Sunday Commentary: We May Need to Reassess Funding for Local News
A timely article in the Wall Street Journal appeared yesterday: “In News Industry, a Stark Divide Between…
Sunday Commentary: As We Change City Planning Leadership – We Should Figure Out Economic Development
A lot of changes are in the works for the city. This week we have seen three…
Monday Morning Thoughts: Out of Touch and Tone Deaf?
It was a week ago that we ran the column highlighting concerns that the local paper is…
Commentary: The Local Newspaper Needs to Re-Think Its Core Competency
Yesterday, the Vanguard turned 12 years old. I find that tenure rather stunning because, more and more,…
Commentary: Unwarranted Attack on a Councilmember Combined with Inconsistent Editorial Standards
Remember two weeks ago we called out the Enterprise’s editor for rushing in to defend columnist Bob…
Commentary: Lack of Engagement Problematic
A letter in the local paper caught my eye. A reader was criticizing a Debra DeAngelo column…
My View: We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know
Earlier this week, the Vanguard evaluated claims by a couple of columnists with the local paper on…
Commentary: Newspapers as the Solution to Fake News?
I was struck by reading columns this weekend by Debra DeAngelo and Tanya Perez in the local…
Analysis: Measure A Gets Key Endorsement from Enterprise
Do endorsements matter? Many, myself included, argue that the most important aspect of an endorsement is as…
Analysis: Enterprise Endorses Nishi
While critical details about the Nishi project remain up in the air, the Davis Enterprise editor has…
Commentary: Preparing For Life with a Three-Day Newspaper
One of the biggest topics of discussion outside of the local issues in the last few weeks…
Commentary: What a Three-Day Daily Newspaper Means For Davis
Earlier this week, I had heard a rumor that the Davis Enterprise was reducing its print operations…
Commentary: Paper Praises Police, Blasts Council on MRAP
Reading the coverage in the local paper, I am a bit appalled, even after nearly nine years…
Analysis: It’s No Wonder Why People Are Confused…
I recall a discussion back in college about the “big lie,” which is an interesting propaganda tactic…
Racist Cartoon Draws a Stir
A cartoon published in the Davis Enterprise that seems to depict border guards in a flood of…
Genealogy of a Dunning Water Column
On February 13, 2013, Davis Enterprise columnist Bob Dunning unleashed what the No on Measure I campaign considered a bombshell, arguing that the consumption-based fixed rate system produced a wholly disproportionate, ultimately indefensible and unconstitutionally disparate cost.Mr. Dunning writes, “Although the proponents of our innovative, only-in-Davis water rate structure aren’t eager for this information to get into the public consciousness, the plain fact of the matter is that once the consumption-based fixed rate system is fully functional in 2018, every ccf of water you use in the summer will cost you $7.80 annually, while the same ccf you use in the winter will cost $1.32.”
Setting the Record Straight with Dunning
There are many who probably care little about this issue, I acknowledge and understand it. Frankly I would have simply ignored it but at some point when a person is challenging your integrity, you ought to at least clarify the issues from your perspective. For those who read the Davis Enterprise, I wish to thank Davis Enterprise Editor Debbie Davis for being willing to print a shortened version of this in today’s Davis Enterprise. She certainly was under no obligation to do so. So for that I am grateful. For those not interested in this issue, don’t worry, we have some major breaking stories you won’t get anywhere else coming out in the next two weeks, so stay tuned.
In the past week I have been reminded of reading the most recent book from Markos Moulitsas, better known to the world as KOS, the founder of the popular liberal blog, The Daily Kos. In it he described with some detail the efforts of Keith Olbermann, the MSNBC Commentator when he began his show, The Countdown, after bouncing around between networks and indeed between genres. He found his niche this time however as a wry commentator utilizing his humor along with his intellect to attack the forces on the right.
Vanguard Response to Dunning
The following is the Vanguard’s response to Bob Dunning’s Sunday Column and has been submitted to the Davis Enterprise as a letter to the editor.
In his August 2nd Sunday column, Davis Enterprise Columnist Bob Dunning refers to the People’s Vanguard of Davis. We want to take the opportunity to introduce the community to The Vanguard and correct some possible misconceptions arising from Mr. Dunning’s column.
Davis Enterprise’s Story on the Vanguard
While our top story remains the Vanguard investigation into Davis Joint Unified’s former CBO, Tahir Ahad, I did want to talk a bit about the Davis Enterprise story on the Vanguard. As Claire St. John mentioned to me, the Vanguard has been up for a year and a half, it’s about time we acknowledged it. I thank the Davis Enterprise and Claire for covering local blogs, it must have been a bit tough to admit that there are other news sources out there.
For those who have not read the story, here is what Claire St. John wrote about the blog and myself:
Errors in an Article on the UC Davis Sociology Department Lead to Questions about the Davis Enterprise
On July 20, 2007 the Davis Enterprise ran an article, “Sociology courses canceled – UC Davis instructor…
