[All] Fwd: Various Concerns & Suggestions Re: Content of the WR Record Newspaper
Robert Milligan
mill at continuum.org
Sat Aug 14 00:46:20 EDT 2010
Hello All,
Below email copies FYI, but just to add a few additional thoughts to
them:
I am concerned that some very right-wing social "critics" seem to be
acting in our community as though guided excessively by ideology and
insufficiently by knowledge and common sense. Likely they would deny
the veracity of the many studies around the World which indicate that
a successful LRT could advance business and other community interests
much more than a bus system -- and be less expensive in the long term.
And of course, like many of the columnists at the National Post, they
would deny any positive connection between a healthy economy and a
healthy society and environment. In fact they attack the idea of such
interrelationships even though these progressive ideas originate with
&/or are supported by leading-edge business organizations. They even
seem similar to Al Qaida in their blind belief and strong aggressive
action against moderates and heretics.
As to why they are like that, I leave to your own thinking and
speculation. However, they do have some similarity to the aggressively
enthusiastic "scientists" and economics who have been allegedly paid
indirectly by EXXON to cast doubt on greenhouse-gas-caused climate
change. In fact, at least one prominent local academic very actively
espouses/supports both extreme right-wing-framed causes.
Why do the media continue to give them air time or space to express
their misguided views to the gullible public who assume that an MA,
PhD or some other source of status equates with truth-saying and
wisdom? The media say that it is done to balance points of view -- and
the conflict generated by this approach produces readers and viewers.
Its something like violence in hockey fills more seats and attracts a
bigger TV audience.
More generally, the idea that we can best progress or make a profit
or ... by conflict in a World of increasingly powerful technologies --
including small technologies like a nuclear bomb in a suitcase -- has
to be transformed to the idea of a World that progresses by harmonious
cooperation and collaboration. This for survival's sake,
And the new social media seem to be great enablers here -- another
reason for old media to creatively incorporate it.
Towards this more secure World, I might suggest that the media enhance
their selection criteria (and their ability to use these new criteria)
so as to include a concept of responsible knowledge producer that is
based on such a person sufficiently having balanced, deep and broad
knowledge that is relevant to the issue(s) under consideration.
Then balance will be more within each person (responsible knowledge
producer) rather than balance between unbalanced persons.
And all those who communicate from a knowledge-base that is primarily
ideologically skewed or otherwise grossly inadequate should be
excluded by the Hybrid Old/New Media until they appropriately re-
invent themselves as more complete persons that meet the new
responsible knowledge producer criteria.
But back to this Region's most important and expensive project.
If we do not enhance our LRT system design so as to make it much more
cost effective -- currently too slow, too costly. too little capacity,
too short a route, ... -- you can look forward to these extreme right-
wing types to lead the charge in the 2014 municipal elections against
all Regional Councillors who supported the very costly "white
elephant", "boondoggle", etc. We could have not only a hellish LRT but
a "deserved" hellish Regional Council in 2014!
Even for the 2010 municipal election we can see the beginning of this
anti-LRT political effort. That is, to take advantage of the
significant community doubt/concern about the success and cost of an
LRT -- caused partly by the ideologues and partly by the sub-standard
LRT system design -- there have been calls for an LRT referendum and
there are some Regional candidates running against the LRT.
Robert
Begin forwarded message:
> From: Robert Milligan <mill at continuum.org>
> Date: August 12, 2010 8:00:01 PM GMT-04:00
> To: "Haddrall, Lynn" <LHaddrall at therecord.com>
> Cc: "McCuaig, Paul" <pmccuaig at therecord.com>, "Holland, David" <DHolland at torstar.ca
> >, "Honderich, John" <jhonderich at torstar.ca>
> Subject: Re: Various Concerns & Suggestions Re: Content of the WR
> Record Newspaper
>
> Hello Lynn,
>
> That was a very nice response from a person who has done much to
> improve the Record and maintain viability in these challenging times.
>
> However, the success of your newspapers and other
> "broadcasting" (i.e. mostly one way communication) media across the
> World will depend on the ability to re-invent yourselves so that the
> creative potential of readers/listeners/viewers/customers/consumers/
> citizens/...
> can be used more effectively.
>
> The shift from a "dumbed-down control culture" to a "collaborative
> knowledge culture" -- necessary for the survival of complex Life on
> Earth -- requires such media (and other organizations) to re-invent/
> re-design themselves. Media need to become facilitators, catalysts,
> champions, ... so as to assist and collaborate with creative
> individuals, creative groups and creative organizations.
>
> My constructive criticisms in the previous email were all in that
> type of direction.
>
> Further, you might say that old media need to creatively incorporate
> new social media and their new ways to generate profits. e.g. a
> participatory newspaper/'social media' hybrid (keep a close watch on
> i-pad+ forms of new media).
>
> Old media who do this well would have an advantage over "pure" new
> media because you still have the attention of many of the
> 30something+ -- and your changes could gain many of the younger set.
>
> And all this could be at least aimed towards assisting the smart and
> enlightened part of the business community whose triple bottom line
> (or 3P) ideas suggest that economic health depends on social and
> environmental health.
>
> But at the same time would not these new innovations be helping to
> realize -- in a now more business-acceptable way -- the dreams of
> Torstar foundational creators Joseph Atkinson Sr and Beland H.
> Honderich: "social reform" and "fair and accurate ... crusading"
> respectively?
>
> Best wishes,
> Robert
>
> On 12-Aug-10, at 4:22 PM, Haddrall, Lynn wrote:
>
>> Hello Robert,
>>
>> Thank you for your email raising concerns about our coverage of
>> light rail transit.
>>
NOTE: MIDDLE 4 PARAGRAPHS HAVE BEEN REMOVED TO PRESERVE LYNN'S PRIVACY
OF COMMENT
>> We appreciate your ongoing interest on the light rail issue and we
>> are committed to covering it as it progresses.
>>
>> As always, thanks for contacting us with your thoughts, Robert.
>>
>> Lynn
>>
>>
>> From: Robert Milligan [mailto:mill at continuum.org]
>> Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 6:27 PM
>> To: Haddrall, Lynn
>> Cc: McCuaig, Paul; Holland, David; Honderich, John
>> Subject: Various Concerns & Suggestions Re: Content of the WR
>> Record Newspaper
>>
>> Lynn,
>>
>> Especially as a former Media Consultant and independent light rail
>> transit (LRT) researcher, I have a concern that some staff writers
>> (perhaps mostly the key writer) appear to be subtly biased against
>> the idea of an LRT backbone for our Regional transit system. I
>> sense/surmise that this is true because of a combination of the
>> harbouring of a dated ideology (I'm a pragmatist myself) and
>> information-lack that impairs understanding and good judgement.
>>
>> The following web-article about Charlotte NC's very enlightened
>> Republican Mayor brings out situational nuances -- political,
>> operational, ... -- that could help your staff raise their level of
>> LRT-consciousness. And this example of the seeking out of higher
>> community thinking & action from around the World could catalyze
>> further similar steps towards helping distinguish your newspaper
>> from its profit-draining competition -- be it other newspapers,
>> traditional electronic media or the internet. "How Charlotte’s
>> mayor championed light rail"
>> http://www.grist.org/article/2010-06-25-planning-politics-how-charlottes-mayor-championed-light-rail/P2
>> (If any staff or free-lance writers decide to use some of the
>> information in this web-article for future stories, perhaps it
>> could be done with adequate context.)
>>
>> Please note that I strongly support an LRT only if the current
>> system design is enhanced so as to optimally intensify road
>> corridors and optimally attract middle-class ridership from their
>> cars. My analysis suggests that neither interrelated LRT goal would
>> be sufficiently realized.
>>
>> Our Region's cherished leading-edge innovative image would be
>> thereby tarnished. And this great lack of success would be rubbed
>> in our face every time we hear of a story written/broadcast
>> somewhere in the World about our LRT's unexpected failure to
>> adequately innovate in our LRT system design.
>>
>> Being a constructive critic, I have found and developed many new
>> IDEAS that could "tweak" the current LRT system design -- it does
>> have great potential for leading-edge enhancement -- towards a very
>> high degree of goal realization within a reasonable budget. That
>> the Record shows absolutely no interest in what I have written --
>> except for an incompetently edited 200 word letter-to-the-editor
>> -- does show gross negligence in serving the best interests of our
>> Region!!
>>
>> Increasingly the general public are being recognized as a source of
>> good critiques and IDEAS that could help advance our community.
>> While you are to be commended for your Community Editorial Board
>> (which I lobbied for over many years beginning with former
>> publisher KA Sandy Baird) -- whose membership would be better if
>> voted on by the readers -- there are many people in our community,
>> beyond professors & other prominent people, who can critique and
>> suggest IDEAS towards community advancement. Greater involvement of
>> these people in writing op-ed articles would also help make the WR
>> Record more relevant to more people, especially if web linkages are
>> integral.
>>
>> The potential for greater citizen involvement -- especially
>> involving new technologies -- is suggested is this report from the
>> prestigious Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, "Reinventing
>> Technology Assessment: A 21st Century Model". The subtitle says it
>> all, "Using citizen participation, collaboration and expert
>> analysis to inform and improve decision-making on issues involving
>> science and technology".
>> http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1414&fuseaction=topics.documents&group_id=271875
>> "
>>
>> (I would hope that Chair Honderich would have a special interest in
>> the continuing innovative success of Waterloo Region where his
>> father Beland -- a great social innovator -- grew up on a farm near
>> Baden. John, your help in making the WR Record a better community-
>> advancing medium would be most appreciated -- more future-
>> considering progressivism please as in the above Charlotte piece).
>> http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/10/business/media/10honderich.html?
>> _r=1
>>
>> Note: bcc's to other parties who may be interested are also being
>> sent.
>>
>> Best wishes,
>> Robert Milligan (New Dundee in Wilmot Township)
>>
>> Robert Milligan is a member of Transport Action Ontario (formerly
>> Transport 2000). He has a BSc in math-physics. a Graduate Diploma
>> in Education and has completed many other courses including ones in
>> industrial engineering, operations research, journalism and
>> environmental health. He was a high school teacher, business
>> systems analyst, media consultant, and environmental health
>> analyst. Much of his time in retirement is now given freely to
>> action-research for public projects, especially those with
>> significant environmental and health features.
>>
>
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