One final thing: Michele Godard is right. Although blogs may be the wave of the future, Cenla Antics will never be taken seriously among real news organizations because it doesn’t hold itself to any standards. Any moron with a grudge can “report” something as real news, and he can do so ANONYMOUSLY.
This is what Michele said. It’s right on.
“That’s the problem with anonymous (Encarta Dictionary: whose name is not known or not given)…the word itself is journalistically unethical because there is no source. At its heart someone needs to know the identity of the source. Remember Deep Throat. Three people knew who he was until recently. Rumors ruin people’s lives and are NOT journalism, they are just that, rumors with no factual evidence and neither the Town Talk, Northside Journal nor KALB will do the residents of this fine city any service by dignifying them with exposure.
Put up or shut up, come out of the dark with your supposed “exclusive” stories and help your local media keep them (the corrupt officials you so want to bust) honest. It is at the heart of what a free society is built on.”
CenLamar 
When Ms. Godard was giving you Intro to Journalism 101 did she mention whether or not her employment relationship with Councilman/Mayoral Candidate Rosevelt Johnson might appear to be slightly compromising?
So, one anonymous person was able to bring down a president. That doesn’t say much for journalistic integrity now does it.
lol anon. the thing is, is that we dont take alledged “real news organizations” seriously.
with blogging its up to the reader to determine what is credible and what isnt. a blogger could report that the city council, the police jury and the mayor were all having a big satanic sex party on the banks of landmark last night but unless that blogger provided pictures etc he wont be taken seriously.
heres a good example (in our view) of crapola town talk reporting:
that url didnt work heres the url:
http://thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060510/NEWS01/60510021
Mardi Gras Krewe Parade expected to take Texas Avenue route in 2007
Town Talk Staff
The Alexandria Mardi Gras Krewe Parade most likely will stick to its traditional Texas Avenue route next year and not go downtown.
The Children’s Mardi Gras Parade, however, is expected to stay downtown for 2007.
Alexandria Mardi Gras Association representatives met with city of Alexandria officials today over whether to change the Krewe Parade route for next year, and apparently there was an agreement to keep the Krewe Parade on its traditional route in 2007..
A decision was postponed last month on whether to move the parade route to one that begins at the Alexandria Mall and goes down Masonic Drive, Lee Street and Bolton Avenue on its way to downtown.
There was vocal public opposition to that route.
In April, the Mardi Gras Association’s executive committee voted 10-0 to endorse a route change that would redirect the parade, which passed before an estimated 150,000 in February, to downtown via Lee Street and Masonic Drive instead of the Texas Avenue path to the Alexandria Mall.
But a week later, the vote on changing the route was delayed when the meeting became too “emotional,” a Mardi Gras official said.
To the veracity of blogger comments, where there is smoke, there may be a smoldering ember of truth. Let the oxygen of investigaion work its magic and you may see the flame of truth erupt. Many of the comments may have no validity but, that is only known after a cursory investigation. Rumors are a fertile source for leads and some prove to be more ferilizer than fertile – that is proven by a cursory investigation, not by if I can’t see it it doesn’t exist. There have been comments made and actions viewed through the lens of time that indicate a pattern of sweetheart deals and well concealed reallocation of public funds that are never investigated or anger the public to the point of demanding the truth. Our city utility department is a good place to start and follow the money to where it leads (Lead / Clue # 1) Can I get an amen from anyone with the city?
This really an absurd line of inquiry. The conflict of interest issues raised repeatedly on this and other blogs are well known, well documented, and essentially common knowledge. How can KALB possibly hold itself out as objective and ethical when Johnson is in their employ? be grateful that people can contribute meaningful, current, accurate inside information anonymously. Granted that these exposures are not always entirely even-handed or for nobel motives but they are essentially true and everyone knows that. The Town Talk gathers news. The TV stations read the Town Talk.
Anonymous…yes we read the Town Talk, just as we read the Advocate, Times Picayune and many other newspapers. The journalism done there is for the most part thorough and has many pieces of information to offer. But KALB does generate plenty of its own news by doing the old fashioned task of listening to people not just officials.
Now about Mr. Johnson. He was extricated from the newsroom the day he announced his run for city council. KALB has a strict policy about keeping the newsroom free of any political and advertising influence. If you can show me in anyway how he has influenced anything in this newsroom the person who produced the story will be disciplined. Mr. Johnson is a valuable employee of the production department and has nothing to do with the daily news gathering efforts.
Sincerely, never anonymous Michele Godard.
Oh and the stories centered on the information Deep Throat provided were true American Free Journalism and I was using him to establish the fact that he was a KNOWN to the reporters and editor whereas a blogger never reveals him/herself.
ya and we will never get a real report about the alexandria police department because for 1 thing kalb anchor melinda johnson her husband is apd detective sgt bruce fairbanks so naturally she will squelch anything negative there – if you remember kalb even let fairbanks propose to johnson live on the air. of course michelle and doug dont want to be stricken from melinda and bruce’s christmas card list so nothing but fluff and spin gets reported. its sad but true that this is how decisions are made on what is reported on. its based on friendships, family and business ties etc.
Actually you’re late to the news that Bruce Fairbanks left Melinda for a younger woman. Hence the return to “Johnson” instead of her wedded name Fairbanks.
thanks for that tidbit we guess, although national enquirer type stuff isnt really our interest.
This is unusual, but I think both sides of this argument have excellent points. Spanky, you’re right: Where there is smoke, sometimes there is fire.
It’s really weak to assume that Michele Godard’s decisions are under the influence of a guy who works half of the day on the other side of the building.
And she’s right. Some of you “anonymous” people need to come forward if you really know something important. You’ll be protected, and the community will be better informed because of it. I think that’s why she referenced Deep Throat (Go Mark Felt!). He’s an example of an anonymous source coming forward and revealing information that the public needed to know.
No one is asking you to write your names on the blogs. I, for one, am over that.
Well, you’re the one who mentioned Melinda Fairbanks in relation to the police department and I just wanted to set it straight that she’s not tied to him now.
we know and we werent fussing at you or anything like that. we were just trying to head off anymore lurid comments not necessarily by you but from others.
It takes trust to come forward and make your views and information known. Trust that you won’t be betrayed, trust that your words will not be twisted, and trust that you won’t be left hanging out in the breeze when the fire gets hot. So far there is no one in Cenla that I trust that far.
If Councilman Johnson is a valued high profile employee and highly visable representative of KALB, there is a huge potential for conflict whether he shares a desk with Babs Leggett or is two doors down the hall from the news room.
Civil, Amen back at ya. I don’t know anyone I trust that much either cuz the folks that can, will cut the limb when you step out on it. The circumstances are such that PD does not investigate and prosecute and if you expose yourself, you might find yourself waking up dead around here. All of the things that have been discusssed between the several blogs are items that one would assume any one of our law enforcement agencies would have investigated. Does APD still withhold the call log from the press? Michelle, help us out.
We physically go to APD several times a week to look at the police reports but admittedly only do that if we are told something happened over night in our daily cop calls. It is not a good system and we do need a bunch more eyes and ears!
Well, Michele, I’ve seen a number of tips here on the blogs but rarely see any follow up by the TT or KALB.
It shouldn’t be OUR job to do the investigative reporting. If so we should get the pay. Reporting is supposely your job.
yes, well I suppose I am spending way too much time on blogs and not doing my job.
got a story idea? we are as far away from you as your phone.
I’ve seen several story ideas proffered here. Haven’t you gleaned any ideas from some of the posts? If not, there’s nothing that a phone call will help.
True, any moron with a grudge can put something on a blog. However, when something is put on here and it has a shred of truth in it, then it should be incumbent upon the “journalists” to at least give some credence to it. I have to agree that there are people who have grudges, but that should not exclude ALL bloggers as grudge holders.
Crimestoppers takes anonymous calls and it wouldn’t hurt a journalist to at least take a cursory look at some of the blog items I’ve seen on here.
right on wondering and its funny as we just came across this post by the piney woods journal editor and publisher tom kelly:
“…I am hopelessly out of touch with the modern scene, trapped in a long-since forgotten dimension of journalism wherein the First Commandment was Thou Shalt Go Out and Dig Up the Story. My heart bleeds to see those hard-working Washington-based slugs sitting en masse in The Briefing Room waiting to be spoon-fed the day’s dose of B.S. from this or that official government “spokesman”, so that they may preen their exquisite biliousness competing to ask the most unanswerable “Gotcha” question of the day. Or, worse yet, answering the call to a Press Conference, where a politician or a corporate shill dishes out a canned spiel about his/her/its latest gee-whiz banality.?”
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