THE NEWS-STAR IS UNDER ATTACK

There is a sneaky attempt by self-appointed "leaders" of the greater Rogers Park communities (49th and 50th Wards of Chicago) to muzzle the free press and bully private enterprise. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

They are, to put it simply, trying to intimidate Dan Haley, the new publisher of the New-Star newspaper.

It is well known that Alderman Joe Moore (49th) and Alderman Bernie Stone (50th) are not fond of an unfettered press. They are both know citywide for calling newspaper editors and screaming - literally - that they don't like what reporters write. They demand that editors give reporters a "good talking to." But the aldermen are not alone. The Queen of DevCorp North, Bimberly Kares, is not much better, and all of her staff are very tight lipped. Brian White of Lakeside CDC is part of this group, which also includes 49th Ward Democrat Committeeman David Fagus, CAPS fetishist Kevin O'Neal, and others who hate the free press.

These neo-Stalinists are especially freaked out by the now-not-so-new phenomenon of bloggers. See, you can call and scream at an editor. You can threaten them with business license shenanigans, and you can intimidate their advertisers. They are frustrated by local bloggers (citizen journalists) who have no advertisers, no business licenses and - in short - nothing that these bullies can threaten us with (legally)?

Here's what you do. You hold a "community meeting" and pretend it's something that the entire community wants. The following was printed in this week's News-Star and also appears at Lakeside CDC's web site as a PDF. It is subtle, and tells us more about the author than was intended. The Bench's very own Cryptology Unit went to work on it. Following is notice from Lakeside CDC, with The Bench's analysis inserted:

West Rogers Park Community Organization

Presents

“Covering the Community:Perspectives from the New News-Star”

With Special Guests Dan Haley, Publisher, Oak Park Wednesday Journal & Lorraine Swanson, Editor, News Star

Thursday, March 6, 2008
6:45 pm – 8:45 pm
Rogers Park Chicago Public Library
2nd floor Community Room
6907 N. Clark Street, Chicago

In this era of 24-hour news cycles, web blogs-as-news, and ever-increasing demands for residents’ time and attention, the role of community newspapers continues to evolve. In January 2008, the News Star newspaper was sold to the Oak Park WednesdayJournal newsgroup along with other Pioneer Press publications. The News Star has served in one form or another as the community newspaper in Rogers Park and WestRidge since the 1930s.

ANALYSIS: Author is something of a Luddite, with a fear of the new media (new sites, blog sites, etc.). He has an obvious ignorance of what blogs are. Evidence: His use of the phrase "web blogs." There is no such thing. The correct term, "blogs," is short for "web logs," not "web blogs." Furthermore: Author misunderstands the nature of a privately owned newspaper. Evidence: He says that the News-Star has "served...as the community newspaper," whereas in reality every newspaper serves as a revenue generating business. In the case of a newspaper, they do this by selling advertising space. They sell advertising space by providing readers for advertisers, not by providing public service announcements or propaganda for aldermen.

On March 6, 2008 the new publisher and editor of the News Star will meet with residents, community leaders, and business owners to share their plans and hear what readers and advertisers want from the paper. A lively discussion is anticipated. The meeting is open to the public; seating is first come first served. Call (773) 381-5253 or visit www.wrpco.org on the web for more info.

ANALYSIS: Author uses phrase "residents, community leaders, and business owners," but he does not make clear which residents, leaders, or business owners. Furthermore, there are - to use a round figure - over 100,000 residents in the areas served by the News-Star. However many residents will be able to cram into the library on March 6 will represent an insignificant percentage of the total. Same for the business owners; there are many hundreds of them. As for "leaders," does he mean elected leaders, or self-appointed "leaders?" The author also fails to explain how many employees of DevCorp North, Lakeside CDC, Northside POWER, and other quasi-Stalinist organizations will pack the room on March 6. "A lively discussion" is not only anticipated, it is guaranteed. In fact, The Bench sincerely hopes there will be security guards stationed around the room.

Co-sponsored by West Ridge Chamber of Commerce, DevCorp North, and Partners for Rogers Park

ANALYSIS: These organizations are headed by self-appointed "leaders," none of whom were elected by the general population of the neighborhoods served by the News-Star. Furthermore, they all have cozy ties to Aldermen Moore and Stone.

META ANALYSIS: The event is straight out of the old Soviet Union playbook of mock trials, with a clever (and necessary) twist. If these self-appointed "leaders" had their way, they would lock up publisher Dan Haley, editor Lorraine Swanson, and turn the News-Star into another propaganda rag such as the RPCC "newspaper" or the DevCorp propaganda pamphlets. Fortunately for us, and unfortunately for these "leaders," we have a long tradition of democracy, freedom of speech and private enterprise in this country, unlike the old Soviet Union (Russia). Nevertheless, these "leaders" continue to work at slowly chipping away at our freedoms. This is just one more attempt to put a chink in democracy's armor.

RECOMMENDATION: Get all your friends to join you in support of Dan Haley, Lorraine Swanson and the Chicago Journal's News-Star on March 6, 2008.