News 1130: What's Wrong With This Picture?

[VanRamblings]

Balanced news coverage ... have a look ...

CKWX (News1130): http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article...0725_183637_200

CKNW 980: http://www.cknw.com/news/news_local.cfm?ca...=news_local.cfm

Where WX failed to send a reporter to the Supreme Court to cover the decision referred to in the stories above, or seek to interview members from both sides, and uses the loaded term "bickering" in the opening line of their story, CKNW actually sent a reporter along, asked questions of and interviewed both sides in the dispute, and (dare I say it) reported "fairly" on the outcome of the Court challenge of a recent decision of Vancouver City Council to fire their Board of Variance ....

Here's some background on the story ...

Vancouver Sun: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/we...0ed5addd&k=7348

Allen Garr, Vancouver Courier, July 7, 2006 http://www.vancourier.com/issues06/071206/.../071206op1.html

Allen Garr, Vancouver Courier, July 12: http://www.vancourier.com/issues06/072106/.../072106op1.html

Allen Garr, Vancouver Courier, July 15: http://vancourier.com/issues06/072206/opinion/072206op1.html

Barbara Yaffe, Van Sun (July 12): http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/ed...af-f747ab2a03c6

24 Hours (July 18): http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/2006/07/18/1689774-sun.html

Kevin Potvin, The Republic: http://www.republic-news.org/archive/143-r...e_vancouver.htm

* * *

As to "the ruling proves Council was fair and acted in good faith" ... News1130 egregiously misreports the ruling of Supreme Court Justice Robert J. Bauman, who certainly didn't come close to ruling such in his expansive, 45-minute video tele-conference decision, issued this morning in Courtroom 20, BC Supreme Court building.

I mean, really, WX is a respected news outlet, and the story referred to at the outset of this post is the best coverage they could afford an issue of import to communities across the Lower Mainland?

Radio has an important role to play in the life of a city. Full, thorough, fair and balanced news coverage is absolutely critical to keep citizens informed and engaged in the life of their community.

News1130, you're an award-winning news outlet: In this instance, we expected better from you.

[tuned]

Are you one of the five fired from the Board? I'll side with a judge any day over the rantings of Garr or Yaffe. WX is a news headline service and cut to the heart of the story. What more do you expect? I bet you 90% of their listeners don't even know what the Board of Variance is and quite frankly they probably could care less about it.

[Heard It On The X]

News1130, you're an award-winning news outlet: In this instance, we expected better from you.

Interesting reading indeed. Here are a few more points to consider.

First of all, VanRamblings is certainly one to talk about journalistic integrity. If he had any himself, he would have disclosed his connection to the story before launching into his attack of CKWX. VR is in fact Raymond Tomlin, who besides billing himself as a veteran newsie, is also one of the five people dismissed from the Board of Variance. On that other radio board, he outlined how he personally went to 2440 Ash to try and hand the on-shift editor an "exclusive." It turns out the editor wasn't much interested, and rightly so, because the BOV story had already made that morning's paper and thus Mr. Tomlin wasn't really offering much of an exclusive or frankly news to anyone at that point.

As for the latest developments, I wonder how VR can determine what is fair in regards to the Supreme Court decision, as he is far from an unbiased party in the proceedings.

[cart_machine]

I mean, really, WX is a respected news outlet, and the story referred to at the outset of this post is the best coverage they could afford an issue of import to communities across the Lower Mainland?

It's of importance to anyone in Langley, Abbotsford, Surrey, Pitt Meadows, etc.?

Why not ask John Sykes if Vancouver's Board of Variance affects him?

cArtie.

[JCritty]

As to "the ruling proves Council was fair and acted in good faith" ... News1130 egregiously misreports the ruling of Supreme Court Justice Robert J. Bauman, who certainly didn't come close to ruling such in his expansive, 45-minute video tele-conference decision, issued this morning in Courtroom 20, BC Supreme Court building.

If he had actually read the story himself, the gentleman who posted this would realize that these comments came from Councillor Peter Ladner.

What's wrong with this picture? It's time for you to let it go. So sorry to hear ya got canned.

[notpuikin]

VanRamblings, I am the reporter who wrote the story. You may slam me online if you like, but I stand by what I wrote and make no appologies for what was written.

[tuned]

If VR is indeed one of the former Board members it is pretty obvious why he was fired. Putting up that post and trying to smear WX because he didn't get his way shows him to be an arrogant, small minded individual that has no business on any Board representing the interests of the citizens of Vancouver. I read Barb Yappies column whinging that it took her six months to whine directly to the Mayor about some development in her neighborhood that she had an issue with. Who cares? Her mindless columns are just one of the many reasons I dumped my Sun subscription months ago. I am sick and tired of a vocal minority of self appointed busybodies putting a spoke in the wheel of every project in Vancouver that doesn't meet their personal standards. Their obstructionist, selfish views threaten to scuttle projects like the new Whitecaps Stadium and have added untold costs to many other worthwhile projects.

[VanRamblings]

Okay, yes, Raymond Tomlin is VanRamblings. And, yes, I was on the Board of Variance, whose tenure was officially terminated, yesterday, by Justice Robert Bauman, in BC Supreme Court.

I apologize for not "disclosing" this information in my previous post.

And, yes, in fact, over the course of the past three weeks, members of the recently deposed Board attempted to keep the media apprised of developments regarding the tenure of the Board of Variance, as developments occurred: through regular press releases, through regular telephone contact (including, with News1130), and on one occasion "personally (going) to 2440 Ash" to apprise the news department that the next morning legal counsel for the Board would file a petition with the Courts to have overturned the "recision" of Board of Variance appointments.

And, Niki, although I was taking WX to task for their coverage (or lack thereof) of the story, I certainly did not intend to impugn your reputation as a journalist. In fact, as you'll note, at the bottom of the posting I make reference to News1130 as a "respected (award-winning) news outlet". That the story, as written, was perhaps (for my tastes ... but, then, I'm kind of biased in this regard, given that it was my ox that was being gored) a tad too glib for my liking ... well, I'm a big boy ... I'll get over it.

Still and all, journalism (broadcast or print) is all about the sacred trust between journalist and listener / reader. That WX's coverage of the story might have quoted sources from "both sides" ... as per the following article in the Globe and Mail ...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...ard+of+variance

and as a consequence been "fairer" ... well, days are busy, and maybe Allen Garr and Barbara Yaffe are wrong, and it's not a big story, and undeserving of much attention from media.

Jeremy, I will now attempt to "let it go." Best advice I've had in weeks ...

[johnsykes]

Having never ever lived in Vancouver, I have little knowledge of the Board of Variance, except I do recall weekly reports every Friday on NW as to the Board's agenda for the following week. Out here in the Fraser Valley, no such boards exist, thankfully.....enough money is wasted on other things.