[All] "Competition is good for democracy" and so is good journalism

[Robert Milligan]

Lynn,

Certainly praise for Ken and Carl is deserved. And  indeed  
"competition is good for democracy". But please don't  exaggerate the  
differences between Ken and I by grossly under-representing me! That  
is simply poor and unfair journalism for which I hold you responsible.

As for the other-than-Carl candidates for mayor -- while I only  
superficially know them from recent meetings -- you did a pretty good  
hatchet job on them too.

And yes, if you took the time to read my website  
(www.RobertMilligan.org), I have come up through local (provincial &  
federal) politics but in the background and not the foreground -- an  
area of very innovative political involvement which your newspaper  
mostly ignores. And I have achieved some really great accomplishments  
in this community which you again choose to ignore in your "hatchet"  
article -- even subley questioning the accomplishments of Ken & Carl  
in the latter part of the article.

If you did your research and read my website, you would have realized  
that I do not support the Region's LRT system design. I  would only  
support a sufficiently cost-effective design which -- as I have  
informed you of previously -- I have shown is possible by integrating  
new proven technology IDEAS. (Opps, now the complexity starts to grow  
beyond "generalist" journalists!)

Unfortunately for the public, both you and CTV are guilty of  
simplistically framing the debate as LRT vs bus only, while  
irresponsibly ignoring the great need to enhance the current LRT  
system design, for the sake of our great Region's viable future.

And, the  put-down categories for those new candidates in Kitchener's  
open field, of either thoughtful or egotistical were just too  
simplistic for any reasonable person to accept.

You really should use part-time writers -- I guess the full-time  
writers find hatchet jobs unethical -- who know how to adequately do  
research and are able to exercise a little more responsible use of  
their questionable ability.

"A shame"? Really! The shame is your (likely initiation and)  
acceptance of this story!   It reminds me of a recent CBC radio  
interview of a cultural hero of mine, Deepak Chopra, who said the  
media love a good story -- and they don't let facts get in the way!

Shame on you Lynn!

Note: bcc's are being sent to other parties who might be interested.

Regards,
Robert






On 11-Aug-10, at 6:26 PM, Robert Milligan wrote:

> 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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