I got a great reminder the other day regarding the value of my local journalism, which helps balance out the critics who like to take their shots from social media platforms.  A recent comment from Mike (I’ll leave out Mike’s last name, since he identified as a former client of the shelter I worked at here in Missoula, the Poverello Center) took issue with how I wrote about a safe parking lot initiative.  I think his comment brings up some points worth addressing, so here it is:

How many words did you use to say that you don’t know if churches are allowing the homeless with vehicles to park on their property? We met when I was a resident at the old Pov and you were staff, I like you but what’s up with these screeds? I’m sure you have some issues with your past employer but what does that have to do with the real problem of homelessness in Missoula? Spell it out, coherently. You call it the “homeless industrial complex” and their may be some truth too it. But present in a fashion that doesn’t involve your personal life. You need a few journalism courses before I can take you seriously as a purveyor of news.

If journalism was a popularity contest, I might fret about not being liked by a reader, but journalism is NOT a popularity contest.  In fact, if one takes a philosopher like Plato seriously, then one might consider what Plato said about truth tellers, which is this:  No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth.

Now, before moving on from Mike’s comment, I’d like to address the claim that I have “some issues” with my past employer.  Do I think the Poverello Center could do more to raise questions about the death of Sean Stevenson and the claim from law enforcement that ONLY ONE PERSON was involved in the physical altercation inside the men’s dorm that put Sean Stevenson into a coma?  Sure, but my past employer is just one of many institutions that’s failing this community, and I bet if you break down the few thousand posts I’ve written at my blog, you wouldn’t see a lopsided vendetta against the Pov by any means.

The topic of homelessness, on the other hand, IS a major focus of my writing, but a recent email from Becky Goodrich, a paid Communications Specialist for the city, makes me wonder a few things.  First, the email:

After my initial confusion about why I was included in this email to begin with, my confusion shifted to Becky’s apparent confusion regarding the Constitution and how she seemed intent on depriving me of my First Amendment protections.  I guess in Missoula, in the year 2024, the first amendment does NOT apply to a citizen journalist like me.  Thinking an organization like the Montana Human Rights Network might be interested in my plight, I emailed them a link last Monday, August 5th, but so far haven’t heard anything back.  

Meanwhile, I got a call from Hamilton the other day that really raised my spirits because it was a timely reminder that my local journalism matters.  The caller had found a post of mine regarding someone with an exotic sounding name and altruistic claims, but my gut feeling from the beginning, after seeing the first flyer posted at the Zootown Arts Community Center, was that Dr. Surajit Khanna was NOT someone who had helping others as a driving motivating factor for his actions.

I wrote this post and this post about Surajit Khanna, but after the call I got last week, I think I’ll be taking a trip to Hamilton soon, because when you go to places, in person, to see the lay of the land for yourself, it’s amazing the kinds of stuff you discover.  For example, I’ve been returning the urban camping area where a fire broke out recently, and despite OTHER public parks becoming urban camping locations, this part of Missoula is STILL TRASHED.  Maybe Parks and Rec just needs more of your tax dollars.

Who will take responsibility for local media becoming so incapable of doing the core requirements of their job?  When local media reports on a local political phenomenon, like the declining influence of Montana Democrats, one of the scapegoats is local media itself.  I’m not kidding, here’s the quote emphasis mine):

Crucial, too, to the dwindling importance of local politics was the rapidly shrinking news media landscape. The United States has lost nearly 1,800 newspapers since 2004, including in Montana. According to a 1986 report by the Montana Historical Society, 14 newspapers were published in Kalispell between 1920 and 1980. Today, there are two.

As local newspapers shuttered amid economic pressure, voters turned increasingly to cable TV and hyper-partisan national news sources, which were devoid of the local and state coverage that once flourished in Montana. Americans became more likely to vote Republican or Democratic down the ballot, regardless of the policy planks of individual candidates.

What happened to the Montana Democrats? By Denali Sagner. The Pulp. August 9, 2024.

What came first, the “economic pressure”, or the crappy “news” product people stopped buying?  I don’t have an answer for that, but I DO put out more content on a weekly basis than The Pulp, Missoula’s attempt to revive the journalistic remnants of the Missoula Independent.

I’ll wrap up this week’s article with the glaring irony of Democrats who claim, and truly believe, that they are saving Democracy from Trump while their coup candidate, Kamala Harris, hides from the press.  It’s gotten so obvious that even corporate mouthpieces like Jim Acosta are getting restless.  From the link:

The Harris campaign’s ‘hide Kamala’ strategy may be working from a polling perspective – but it’s gone on so long that even CNN is getting annoyed.

“Would it kill you guys to have a press conference?” asked the network’s Jim Acosta (of ‘shouting at Trump’ fame) during an interview with Harris communications director Michael Tyler.

“I’m sure this is not going to be the first time you’ve heard this question, but the Trump campaign is also going after the vice president for not doing enough interviews, for not holding a press conference. Would it kill you guys to have a press conference? Why hasn’t she had a press conference?”

“Would It Kill You Guys?” CNN Gets Confrontational With Harris SPOX For Avoiding Interviews, Press Conferences. ZeroHedge. August 14, 2024.

An informed public?  No one in power, or chasing power, really wants that.  Locally, I’m learning that the hard way.

Thanks for reading!