I wholeheartedly second Scott Ehrisman’s observations about Joe Sneve’s glaring omission of quotes from Sioux Falls civic watchdog Bruce Danielson in Sneve’s column about Bruce Danielson:
“What’s missing from this article about Cameraman Bruce?” There are only three people quoted in the article, and those quotes were framed around negativity towards Bruce (even mine). You would think after an hour and 45 minute interview with Bruce, there would be at least one quote from him. There wasn’t. Zilch.
That should tell us all we need to know about the integrity of the column [Scott Ehrisman, “What’s Missing from This Article About Cameraman Bruce?” South DaCola, 2015.11.29].
Sneve’s article quotes a woman with a restraining order against Danielson who says Danielson is a “horrible neighbor.” It quotes two city councilors, one of whom finds citizen involvement in local government “tiring”:
“Anytime anybody comes in front of the council every week, week after week, and generally points out our inabilities to do our job well,” Councilor Greg Jamison said, “it does become somewhat tiring” [Joe Sneve, “Gadfly on a Mission to Expose Government Missteps,” that Sioux Falls paper, 2015.11.29].
Tired of people pointing out your inability to do your job? Ehrisman notes the simple solution: “[Y]ou should be doing your job better.”
Sneve includes Danielson’s viewpoint, if not his exact words. The blogosphere allows us to remedy failures of balance: Ehrisman and Danielson recorded Sneve’s interview with Danielson and hope to post it to South DaCola shortly.
The situation reminds me of an interaction I had a couple weeks ago. After writing about the Department of Labor’s ruling banning local entrepreneur Kevin Opp from the HB-2A visa program for three years for submitting false information to USCIS, Opp e-mailed and complained that I hadn’t sought a quote from him. “That is not media,” wrote Opp. “Private media’s job is not to follow DOL publications and point to them as fact, given that is their position in a high-profile court case where they can amply outspend us? [sic] If you are media get all sides of the story please first….” Rather than debate the difference in definitions of media and journalism, I noted that the comment section was open for his immediate reply. I also offered to meet him and conduct a full video interview. Opp accepted neither invitation.
I don’t get out and interview nearly as many people as the employees of South Dakota’s corporate media. But when I do, and when I write articles focusing on those individuals, I’ll include all sorts of quotes from them.
The Sanford Leader is a dump compared to a few years ago. The staff seems lazy. The management is focused on appeasing the money set in Sioux Falls. Not surprising that a feature on Bruce Danielson would be handled as a public pillory to degrade someone who irritate’s Sioux Falls’ protected class.
Speaking of lazy (or is it unconcerned?), I noticed Sunday’s Sanford Leader at the relatives’ home and saw the article titled “Regents: ‘Gear Up needs state dollars'” buried on an inside page. Hmmm. Where did I read this article, I thought. Got back home and saw that I had read it online on Nov. 25, four days previously. Here’s the link:
http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2015/11/25/south-dakota-board-regents-gear-up-needs-state-dollars-/76346818/
Four days? Why?
I met Mr. Danielson last December and agree that he is a rarity on the South Dakota political scene. In my experience, he is unfailingly upbeat, cautious when it comes to making critical comments about politicians, and willing to give his time and talents to causes he believes in. One example – Bruce told me about the deletion of files in the SOS office 10 months before it was noted in the press. He pays close attention to the machinery of government and notices when it is working poorly or violates its own rules. And he doesn’t want anything back in return – which, I guess, makes him an adversary to elected and appointed officials who are too lazy or disinterested to check their own work. If every unit of government had their own Bruce Danielson fact-checking our government we would all be better off as citizens and tax-payers.