Check out the guy who has been writing "articles" like this one also blogs here. Hmm ...
Not exactly working without an agenda, is he?
The original headline for his recent Sunday article was Armstrong denies stealing from Grace. It was later changed to Anglican group cuts ties with Armstrong - and how that happened is probably worth a story in itself.
Perhaps the "stealing" headline was discovered by an editor and realized that was tabloid fodder.
So they went to the "real" story - ACI and the tinfoil hat conspiracies. Someone else has to take the blame for TEC's global crisis. Reminds me a bit of this. Saw the original masterpiece with Ed and Diane Knippers at the National Gallery in London several years ago.
Hmm ...
Sometimes we read this stuff - newspaper articles written by religion writers who also have rather interesting online blogs and we can't help but wonder if we aren't all actually just living in Pepperland:
The more we read this stuff, the more we think it's all Pepperland, a home even the Smugeons would love.
9 comments:
I'm sorry BB, but I read the sections you highlighted, I must confess I think your too much of a company woman here. Armstrong is just making too good copy for any report to pass up.
He seems act more like me than a senior priest!! I shoot off at the mouth but I don't represent anyone but me.
Lines like: 'They just walked away from 85 percent of their funding,” he said. “I don’t know what ACI is without that.”'
Then that next bit:
When former vestry member John Hermes said he didn’t yet have the information he needed to be convinced of Armstrong’s innocence and told Armstrong it was inappropriate to publicly call out his critics by name — something Armstrong did several times during the presentation — Armstrong reminded Hermes of an altercation Hermes had with a former parishioner.
“Inappropriate!” Someone called from the back of the church.
“Shut up!” another shouted.
Armstrong's financial presentation was interesting, but incomplete. Jon Wroblewski, senior warden for Grace CANA, said Armstrong was eyeing a potential showdown in court and needed to be cautious with what he said.
You can not blame Paul Asay! This is publish and if not correct the Colorado Spring Gazette would be liable. This is not journalist basis, Rev. Armstrong just makes for some great copy!
These articles are not editorializing that much, they are reporting quotes and events of meeting. Granted the more interesting parts, but this certainly is not the controlled +Minns style or the talk at me but seldom reply Yates+ style, this guy a reporter's dream. My dad probably would have written a very similar article. He feeding the reporters too much juicy material not to use.
Addendum: Controversy sells papers! little controversy equal boring stories, no one sees the 3/4 page lingerie ad. It's all about you seeing the lady in the bra and bikini and the sales at Macy's.
What I've read, much being quotes. This story will sell the paper. 'Look, look, we haven't had this since Anna Nicole Smith past away.'
I found out about the blog from the Bishops/Deputies list (an enclave of the TEC progressive leadership). The TEC progressives are networking to help this "religion reporter" get more dirt - rather than find out the truth. It is rather interesting to watch (but keep the barf bags close by).
It turns out he's a tabloid hack, not a journalist. It's one thing for TEC bishops to complain about the "distracting noise of the world" by bloggers, it's quite another thing to see so-called "religion writers" who are actually agenda-driven political hacks. Bloggers, like cafe patrons, are free to express their opinions, but if someone is pretending to be a "religion writer" and is actually more interested in digging dirt for the TEC Bishops/Deputies listserve and then beam that all around the world - well, let's just say we're watching very closely now. And we're reading the Rocky Mountain News instead.
We also believe it's not about Armstrong, it's an attempt to silence Ephraim Radner. TEC is so darn embarrassed by him and someone has to be blamed - since Diane Knippers isn't here there has to be a new scapegoat (reading the declining membership stats of TEC is just not going to do a thing). It's so tragic because Ephraim has been trying to do all he can from inside TEC - he's trying hard to bring TEC back from the brink. The irony that the Bishop of Colorado and 815 would target Radner and ACI is almost funny (one wonders if they think that it's ACI and IRD that are now running the world - tinfoil hats on standby).
The change of the headline is telling. It's not Armstrong (yes, he does sell newspapers, doesn't he). But it looks more like a hunting expedition - giving some weight to the RICO Rumors of Bishop Sauls and David Booth Beers. This is truly hardball politics - be sure to get your copy of Primary Colors today.
It is also very sad and shows us just what a mess TEC is in when they can't look at their own house but have to go after their critics.
bb
PS One thinks of "religion writers" as writing about trends and happenings, of bingo and church picnics. Alas.
Baby Blue,
As a son of two Medill grads, I'm warning that your a little off base and moving towards pure editorialism with spin!
FIRST: The TEC progressives are networking to help this "religion reporter"
This done ALL the time, in the industry they are called sources. A member of TFC vestry knows my dad because he was a source (in electronics industry). +Minn has had this concept too! In fact there was one thought of and job offer two years ago this May for some of this "social engineering."
You can not blame a reporter because TEC is trying to buy him off. It's up to the reporter not be effected. My parents house is full of juck with TRW, McDonald Douglas and other major companies giving away stuff, journalist are the biggest freeloaders on Earth.
So what you wrote does not surprise me. Truro & TFC contracted a PR guy, less effective because of short term relationship but still the same point.
SECOND: It turns out he's a tabloid hack, not a journalist.
He was published in:
The Gazette
30 S. Prospect St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Not sure what definition you want, but he is under a set of laws, but also ethics that meet a journalist standard. FYI tabloid is a cut of paper, Electronic News was a tabloid cut, so my dad is not a journalist????
THIRD: We also believe it's not about Armstrong, it's an attempt to silence Ephraim Radner
Radner is out of the picture when this story was published, in fact ACI gracious separation is quoted. This story is selling itself.
There is no conspiracy other than CANA attempting to do damage control in way that's not very creditable.
This story has all the great element, Roman Catholics and Lutherans are probably rapped in fascination. You have these rumors of wrong doing, nothing proven and nothing disproven. People are fighting, better yet former elder board folk. WOW what drama! This story could have people paying $.35 just to see what happens next.
WHEN YOU BECOME A SPECTACLE THERE IS NO JOURNALISTIC CONSPIRACY!!!
Journalist will turn on themselves if you make good copy (like the NYT editor became).
Your links were mainly quotes and facts. There very little editorial, thus hard to declare spin. He was gracious to +Minns, he ask a question about ecclesiology. There nothing like the Michelle Beerstien Post foolery in the cited pieces.
I really think you are off base and mudslinging a journalist that does not seem to be violating any of the ethics rules but has a hot news story and writing things you don't like.
(Then that goes with the territory, we had Generals calling the home phone "Robertson, you jerk, you have it all wrong!!")
Apologies if I'm coming off too strong. I do not find evidence for your accusation and defaming a man doing his job.
There is what you see, there is what TEC sees, but then there is the Ordinary Reasonable Person & I think you are turning ORP off with this line of reasoning.
I don't think ORP would see the conspiracy you do, but rather just might think you were the one manipulating. ORP tends to get very annoyed when manipulation is believed to be afoot. Cristism of character need to explained, why & how Mr. Asay has acted malicious, I think you're loosing ORP's confidence.
The Rocky Mountain News carries a very different tone and view then Paul Asay and the Gazette. Read it here.
What brought this up was the soliciting on the Bishops/Deputies list to assist Asay. That was weird. Can we imagine if someone was posting stuff on that list to help other media organizations write their stories? That's not how it's done - in other words, Asay is working it like politics, not like a journalist (but these days those lines are blurring - ask Dan Rather).
The other point is that he's very clear on his blog that he has taken sides. So when we read his articles in the Gazette we have to remember that he's pushing a point of view - he's not reporting. I am not sure the Gazette has published the letter from Grace Church's Senior Warden yet. Does anyone know? We're looking for truth here. When a news organization runs a headline as this organization did before it was pulled, we can ask questions about what are the motives of the reporter, especially if the reporter is also a blogger with an agenda - as this one certainly seems to have. Perhaps he's naieve (visions of New York Times dancing in his head?) - but we don't want a repeat of the Duke University Lacross Team Media Fiasco.
bb
Still seems like your subjective view point. I may like the view of Fox over NPR, but unless NPR violates an ethical standard, it's not some tabloid hack.
I revert back to my point, these are mostly quotes, which means that either the Gazette is liable or these people really need to learn how to behave when the press is present. The damage control Armstrong+ posted on T19 leads me to believe it's the latter.
I do think that's true, Kevin. It's clear that Armstrong is not politically saavy. He's a good target because he doesn't seem to play the political game very well - he reminds me of the Western Maverick-type, not someone who would go over well in the Bobo Club Set. We wouldn't think wine & cheese patte's as much as red meat and Ogden's Old-Fashioned Fire-Whiskey.
Ogden's Old-Fashioned Fire-Whiskey
Which is why I asked what CANA got itself into. +Minns will have his hands full even w/o the financial issues.
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