The Banner recently did an obit and human interest piece on my in-laws, who died in a house fire. I had a particular opinion about them which was not very rosy, but the article spoke to recent neighbors and others from the neighborhood who didn't even know my in-laws by name. The article painted them, based on the interviews, as the "heart and soul" of their neighborhood. It changed my opinion both of my in-laws and of the neighborhood, which I had also not been the biggest fan of. Local reporting is so important to making us look outside ourselves and our preconceived notions of the world.
Two grassroots efforts - the Baltimore City Is Not For Sale coalition and the Baltimore for Democracy political committee - were a major factor in the win, working hard for the last six months to develop winning messages and engage and educate Baltimoreans about the threat of Question H. Their websites are still up at BaltimoreNotForSale.com and BaltimoreforDemocracy.org.
Nice to read David Smith’s slimy bio and the well-earned praise of the Baltimore Banner, but the story is incomplete without a lot of detail about the Baltimore Not For Sale coalition, which canvassed all over Baltimore and stationed volunteers at every polling station in Baltimore from beginning to end of Election Day to warn voters about Question H. We worked too hard on this to be erased this way.
When I arrived at my polling place c. 7.30pm, two people were there to tell me about H. (I already knew to vote against it.) Thanks for all that you did!
I was so impressed by the work the coalition did to inform voters before the election. When I approached voters on their way to the polls, most people already knew about it and were against it. My husband and I canvassed door to door a couple of times, but there was an even bigger information campaign that I’m only just starting to learn about. So proud to have been part of this!
I’ve found myself stumbling across Banner articles and appreciating them more and more over the past month as my previous news sources began to resemble the contents of the orange asshole’s diaper.
I was one of the hundreds of thousands who canceled my WaPo subscription after its refusal to endorse Kamala Harris. It’s up on 11/30, and they desperately tried to get me to re-up for only $30 a year, but I don’t regret my decision.
I’m seeing some comments on posts by Dana Milbank, Alexandra Petri, and Jennifer Rubin - and I shall miss them the most - suggesting that a few are reconsidering their decision to unsubscribe. And I understand that the mass loss of subscribers hurts the writers a lot more than it will hurt Bezos or Will Lewis. That said, for my own mental health, I can’t take another 4 years of TFG coverage. Supporting local journalism seems like a much better choice.
Bezos hired the shit Murdoch UK tabloid criminal Will Lewis, to increase subscribers, and take the paper further right. Insulting all the left, and centrist readers, by taking them for granted as they turned into Fox-lite. Cancelling sends the message as nothing else can that was the wrong move to make. The right already controls most media.
Agreed. Judging from the comments, most WaPo subscribers are liberal, with the exception of some trolls. Taking the paper even more far right by hiring Will Lewis was an absolutely stupid decision from a business perspective. But, losing money on his WaPo investment (it lost $77 million last year, and will likely lose a lot more this year with all the cancellations) is chump change to someone like Bezos.
I first subscribed after the 2016 election, because I was so shocked at the outcome and thought I needed to pay more attention. WaPo was still pretty good in its coverage during the 1st TFG administration, because Marty Baron was still EIC. After he retired shortly after Biden was inaugurated, he was replaced by Sally Buzbee and the right shift began. But it definitely went all to hell when Lewis was hired and Buzbee was quit-fired.
The mass cancellation was satisfying insofar as it sent a message, although -again - I don’t think Bezos really cares. But I can’t take 4 years of sanewashing TFG coverage.
I was just about to look up whether David Simon - the genius behind the best tv show ever, The Wire - worked for the Baltimore Sun. I was pretty sure he did, but thanks for confirming.
Good for the Baltimore Banner. When I started seeing the links, I wrongly assumed it was Charm City’s version of the Washington Times or Washington Examiner.
And asshole ponies in Assateague? No the real assholes are the people who try to get in the horse’s space while demanding that their spouse take a photo - I’ve seen that done. Such people don’t know any better in Yellowstone either.
LOL. I watched some idiot trying to take a selfie with a mountain goat in Glacier get gored for his trouble as he backed the poor animal to the edge of Going-to-the-Sun road. There are signs everywhere that those horns aren't there for decoration and to keep your distance, but, of course, he paid them no heed. Heard later that he tried to sue the Park Service for negligence and got laughed out of court.
I am waiting for something to replace Twitter/X. Which may just fold over into Truth Social now, a voluntary buy out or Trump turning on Musk and getting federal agencies to harass him and drive him out. But chances are anything with enough funding to replace Twitter will be the same old corporate bullshit we saw on Facebook and Google.
Timothy Noah (the New Republic) just wrote a piece urging everyone to quit X now, saying that those who don't are complicit. I wish he had shepherded readers to a decent replacement; perhaps we'll all have to try Mastodon etc. and see which one becomes the most popular and therefore the most likely to do what actual-Twitter used to do.
I just this afternoon unpacked the box containing my little ceramic Assateague ponies that my parents bought for me on a vacation to Chincoteague and Assateague when I was about 10. I loved Misty. However, those ponies really are assholes.
OMG, “ravenous asshole ponies of Assateague Island.” I met those ponies 25 years ago when they triangulated around my picnic table. Glad to hear they’re still assholes. 😂
The Banner recently did an obit and human interest piece on my in-laws, who died in a house fire. I had a particular opinion about them which was not very rosy, but the article spoke to recent neighbors and others from the neighborhood who didn't even know my in-laws by name. The article painted them, based on the interviews, as the "heart and soul" of their neighborhood. It changed my opinion both of my in-laws and of the neighborhood, which I had also not been the biggest fan of. Local reporting is so important to making us look outside ourselves and our preconceived notions of the world.
"and Taylor Swift’s next album will probably be two hours of dirges"
I'd buy that. That sounds like cheesecake right now.
Hey, if Democrats are gonna be the party that’s against road head, we’ve lost before we’ve gotten started
Two grassroots efforts - the Baltimore City Is Not For Sale coalition and the Baltimore for Democracy political committee - were a major factor in the win, working hard for the last six months to develop winning messages and engage and educate Baltimoreans about the threat of Question H. Their websites are still up at BaltimoreNotForSale.com and BaltimoreforDemocracy.org.
Nice to read David Smith’s slimy bio and the well-earned praise of the Baltimore Banner, but the story is incomplete without a lot of detail about the Baltimore Not For Sale coalition, which canvassed all over Baltimore and stationed volunteers at every polling station in Baltimore from beginning to end of Election Day to warn voters about Question H. We worked too hard on this to be erased this way.
When I arrived at my polling place c. 7.30pm, two people were there to tell me about H. (I already knew to vote against it.) Thanks for all that you did!
I was so impressed by the work the coalition did to inform voters before the election. When I approached voters on their way to the polls, most people already knew about it and were against it. My husband and I canvassed door to door a couple of times, but there was an even bigger information campaign that I’m only just starting to learn about. So proud to have been part of this!
"Could such models be replicated elsewhere? Local coalition-building that drives away the people who want to weaken and divide us?"
Yes and I think we should try and fail and try again and again until we get there. In all walks of life, but I love the idea of doing it for the news!
I’ve found myself stumbling across Banner articles and appreciating them more and more over the past month as my previous news sources began to resemble the contents of the orange asshole’s diaper.
Ta, Marcie. I love this.
I was one of the hundreds of thousands who canceled my WaPo subscription after its refusal to endorse Kamala Harris. It’s up on 11/30, and they desperately tried to get me to re-up for only $30 a year, but I don’t regret my decision.
I’m seeing some comments on posts by Dana Milbank, Alexandra Petri, and Jennifer Rubin - and I shall miss them the most - suggesting that a few are reconsidering their decision to unsubscribe. And I understand that the mass loss of subscribers hurts the writers a lot more than it will hurt Bezos or Will Lewis. That said, for my own mental health, I can’t take another 4 years of TFG coverage. Supporting local journalism seems like a much better choice.
Bezos hired the shit Murdoch UK tabloid criminal Will Lewis, to increase subscribers, and take the paper further right. Insulting all the left, and centrist readers, by taking them for granted as they turned into Fox-lite. Cancelling sends the message as nothing else can that was the wrong move to make. The right already controls most media.
Agreed. Judging from the comments, most WaPo subscribers are liberal, with the exception of some trolls. Taking the paper even more far right by hiring Will Lewis was an absolutely stupid decision from a business perspective. But, losing money on his WaPo investment (it lost $77 million last year, and will likely lose a lot more this year with all the cancellations) is chump change to someone like Bezos.
I first subscribed after the 2016 election, because I was so shocked at the outcome and thought I needed to pay more attention. WaPo was still pretty good in its coverage during the 1st TFG administration, because Marty Baron was still EIC. After he retired shortly after Biden was inaugurated, he was replaced by Sally Buzbee and the right shift began. But it definitely went all to hell when Lewis was hired and Buzbee was quit-fired.
The mass cancellation was satisfying insofar as it sent a message, although -again - I don’t think Bezos really cares. But I can’t take 4 years of sanewashing TFG coverage.
David Simon will be proud
I was just about to look up whether David Simon - the genius behind the best tv show ever, The Wire - worked for the Baltimore Sun. I was pretty sure he did, but thanks for confirming.
Yep, he did.
He also is one of the geniuses behind The Plot Against America , which he pushed to have come out in 2016 …
… and I've been having nightmares watching his / their e5 play out in real time
Here's the podcast with his co-host Peter Sagal from Wait Wait Don't Tell Me
https://youtu.be/AzR_IsYY_1A?si=Qx5knIQmV_su35Eo
Thanks for sharing this story! It is indeed inspiring.
Good for the Baltimore Banner. When I started seeing the links, I wrongly assumed it was Charm City’s version of the Washington Times or Washington Examiner.
And asshole ponies in Assateague? No the real assholes are the people who try to get in the horse’s space while demanding that their spouse take a photo - I’ve seen that done. Such people don’t know any better in Yellowstone either.
I like the part where the guy in a Speedo got kicked in the crotch.
LOL. I watched some idiot trying to take a selfie with a mountain goat in Glacier get gored for his trouble as he backed the poor animal to the edge of Going-to-the-Sun road. There are signs everywhere that those horns aren't there for decoration and to keep your distance, but, of course, he paid them no heed. Heard later that he tried to sue the Park Service for negligence and got laughed out of court.
I am waiting for something to replace Twitter/X. Which may just fold over into Truth Social now, a voluntary buy out or Trump turning on Musk and getting federal agencies to harass him and drive him out. But chances are anything with enough funding to replace Twitter will be the same old corporate bullshit we saw on Facebook and Google.
Timothy Noah (the New Republic) just wrote a piece urging everyone to quit X now, saying that those who don't are complicit. I wish he had shepherded readers to a decent replacement; perhaps we'll all have to try Mastodon etc. and see which one becomes the most popular and therefore the most likely to do what actual-Twitter used to do.
Bluesky!
X is absolutely going to fold in Puke Social. I'd almost bet on it.
Thanks for that bit of good news, Marcie. Reading about the asshole ponies will be the timeline cleanse I need today.
I just this afternoon unpacked the box containing my little ceramic Assateague ponies that my parents bought for me on a vacation to Chincoteague and Assateague when I was about 10. I loved Misty. However, those ponies really are assholes.
OMG, “ravenous asshole ponies of Assateague Island.” I met those ponies 25 years ago when they triangulated around my picnic table. Glad to hear they’re still assholes. 😂