Since when has running political advertisements without substantive analysis and fact checking been considered journalism? Is WW promoting the recall? (Re: "Watch This Video From The Recall Sam Adams Committee," June 17) Come on. Why not run an ad for PGE?

When you do promote something this blatantly while pretending to cover it at the same time, you drag down the credibility of your paper. If you’re going to promote the recall, be honest about it. Say so. If the recall people are paying you to do this, you need to let us know. It’s OK to promote something — you’re an alt weekly supported by advertisers — but being deceptive about what you’re doing and running naked political advertisements as news is unacceptable.

If you’re actually covering the news, then don’t run political advertisements as stories. Do your own reporting, check the facts yourself, give us information you found yourself and wasn’t handed out by special-interest groups. It’s “stories” like this one that make readers distrust everything in the paper. Please. If your going to do journalism, do journalism. But let us know which one you're doing: Are you doing recall promotion or are you covering the recall?

 

You have run so many articles about every detail of this recall effort that I’m starting to wonder … are you promoting it? Or have you just been manipulated?

The only new information here ("Why the Recalls Sam Adams Committee Will Wait A Bit," June 15) is that the filing of some paperwork will be delayed a few days. Is that news? Especially after we’ve been hearing about this recall effort every five minutes. Especially when they’re so few volunteers and so little money involved after such an enormous media blitz? The Caeser Chavez petitioners have a much bigger effort going on, but they don’t get nearly the same amount of ink. Why not start running naked political advertisements about the recall effort? Wait. You just did that today. ("Watch This Video," June 17) You don't have that standard for other advertisements. How about you start sending everyone to the recall website. Oops. That's the first link below every story in the comment section. I didn't know your news "stories" were advertisements.

If you're going to promote the recall, do that, let us know who is paying you and stop pretending you're covering the news. If you're going to cover the news, then cover the news.

Please. Stop running special-interest-group political advertisements as news. This journalistic jihad is dragging down the credibility of your paper.

 

I can't believe your paper has not done some work on the G.I. Joe's situation. There must be more to the story than that lousy article in the "O". This looks just like a WW investigation

 

Um, where did you come up with the idea that Adams' explanation for falling behind on mortgage payments is "puzzling"? ("Sam Adams Property Problems," June 17)

If Adams has set up a legal defense fund, it's a *public record.* You reported this on January 27, so I'm surprised you "forgot."

Or are you trying to make things sound sketchy because WW is promoting an agenda? If so, stop pretending to be a reporter and be honest with your readers. What next, running naked political advertisements for the recall? Oh, wait, you already did that the same day ("Watch This Video From the Recall Sam Adams Committee," June 17).

Please, WW, if you're getting paid to promote the recall, be honest about it. If you're not getting paid but are promoting it as your own agenda, be transparent about that, too. Nothing wrong with that. But this journalistic deception needs to stop.

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PS. In case you forgot since you reported it, here's how to find out if such a legal defense fund exists. As your January 27 article says, Adams "must first seek permission from the Ethics Commission" before seeking public support to pay his legal bills. These funds aren't secret. The Ethics Commission, as you have written, has these records. All you have to do is call. I found you their phone number online: 503-378-5105.

 

Why is it that your coverage of The Gay Pride Parade is focused entirely on the Beau Breedlove controversy, even though the scandal has nothing to do with the Pride Parade except that Sam Adams rode in it?

Even though not a single person involved in the parade had anything negative to say about Adams, nor made any reference at all to how the scandal relates to his riding in the parade, even when questioned on that subject by your reporter?

Even though the only people along the parade route who had anything negative to say were a clutch of Jesus freaks who were calling everyone in the parade a sinner because they were gay?

Why did you even interview the guy organizing the recall effort, who wasn't even present at the Pride Parade, and didn't have anything at all to say about Sam Adams riding in the Pride Parade?

When will your attack campaign against Sam Adams end? How long will you stand with those three Jesus freaks shouting insults at the Mayor while the rest of us go on with our lives?