EDITOR:
Anti-organized Labor.
Anti-reproductive choice.
EDITOR:
Anti-organized Labor.
Anti-reproductive choice.
Anti-immigrant.
Anti-diversity.
Anti-small business.
Anti-fair elections.
Am I referring to the Aryan Brotherhood? The White Christian Identity Movement? The American Nazi Party?
No. I am talking about the Gilroy Dispatch. Our OWN local newspaper.
Anti-organized Labor: see Thursday’s “warning” to local unions.
Anti-reproductive choice: see McClintock endorsement.
Anti-immigrant: see McClintock endorsement.
Anti-diversity: see recent whiny complaint about “political correctness” in Gilroy High reading lists as well as the addition of more right-wing columnists (need I mention McClintock again?)
Anti-small business: see constant drumming for Wal-mart and other GIANT package stores to the DIRECT disastrous ruin of our “mom and pop” businesses.
Anti-fair elections: taking sides on the recall and trashing candidates in the upcoming council race.
The Gilroy Dispatch has finally and completely taken sides against its own readers. They have drawn a line-in-the-sand and stepped over to the side of the extreme right-wing and AGAINST the concerns of all the other readers they are supposed to serve.
On Thursday, the Dispatch editor warned local unions to “tread carefully.”
I would issue this SAME warning to those in charge of the Dispatch. You probably think you have a captive audience here and that readers won’t bail out on you just because they don’t see their views reflected. I am sure you are wrong.
I myself, have NO INTENTION of funding a RADICAL right-wing group whether it is a political organization or a newspaper, so I demand to know who is behind this hard, ruthless shift to the extreme right. I further demand a complete accounting of exactly HOW this shift is supposed to serve ALL of the people of Gilroy as the ONLY local news source is duty bound to do.
There is no law that says a local paper need express any opinions on local issues beyond the obvious: safe streets, well equipped fire services, strong and safe schools. Certainly the Dispatch is within their rights to take editorial positions. But having the right doesn’t mean it is always the right thing to do.
I will hope to see an editorial in the very near future explaining and justifying this political shift. During this election year we need more than ever before a local news agency we can trust for balanced, unbiased reporting.
The Gilroy Dispatch has stopped providing that service. If it continues to do so, I believe, it will lose the trust of this community and eventually, the captive audience that pays its bills.
Bill C. Jones, Gilroy
Submitted Friday, Oct. 10
