Antonio breakup demonstrates Times local news shortcomings
Thank you Red Spot for understating the Antonio-Corina split item. It's a Friday evening news dump, left coast style, engineered for that special time when you're not paying attention; it doesn't deserve a screaming head. Who really cares?
But the funny thing in this case was that we in the blogosphere were pushing for this story to jump to print, even when print would not touch it. Some examples:
I don't give a damn what kind of private life the guy has. But now that otherwise gossip-driven print will be chasing radio, of all media, tomorrow morning, can the local print scribes continue to pretend they're fooling anyone at all at this point? Or will they continue their pose as sanctimonious J-school grads, better than you and me?
Local print eds have way more resources than the blogosphere or radio; they could have parked people at both Villaraigosa addresses for weeks if they wanted. Instead, they chose to run pie-in-the-sky trial balloon Villaraigosa press releases like "Are voters ready to pay for a subway-to-the-sea ride?"
(Which we, the seven percent of the Times readers who vote in municipal elections, were of course just dying to be asked.)
The big winner of the Corina splits story: Corina, of course. It's pure pain now, and we have felt for her through the past year---but she's a great woman and she'll heal.
The big loser, we can only hope: not Antonio, but the LA Times local news scribes. A bunch of bought-off, lazy chowderheads who wouldn't stand up to the Mayor's staff if they took their fuel-inefficient SUVs and ran right over them.
But the funny thing in this case was that we in the blogosphere were pushing for this story to jump to print, even when print would not touch it. Some examples:
Luke Ford, Jan. 30: Antonio Villaraigosa's Marriage Kaput.Etc.
Some other blog, Jan. 31: Antonio breakup rumor does not jump to print
I don't give a damn what kind of private life the guy has. But now that otherwise gossip-driven print will be chasing radio, of all media, tomorrow morning, can the local print scribes continue to pretend they're fooling anyone at all at this point? Or will they continue their pose as sanctimonious J-school grads, better than you and me?
Local print eds have way more resources than the blogosphere or radio; they could have parked people at both Villaraigosa addresses for weeks if they wanted. Instead, they chose to run pie-in-the-sky trial balloon Villaraigosa press releases like "Are voters ready to pay for a subway-to-the-sea ride?"
(Which we, the seven percent of the Times readers who vote in municipal elections, were of course just dying to be asked.)
The big winner of the Corina splits story: Corina, of course. It's pure pain now, and we have felt for her through the past year---but she's a great woman and she'll heal.
The big loser, we can only hope: not Antonio, but the LA Times local news scribes. A bunch of bought-off, lazy chowderheads who wouldn't stand up to the Mayor's staff if they took their fuel-inefficient SUVs and ran right over them.
Posted by Joseph F. Mailander @ 6/08/2007 07:34:00 PM
30 Comments:
Yes, the Times reporter who covers the mayor does at times seem more like a p.r. person on the mayor's staff than he does a skilled and/or competent journalist.... And, yes, it is sad that this is the state of affairs with regard to local political coverage.
I bet you Parke, Barkin, Ace and Hacopian are meeting tonight on how to spin this one.
And Trujillo.
To "MY BLOGGIN MENTOR",
Thanks for responding to the "SCREAMIN SARCASISM HEADLINE". It has been an open secret that this "UNION" was "ON THE ROCKS", better yet, had fallen splat at the base of "HALF DOME". Yes, I agree with you that his private life is a "HO HUM" matter. But was his highlighting his attempt to show that he was "TRULY" an family man an central point in his campaign ?
Second, I concur with you about scribes like Duke "LITTLE DOOKIE" Helfand. I would bet you a sixer of "MODELO" that he knows "FACTS" about "TONY VILLAR'S" marriage status that never saw print.
Lastly, "MAYOR VILLAR" is dumping excess baggage now to prevent later hits.
GREAT WEEKEND TO YOU JOSEPH,
RED SPOT
The unasked question in all this tragedy - and it is a tragedy for the kids and parents all - is who the Other Woman is.
Going to bet it wasn't the First Lady who wants out because she has another interest, but MARV.
And, why does the First Lady get the Mayor's Mansion, and not the Mayor. Shouldn't she move to the house in Mt Washington, or is he moving closer to 'home.'
Boy, does Hillary sure know how to pick 'em or what?
Antonio porked Paris.
Hillary is going to try to keep Villar in the closet! Man...did she make a key strategic error!!!
With Villar and Nunez...who needs enemies! The Republicans are dancing in the streets! What a dumb bitch Hillary is!!!
The Emporer has no clothes...and it's going to be great sport to watch the rise and fall of Tony Villar! Yippee!!!!!!!
I think a point is missing in all this debate. During the last mayoral election Hahn was going through a seperation that was not treated gently by the media or this blog which, at the time, was being highly contributed by Villaraigosa and Hertzberg staffers.
If you remember, one of Hahn's greatest faults, according to these sources, was that he was absent at many City functions. I believe, to Hahn's credit, he concentrated on his troubled personal life yet did not use that as an excuse for his absences.
In contrast, MAV has travelled all over the world while his marriage has been crumbling, even denying the extent of trouble his marriage was in. Secondly, this is just the tip of the iceberg in regards to MAV's history of problems with women.
What does this say about;
-The double standard in the treatment of these marriage troubles
-The choice of Clinton for campaign managers and co-chairs
-The standards by which we expect our electeds to conduct themselves facing personal problems
-The manipulation of "independent" blogs for campaign purposes rather than oblective political debate by political professionals
The can of worms when it comes to marital problems was not only opened by Republicans but specifically by the Villaraigosa and Hertzberg campaigns. And now were not supposed to comment?
Absolutely, Jim Hahn stayed focused on his family, on providing as normal a life as possible for his kids, even to the possible/probably/inevitable detriment of his political career. Not so, with Antonio, who has made his career and his ambitions the ultimate guiding force in his life.
Rumor has it that there is a girlfriend (or, at least one...) in Washington, D.C.
mailander, you continue to be a self-absorbed, pompous moron with all the journalim experience you can get from being a bank teller. some snarky personal rumor from a porno blogger is not news. if the mayor's domestic problem is not interfering with his public duties, he has every right to tell the haters to go fuck themselves. since you have now made yourself a public person, I pray that something someday puts you in a situation that allows the rest of us to speculate on your sex life, if one exists. That reminds me, whatever happened to that blog of yours? Was it a financial problem, or "personal problems" with your partners?
And Jack Weiss comes to AVs rescue in the LAT! What a gem. Maybe AV/JW? How does Villarweiss sound?
Mailander has it right: L.A. Times goes out of its way to make nicey, nicey with the mayor. If not official Times' policy, then at least this certainly appears to be Duke Helfand's personal approach to his job.
mailander, you continue to be a self-absorbed, pompous moron with all the journalim experience you can get from being a bank teller. some snarky personal rumor from a porno blogger is not news. if the mayor's domestic problem is not interfering with his public duties, he has every right to tell the haters to go f-ck themselves.
Anonymous guy, what you fail to realize is that the blogosphere actually used restraint in the Villaraigosa separation. It seemed a worthwhile story to pursue; I checked my own email records this morning, and the first one came in on December 22, 2006. Luke's item came five weeks after it had been discussed, re-discussed, over-discussed, and long after some of us in the blogopsphere had tried to push print---who has far better resources than the blogosphere---to pursue the story.
Instead of print pursuing the story, after Luke's post appeared, a bunch of lazy, timid scribes stood around the Mayor one Friday afternoon, and one ventured, "Uh, Mister, why aren't you wearing a wedding ring?"
Do you think that kind of meek deference would fly for even one second among print scribes in New York or Chicago? If so, you've come to the right place, where you can sink to your own lazy level.
BTW, just for the record, as neither of these things are bragging points. To clarify: I was never a bank teller, though I was VP of commercial marketing for Union Bank early this decade.
And also, though journalism has never interested me much as far as career goes, but I did study the stuff at Columbia, where I was taught by, among others, Fred Friendly, a pretty good name in journalism.
since you have now made yourself a public person, I pray that something someday puts you in a situation that allows the rest of us to speculate on your sex life, if one exists.
You're just being negligent. I write about Lynn all the time. Though I'm not married, I have had one main squeeze for the past decade. I don't take Viagra. Any more questions?
That reminds me, whatever happened to that blog of yours? Was it a financial problem, or "personal problems" with your partners?
I don't add any more about that then I've already said, because the people with whom I had the rift all want to remain anonymous, and I've chosen to respect their wishes.
But basically, and to restate what's already been well documented: the rift was over vulgarity. I wanted none on the home page: the anonymous people at the blog thought vulgarity was the cat's meow when it came to blogging. That was their great dream, and now that's what they're doing at their own blog.
My own orbit of blogs includes my personal blog mainbrace as well as several others.
Indeed a pleasure to respond.
Fred Friendly would tell you that whether or not Antonio wore his wedding ring is NOT a story. He was of generation that believed JFK's adultery wasn't a story. The NY tabloids are hardly the standard. Not that you have any idea what they are not publishing about anyone.
Of course, if Friendly was alive, the Paris Hilton coverage would kill him, anyway.
Fred Friendly would tell you that whether or not Antonio wore his wedding ring is NOT a story. He was of generation that believed JFK's adultery wasn't a story. The NY tabloids are hardly the standard. Not that you have any idea what they are not publishing about anyone.
Actually, Fred Friendly wouldn't tell you right or wrong at all. Friendly would make each scribe turn it over with other scribes and editors and debate it until there was a consensus about what was right, a consensus that everyone could buy into and feel good about.
And that was what we did---and that's what you're missing. Don't give me JFK. JFK wasn't ever separated from his wife for five weeks, let alone five months.
The debate was not conducted at the Times considering anything but total deference to the Mayor's flak team. Newton should be ashamed too. What a bunch of publicists.
10:25
Arnold's "woman problems" weren't interfering with his public duties, and yet the LAT saw fit to splash Gropegate above the fold just before the election. Nope. No bias or laziness there!
Mailander has you phoney Times scrubs so dead to rites on this one. What kind of idiot--what kind of newspaper--reports the rumors AFTER they become fact, and then evaluates the OLD RUMORS, even after they've been admitted TO, rather than the STORY?
Only the laziest-assed fake piece of City Hall flackage on the planet and his lame-beyond-lame editor could go so low.
Come on, JFK was dating the girlfriend of a Mafia don and screwing starlets in the White House swimming pool. His brother was boinking marilyn Monroe! Arnold was sued for groping strangers. Antonio is getting separated after a 20-year run. It's not even close.
3:24 Yea! During his 20 year scam he boinked ????????hundreds
Helfand writes what the mayor's people give him. They know he is "their guy", that they can count on him to be their guy....
to the guy who made a dumb comp between antonio and arnold, being all over the papers w/ the groping thing: that was alleged sexual harassment, claims made by women that couldn't have been ignored and shouldn't, but this is personal between two people and as a family. Seems to me that they stuck it out as long as they could for the sake of the kids, who are now old enough to understand that two parents happy separately, are a lot better than two together in misery -- maybe the latter is what the catholic church teaches, but then priests wouldn't exactly know, would they? (Nor is pedophilia a satisfactory testing- ground for whether or not two unhappy people should be forced to stay together for the sake of God, or whatever higher authority says so -- in this case, public gossip.)
And who cares about the viciousness of the NY tabloids, tho for the record, Giuliani's very nasty split hasn't hurt him w/ most voters -- papers are now even saying that "judy" is the best part of team rudy-judy...it's all about where you end up in the end, the peace of mind you find when you find the right mate...
why doesn't everyone just get on with their own lives?
Common Trujillo or whoever keeps posting the defensive comments on behalf of the Villaraigosa's.
Do you really think you're going to spin them on this one? It's the finale everyone has been waiting for.
Don't try and stop New Year's eve at 12 midnight. It'll all be over and out of the way, soon enough.
For the record, I'm posting some of the comments and I think Trujillo is a scum bag.
The anon poster keeps saying this is a private matter between two people. WRONG. Antonio is a public figure and it should have been reported months ago as the whole damn city knew about Antonio's personal life but LA Slimes failed as always to print.
Now, why is Antonio having a PRESS CONF. tomorrow on this? He's taking advantage of a bad situation for another photo op. Let's see if the LA Slimes investigates as it does others they like to nail in their paper and report the facts not puff bullshit.
Spanish reporter from Telemundo, boy she really gets around!
pbWell, let's hope he's taking care of his family at this moment, not his younger girlfriend.
just cuz someone is a public figure doesn't mean his private life isn't private. If his wife alleged abuse or slung s-t in the press like rudy's ex did, that would have had to be addressed of course. YOU guys ought to get your own life, judge public figures on their public actions that have to do w/ their office. YOU guys are the only ones who can add hurt to his kids, but slinging dirt at their dad -- get a life.
Anon says, "judge public figures on their public actions that have to do w/ their office"
Antonio has become the do nothing mayor of the nation. We are judging his sorry butt on not doing a damn thing for this city. Its outrageous he is having a press conf. to further humiliate his wife and children. He's using a bad situation for yet another photo op. His statement released Friday asked for privacy but now he wants to talk about it. What is he going to say? I had an affair, Corina found out?
the previous blogger's worldview is just plain sad, thinking AV actually enjoys the PR from a press conf. to announce his breakup. Whatever he may think about his wife in private, no reason to think his main concern isn't his kids -- who must hate this scrutiny. And even if you think he's got a heart of ice, he knows this isn't exactly a helpful photo op. He wants to get thru it, so gossips can stop speculating, and get past it.
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