported. The Committee to Protect Journalists has reported that 125 jour-

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by Terry

There is no denying that people got a more vivid picture of what was happening in Vietnam than from news coverage in Iraq.

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nalists and another 49 media support workers were killed in Iraq between March 2003 and the end of 2007. In the period of 1965–1975, 71 television, photo and print journalists from 14 countries were killed—33 in Vietnam, 34 in Cambodia and four in Laos, according to Richard Pyle, a reporter who worked at that time for the AP and was the AP bureau chief in Saigon. Reporters and photographers in Vietnam faced physical threats, but they did not encounter the random violence and intentional killing and kidnappings that have made ready casualties of the journalists in Iraq. Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Phillips has been to Iraq five times as an embedded reporter covering the U.S. Marines. He said while he never covered Vietnam, he did not believe journalists were targets during the war there. He said when reporters are Ganey in Iraq and put “Press” on their flack jacket, it’s like an invitation to be shot. Esper, now a professor of journalism at West Virginia University, said in Vietnam it was very unlikely that a reporter would be kidnapped or deliberately murdered. “Indeed, I admire the Iraq war correspondents because I think covering Iraq is much more dangerous than was Vietnam,” Esper said. A survey among 111 journalists in Iraq last fall showed a majority believe most of the country is too dangerous to collect news. The Project for Excellence in Journalism survey indicated that most news organizations rely on local staff to conduct on-the-scene reporting and that most cannot carry equipment that might indicate they are working for the news media. The survey showed that while there were some limitations, most believed the embedded system gave them access to stories they would not have otherwise. Under the

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Andy Cutraro photo

Ron Harris and Andy Cutraro covered the Iraq War for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. embedded system, reporters are attached to a particular unit. Compared with Vietnam, collecting the news in Iraq is more difficult because of the time and paperwork required to get to another unit where news is developing. In Vietnam, the military facilitated the quick movement of reporters to help them do their jobs. Ron Harris, who covered a U.S. Marine company during two Iraq tours for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, said once the Marines had learned to respect a reporter’s fairness and accuracy, there was no problem with the embedding system. Harris said the Marines “saw how hard we worked to be accurate,” and at the same time, Harris developed a level of respect and kinship with the Marines. The one downside Harris saw was that there were few opportunities to tell the Iraqi side of the story. “All in all, you didn’t get a chance because you were with this unit,” Harris said. “Whenever they went, you were with this unit.”

It was five years ago that Harris and Post photographer Andy Cutraro joined a Marine unit for the invasion. A year later, in April 2004, Harris and Cutraro returned to Iraq to cover the same unit. Cutraro said that to do the kind of work in Iraq that photojournalists did in Vietnam, a photographer would have to have a “death wish.” In January 2003, nearly two months before the U.S. invaded Iraq, Cutraro and Harris traveled to Kuwait and lived with a Marine company making preparations for war. Cutraro said that early ground work enabled the two-man team to build a relationship with the Marines. Cutraro credited Andy Schneider, then a projects editor at the Post, for encouraging that tactic. “He was an old Vietnam War hand, and he told us you needed to be over there now before all these big foot papers get over there, and you’ve got to get to know these guys because they’re on the ground and are going to be decid-

ing who is and who is not going with them despite what the Department of Defense wants to do,” Cutraro said. The tactic worked, and Harris and Cutraro were embedded with a front line Marine unit for the invasion. Journalists who covered both the Vietnam War and the Iraq War acknowledged that gaining intimate familiarity with the military was a necessary tactic in their coverage, but that it did not affect their objectivity. Cutraro said the bond that was established with the Marines was that they were undergoing the same challenges. Both journalists have since left the Post. Harris is the chief spokesman for Howard University in Washington, D.C. and Cutraro is a free-lance photographer based there. ■ Terry Ganey, a former St. Louis Post-Dispatch bureau chief in Jefferson City, is now projects editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune. He too had a stint in Iraq for the Post.

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ith apologies to Rol ling Stone critic John Landau, I have heard the future of commercial radio. It doesn’t have much of one. My conversion started with a trip to Johnny Londoff Chevrolet for a test drive of a vehicle equipped with satellite radio. It blew me away. I can’t remember the last time radio compelled me to circle the block again to hear a song. Commercial radio is dead to me, with the exception of KMOX (1120) for traffic or news. On satellite you can hear original American Top 40 shows, recreations of classic stations and, most important, records that have not been burned by constant repetition. All of this with no commercials, with the exception of some of the talk formats. The Department of Justice has signed off on Sirius Satellite Radio’s buyout of XM Satellite Radio, giving the combined firms 17.3 million subscribers. The $4.59 billion deal is awaiting approval by the FCC. The terrestrial radio industry fought the deal, and some consumer groups expressed concern that the justice department was handing Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin a monopoly. Critics are saying prices will rise and there will be less choice as a result of the deal. The justice department says that won’t happen because satellite faces competition from broadcast radio, MP3 players, HD radio and programming delivered via cell phones.

am/fm / Joe Sonderman

Prices should actually go down. Sirius and XM were both losing money, but the merger could save the companies up to $7.2 million per year.

Joe Sonderman is a traffic producer and anchor for Total Traffic, and reporter and on-air personality for KLOU (103.3 FM).

Satellite radio is the future

May be a bargain Prices should actually go down. Sirius and XM were both losing money, but the merger could save the companies up to $7.2 million per year, according to The Motley Fool Web site. The combined brands will be able to offer ala carte programming, similar to cable television. It costs $12.95 per month for Sirius and XM now. XM offers more than 100 channels. Sirius-XM says it is committed to offering a $6.99 per month plan with 50 non-premium channels. There will be some major job cuts due to the consolidation, a trend that has already swept traditional broadcasters. Duplicate channels would be eliminated. The real reason the National Association of Broadcasters and terrestrial broadcast interests lobbied against the measure is because satellite is simply a superior

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product. People will pay for radio if it’s providing them what they want and offering programming unavailable on commercial stations. Some are predicting that satellite radio will one day be just as cluttered with commercials as terrestrial radio, but they are overlooking non-traditional revenue sources available to satellite radio. The technology is interactive, and will someday allow listeners to buy songs or order directly from advertisers. XM-Sirius could even sell naming rights to entire channels. As I write this, the XM ‘70s channel is playing “Shake It” by Ian Matthews. I am flashing back to my high school days, when that song would play in my head every time a certain cheerleader walked down the hall. That’s the sort of connection that the music of our youth can make. There are hundreds of songs that may not “test well,” in focus groups but bring back powerful memories. A mega corporation worried about the bottom line won’t take a chance on playing anything that might not be safe or predictable. I think I’ll stop typing for now. I just flipped over to the ‘80s channel to crank up some Loverboy. Now that’s radio worth buying.

Dodie Rahlman out at KLOU erhaps the hardest working person I’ve ever met in this business is looking for another opportunity. Dodie Rahlman has been let go by Clear Channel as John Mathews slides into the newly created position of KLOU (103.3 FM) program director. Rahlman held down the 7–Midnight show on KLOU and was a fixture at the station since about 1995. He outlasted several owners, morning shows, format adjustments and countless program directors, but the average listener would never have known how hard he worked. He engineered Rams broadcasts, postgame shows and live broadcasts, all while handling music programming duties. KLOU was his life. Rahlman practically lived there. Radio did have a way of inspiring that sort of passion in people, in some cases at a huge cost to health and personal lives. No one loves oldies or cares more about the listeners than Rahlman. He is a

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commentary

Analysis of candidates uneven—

What passes for reporting atte Liberal. Elitist . . . “Out of touch with average by Don Miller Americans . . . .” These are a few of the labels and the views of Obama’s minister proved how divisive Obama descriptions that the corporate-owned media has really was, and it made Obama’s race surface as an issue. assigned to Democratic presidential contender Barack TV pundits, mainly on Fox News, hammered relentObama. lessly on the so-called Rev. Wright scandal for months. The media also repeats the word “maverick” and the They have been much less vocal about McCain’s problems phrase “straight-talk” when discussing Republican presiwith religious leaders. McCain finally rejected the endential candidate John McCain. According to the progresdorsement of the Rev. John Hagee. Hagee referred to the sive media watchdog group Media Matters, the word “mavCatholic Church as “the great whore” and stated that Hurerick” was used 700 times in January and February of ricane Katrina was a punishment from God to New 2008 to describe the Republican senator from Arizona. Orleans for its nurturing of “homosexual The phrase “straight-talk” was used 650 sins.” times during the same period. It wasn’t until he said that God sent Hillary Clinton has endured a barrage Hitler to help Jews reach the Promised of personal attacks from political pundits, Land, however, that McCain felt enough While most notably MSNBC’s commentator pressure to break with Hagee. Chris Matthews. After months of personal Next came the Rev. Rod Parsley, who superficial remarks about Clinton, including the McCain has referred to as “one of the truly terms “she-devil” and “witchy,” watchdog great leaders of America.’’ analysis groups and bloggers pressured the cable He praised Parsley’s “moral compass” network and Matthews to refrain from it. at a rally in February. Parsley espouses is standard So, this is what’s passing as reporting the same views as Hagee, with just as on the campaign trail. While superficial much vitriol. The Ohio-based minister analysis is standard for some conservafor some believes it is America’s mission to see tive-leaning cable pundits and partisan Islam destroyed. blogs, we see trained journalists and news conservativeAlthough McCain refers to Parsley as organizations lazily following their lead. his spiritual advisor, this has received neiWhy is McCain considered a maverick? leaning cable ther the attention nor the questioning It doesn’t seem to be based on his conthat the Rev. Wright fracas continues to servative voting record or policy statepundits and generate. ments. He opposes a ban on assault Corporate media perpetuates the partiweapons and, in a flip-flop, now states san propaganda, giving credence to issues partisan blogs, that he thinks Roe v. Wade should be of little substance in lieu of solid reportover-turned. ing. we see trained He doesn’t support increased educaThis tendency to echo pundit talking tional opportunities for members of the points instead of focusing on more imporjournalists military. Many of his policy positions are tant issues was most obvious in the just as conservative as Bush’s and yet the Democratic candidates’ debate that aired maverick myth continues unchallenged. and news April 16 on ABC. Moderators George This helps McCain distance himself Stephanopoulos and Charles Gibson were from Bush’s low approval ratings. His milorganizations booed by the audience. It took almost 50 itary service, in which he was a prisoner minutes into the 90-minute debate before of war, makes reporters hesitant to ask lazily following a policy question was raised. probing questions. Instead, viewers were subjected to a And why is Obama tagged as a latte libtheir lead. rehashing of Wright’s link to Obama and eral? Hillary Clinton’s exaggerations about a While he doesn’t deny his progressive Bosnian trip that occurred more than 10 ideals, this negative label just might make years ago. voters think Obama is not like them. Much campaign reporting borders on the fraudulent, When reporters should be asking questions about the where the reality and the myths are clearly in conflict. Yet, war, healthcare and the economy, some have instead the more responsible members of the media are reluctant zeroed in on distractions like the absence of a flag pin on to call out others who do the spinning and set the media Obama’s lapel, “outrage” over his use of the word “bitter” agenda. to describe some voters’ feelings about the economy and We badly need some reporting on the reporting, but even the silliness of his beverage choice. He declined a don’t expect it from the corporate-owned media which cup of coffee in favor of a glass of orange juice at a local views superficial news as the safe model that least threatdiner while campaigning. ens profits. ■ Right-wingers hoped that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s angry remarks, shown repeatedly on TV, would be the char- Don Miller is a freelance writer and graduate of Webster University with a acter issue to sink Obama’s campaign. They argued that masters degree in media literacy.

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adio Park. It’s a name that prompts a var iety of images, which is why it was a perfect home for a radio station that relied on theater of the mind. Listeners of KXOK usually had a much different mental image, and some were disappointed when they saw the real thing. But that didn’t change the way they felt about the station at Radio Park. Elzey Roberts, Jr., and Chet Thomas purchased the two-plus-acre tract in 1955. They planned to move their station, KXOK, to the block-long property at 1600 N. Kingshighway, two blocks north of Martin Luther King Drive and across from Sherman Park. The buildings there had 10,000 square feet of space. The move took place Sunday night, Aug. 28, 1955, and by Monday morning all 110 employees were in place at Radio Park. The work atmosphere at KXOK had been strained during the previous couple of years. The original owner, the St. Louis StarTimes, had ceased publication in June 1951, but the station’s studios remained in the newspaper’s building at 12th and Delmar. In 1938, when the station signed on, the studios were the best money could buy, and the operation was designed to work in tandem with the newspaper’s staff. There were many locally originated programs and a large broadcast staff to put it all together. By the late ‘40s, KXOK had become little more than a plug-and-play ABC Radio affiliate, running all the national shows and supplementing local news. The radio business was changing, and a station that relied solely on network programming was headed downhill. Management hired some prominent disc jockeys and used the move to Radio Park to establish the image of the “new” KXOK. Some of the better known names were Ray Otis, Johnny Rabbitt,

Radio History/Frank Absher

Those who worked at Radio Park in later years have pleasant memories, due in part to the fact that the radio station was not in a sterile, business environment.

Frank Absher is a St. Louis radio historian. St. Louis radio history is available online at www.stlradio.com

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William A. Hopkins and Lou Kirby. Anyone who drove past remembers that sign in the front. It was the first impression young Bud Connell had when he arrived to begin his job programming the station. “I was greeted by a massive allweather sign announcing the famous call letters, KXOK. Each big, green letter, more than 5-feet tall and a foot thick, was mounted on a heavy, imposing 12-foot frame that appeared to have permanently grown from the block-long grounds known as Radio Park.” Those who worked at Radio Park in

KXOK romped in Radio Park

later years have pleasant memories, due in part to the fact that the radio station was not in a sterile, business environment. The grounds were filled with huge oak, elm, mulberry and pine trees. A walled patio next to the buil dingprovided a break area for employees. Author Robert Hereford wrote, “Three huge trees rise from the brick floor of the patio. . . . Flowers, ferns and creeping ivy add to the Spanish motif.” Former newsman Robert R. Lynn remembers, “We often did our newscasts with the door to that patio open and the birds singing outside.” KXOK occupied a newer two-story building, which was attached to an old former residential structure that the station used for storage. There was a small house behind the station where the caretaker lived with his family.

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You don’t have to look far for news in St. Louis Get your copy of SJR for the single-issue price of $4 at any of these locations:

Disc jockeys clown around on the grounds of Radio Park.

There was even a hand-carved totem pole on the grounds. Entry to KXOK was from Kingshighway on a circular drive. Most offices were on the second floor, studios on the first. Walking past the receptionist, who operated the old-fashioned patch cord switchboard, visitors went down a few stairs, passing the door to a very messy newsroom into a viewing area to watch the disc jockeys at work. The main studio was about 1,000 square feet, and at one time there were seats for a live audience. The music was popular—Top 40 for teens and young adults in the late ‘50s. In its earlier years, KXOK fed the ABC network signal to all affiliates west of the Mississippi from a master control room on this level. The echo that gave KXOK its full, rich on-air sound came from a wall in this room. Housed in a Plexiglas box, there was an echo amp designed by corporate engineer Dale Moudy. It came from an old Hammond organ and consisted of three tubes and springs. Another large studio on this level was used for commercial production. It housed the massive Ampex 300 reel-to-reel machines. Richard Ward Fatherley, who became the station’s production director, remembers “a lonesome, aged grand piano hugging the stu-

dio’s south wall, a testimony to radio’s good old days.” The newsroom was eventually moved behind the main studio, and as newsman Steven B. Stevens remembers, “the worst part of that was that those who needed to use the rest room (a facility described by newsman Lynn as ‘acoustically perfect’) behind the newsroom would go there and think up things to do. One trick was to come out with a large soda bottle filled with water and pour it slowly into a bucket of water during a newscast so it sounded like you were broadcasting from the KXOK toilet. “More than once I had my script lit on fire by a jock cruising by; I would simply ad lib my way on through the newscast,” Stevens said. The magic of a place called Radio Park was summed up in the words of programmer Bud Connell: “Radio Park was an image, indelible in our minds and hearts, and in our loyal listeners—and it will never be repeated. It will be sadly missed by those of us who were fortunate enough to work there.” The station moved to West Pine in the 1970s. FM became the source of most radio music because it sounded better—the frequency response was of a much better quality. Today the KXOK frequency is occupied by a religious station. ■

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Elaine Viets:

Murders she wrote ince Elaine Viets was fired from the klaw later landed in Florida. by Eileen P. Duggan Viets turned her satiric observaSt. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1996, her life has been a series tions to fiction, churning out the series, “Accessory to Murder,” is Dead-End Job series as well as a now on the shelves. of one dead-end job after another. In each of the Dead-End Job But she’s not books, Viets’ protagonist, Helen complaining. The Hawthorne, works a different lowjobs have made her paying job. To research the books, a best-selling, Viets herself took on the jobs, includaward-winning ing bookstore clerk, hotel maid, wedmystery writer nestding salon assistant and telemaring in a Fort Laudketer. She applied for the jobs just erdale condo with a like any other applicant, she said. view of the ocean “South Florida is a rootless sociand the Intracoastal ety,” Viets said, “and a worker who Waterway. speaks English and shows up on The former Post time is considered a real find.” columnist recently Most of the employers knew she published her sevwas researching a book, and some enth Dead-End Job were even helpful. For “Murder Mystery, “Clubbed Between the Covers,” Viets worked to Death,” set in a for more than a year at a Barnes & South Florida counNoble store, where the staff would tell try club. The book her stories for inspiration, she said. was reviewed in the The store still gives May 18 New York her a signing with TimesSunday Book each new book, and Review. Viets will the staff recommends appear at a bookher work to mystery signing at 7 p.m., Viets turned readers, she said. June 20, at the St. When Viets worked Louis County Liher satiric at Zola Keller’s fashbrary headquarters, ionable salon for 1640 S. Lindbergh observations “Just Murdered,” the Blvd. owner was aware and Viets’ quirky to fiction, very helpful. columns featuring For “Clubbed to South St. Louis livViets at home with her cat and churning out Death,” Viets worked ing were a longtime “writing partner.” at a country club for reader favorite. She the Dead-End seven months, long had the opportunity enough to “pay off a in 1994 to move Visa bill,” she said. Job series as temporarily to Washington, D.C., with number of short “The telemarketing her husband, Don Crinklaw. She stories. She has companies I worked at well as a another wrote her column from Washington started for ‘Dying to Call You’ for about 18 months until then-man- series, Josie Mardidn’t know and didn’t aging editor Foster Davis ended the cus Mystery Shopnumber of care,” Viets said. per, set in Viets’ arrangement. She has won an Viets said she was “spectacularly hometown of St. short stories. Agatha Award and an fired;” the late Davis insisted she had Louis. The Mystery Anthony Award for her 2005 voluntarily resigned by reporting to Shopper’s short stories; she the Washington bureau instead of the debut, “Dying in snagged a Lefty Award St. Louis newsroom on Jan 2, 1996. Style,” tied with for the funniest novel Negotiations ensued, and a freelance Stephen King on the Independent arrangement followed, but essentially Mystery Booksellers Association of 2007 for her sixth Dead-End Job Viets was out of a job. She and Crin- bestseller list. The third book in the book, “Murder With Reservations.”

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AD/PR

Continued from page 15

their arguments are at times. Consistent worldview, where everything ties together, is the landmark of ideological argument. People like consistent world views because they are comforting. So anything that feeds into that is very attractive.” Is the world going down the drain in a flush of spin and fallacy? Farrell likes to think it is not. “I’m an optimist. I’m thinking maybe things will be a little bit better.”

She pointed to the recent political controversy over proposals to fight high gasoline prices with a national gas tax holiday this summer. After presidential candidates John McCain and Hillary Clinton endorsed the idea, Barack Obama agreed with many economists that it was a pointless idea and a political ploy. “Somehow, Joe C. Public in Indiana figured out that this gas tax holiday idea was pandering,” Farrell said. “That means that the media did their job and that reasonable people recognized that.” ■

AMFM

Continued from page 18

The Lefty is an engraved pickaxe, a lethal weapon Viets can cherish. Her steamrolling success was sidetracked in April 2007, when Viets suffered a stroke. She was about to embark on a 10-city tour to promote “Murder with Reservations.” “The stroke and coma were terrifying, but one good thing came out of it,” she said. “I was deeply touched when the mystery writing community pitched in to help sell my new mystery while I was in a coma. More than 200 authors coast-to-coast, including St. Louis writers Eileen Dreyer and Susan McBride, helped me sell ‘Reservations.’” The authors promoted Viets’ book in the stores where she couldn’t appear. Her recovery has been quick in her doctors’ eyes, but too slow for her, she said. She’s talking, walking with a cane, doing physical therapy, and, now, touring for the new book. On the non-fiction side, Viets continues to do monthly commentaries for KWMU-FM Radio. She blogs on Wednesdays for The Lipstick Chronicles (http://www.thelipstickchronicles.ty pepad.com/) with four other writers. Otherwise, fiction is now the name of the game for the former journalist. It turns out getting fired from the Post was a good career move for Elaine Viets. “I have a lot of freedom in my new life,” she said. Eileen P. Duggan is a freelance writer and editor and a publications specialist in St Louis.

throwback to a time when that was all that mattered. For some good people put out of work recently, a new station owner offers a ray of hope. I hope they are not disappointed. A previous column discussed the acquisition of WIL (1430 AM) by strip club magnate and convicted felon Robert Romanik. Previous owner Bonneville is keeping the legendary WIL call letters, so 1430 AM now goes by the call letters KZQZ. KZQZ is live with a full air staff. Market vet Terry Fox is handling operations and has lured “Mad Maynard” and Jackie McCoy back to the airwaves. Many of us were introduced to oldies for the first time during their oldies show on KADI (96.3 FM) — now

KHIT — in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Currently, KZQZ seems to be playing too many obscure oldies, too much doo-wop and poor quality or non-original recordings of songs. Fox will change that. (He borrowed my Time-Life CDs.) But I worry that Romanik is too much of a maverick to let good people do their jobs. Romanik has indicated that he will host a daily talk show, and the Web site bills KZQZ as “The First Amendment Station.” That seems to indicate that Romanik plans to use the station as a personal soapbox, which could alienate clients. There’s also the thought that music on AM is dead. Young people don’t even know AM exists. Will oldies work on AM? For the sake of some good people, I hope so. ■

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or many years I’ve used the pages of SJR to blast the talking heads, the sound bite artists who tell us who won the debate, why one party’s race horse is running ahead of another, what the voters meant to say via these results. Not enough focus on issues. Too much horserace coverage. You know the critique. For three minutes on some weekday mornings, I have played that role periodically on KTVI (Channel 2). After a primary or a general election, I sort through the entrails, otherwise known as votes, to discern the message. I’m kind of an itinerate, minor oracle. I put on my vestments for the occasion — when else do I wear a tie and sport coat? In the oracle business, you have to dress the part if you hope the audience will take you seriously. But certainly my influence is limited compared to the oracles in the national media temples. I don’t use pig intestines, but the entrails I sift are not much clearer. This actually works in my favor in some ways. I am aware that my conclusions may evoke anger among partisans. If I want to continue to be invited to interpret truth for the masses, I should not anger too large a segment of the audience. Ambiguity can be useful. I’m a lot less reserved in speaking my mind about the political process on my occasional appearances on KDHX (88.1 FM) radio’s “Reality Now” program. As a university-employed political scientist, I have my official oracle credentials in order, but they are not the usual bonafides. What’s strange is that my main expertise is Latin-American politics. But I like to think that having more of a comparative, global view on political processes and democracy gives me something different to contribute from what my fellow oracles offer. I’ve offered my interpretations on various local media outlets through the years. Among the dozen or so St. Louis media outlets for which I’ve worked (gratis), Channel 2 has impressed me the most. I have been in a few studios where the chit-chat and friendly atmosphere are entirely put on, but these people really do seem to enjoy working with one another. Also, while the morning show is filled with the usual celebrity “news” and network promotions, John Pertzborn, Randi Naughton, Margie Ellisor and other anchors have let me shape topics in ways I ask.

by Daniel Hellinger

Confessions of a political analyst

For many years, I’ve used the pages of SJR to blast the talking heads, the sound bite artists who tell us who won the debate . . .

I’d like to not be an oracle What do I want to do with my three minutes? I’d like to not be an oracle. I try to address the topic of citizenship, the relationship between the philosophy of our constitution and the reality of the electoral process. In a way, it’s not so different from teaching politics in the college classroom. The goal is not to tell people what to think but to try to induce them to think critically as citizens. I had fun on one occasion when my spot on Channel 2 followed a promotion for “American Idol” that was thinly disguised as a human interest news segment. The

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anchors let me spin my theory that the process for selecting the American Idol is more democratic than our process for picking a president. After all, a wide range of contestants is allowed to show their talent to the public, which gets to vote, and often overrule, the experts. In terms of media access for competitors and public participation, it’s much more democratic. While I wouldn’t adopt the process wholesale for choosing the national leader, I think there’s much to learn from it. I come as something of a leftist outlier among academics doing media commentary. Bringing a radical perspective to the task has advantages and disadvantages. As a self-professed Socialist, I’m definitely outside the mainstream. But this also means I’m not captivated by liberals and Democrats either. Let me provide an example. Back in February, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) competed in a debate to prove who was most critical of free trade pacts. Both promised to withdraw from NAFTA if Canada and Mexico did not agree to renegotiate some of its provisions. In my commentary for Channel 2, I pointed out that both candidates were well-funded by advocates of these trade pacts. I predicted neither would follow through. Within a month, Obama’s closest economic advisor was caught advising Canadians not to take his rhetoric on NAFTA too seriously. A few weeks later Clinton’s top campaign strategist had to resign after it was revealed he was lobbying for the Colombian government to get a new bilateral free trade treaty through the U.S. Congress.

I’m not always right This oracle business can be tricky. Like most analysts, I drank the Kool-Aid after the Iowa caucuses and treated Obama’s victory as evidence that his candidacy transcended race. One of my colleagues here at Webster University pointed out to me that most political science research shows that racialized voting is most pronounced in states and counties with mixed populations. On another occasion, I said, following a House vote on funding the Iraq War, that Democrats had voted again to fund the war. An anonymous caller left a message at my office pointing out that a majority of Democrats had in fact voted against war funding. What I should have said was that enough Democrats deserted their leadership to enable the funding bill to pass. Is anybody really listening? That’s hard to say. So often I get back to campus in the morning and I’m greeted with: “I saw you on TV this morning. Good job.” Usually I’ll follow with: “So, what did you think of what I said?” “Oh, well, I was busy getting the kids ready for school and getting ready for work, but you sounded really good.” I wonder if that oracle guy at Delphi ever had the same problem. ■ Daniel Hellinger is a professor of political science at Webster University.

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Alternative publications always require the financial support of progressive and literate citizens, who are willing to share the burden of maintaining an open society. The following contributors realize that SJR is at a crucial junction. They have earned the following honorary appointments: Publisher Larry Carp Don Corrigan John Dubinsky E. S. Evans Agnes and David Garino Ray Hartmann Paul Schoomer Dr. Moisy Shopper Kenneth Solomon Editor Michael E. Kahn Alberta Slavin St. Louis resident Managing Editor James S. Hentschell I.E. Millstone Columnist Joan G. Botweinick Joseph Ferro Ed Finkelstein Yvonne Logan Samuel W. Mitchell Mary Jane and Wm. Murray Underwood Anita L. and Bernard M. Waxman Michael A. Wolff Clayton resident

Investigative Reporter Michelle Corey, Better Business Bureau K.A. and Tom A. Engelhardt Jeanne D. Morrell and Robert J. Franklin Michael Greenfield Claire M. Hyman Peggy Lents Charlotte F. and James E. Lubbock Sarah C. and Ward C. Newman, Jr. Sydell and Lawrence D. Shayer Michael D. Thomas Sandra L. and Dr. Gerald Wool Reporter Bernard Colton Barbara Felt Vernon W. Fischer Glen E. Holt Judy Koepke Wayne Leeman Margaret L. Polcyn John F. Reitz Barbara R. and John E. Russell C. T. Sharp Natalie B. and David B. Simmons Alfred J. Wessels Webster Groves resident Kirkwood resident St. Louis resident St. Louis resident St. Louis resident

For about 38 years, the St. Louis Journalism Review has been the watchdog guarding the St. Louis media, print and broadcasting. It has faithfully followed guidelines published in its first issue, September 1970:

Media Elite

“The St. Louis Journalism Review hopes to become to the regular newspapers and the radio and television stations what those media are to government and other institutions. The news media are counted on to report to the public on all institutions and evaluate their performance. In St. Louis, we intend to take on that task. “Fairness, we believe, is the major obligation of the media. Unless all segments of the public have access to the media, the newspapers and broadcast stations are not living up to the responsibilities that go along with the constitutionally protected Freedom of the Press. Only the press can assure an informed public, which is needed to make democracy work. But there cannot be an informed public unless every segment of society knows about the needs and thoughts and fears of all others.”

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Wente fired at KWMU atty Wente, general manager at KWMU (90.7 FM) was fired following an investigation of deficient management practices, the station reported June 2. Wente held the position for 19 years. The National Public Radio station is on the campus of the University of Missouri–St. Louis and receives some state funds. Officials at Missouri University’s main campus in Columbia had undertaken a probe of the station and Wente’s actions at the behest of UMSL Chancellor Thomas George. George notified employees at the station on April 14 that management and accounting deficiencies were being investigated. Auditors had notified university curators in January of inadequate documentation of expenses on a credit card of a financial support group called Friends of KWMU, even though the expenses were later reimbursed by Wente. A review team was sent to UMSL to interview employees of the station. George, in a statement, said of the firing, “KWMU is a St. Louis treasure. This action is being taken to protect that treasure.” The probe was first reported by the Riverfront Times, St. louis’ alternative weekly newspaper. It did a long story based mainly on interviews of employees who complained about Wente’s abrasive management style of Wente. Some of the derogatory comments about her were by anonymous employees who said they feared for their jobs if named. It was apparent that Wente’s personality is what her employees most disliked about her. The RFT quoted employees as saying she ruled with “a reign of terror,” and they compared her to the fictional Capt. Queeg on the U.S.S. Caine. The St. Louis Business Journal reported that the investigation also included fund-raising for a new $12-million building for KWMU on the UMSL campus. Wente spear-headed the drive, which had netted $7.7 million through April 30. University officials were said to be worried that potential donors to the drive might be reluctant to give as long as Wente was still involved. The officials decided to let her go but not call it a resignation. Wente is credited with changing the station from all-music to a news and information format that has more than 14,000 members and 190,500 listeners. Mike Dunn, general manager of the University of Missouri–Columbia’s public radio station, was named interim manager for KWMU.

Sources say... Roy Malone

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Post upgrades Web site The Post has been hustling the last few months to improve its STLtoday.com Web site, which it apparently views as the path to greater prosperity. Most other urban newspapers in the country are doing the same as they watch their circulations and advertising revenues decline. The newspaper industry is in a slow free fall and there’s a rush to go with online presentation of news, along with print. Not only has the Post redesigned its Web site, but it has remodeled its newsroom to put the online personnel and computers in the center of the news operation. More focus is now given to planning for quickly putting breaking news and regular news on the Web site. Reporters and editors feel like they are working for something like the Associated Press wire service, trying to be the first and most thorough with local news. Editors say there has been a steady increase in viewers on the Web site. Meanwhile, Post owner Lee Enterprises continued to struggle with its falling stock price, which has gone recently to as low as $6; it had been as high as $36 in the previous year. In the quarter ended Dec. 31, Lee claimed assets of $1.51 billion in “good will.” It had to drastically reduce that bit of creative accounting, and it reported a loss of $716 million, or $15.90 per share, for the quarter ended March 30.

Beacon up and running he St. Louis Beacon, an online news operation, is running with daily updates and “building readership,” according to its editor, Margaret Freivogel. The Web site, at www.stlbeacon.org, is now more than a month old. The planning stages started 18 months ago with the name St. Louis Platform. That was a nod to the platform statement of Joseph Pulitzer, founder of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. But that name was claimed several weeks ago as the name of the Post’s new blog, STLtoday.com/ThePlatform. Gilbert Bailon, editor of the Post editorial page said it made sense to use the name “Platform” for the blog because that name has appeared each day in the paper since 1907. The online operation hadn’t copyrighted the Platform name and decided to pick another—St. Louis Beacon— rather than fight the Post. The Post obviously views the Beacon as a competitor. “Things are going better than expected,” Freivogel said. “We’ve got

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some high quality writers.” The site offer videos and slide shows. The non-profit operation has 13 employees, some of them parttime, plus freelancers. Organizers of the Beacon hope to raise about $2 million to help it operate for at least two years while it seeks advertising revenue. A challenge grant of $500,000 was pledged by Emily Pulitzer. As the major stockholder of Pulitzer Inc., she

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reaped $414.5 million on the sale of Pulitzer (and the Post) three years ago to the Lee Enterprises newspaper chain. William Danforth, chancellor emeritus of Washington University, gave the Beacon $200,000, and there are many other donors. Many of the staffers are ex-Post writers and editors; several saw their newspaper careers effectively ended when the Post was sold. Some writ-

ers are coming up with enterprise pieces: Bill Smith wrote about the lack of a federal clean-up of a radioactive landfill. Bob Duffy wrote an historical opera piece in connection with the opening of “The Tales of Hoffman.” Beacon editors find interesting stories on other Web sites and provide summaries and links to them. Beacon readers can also offer their own comments related to a story. ■

people people people people people people people people people people people

Media Notes MEDIA St. Louis Post-Dispatch Yunting “Ivan” Zhai has received an Alfred Friendly Press Fellowship at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to serve as a reporter for five months. Zhai has been with the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong-based daily since 2003. His stories and research have made him a target for intimidation and pressure from many Chinese authorities. He is also one of the founders of Far & Wide Journal, a free online magazine styled after the Economist, where he writes extensively about American politics. St. Louis Jewish Light The St. Louis Jewish Light has hired Larry Levin to serve as the newspaper's Publisher/CEO, Levin, 52, has lived in St. Louis for almost 30 years. He served as president of the Ladue Education Foundation, a non-profit organization he helped start, and as vice president of retail development for the DESCO Group. Levin has practiced law, served as a real estate business executive and as a non-profit executive. In addition, he served as an associate editor at the Riverfront Times from 1988-1990. MEDIA AWARDS KETC’s young writers, illustrators contest Ten children received recognition in

the KETC (Channel 9) annual Young Writers and Illustrators Contest. The four firstplace winners have been entered in the national “Reading Rainbow” Young Writers and Illustrators Contest. National winners will be announced later this summer. Third Grade: Story award–Wesley Taylor; Honorable Mention–Cora DeBoard; Illustrator Award–Cora DeBoard. Second Grade: Story Award–Jimmy Marshall; Honorable Mention–Levi Pinkley; Illustrator Award–Levi Pinkley. First Grade: Story Award–Samuel Wallaeger; Honorable Mention–Patrick M. Blanner; Illustrator Award–Samuel Wallaeger, Patrick M. Blanner. Kindergarten: Story Award–Abigail Pinkley; Honorable Mention–Carl Swanson, Bella Dortch; Illustrator Award–Carl Swanson, Bella Dortch, Darby Duncan, Abigail Pinkley. University of Missouri–St. Louis Martin Duggan, former St. Louis Globe-Democrat journalist and host of “Donnybrook” on Channel 9, was given an honorary doctorate degree in arts and letters at the May 10 graduation.

Ad/PR Legal Media Matters The new company provides news releases and public relations for attorneys and law firms. O’Conner & Partners The agency, a founding member of a global network of public relations agencies, has added public relations agencies in Singapore, Amsterdam and India to the network. The agency has also added Danielle Lyons, a public relations graduate of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, as an account coordinator.

AWARDS AD/PR Engel Creative The firm received an Editors Choice Award from Creative Magazine. Image Works Public Relations The agency won a Summit International Creative Award in the public relations events category. Cushman/ Amberg Communications The agency won two Hermes Creative Awards. The agency also was named the top public relations agency in the St. Louis area by the St. Louis Small Business Journal. Buck Consultants The agency won two Gold Quill Awards presented by the International Association of Business Communicators. It also received two awards of merit. Lawrence Group The graphic design group, Studio 369, received an Archie Award from the St. Louis Chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services. O’Malley Hansen Communications The agency won a Sabre Award for new agency of the year. Omnicom Rodgers Townsend was recognized wih multiple awards at the American Advertising Federation District Nine ADDY competition. IN MEMORIAM George A. Killenberg, 91, longtime editor at the Globe-Democrat died May 20. SJR published a feature about him in the January issue, “A dammed good editor.” INVITATIONS The free exhibit, “Bare Witness: Photographs by Gordon Parks,” runs at the St. Louis Art Museum through Aug. 3.

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Cuban journalists admit some self-censorship

A visit to review press freedom in Cuba by Peter Phillips ou cannot kill truth by murdering journalists,” said Tubal Páez, president of the Jour- olutionary threat by U.S. financed Cuban-Americans livnalist Union of Cuba. ing in Miami. This is not an entirely unwarranted feeling One hundred and fifty Cuban and South American in that many hundreds of terrorist actions against Cuba journalists, ambassadors, politicians and foreign guests have occurred with U.S. backing during the past 50 gathered at the Jose Marti International Journalist years. Institute to honor the 50th anniversary of the death of In addition to the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, these Carlos Bastidas Arguello — the last journalist killed in attacks include the blowing up of a Cuban airlines plane Cuba. He was only 23 when he was assassinated by in 1976 resulting in the deaths of 73 people, the starting Fulgencia Batista’s secret police after having visited in 1981 of an epidemic of dengue fever that killed 158 Fidel Castro’s forces in the Sierra Maestra Mountains. people and several hotel bombings in the 1990s, one of Edmundo Bastidas, Carlos’ brother, told about how a which resulted in the death of an Italian tourist. river of change flowed from the Maestra In the context of this external threat, (teacher) mountains, symbolized by Cuban journalists quietly acknowledge his brother’s efforts to help secure a that some self-censorship will new future for Cuba. undoubtedly occur regarding news stoThe celebration in Havana was held ries that could be used by the “enemy” in honor of World Press Freedom Day, Cuban against the Cuban people. Nonethewhich is observed every year in May. less, Cuban journalists strongly value World Press Freedom day was profreedom of the press, and there was no journalists claimed by the UN in 1993 to honor evidence of overt restriction or governjournalists who have lost their lives ment control. complain reporting the news and to defend media Cuban journalists complain that the freedom worldwide. U.S. corporate media is biased and that the During my five days in Havana, I met refuses to cover the positive aspects of with dozens of journalists, communisocialism in Cuba. Unknown to most cation studies faculty and students, U.S. corporate Americans are the facts that Cuba is union representatives and politicians. the No. 1 organic country in the world, The underlying theme of my visit was has an impressive health care system media is biased to determine the state of media freewith a lower infant mortality rate than dom in Cuba and to build a better the U.S., trains doctor from all over the and refuses understanding between media democworld, and has enjoyed a 43 percent racy activists in the U.S. and those in increase in GDP during the past three to cover the Cuba. years. I toured the two main radio stations Ricardo Alarcon, president of the in Havana — Radio Rebelde and Radio National Assembly, discussed bias in positive aspects Havana. Both have Internet access to the U.S. media. multiple global news sources including “How often do you see Gore Vidal of socialism CNN, Reuters, the Associated Press interviewed on the U.S. media?” he and BBC with several newscasters asked. in Cuba. pulling stories for public broadcast. Vidal has recently said that the U.S. More than 90 municipalities in Cuba is in its “worst phase in history.” have their own locally run radio sta“Perhaps Cuba uses corporate news tions, and journalists report local news to excess,” he said, “Cuban journalists from every province. need to link more to independent news During the course of several hours sources in the U.S.” at each station, I was interviewed on the air about media Alarcon went on to say that Cuba allows CNN, AP and consolidation and censorship in the U.S. and was able the Chicago Tribune to maintain offices in Cuba, but to ask journalists about censorship in Cuba as well. that the U.S. refuses to allow Cuban journalists to work Of the dozens I interviewed, all said that they have in the United States. complete freedom to write or broadcast any stories they choose. This was a far cry from the Stalinist media sys- Peter Phillips is a professor of sociology at Sonoma State University tem so often depicted by U.S. interests. and director of Project Censored, a media research organization. He travNonetheless, it did became clear that Cuban journal- eled to Cuba as an invited guest of the Journalist Union of Cuba in May ists share a common sense of a continuing counter-rev- 2008.

“Y

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