Jackson Free Press

... and for what? Because she was reading during one of her father's speeches. Marcela writes:

I thought it was odd that his child was reading while he was speaking. Everyone is listening attentively, except for his 9-year-old daughter. She obviously wasn't interested in the speech or is probably tired of hearing her dad's speeches. ... I realize they are very young. But I find it odd that they are showing such apathy toward their father's huge political success. Who knows.

Read the full post. (And look at the size of that URL!?!)

Previous Commentsshow

Of course, the best part is that the blogger chides the young daughter for ignoring her father's speech to black fathers ... even as she ignores it as well in her rush to criticize a little girl. That is the more interesting story: Barack Obama celebrated Father's Day by calling on black fathers, who he said are "missing from too many lives and too many homes," to become active in raising their children. "They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it," the Democratic presidential candidate said Sunday at a largely black church in his hometown.

DonnaLadd

Jun 16 2008

And what was Marcela's point? She's just a kid, for God's sake.

golden eagle

Jun 16 2008

I don't know. 'Twas weird. And it's remarkable to me that one would ever pick on a kid for reading.

DonnaLadd

Jun 16 2008

Dear God, THANK THE LORD THE CHILD WAS READING!! Want to know why she's reading when he's giving a speech to absent black fathers? HER FATHER IS THERE. She doesn't have a dog in that fight. She's NINE, right? I work with nine year olds. I will give you an approximation of this exchange: "Do I HAVE to go to Daddy's speech? It's SO BORING!!" "Yes, you have to go." "Can I at least do something fun while we are there, like READ?" And then, the possible First Lady of the United States is supposed to inform her nine-year-old that she is NOT ALLOWED TO READ because people might "think bad things" about her. Let's talk about "good parenting" right now, shall we? Good parenting is doing what is right for your child no matter what the consequences or what people might "say" about them. People that READ get jobs. People that READ grow up to go to college. People that READ grow up to be the President of the United States.

Lori G

Jun 16 2008

Lori G knows 9-year-olds like a true expert (and she has my daughter pegged, too). But you left out all the tooth suckin' and eye rollin' that comes by age fourteen, Lori. If I had to listen to my father give a speech, I'd be listening to Burnside or Honeyboy Edwards on my headphones.

willdufauve

Jun 16 2008

I think we should all take a moment and thank the Maker for the Internets. Look at how this medium provides the Paper of Record yet another far-reaching venue by which to fulfill its democratic "Fourth Estate" mission of informing the citizenry. PLUS...I think it's totally awesome that Clarion-Ledger staffers have their own blog pages with bios that sound like personals ads. AWWWW! Seriously...the quality of the blogging doesn't come up much from that post if you read into the archives. Remember that MSM meme that Frank Rich knocked down the other day about Obama needing Hillary? Why...whatdayaknow?...here it is right here in Marcela's page. And look how much she has to add to this nationwide media discussion: An Obama/Clinton ticket? wow, you can't deny it, that would be one strong team. Check this: If Obama excludes her from the race, he is going to ruin his changes of becoming president. Hillary supporters would be disenchanted with the general elections and many of them would either vote for McCain or not vote at all. Like they say on Weekend Update (which is also, for the record, not real news)...REALLLLY? Is she a reporter? These items that she states as fact...any...ya know...source on that?

Todd Stauffer

Jun 16 2008

What's remarkable is how people -- especially late-to-the-game daily newspapers -- miss the point of blogging. That is, it needs to have a point. Most reporters don't have time to blog -- which is supposed to mean keeping a "Web log." The good ones are done by folks who know a lot about a topic or topics and have something to say, and are good at carrying on conversations in print. Not everyone is, or needs to be. Note that a certain award-winning JFP reporter does not have his own blog. Adam Lynch has better things to do for us. As for as Marcela, I don't see her byline coming up in Google, except for a piece she apparently did when she was copy chief at the Daily Journal in Tupelo. (Not owned by Gannett; so maybe she moved "up" in the newspaper world.) But there is no indication that she is particularly adept at politics, and statements such as those about Obama and Clinton just show it. Still, insulting a child for reading during her daddy's speech just takes the cake. Clearly, she has been told to blog and has nothing to write about (like the earlier Ledger political blogger who wrote about fashion more than state politics, and not in a funny way). But, still. Resorting to insulting children should get your blog snatched away. I'm happy, and rather surprised, to see that even Ledger readers are taking her to task for this one under her blog.

DonnaLadd

Jun 16 2008

For folks who act like the C-L is the Great Satan, y'all sure do spend a lot of time reading all the minutia on their site.

Rex

Jun 16 2008

Amy Carter was really the first time I remember the media going after a candidate's family. I though she was a pretty cool kid. But, using a nine year old to "gotcha" the candidate parent is a new low. Not really the mark of a civilized society...but with water-boarding, torture camps, genocidal foreign wars, etc. maybe this isn't the civilized society we all long for. Rex, I read the C-L every day for the central MS news but I know who I admire in the Jackson media and where to find her/them.

willdufauve

Jun 16 2008

"Amy Carter was really the first time I remember the media going after a candidate's family." -- willdufauve I guess you're just to young to remember Julie Nixon then. Or Lady Bird.

Rex

Jun 16 2008

For folks who act like the C-L is the Great Satan, y'all sure do spend a lot of time reading all the minutia on their site. You have to know what the enemy is doing.

golden eagle

Jun 16 2008

You caught me Rex...I musta spent 10 minutes on that today. LOL.

Todd Stauffer

Jun 16 2008

Yeah, Rex, it doesn't exactly take long to do the quick scan of the Ledger site. I keep hoping I wake up one morning and find that it's become a good newspaper. Until then, and especially being that they resort to some pretty ugly stuff to try to compete with (or squash) little ole us, I'll be keeping my eye on big, bad Goliath. I saw that blog posting because it was sitting on the front page in that box to the right. Took about a second and a half. The truth is, that paper has a lot of power in this community. And it does not take its First Amendment responsibilities seriously. I know you're not a journalist, so it might not make sense to you that part of the journalistic creed is not only to do good journalism, but to point out bad journalism. It's kinda part of our end of the bargain (the other end is those protections we get in the Amendment Uno). So if you don't like the media criticism, you're welcome to self-regulate and go elsewhere, because it will keep happening here.

DonnaLadd

Jun 16 2008

Ooooo...touchy. Did I say anything about your criticism or in anyway criticize you for it? No. I am simply surprised that you would waste such effort on such a locally defined waste.

Rex

Jun 16 2008

Rex, that "touchy" game is tired. You were the one who snarked at our comments; we responded to your snark. I actually don't mind taking the time to explain to people why media literacy is so important, especially when it comes to controlling corporate media. And we've all seen the trick of snarking and criticizing others just to then call them "touchy" when they respond. Save it. People on this site are a bit too savvy to care about child's games.

DonnaLadd

Jun 16 2008

Saying y'all read a rag a lot is being "snarky"? Forgive!

Rex

Jun 16 2008

Rex, we can all read what you wrote, and the tone is self-evident. If you don't want people to react to you, then try not acting like a jerk. But when you do, then don't whining about other people being "touchy." It makes you look really goofy to try to play that game here. This spiral has spun enough and has taken (wasted) more time than the original post. Please move on and lose the insults. I trust your next comment will be on topic.

DonnaLadd

Jun 16 2008

Yes, ma'am. On topic: The more web hits you give them, the more they will be encouraged to write such drivel. Which was the intent of my post to begin with. Guess I need to be more direct.

Rex

Jun 16 2008

Directness is good. Actually, the trade-off of the relatively small number of hits they'll get in response to something like this is worth it to raise awareness about how not to do journalism. I mean, you wouldn't believe the traffic the JFP gets from inside the Ledger's building. It's been that way since we launched. So don't think the so-called "obsession" only flows one direction. Ours is with their position as a market Goliath that tries to stamp out competition and control the news flow. To be honest, I read their forums and blogs a lot less since their most recent re-design. It's so confusing to navigate now, and many of their better posters have bolted. And the comments under so many of the stories are so blatantly racist that I can't stand to read them, and to know that people outside Mississippi read them and then think everyone here is like that. Shudder. That paper does not put the state's best foot forward in any form or fashion. What a waste.

DonnaLadd

Jun 16 2008

All that said, though, the "hits" isn't on topic, either. The topic here is the reporter going after Obama's daughter. So let's get back there, or start a forum topic if you want to talk about the JFP's criticism of the Ledger.

DonnaLadd

Jun 16 2008

I've got an 8 year old and it's clear and obvious that this reporter doesn't. What's her point? She's pretty shallow if she couldn't find anything else to blog about - I mean really.

lanier77

Jun 17 2008

I don't have an 8-year-old, and I can see how shallow this is. Really, indeed.

DonnaLadd

Jun 17 2008

Here's Marcela's brilliant retort to the chiding on her own blog, summed up in one word: "Chill!" Ok friends, please chill. I guess I should have said, that nine year old needs to have some manners. I guess I'm old school. I'm not attacking the girl nor Obama, it was just an observation. Perhaps an odd observation.... So now she's saying the little girl doesn't have "manners." What a judgmental chick she is! The response is almost worse than the original post. (Not to nitpick her back, but she does use interesting punctuation in her writing, considering that she's a copy editor.)

DonnaLadd

Jun 17 2008

I went to church since before I was born, and as a child, I loved to read, and I hated it when I would read in church and someone would tell me to put my book down and pay attention to the sermon. I didn't want to pay attention because I didn't know what I was paying attention to. I didn't understand what was being said yet, so I wanted to occupy my time by reading to keep me from falling asleep. Little Malia's at an age now where she may be starting to understand what is being said over the pulpit, but her attention span hasn't caught up yet. Since she's too big to take a nap on her mother's lap, a book is a better alternative. I see more and more parents allowing their children to bring a book or notepad to church. The main goal is to keep them quiet until they are able to appreciate a speech or sermon. The best alternative would be sending her to children's church if they had one. That's the best invention in modern times, and I wish there was one at my church when I was a kid.

LatashaWillis

Jun 17 2008

As a mom of two, both about that age, I have to say this is one of the worst articles I have read on the Sludge. This little girl is passing the time the best way she knows how. I promise you, the littlest one isn't getting anything out of the speech either. Attacking the candidates is bad enough. Attacking a nine year old child - for READING - is truly disgusting.

Lady Havoc

Jun 17 2008

Aw come on, Lady, she's just old school.

DonnaLadd

Jun 17 2008

Not much more to say than what has already been said... She is with her dad and reading! I am a McCain supporter, but I applaud Obama for raising a 9yr old interested in text other than that of the cell phone variety. Get off his back and talk about something of substance.

charlesRom828

Jun 17 2008

She's so old school that she's mold school. Or cold school. Or something. :)

Lady Havoc

Jun 17 2008

Hi Donna, Marcela Cartagena here. Thanks so much for the publicity. What an honor to be chastised by someone with so much intelligence and intellect, and class! I find it really interesting that you are calling me a "judgmental chick" when it appears that part of your job description as "editor" is to criticize and judge the Clarion-Ledger, your competitor, on a daily basis. You spend so much time and energy picking on the CL staff, you are beginning to sound like a high school bully. Your strange obsession with the Ledger is getting old, girl. If you hate this paper with such passion so then why waste your time reading it! It's time to move on. Seriously.

marcela

Jun 18 2008

Welcome, Marcela! I was wondering how long it was going to take you to post, girlfriend, since I OK'd your registration yesterday. I'd hoped we were going to get into a good political discussion. I know you're a big Hillary fan. ;-) You might ought to check with the Ledger honchos; you just acknowledged us in print, which I know is against the house rules over there where nobody never, ever reads or criticizes the JFP. (At least now that Newhouse is gone; say hey to the TDN staff for me.) Speaking of TDN, what did you think about that strategy of Gannett to control the distribution locations of their "competition," the rest of us little locally owned publications? Did you scold them about their rudeness as well (like Editor & Publisher magazine did in an editorial)? Or, is that not old school enough for you? Your tirade here is an interesting attempt to change the subject, but let's get back on thread, which are the house rules over here. This thread is about your "picking on" a 9-year-old girl for reading a book during her father's speech to black fathers. Perhaps that doesn't quite compare, on your moral compass, with "picking on" the world's largest newspaper company--which barely can figure out how to cover the city it's in thus helping a mayor like Melton get elected--but over here, and apparently on your site, a lot of people find that appalling, regardless of their politics. So, what is "old school" about that? Or "old fashioned"? Could you explain it to us unwashed, classless alty types who spend all our times "picking on" the poor competition? Oh, and did I mention that I'm tickled that you're here. Let's have some cross-town media rivalry fun for our readers, or for mine anyway. This is good for a few extra page views, I'm sure. And invite your co-workers over. They're welcome, too. The answer to your last riddle there is: I read it so my readers don't have to. And I criticize it to try to shame anybody, somebody over there into upholding their journalistic responsibility to do good reporting in this market. It sometimes works.

DonnaLadd

Jun 18 2008

Strange obsession with the Ledger? Someone has to point out the errors. As I have stated here: if I want news fast, I look at the C-L. If I want it right, I come here. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Lady Havoc

Jun 18 2008

Does this chick have kids? If she did, she'd know that having a 9-year-old quiet for that long is a feat in itself. How that hell did she get a blog anyway? Where in the old school do you WANT a rowdy child? Wake up lady!

willwork4food

Jun 18 2008

Her blog proudly states she has a dog. If she has children, she did not mention. Try keeping a dog quiet during a political speech. I'd much rather have children.

Lady Havoc

Jun 18 2008

Well that leaves her to be the expert on how to handle children. Suggestion: Keep your comments on the behavior of children to yourself until you're raising something that actually can speak back.

willwork4food

Jun 18 2008

Donna, this goes well beyond the Obama's daughter blog. (You forgot to tell your fan club that I acknowledged my observation as being odd. It was a weird remark without substance, I admit it.) My main problem with your comments was that you picked on my persona like a high school girl, like a seriously obsessed bully. You even googled my name! HAHAHA. Come on, that's freaky. You really need prozac. Chao! p.s. wilwork4food, i don't have children. But I'll take your advice if I ever do. Thanks!

marcela

Jun 18 2008

Hello? Marcela, are you actually reading? Donna quoted you as saying it was odd I realize they are very young. But I find it odd that they are showing such apathy toward their father's huge political success. Who knows. Maybe you're the one that needs prozac

willwork4food

Jun 18 2008

"Chao!" - marcela i think it's spelled "Ciao"

willdufauve

Jun 18 2008

Marcela, welcome to the jungle! We got your fun and games! (OK, I promise to stop the corny Guns N' Roses symbolism.) But the fact of the matter is that Obama's nine-year old is just that: a nine-year old. She realizes her father is running for president. She may not know all the particulars behind it and how her life will change if he's elected, but it doesn't mean that she's apathetic about it. Nine-year olds have no real grasp about the world. If I were nine, I would fall asleep on a political speech, even if my own dad was giving the speech. If Obama's daughter was acting out of terms during the speech (like Giuliani's kid did when his father was being inaugurated as NYC mayor), then that's a story. But as long as she's acting in a respectable manner, live the kid alone.

golden eagle

Jun 18 2008

Marcela is now offering some insight on Obama's wife's lack of oratory skills.

kudzuking

Jun 19 2008

This is great dialog! Rounds one and two go to Donna Ladd, with some help in round two by willwork4food! Regards, Larry

Larry

Jun 19 2008

CORRECTION - Make that willdufauve. Sorry

Larry

Jun 19 2008

Marcela, what seems clear to me is that you were called out on a very distasteful post, both here and on your own site. You are furious about that, clearly, or you wouldn't be here. You don't want to attack your own readers, so you're coming over here and having a temper tantrum, telling your detractors they are mentally ill and need Prozac. Meantime, you have said nothing of substance to defend your own posts. Instead, you, a Ledger copy editor, go after a 9-year-old for reading a book and then, as a follow up, a potential first lady for saying "you know," even as said copy editor can't figure out how to capitalize, punctuate or spell common four-letter words like "ciao." You are high and mighty, aren't you? Do they teach that at the Gannett Corp. these days? As for Googling you, I'm an investigative journalist, Sweetie; I Google and Nexis everything; try Googling me back, and you'll see what I spend *most* of my time doing. And even though on your Pluck blog you were listed as a staffer, they hadn't bothered to put your last name on it from what I could find. I couldn't imagine, from the lack of substance to your posts, that you were a political writer, and a Google seemed to confirm that. I know fact-checking and follow-up isn't big where you work, but we do try to know of which we speak. And, really, a Google isn't all that "freaky" these days. People like to use the Internets. My suggestion to you, with due respect, is that you may not be cut out for blogging; you have awfully thin skin for this gig. You wouldn't believe the real insults, harassment and actual lies people will come up with for female bloggers. You better do a few push-ups and apply some SPF-60. Or, did Agnew, Whitaker et al. send you over here to drum up a few page views, and perhaps comments, for the Pluck-o-sphere over there? I know it's been a bit quiet of late. If so, tell them hey for us and to come on over and join the pool party.

DonnaLadd

Jun 19 2008

Personally, I think this whole thing has been over-dramatized and there are far more important, relevant, and/or interesting topics we, as Jacksonians, could be discussing. Bashing the Clarion Ledger and its employees is getting pretty tired and does little to convince anyone they are wrong or right about something.... Especially when it's an employee's personal blog in a system that allows anyone to have a blog. I think the word "apathy" triggered a lot of the reaction... But, by definition, apathy is an absence of emotion or enthusiasm. I don't see much of that coming from Obama's daughter in that setting and I think that's all Marcela was saying. It was an observation and hardly an attack on the Obamas. Honestly, I'm a little surprised myself that she looked so bored -- especially with a camera in her face. Granted, I'd much rather my children, er, dogs, sit quietly than act a fool in public... But, if I was making a speech, on stage, etc, I'd hope my daughter could at least pretend to be interested (like I did for all those boring preachers and teachers in my childhood past). It was called respect and manners even when I was four years old. It was just an note regarding a quick moment in time on a personal blog. Aren't there far more important topics to discuss? I've yet to see official blogs on legalized gay marriage in CA, Russert (a much-loved journalist), and so many other topics that truly impact Mississippians. Jeez... I hate to say it, but some of the comments on this particular blog stink of elitism and surprise me to the point of awe. ***willdufauve, chao is goodbye in South American Spanish. ****BTW, Preview does not work when posting.

kaust

Jun 19 2008

Also, did you fact-check your, er, statement of fact that I "pick on" your paper "on a daily basis"? Or is that more Ledger-style hyperbole and exaggeration? (Like Perception-Gate™, "non-existent nightlife" in downtown Jackson, CRIME IS THE NO. 1 ISSUE!, blah, blah, blah.) Lata, Gata. I have to go spend my morning Googling your entire staff. [giggle]

DonnaLadd

Jun 19 2008

Thanks for your comments, Knol. You might notice that my quick blog posting had dried up before Marcela came and had her tantrum. I think her blog had more comments about it than ours. As a journalist, I disagree with you, though, that it isn't the role of an alternative newspaper--or any journalist--to call out bad form, and picking on 9-year-olds is bad form. If she doesn't like Obama, and she clearly doesn't, why not criticize him based on his policies and practices, or his wife on something more substantive than saying "you know" on The View? (The "proud of my country" comment at least has something to it to talk about. Whether Yale graduates use "you know" is just kinda empty. And believe me, there are plenty "you knows" in the Ivy League and in Washington. I am guessing, though, that Michele and Barack both know who the leader of Pakistan is, however.) BTW, for those who don't know, it isn't just the alt-media world that does media criticism--the Society for Professional Journalists calls for journalists to call out bad journalism, and media criticism is a serious component of this world, from a best-practices standpoint. It makes sense that non-journalists wouldn't understand this as much, but the folks at the Ledger surely have heard about this stuff. In addition to that, the Ledger has played very nasty games to try to control (and decrease) my newspaper's distribution, not to mention our reputation (remember Newhouse's full-page "ad" that Hampton wouldn't let us respond to, implying that MIPA members vandalized a TDN guy's van???). They play dirty here and nationally, and they don't get a single pass from me. The people who spend money with the Gannett Corp. through their local outlet need to know what is up over there, and we will continue to point it out as we deem necessary. In this particular post, this blogger made something personal against a 9-year-old. Then she freaks when people get a bit personal back to her about it. That's her and the Ledger's problem, not ours. And consider this: Were this a male blogger, like Sid Salter, over there attacking a child of Obama (or McCain), people would be angry and speak up loudly. There is no reason that a woman who takes on politics should not be responded to in the same way—not by criticizing her body or making vague threats as many bloggers do, but by challenging the words she wrote. Speech flows multiple directions. As far as the photo of the young girl looking particularly bored, that's nitpicking. I know well as a newspaper editor, and I'm sure Ledger editors do, too, that a photog grabs shots that make people all sorts of ways depending on which ones you pick. Ask The National Enquirer. If "chao" was correct and what she meant, I withdraw that part of my criticism, however. (I just noticed "preview" didn't work, too; that just started happening; we'll get it looked at. Thanks for the heads up.) NOW, I'm out.

DonnaLadd

Jun 19 2008

I now just get a laugh out these wingnut pseudo-journalists. They should be on comedy central AFTER Colbert and Lil' Bush go off. I categorize as wingnut pseudo-journalists those who avoid policy concerns and ask questions like: 1. Why does Obama's nine year-old have bad manners? 2. Does Obama love America as much as Rev. Wright? 3. Do the Obamas do terrorist fist jabs? 4. Does Michelle Obama love America? 5. Does Obama have terrorist connections? 6. Is Obama a secret muslim? 7. If Obama is elected will the white house still be white (Actual Texas GOP button)? 8. Does Michelle Obama hate "whitey". Who knew there were so many nuts in America? If you have a sense of humor, you gotta love it.

FreeClif

Jun 19 2008

9. How many "you knows" does a first lady use in the same sentence (as opposed to lies about arriving in a country under sniper fire)? 10. Does the potential first couple engage the "terrorist fist jab" on a regular basis!?! Ciao.

DonnaLadd

Jun 19 2008

Marcela blogs about bad manners, but it surely is outrageously bad manners and totally classless when a Presidential candidate (guess who) publicly says his wife is a c@*& (ends with a "t") who lays on make-up "with a trollip" (whatever that is) when she makes a little joke about his age. Have the pseudo-journalists asked any questions about that incident? I don't think real journalists (I'm not one) should address that incident (although it says the guy has a really awful temper to be commander in chief) or the wives and children. They should leave them alone and address substantive policy issues.

FreeClif

Jun 19 2008

HAHAHAHAHA!!!! I can't stop laughing. This is great. It was so nice talking to you Donna. Let's have a beer one of these days. It looks like you need one (or more).

marcela

Jun 19 2008

"HAHAHAHAHA!!!! I can't stop laughing."... Maybe you should "just say no" as Nancy Reagan famously suggested.

FreeClif

Jun 19 2008

My $.02: (1.) I think it's unfortunate that a daily newspaper reporter/blogger took any kind of a swipe at a candidate's child. I remember when the Clintons were campaigning and coming into office, they specifically asked the press to lay off Chelsea and the press was able to control itself. Marcela, you are press, and Murdoch doesn't own y'all yet. Lay off the family and post about the candidate. That would show "intelligence and intellect, and class." (2.) Part of the mission of the JFP is promoting "media literacy" -- looking "behind the curtain" of our media to understand how reporting decisions are made, what gets missed, glossed or spun...and what affect that can have on our democracy. Part of fulfilling that mission will be to criticize the Ledger, and we'll continue to do it regardless of the tactical business swipes they take against us and/or whether or not Knol finds it boring. ;-) When the C-L endorsed Frank Melton in spite of their institutional awareness that he had lied to a judge in Meridian -- or when they had a morgue of information about his past that they didn't see fit to report -- they abdicated responsibility. We called them on it. When they caved to the Publisher and endorsed Bush's second term saying "he should be given a chance to finish what he started," they deserved to be called on that. When they misreported that Seale was dead, they deserved to be called on that. When they railroaded "jackpot justice" during the Tort Reform debates and failed to report that California's landmark damage caps were later mitigated by insurance reform, they deserved to be called on that. When the C-L misquoted Chief Moore and a flurry of editorials and columns based on that misquote created PerceptionGate, we called them on it. (3.) The Clarion-Ledger, in my opinion, spends too much time trying to use its de-facto monopoly to put the hurt on independents and not enough time on re-investing the profits it makes from this community in reporting resources. When they cut editorial staffing (and pensions) to maintain 20% margins, but continue to engage in cynical attempts to lock up free publication distribution, I'm going to keep calling them on it. (4.) The Clarion-Ledger isn't content to be a decent, de-facto monopoly daily newspaper -- they've launched weeklies against every independent in this market, magazines against every other magazine (two, it seems, against BOOM) and everything and anything their deep pockets allow. That's fine with me -- I welcome the comparison of our quality to theirs on all fronts. But we don't really need their paid bloggers over here whining about our "obsession" with the C-L when the C-L is coming after us and our ilk *constantly*. (5.) Two things finally destroyed the C-L's credibility for me. One was when Derrick Johnson and Donna Ladd received awards from Jackson 2000 for their work promoting racial harmony in Jackson and the C-L reported it as "Derrick Johnson and others." The other was when their publisher wrote a Full Page "open letter" against MIPA in their business section and C-L editor David Hampton refused us any space for a response. A free press is so important to our democracy that it's protected by the First Amendment. With that protection comes responsibilities. The C-L, IMHO, often doesn't live up to that standard, and that might largely be because its primary purpose is to return shareholder value. That means, by definition, informing its local citizenry is secondary. Balancing profits and journalism is always tough. I say we keep holding the C-L's feet the fire, both as readers and as a local media outlet, to get them to do a better job of it. And, if they continue to devolve into tabloid journalism or "talk Web" content, then we'll point that out too. Maybe one day, years from now, journalistic integrity will win and Gannett will no longer own and manage the "paper of record" for Jackson. I posit that we'd be better off. Oh, and Knol...where the forum entry, darlin'? Quit doggin' Donna and start those important topics flowing. YES. YOU. CAN. ;-)

Todd Stauffer

Jun 19 2008

You know, it's not Mrs. Obama's fault that she wasn't born white and with the perfection, completeness, correctness, excellence, faultlessness, beauty and quality of Marcela, Mrs. McCain, Mrs. Bush or Nancy Reagan, for those dumb enough to believe Mrs. Bush, Mrs. Reagan or Mrs. McCain or Marcela are outstanding in any fashion. You know, once you're born with these attributes, you don't need Harvard, Yale, Cambridge, Oxford or any other good white school to enhance you. They can't enhance perfection anyway. You know, I bet Mrs. Obama already knows, even if a recent discovery, that no amount of education, ability, down-home wit or intellect can ever overcome race and racism for some people. I bet neither the hosts of the View, and certainly not Mrs. McCain, Mrs. Bush, Mrs. Reagan or Marcela could hold a candle to Mrs. Obama in matters that require real intellect, cognition or intellectual capacity. While Mr. and Mrs Obama have studied and trained at some of America's greatest schools - without achieving perfection, like all whites before them; any error, slip or hair-lowing quirk, quip or liberty on their parts will likely be viewed as evidence of an incurable and impenetrable flaw of black folks by some people. Black people often are born into desperate situations where good standard English isn't spoken or heard. They then go off to school where the same isn't often taught well as they interact with others often less adept at speaking standing English. Then off to college and professional schools where they learn quickly to swim with the sharks who had all kinds of advantages from the outset or fail. After succeeding against the odds, they're still pronounced flawed and inadequate, even if the record is quite impressive. It seems nothing is ever good enough to please the discriminating taste of some people. We're expected to overcome our flaws and institutional roadblocks, and to re-make ourselves and re-shape our beliefs, while not offending the decisive and perfected sensibilities of whites. It must be nice that Marcela doesn't have anyone in her family or circles who uses the all- telling "you knows." Michele was born black and imperfect, so she became a Harvard lawyer to enhance her innate shortcomings. For me, I'll take the overcomer any day over the person born perfect.

Walt

Jun 19 2008

Let's have a beer one of these days. Marcela, quite frankly, I can't imagine a less interesting proposition. I tend to hang out with interesting, funny, loving people who may not always agree with me, but they don't pick on children. For me, you have joined the small ranks of Jackson bloggers who take out their own anger on children—like the anti-immigrant folks who want to deport anchor babies and the guy who hated the JFP so much that he linked a photograph of genital warts to the name of the young child of one of the people who blogged here. It was bad enough that you went after a 9-year-old, but you have now shown yourself to be a complete jacka$$ when called out on it. And you're really representing The Clarion-Ledger well—I'm finding that pretty fun to watch, I must admit. But I think I'll watch the circus from the sidelines; I have to prepare for a class that I teach when I can manage to pull myself away from obsessing about your newspaper. How do I manage to get anything done?

DonnaLadd

Jun 19 2008

Oh, and Knol, there is a thread on Russert in the forums. And everyone is welcome to start topics of your choosing, as you know. Have at it.

DonnaLadd

Jun 19 2008

Sneaking back on topic (I just saw this post)--dear lord, she's heard that speech a million times already. And 9 year olds can't be counted on to pay attention in church, let alone church where dad is talking . . . All I did when I was that little in church was read the bible (the great maps at the back), the hymnal . . . it kept me from running up and down the aisles!

David McCarty

Jun 19 2008

I think Marcela wanted to see her jump on the podium and do the speech for Barack as Rudy's little boy did a few years ago. Then Marcela would have said little Miss. Obama is crazy. Marcela tell my friend Grace I said hello.

Walt

Jun 19 2008

Ms. Marcela impressed me with her critique of CEO salaries, but then dipped low again with her "you know" analysis of Michelle Obama's speech patterns. If anyone paid any attention to Hillary Clinton, she uhed, ahed and you knowed on a regular basis. I don't think that should disqualify her from being President or Vice President, Senator or CEO. I have a degree from Northwestern and that is one of my bad habits. Barbara Bush used to make some weird statements. I do know that Michelle Obama is actually a very accomplished speaker, she probably just does that when she is nervous on national TV like many of us might be. She is NOT a smooth operator like her husband! Marcela should get over it (and get out of the shallows).

FreeClif

Jun 19 2008

BTW, OT, but the Preview feature should be working now. Sorry for that.

Todd Stauffer

Jun 19 2008

Here's my question. As a reader, do I feel comfortable with a copy editor writing political blogs. If anything, aren't the copy editors suppose to appear impartial? As far as her "you know" everyone has that kind of a moment. Michelle's speeches aren't prepared (most of the time) and Marcela is just an Obama hater. Get over it! You liked Hillary, she lost. Now it's either vote for Obama or vote for McCain.

willwork4food

Jun 19 2008

Personally, I have no problem with that. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. We also have the right to vocally disagree with said opinion.

Lady Havoc

Jun 19 2008

BTW, Lady, I meant to say to you last night, your dog comment is the funniest thing I've read on the site in a while: Try keeping a dog quiet during a political speech. That is such Gonzo humor. Go on now.

DonnaLadd

Jun 19 2008

Maybe the ex-Clinton supporters will all migrate to Fixed Nuts (I mean Fox News) where it's normal that the "news" people might editorialize on the photo of Obama's daughter with something like, "I wonder if that is a terrorist training manual that she is reading".

FreeClif

Jun 19 2008

What: No midnight posting from the Ledger's chief apologist? I feel slighted. ;-)

DonnaLadd

Jun 20 2008