San Francisco Public Press (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/2008/09/)
Sidebar: Well connected
Like many who work in San Francisco City Hall, David Noyola last month was answering two phones, a land line for his official duties, and an iPhone to talk politics.
Noyola has since left his position as a legislative aide for Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, and for election 2008 has put his specialized knowledge to use as a professional campaigner. » Read more
By Greg M. Schwartz, Newsdesk.org/The Public Press
Editor’s note: Twenty-two voter propositions have been placed on the November 2008 ballot, with some drawing attention months before the election. This guide will be updated with links to articles, analyses and opinion sites as they become available. » Read more
Interest Groups Spin SF Ballot Arguments
By Matthew Hirsch, Newsdesk.org/The Public Press
First in a series fact-checking 2008 election advertisements in San Francisco | Sidebar: Swaying Voters at $2 a Word: Inside the Ballot Booklet | Interview on KALW-FM’s "Crosscurrents," 9/9/08:
For the November 4 election, San Francisco’s voter-information booklet will be packed with dozens of paid arguments around hot-button topics such as housing and public power. » Read more
Dear friends,David Cohn here from Spot.us.I am beside myself and ecstatic to let you know that we have successfully fundraised $2,500 that will be used to hire reporters who will fact-check the political advertisements for the upcoming SF election. WE DID IT!!!!House cleaning: The content produced will most likely run at Newsdesk.org, Public-Press.org and blog.spot.us. Josh Wilson and Michael Stoll are playing the roll of editorial directors, but anyone can lend a hand — don’t hesitate to contact us and get involved (david [AT] spot.us). We will also be giving this content away to any other news organizations that want to take part. We believe some radio stations and perhaps civic organizations (LOWV) will want to partake.
Our colleague Tom Murphy, over at RedwoodAge.com, picked up an AP story the other day: "Soft economy speeds newspaper decline, job cuts." McClatchy, owner of the Bees in California, is among the chains leading the cutbacks, with the Sacramento Bee offering buyouts to a majority of its full-time employees. While it’s true that, as the AP points out, "Newspaper executives are cutting operating costs even further because advertising revenue has fallen faster than anyone anticipated," there’s another element in the mix: Most of these major cutbacks are coming from large newspaper chains, which have borrowed billions from private and public equity markets to finance recent newspaper conglomerations that they claimed would help put the industry back on firm financial footing.