Last updated on 2013.09.29
A commenter seeking to distract from the issue at hand grumbles that the Madville Times is too negative:
All that ever comes from this blog is negativity without all the facts. I challenge you to write about something positive for a change. And maybe even a little factual ["Molly," comment, 2011.01.07].
Well, I reject the charge about lack of facts: I back my commentary with more facts and checkable links than most amateur online resources. I also back my arguments with my full name.
As for negativity, well, that's a more interesting flawed argument. First, it's ad hominem: the speaker is unhappy with an opinion I've expressed, so the speaker argues I'm a bad source because I talk about negative stories. The fallacy here: if you stink, but I choose to comment on your lovely dress, the fact remains that you need a bath.
Second, the claim is incorrect. Not all that I write is "negative"... although the term is problematically subjective. I look at my recent headlines and find 4 positive, 7 neutral, 9 negative. That's 20% up, 45% down. How terrible, right?
Now let's look at Thursday's print edition of the Madison Daily Leader (I count only news stories, not entertainment and sports, since I have no comparable sections):
| Headline | Page | +/0/- | Comment | Source |
| Custom Touch Homes seeks carpenters | 1 | + | Local | |
| Farmers who limit losses will receive insurance benefits | 1 | + | ...assuming you think more money from Washington is a good thing | AP |
| Lawmakers unsure about texting ban, survey shows | 1 | 0 | open for debate | AP |
| Friday release from prison set for sisters who will share kidney | 2 | 0 | I'm glad for the sisters, but there could be a dangerous precedent for government-mandated organ donation. | AP |
| More people applied for unemployment | 2 | - | ...unless you're really rooting for President Obama's defeat in 2012 | AP |
| Boehner moved to tears as House Speaker | 6 | - | Come on: if this were Nancy Pelosi, Limbaugh and Beck would hyperventilate about emotional instability at the top of Congress | AP |
| Lottery jackpot winner to claim winnings in Washington | 6 | 0 | Glad he won, but lotteries are a socially irresponsible tax on the poor. | AP |
| Spain's "El Nino' lottery hands out $1.1 billion | 6 | 0 | see above | AP |
| Drug raid gets 4 | 7 | 0 | +: we caught bad guys -: there are bad guys |
AP |
| Claim for missing cattle denied | 7 | - | ranchers robbed by rustlers and insurer | AP |
| Woman dead in Spearfish rollover | 7 | - | AP | |
| Clogged streets a safety issue | 7 | - | ...unless you like the idea of paramedics skiing to your house | AP |
| Friends: School gunman was fun, outgoing | 11 | - | AP | |
| Elizabeth Edwards leaves husband John out of will | 11 | - | death, sadness, family conflict | AP |
| Noem takes office as state's lone U.S. House member | 12 | 0 | open to debate | AP |
| Former deputy sheriff arrested | 12 | - | child porn, child rape, public trust violated | AP |
| S.D. woman sentenced for embezzling from VFW club | 12 | - | more trust violated, veterans robbed, theft motivated by gambling addition | AP |
| Brandon casino robbed; officials search for man | 12 | - | AP | |
| Jury selection begins in S.D. manslaughter case | 12 | - | highway mayhem | AP |
| Man formally charged with robbing S.D. bank | 12 | - | armed robbery in Centerville, danger everywhere | AP |
| Fire destroys building used as homeless shelter | 12 | - | AP | |
| Survey: South Dakota lawmakers open to using reserve funding | 12 | 0 | bad fiscal situation, but at least Pierre is looking for a solution | AP |
2 positive, 7 neutral, 13 negative. 9% positive, 59% negative.
In that same edition, there is one letter to the editor from Neal McIntyre. The commenter who started this comparison will surely grouse about his negative about the new gym/renovation plan for the school, but he also offers positive alternatives. And Neal and I both wold tell the commenter that "being positive" does not mean offering positive affirmation of one person's particular viewpoint.
As a side note, consider the sources of the content in the compared texts. Thursday's MDL conatins one locally produced news story. The rest, 95%, are cut-and-paste from the news wires. I use my share of quotes from other sources, but for the most part, the text you get here is original reporting and commentary.
So Molly, I'm arguably more positive and definitely more local than the paid local press. I also support much more open community discussion than either the local paper (which has zero online interactivity and user content) or the local radio station.
Your further comments are welcome. And you're welcome.
Related: Dr. Ken Blanchard offers a very gracious comment on the informational value of this blog. Thank you, Dr. Blanchard. Permit me to return the compliment: South Dakota Politics offers some of the most intelligent political commentary in the state.
Cory,
Congrats on getting the new site up. I just wanted to let you know that the theme you are using doesn't render correctly in Opera browser(my browser of choice). It does look okay in IE. Since Opera tends to be much more standard compliant than IE, it makes me wonder what the theme did wrong to target IE specifically. :-)
I know you are doing this to cater to me and I am not trying to criticize, but thought I would let you know all the same.
Thanks for visiting ip, Mike. It looks like both you and TC go there. Now UNBLOCK ME!
It's easy to go with the tide, but something else entirely to question powers that be, especially in a small town. Madison is going downhill: fewer jobs, declining population, loss of retail, an economic development corporation people mistrust, high taxes and utilities, and questionable ethics in voting off the top of my head, so we should applaud Cory for addressing the realities. If your reality is different, then share it so we can learn something. Cory even takes guest columns.
It's too easy to be critical. ElizaBeth and I have decided that this is the year we accentuate the positive and give as much back as we can to the community. This morning ElizaBeth and Dacey ran the 5K in Madison. We donated to the silent auction.
The last two nights, I we to the MHS girls basketball games and took some pictures for the paper. I posted several images on on blog already.
On Friday afternoon, we were doing "before" pictures for the KJAM/Community Center Fitness Challenge.
Cory, people that read the Madville Times see only the side of you that rallies against the system. They don't see the hours that you serve as a judge at debate tournaments. They don't see the hours you spend with your wife and daughter. They don't see the artist. Fill your blog with stories about your observations of life instead of facts and figures of things that irritate you and people will see more of you as a person and judge you differently.
Many things irritate me. I've written scathing emails only to have my wife look over my shoulder and offer me advice: What would I gain by sending the email? I have to let it go and live my own life. I cannot let myself be polluted by anger over the stupidity of others which I can do nothing about. I cannot save the world. I can only try to make my little part of it a better place.
MikeH! Thanks for the tech note. Firefox, Chrome, and IE down -- time for Opera compatibility! Back under the hood I go....
Mike B: Sorry -- how people see and judge me personally is not part of the core mission of this blog. I'm (usually) not the news. I doubt "being positive" means turning inward to write exclusively or even primarily about my personal adventures. I'm just curious: how "positive" must one be to earnt he right to air complaints about one's community? What is the price of admission to that conversation in Madison?
Right or wrong, people judge. Your ability to convey your message depends in large part on the authority you are able to project. If your audience can relate to you on personal basis, then your voice will carry greater weight.
Furthermore, a future employer will certainly read this blog. If you infuse more of yourself into the Madville Times, then your ability to get a job will grow.
You don't have to change who you are or what you believe in. You just need to include more of yourself, the struggles and the successes, in your writing.
I include more than enough of myself here. Are Chuck Clement and Jon Hunter required to do the same in their coverage of local and state news? What is the justification we give them for printing so much "negative" news?
One of my favorite shows used to be Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt. They had human interest stories, humor, and culture along with hard-hitting journalism.
Changes looks good now, Cory.
Mike, Cory’s blog is a gadfly, as in the gadfly of Plato’s Apology. I’ll let the Wikipedia entry explain it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_gadfly The role of the social gadfly is important--vital, in fact--to coming to better understanding of truth as a community. Of course, that doesn’t mean what Cory says on the blog is always true or the whole truth, but the blog certainly serves “to sting people and whip them into a fury, all in the service of truth.â€
Hey, I was Mr. Gadfly of the Year 1977, according to Mr. Scott, middle school English teacher , so Cory is not ahead of the game around here. I can irritate just about anybody.
John! We're kindred bugs! Keep up the buzz! >8-)
Cory, I am not the social gadfly. My goal on our studio website is to get people to look at pictures and then spread the word about Black Studios. We do include our adventures in the community. You can read ELizaBeth's post about preparing for Saturday's 5K in Madison. Relating to our customers is good for business.
That's fine, Mike. I've never questioned your motivation for your online presence. I've never suggested that you should blog the way I do. We have different goals. There's room for both of us in the local Web. Molly's erroneous suggestion is that there is not such room for a social gadfly, that criticizing local government is unacceptable, that openly acknowledging our problems and proposing changes is bad. That's the point here.