"Shame on Them" - And The Coming Death of The Big Newspapers.

Out of the mouths of children come great truths.

I was talking to my young daughter abuout some injustice racists had done to minorities - which one I don't remember now as there are literally so many -  and though I've already forgotten what I said... I'll never forget what SHE said.

She said, "Shame on them."

I think I was amazed. Startled. Taken aback.

She said it so well.

The morning after the election the local NYT regional newspaper grudgingly printed, in the smallest headline type probably  available on the planet earth: Obama Wins

"Shame on them."

With a very, very small picture of the man who will be our next president.

"Shame on them."

It was no secret of course who they were leaning toward before the election. And I think leaning is probably a bad word here, and slanted toward might be more accurate... or actually falling all over McCain... might be exactly correct. 

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to count the letters and columns printed against Obama and those printed for Obama... to tell which side they were on from the beginning....

and you reading this locally know it has not and never has been your side.

And don't tell me they will print any letter sent to them, so there must have been more letters against than pro - because they will NOT print my letters and have not for almost seven years now. And I have heard of others who they will not print their letters... so the pros were not fairly represented.

So Believe me,  I wanted to write them and put my two cents in before the election... but I knew I would be ignored - and read on to find out  how I would have been.

So finally, a few days before the election they came out of the McCain closet after pretending to be objective for so long.... and endorsed him.

 Again, no big surprise.

But when they printed the little bitty headline "Obama Wins" they really let it be known where their hearts were. Note there was not even a period after wins, much less an exclamation mark.  Just another day in Gadsden, Alabama, which they love to call, the "City of Champions."

(I'll really never understand how we can be called that with a straight face... although I do believe with a new mayor after many years of the good old boy syndrome, things are getting better.)

Now if you will, flash back with me to about a week or two before the midget headline "Obama Wins"  appears.

My wife has just had surgery and I am in the hospital about to get on an elevator. There is already a person on it, a woman.

The door closes behind us and I read her name tag. It rings a bell.

It is one of the editors that kept me locked out of the local newspaper all these years.

I say to her, "Didn't you used to work for..." the big paper in town.

She smiled and nodded yes.

I said, "I'm Will Bevis, you're arch enemy."

She laughed and told me well she didn't work there any more.  That she had left them after twenty one years... and was very happy with her new job... which indicates to me at least, she wasn't happy as the editor she had been.

We only had a brief few seconds  before the elevator stopped and we both went our separate ways.

But in those few seconds she denied that it had ever been policy to blacklist me, and I told her I would never believe that.

She said that my letters had always been "too long," and I told her I had seen printed much, much longer letters than I have ever written.

But as fate would have it, we ran into each other a second time just a short time later. I was just going to walk on by - but she stopped and wanted to talk some more.

This time she told me that the reason she had not printed my letters was because I was "always angry" and "hard to deal with" and it was easier just to "ignore" me.

So there you have an ex-editor's reason for stilling a voice in the community.

She had the power to do it... and it was easy to do.

"Shame on Them."

Yes, I am angry a lot of the time. People who are treated unfairly are often angry.

So the newspaper's policy was/is to ignore them. Sweep them and their concerns under the rug and hope they stay there.   

In that way... such people will know their place.

We talked longer this time, about how the newspaper business is going down hill quickly. And it surely must be if someone would leave where they work after twenty one years... to start completely over at a new job.

And we parted on friendly terms.  

Now there is a new Sherriff/Editorial editor in town... ( who came from a sportswriting background I hear!)(Ok, sports fans, today we're not going to let the other team play at all!)  and from the size of the midget headlines saying Obama Wins... I think it is safe to say he will be carrying on the local big paper family tradition...

of currying to the big advertisers... and ignoring any writers who are "angry."

"Shame on them."

As for me, I am thankful, the the local "small" newspaper in town, THE REPORTER, and it's editor, Ms. Theresa Beverly,  has given me a place to voice my "anger" against injustice... for several years now.  

And if you find YOUR self in such a town as this, where even opinions are censored... take refuge in the fact that you are not alone.

And "Shame on Them..."

Whoever they are... all over this nation and all over the world...

Who use their power to silence the voice of the common person.

But never fear.

Truth will rise... even if it takes years.

Remembering always that

though small newspapers will always have a home...

The death of the big newspapers is on the horizon...

And some of them do deserve to die. 

The world is going to the internet.

With just one press of the "publish" button,

as I am about to do now...

The truth about why one writer was not published for years...

And how that censorship is still going on...

Will become known to people on the internet who know and care that...

The voice of all people should be heard...

Even if you do not agree with what you hear.