Grumpy Editor

Associated Press nixes mentions of Paris Hilton

Editing out the name of someone in the news almost daily will be a difficult job.  But seeing a mention of Paris Hilton in an Associated Press story will be a rarity from now on.

It would be a collector's item, perhaps worthy of listing on eBay.

Editor & Publisher reports that in a memo obtained by the New York Observer, AP entertainment editor Jesse Washington informed staffers that, barring any major events, the wire service would not run any mention of Paris Hilton.

Grumpy Editor figures her PR people will now be wearing black arm bands in protest.

Many editors spike stories involving auto recalls

Strange that oftentimes a local newspaper will run a "warning" story that affects just a handful of readers.  Yet, on many occasions with something that is of interest to thousands of people, the information cannot be found.  When it comes to recalls, uppermost is the auto category. Chances are the story will get spiked.  At best, it'll be buried, perhaps near the obituaries.

Grumpy Editor finds two major recalls this month received scant --- or no --- attention from many editors.  Could it be because newspapers, fretting over ebbing advertising lineage these days, do not want to irritate the usually ad-heavy auto dealers?

Latest recall that should have been noted in yesterday's newspapers involved 790,000 Volkswagens with brake light switch problems.  The automaker said the light could either remain on or not function, which would fail to provide other motorists with the proper braking signal.  It potentially could lead to a crash.  In some vehicles with automatic transmissions, a faulty brake light could work in tandem with the shift interlock to immobilize the vehicle.  That would require towing.

Two weeks earlier, Honda recalled 45,000 Civic Hybrid sedans with an electrical defect that could cause a short circuit resulting in a car's engine konking out and preventing it from restarting.

 

Market dips when Greenspan utters 'recession'

Even though he retired a year ago as Federal Reserve chairman, Grumpy Editor finds that when Alan Greenspan mentions the "R" word --- even when beamed to Hong Kong --- the U.S. stock market retreats, with the Dow Jones closing down 15.22 points on Monday.  Then today it tumbled a whopping 415.86, influenced by a big drop on the Chinese market.

Via satellite to a business conference to the Chinese city yesterday, Greenspan said the U.S. economy has been expanding since 2001 and "when you get this far away from a recession, invariably forces build up for the next recession, and indeed we are beginning to see that sign."

Then he hedged a bit, saying, "while, yes, it is possible we can get a recession in the latter months of 2007, most forecasters are not making that judgment."

Fur flap leaves some wearers 'doggone' angry

Designer coats some people are wearing may have some "bark" in them.  And the purchasers are upset.  Seems the Humane Society of the United States checked out some designer labels and found many coats were trimmed with dog fur even though they were advertised as faux fur.

Coats were purchased from reputable outlets such as Nordstrom and bore upscale labels, including Tommy Hilfiger and Andrew Marc.  Of 25 coats tested, all but one were mislabeled or misadvertised, reports the Humane Society.

Coats contained either fur from domesticated dogs or so-called raccoon dogs, a canine species native to Asia.

Grumpy Editor notes readers had to look closely at stories to pinpoint the country of origin.  Buried deep in the text:  "Most of the fur came from China."

Importation of domesticated dog and cat fur was banned seven years ago.

Airport scanner coverage omits effect of X-ray burst

Most newspapers over the weekend spotlighted, with art, the new giant X-ray security scanner that debuted at Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix.  An unusually high number of dailies gave it front page treatment Saturday.  Among them:

Chicago Tribune, (Los Angeles) Daily News, The Tampa Tribune, Anchorage Daily News, The Miami Herald (International Edition), Portland (Maine) Press Herald, Detroit Free Press, The Providence (R.I.) Journal, Chattanooga (Tenn.) Times Free Press, (Fort Worth) Star-Telegram and The Arizona Republic, Phoenix.

New technology provides graphic views through clothing. Thus, the concern was on "blush-inducing clarity," as Associated Press put it. However, a chief worry of airline passengers was omitted in most reports --- the effect of that pre-boarding X-ray dose.  Is the exposure more than a chest X-ray, for example.

One story gave a slim (and strange) clue:  A person going through the procedure receives about the same amount of radiation as flying for two minutes at an altitude of 30,000 feet.  That was the comparison offered by Nico Melendez, spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, which is testing the device.

Web site of equipment supplier American Science and Engineering, Inc., Billerica, Mass., describes the operating features but gives no hint as to the effect on the human body.  Separately, Robert Postle, the firm's vice president of worldwide marketing and sales, merely says, "the voluntary process is safe, non-intrusive, easy and effective."

Grumpy Editor finds the only inquiring minds on the X-ray device were in a New York Times story, also on the front page.  Under the bylines of Paul Giblin and Eric Lipton, it included input from David J. Brenner, Columbia University radiation oncology professor, who said that even though the risk for any individual was extremely low, he would still avoid it.  He recommended that pregnant women and young children avoid the device, adding, "there are other technologies around that can probably do the job just as well without the extra radiation."

Vegas Web page puts on a happy face despite crimes

Some newspapers (corporations and others, too) just don't update or alter their Web pages, especially after an unexpected happening --- involving anything from weather to crime --- drastically changes original text, observes Grumpy Editor.

Latest example:  Five days after a highly-promoted Las Vegas event, NBA All-Star Weekend, that resulted in shootings in parking lots and other sites, fights in posh hotels, solid traffic jams in and around The Strip, extra long airport lines for departing visitors, etc., the Web home page of Las Vegas Review-Journal today blushingly continues to feature under the boasting headline, All-Star Game a spectacle benefiting its host city, a lead that reads:

"With the world watching Sunday, Las Vegas did the NBA All-Star Game like only Las Vegas could."

Those on scene shake their heads.  That glowing lead certainly didn't reflect the problems that faced thousands of visitors to Sin City where rappers, gangs and other shady elements made overworked extra on-duty police hip-hop (pardon the expression) from place to place to investigate and fill out reports.  Among them:  A 24-hour restaurant that had to shutter because "it was filled with an element of violence," said the general manager, and patrons didn't want to pay their bills.

Jason Whitlock, who writes AOL sports commentary, provides on-scene observations with Mayhem Main Event at NBA All-Star Weekend.

BofA S.S.-less credit card program triggers response

The fuss kicked up over Bank of America expanding its program paving the way for credit cards for illegal aliens triggered a full-column explanation in today's The Wall Street Journal by Kenneth D. Lewis, BofA chairman and chief executive officer.  He plays down the plan's size by referring to it as "our pilot program marketing credit cards in Los Angeles."

According to The Wall Street Journal's Feb. 13 page 1 article on the subject, BofA tested the program at five branches in Los Angeles last year and this month expanded it more than 10-fold to 51 branches throughout wider Los Angeles County, home to 88 incorporated cities and many unincorporated areas, with total population of 10 million.  The Journal also said BofA "hopes to roll out the program nationally later this year."

The BofA chairman points out the Patriot Act allows financial institutions to accept identification such as the "matricula consular, an ID issued by Mexican consulate offices to its nationals living outside Mexico."

But other credit-card seeking consumers visiting BofA's Web site today still will find Social Security numbers are required in filing applications.  That illustrates the double standard which sets some people grumbling.

Grumpy Editor notes "standard" with BofA won't be heard or seen too much in the future.  "Higher Standards," a phrase promoted by the bank for four years in ads, signs and literature, will give way to a new slogan:  "Bank of Opportunity."  It will debut on Sunday's Academy Awards show.

Florida Times-Union runs tighter ship in downturn

Soon-to-graduate college journalism students thinking about newspaper careers may find tough going ahead, advises Grumpy Editor.  Publishers are focusing on bottom lines.

Latest early warning signal comes from The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville, which --- like others around the country --- has been hit with a downturn in advertising revenue, especially from the slumping real estate sector and department stores.  So it has taken steps to control costs while seeking new ways to lift revenues.

With the exception of sales positions, the newspaper has clamped a freeze on hiring.  Salary increases have been shelved.  Expenses, including travel and entertainment, are being reduced.

This means most staffers will be working a bit harder in getting out the paper with 164,092 daily and 224,755 Sunday circulation.

AP focuses on small towns 'bearing war's burden'

With the House and Senate quiet this week for the President's Day recess (while most folks get a three-day weekend, those in Congress get nine), Associated Press makes up for low Washington output with some long-winded material.

In many newspapers yesterday was a very lengthy article by AP's Kimberly Hefling, with photos, themed, "across the nation, small towns are bearing the war's burden," referring to U.S. military fatalities in Iraq.

While the AP writer said the Census Bureau "could not provide the number of people living only in communities of less than 25,000," an AP analysis --- the basis for the story --- uncovered "nearly half of the more than 3,100 U.S. military fatalities in Iraq have come from small towns"..."where fewer than 25,000 people live" and "one in five hailed from hometowns of fewer than 5,000 people."

Thus, with roughly the other half from communities with 25,000-plus population, AP pursued the angle of "basic unfairness" about the number of troops dying in Iraq who were from rural areas, as one quoted source put it.

Grumpy Editor points out the U.S. military remains all volunteer.  Many small towns have limited job opportunities for young people, especially when nearby manufacturing plants ---from steel to auto to candy --- are closing, with more to come.  So for many, putting on a uniform affords a way to learn an interesting trade and do something better than flipping hamburgers.

And maybe, just maybe, patriotism is a major factor in rural communities.

BofA runs into static with credit cards for illegals

Bank of America's corporate communications people welcomed yesterday's holiday marking Presidents Day.  It gave the staff a breather as media around the country sought amplification on the bank's expanding program of issuing credit cards to illegal aliens without Social Security numbers or credit history.

Print and broadcast media complaints indicated the nation's second largest bank was reluctant to return phone calls from  media.  That underscores the Feb. 15 Grumpy Editor posting:  BofA credit cards for illegals may pose PR problem.

Radio, TV and newspaper stories since then mentioned irate BofA customers closing accounts and cutting up their credit cards in protest.  Some called for renaming the financial institution Bank of Mexico. Some examples:

San Diego radio talk show host (and former mayor) Roger Hedgecock on Friday invited listeners to come to his studio to shred their credit cards and switch to another lender.  Yesterday, filling in for Rush Limbaugh's national radio talk show, he brought listeners up to date on the credit cards for illegals.

Doug Stephan has been covering the static over the BofA cards for several days on his Good Day national radio talk show.  On TV, Neil Cavuto on Fox News has interviewed several guests on the subject Friday and yesterday, including one who cut up his BofA credit card on camera.  Glenn Beck on his national radio talk show and evening Headline News cable TV program also tackled BofA for several days.

Yesterday, Nashville's The Tennessean business writer Getahn Ward sought readers' responses to two questions regarding BofA offering credit cards to people without Social Security numbers:  What do you think about that policy?  If you're a client, are you planning any changes to your banking relationship such as closing your account?