One of the intriguing things about spending
more than 40 years in journalism as both a journalist and journalism educator
has been watching the evolution of news and information dissemination from
“traditional” methods – print and broadcast – to today’s click of a button
delivery via digital sites and social media.
Getting
news and information almost instantaneously is both good news and bad
news. The good news is news consumers,
whom we used to call readers and viewers, can be kept up to date about important
events.
The
bad news is that it is not unusual for the information to be inaccurate if not
flat out wrong.
The
same holds true for social media sites that give citizens – often called
citizen journalists – a forum to voice their opinions. Again, a good news / bad
news proposition. The good news is that it provides an open forum for citizens.
The bad news is that many times forums become little more than a spot for inaccurate
rants posted by citizens who do little more than spew venomous and inaccurate
barbs.
Yes,
I know, it is their First Amendment right.
Folks are quick to point that out although most people (and research
supports this) do not even know the five freedoms guaranteed by the First
Amendment.
While
the emphasis should probably be more on social than media, “citizen
journalists” should carry with them a sense of responsibility. The keyword here
is “should”. That belief is becoming
more of a staple for not only professional journalists, but social/citizen
journalists as well.
In
their book, The Elements of Journalism authors Tom Rosenstiell and Bill Kovach deconstruct traditional media and the emergence of
social and citizen journalism. In the third edition of TEOJ, Rosenstiel and
Kovach dedicate an entire chapter to the rights and responsibilities of
citizens. They are emphatic in noting
that “citizens, who shape news production by the choices they make, have rights
when it comes to the news, but they also have responsibilities—even more so as
they become producers and editors themselves.”
While
citizen journalists, and let’s put social media posters in this group, whine
about what they perceive to be a lack of credible information, they apparently
don’t think twice about trying to build their case with falsities and inaccurate
statements.
Take
for example many of the posts that emerge on the Daily Herald sponsored Buffalo Grove group on Facebook.
Many of the
posts are little more than acrid charges at village staff and officials by
people who obviously have made no effort to verify information about what
they’re posting. Either that or they’re just clueless. When I read the posts, a favorite quote of
mine from the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan comes to mind. Moynihan once said that “Everyone is entitled
to his own opinion; but not to his own facts.”
If the late senator is accessing Facebook from the afterlife, he’s
probably rolling his eyes.
Take
for example some of the following posts taken from the site. These are actual posts because, as Dave Barry
would write, I am not making this up.
Post: What is happening over at the backside of
Didiers (sic) Farm? I know technically it is Prairie View but still. We have
heard rumors it is sold to a developer. Is it true and what's the timetable?
Think it stinks! Just what we need - more houses, people, cars, and roads.
Reality: Sources at Village Hall say “There have
been several smaller projects approved in the Prairie View area over the last
year and we continue to get more and more inquiries. It’s a very popular
area. A housing developer is working with the Didier family on the back
side of their property. There has been no public discussion of this yet
because even the concept plans for the property is not done.”
Post: do I understand this correctly: our water
bill will go up about $10 per bill in January 2016? ($5.00 per month)??
Reality:
The
storm water management fee was approved by the Village Board last year with a January 1, 2016 implementation
date. The funds are to cover the cost to manage the storm sewer
system. There is currently no revenue source to address this
infrastructure need. The impact for a single family home is approximately
$5 per month – less for multi-family depending on the size of the development,
according to a Village Hall source.
Post: (McDonald’s) Supposed to be
moving across the street with a Thornton gas. Another loss for taxes in bg ---
Reality: First of all, the McDonald’s site is not in
the village; it’s in unincorporated Lake County. According to my sources at Village Hall, “Thornton’s
never approached the Village. It’s the Village’s understanding that the
project is stalled…On Monday there should be a preliminary concept plan for the
PJ’s/McDonald’s site for a redevelopment and annexation of the site.
There are no plans currently for McDonald’s to open on Milwaukee Avenue.”
Post: We had our water meter changed, and now the
pressure in the hall bath tub is very very low? Anyone have this problem or
have any idea what it could be?? All I know is the guy had to turn our water
off and then on again, but the pressure changed the next day.
Reality:
According to folks at
Village Hall, “the water meter change would not
have any impact on water pressure in the house.”
Post: We got something in the mail. It's at home -
storm retention? something like that. Our water bill is something (sic) like
$57 so that's almost a 10% increase. Stealth bombers.
Reality:
Stealth bombers? Seriously?
According to folks at Village Hall, “The
storm water management fee has been discussed since 2012. It was
specifically discussed and detailed in the Village’s strategic plan that was
approved by the Village Board in 2012. It was discussed at Committee of
the Whole at least five times and was also discussed twice at Village Board
meetings. This does not include any of the strategic plan updates that I
provide to the Village Board where progress on this project was also discussed.”
Post: maybe we need to form some kind of PAC for
economic development NOW. NOW.
Reality:
I didn’t ask for input
from Village Hall about this because it’s so ludicrous. According to one definition, a political
action committee is“…an organization that raises
money privately to influence elections or legislation, especially at the
federal level...” So what exactly does
this poster want to do?
The closest thing to a PAC
is/was the “Save Buffalo Grove” initiative which lobbied hard to keep Buffalo
Grove a bedroom committee and fielded a slate of candidates including now
Village President Beverly Sussman and Trustee David Weidenfeld. The group’s existence was anchored by opposition
to the proposed edifice by CRM properties.
Aside from Sussman’s and Weidenfeld’s appearance on the Board, the group
communicates little, with its last post on Facebook being on April 8. Some members attend village meetings, but
seemed mired in a position of not having a downtown or central business
district. Others continue to preach fear
with inaccuracies – like a public statement that Binny’s was going to leave the
village if the village didn’t do something.
Binny’s has renewed its lease and reportedly is working to expand its
current location.
The village is not a
landlord. A PAC for economic development?
Maybe the poster should further define economic development. It goes beyond retail. The village has one of
the highest rates of nonretail occupancy in Lake County. Yes, the village is not known for retail
shopping – unless you’re into sushi, nail spas or chain drug stores. If the poster had taken time and checked
things out, he/she would find details at Economic Development Information
Post: Our taxes should pay for everything.
Reality: Yes, Virginia,
there is a hole in the ozone layer.
