Attention David Hiller

One thing you get a feeling for over the years: my friend Kevin Roderick may be many things, but he is not very shrewd.

Maybe that's a compliment---I don't know. Or maybe he spent too much time on Spring Street to act effectively in his own self-interest.

As evidence, just take a peek at what The Kevin has to say about David Hiller inviting him to a charity power lunch:

"Speaking of rumor-mongering LA websites, I still have not heard from Kevin Roderick about my offer to contribute $1,000 to United Way to take him to lunch, if he does the same. Would somebody please leak THAT to Kevin?" Well, they did. I emailed Hiller back a couple of weeks ago, but perhaps wasn't clear enough: Yes I'm available for lunch, but it doesn't cost anything. No, I don't do odd attention-seeking gimmicks with publishers of big newspapers, even for charity. If I were inclined, wouldn't the right challenge have been to match the same percentage of our vastly differing incomes? Anyway, as always I'm gratified that the top guy at the LAT follows LA Observed so closely.

And thereby Kevin, in his anxiety to dis the Times (well, admittedly---who doesn't suffer that anxiety?), blew an opportunity to counter. Methinks he could have easily raised $2,000---not for the plainwrap United Way---but for the more meaningful charity of his choice.

So...

Atention David Hiller:

First off, I personally deeply resent what you implied about my friend Kevin Roderick, whom you dismiss as a rumor-monger. That was awful of you. Nobody---NOBODY---mongers well-founded rumors in this town the way MayorSam.blogspot.com does.

(When your paper finally begins to see value in floating well-founded rumors---even the altruism in that kind of activity---then maybe, maybe you'll begin to form a cogent Internet strategy.)

(Because, unlike print, you see, the Internet is Interactive...just like the best talk on your third floor....)

And that's why I'm offering you this chance to make good on your offer to have lunch. Not necessarily with Kevin, but with a TRUE rumor-mongering blogger: me.

David---do you really want to take a rumor-mongering blogger to lunch?

I'll match you dollar for dollar for a $1,000 charity lunch, as long as....

• ...it all comes out of your personal pocket, and
• ...it all goes to Run for Her, the Women's Cancer charity centered around the efforts of some very talented local gynecological oncologists, who fight the good fight.

First likely item of business: it's about time the people at your fishwrap stopped worrying about ancien regime prostate cancer cases so much---if you know who I mean---and I'm sure you do---and started contributing, both dollars and attention, to women's cancer charities too, especially considering your readership demographics.

And beyond that---it's anyone's guess what might happen.

Maybe we'll talk about the way your paper has not followed its readers out to the suburbs.

Maybe we'll talk about my biggest bugabear of all: your paper's failure to invest in cutting edge graphic artists (so necessary for old tech!) and printing equipment.

Or maybe we'll just talk about---Kevin Roderick.

(Hey, if you really want him there, I'll pay his way too!)

But really. You should talk to somebody. Because with your fake power riff against not just Kevin but the whole LA blogosphere, you just demonstrated how utterly disconnected you are from us.

You're the one who's losing readers---not us. Maybe you should pay not just mine, but a few more blogger's way, eh?

We're the Angeleno blogosphere---the best civic blogosphere on the planet---and we suck eyeballs off of your paper monthly, weekly, daily, hourly. If you want to talk about "rumor-mongering websites"---well, that explains a lot about why it's happening so fast.

PS Nick---will you forward this to David? Nobody else at your paper I'm sure has the guts to.