You'd think the same standards of fact checking and verification would be applied to its own reporting
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Opinion
By Charles O'Dell, Ph.D.
Regrettably, Bob Barton and his son, Hays County Commissioner Jeff Barton have long used their newspaper, The Hays Free Press, for political purposes. The result, I believe, is a newspaper with a slant that serves the Barton political goals at the expense of objective information and a public forum with integrity.This slant includes how letters to the editor are selected for publishing. Editors typically publish letters with the greatest interest and value to the community. Objective editors select letters that are often critical of their newspapers. Open dissent is encouraged.
Read the following letter sent to The Free Press for publication in response to a front page article, and the subsequent e-mail exchange between writer and editor. Then judge for yourself.
Thus far, the letter has not been published.
On Dec 3, 2008, Charles O'Dell wrote: Beth, Attached is a shorter version as you requested. Hopefully, you can embed the Biundo article link on the Free Press.com version. In the hard copy edition please include (Free Press, November 26, 2008) as a reference. Thanks. Charles HaysCAN
Editor:
Your front page article, Finance violation? is classic Free Press propaganda to shape public perception through misinformation, innuendo and omission.
That Ramus is in trouble once again is not surprising.
Ramus was convicted twice of being a public nuisance, is facing a deadly conduct charge for threatening two citizens with a loaded shotgun, and is now being investigated by the Texas Ethics Commission for numerous Category Two election violations in a sworn complaint.
Also not surprising is the Barton Free Press coming to Ramus’ defense again with a front page article.
Commissioners Barton and Conley together created the public myth of Ramus being a restaurateur and political victim for their own political end – to gain control of commissioners’ court and position Barton to run for County Judge in 2010.
Nick Ramus has never owned or operated a restaurant, but the Free Press always refers to Ramus as a restaurateur or a chef. Ramus was fired from his cook’s job at Southwest Texas State.
Ramus hasn’t applied for a Texas Food Establishment permit in two years despite his non-compliant commercial septic system being permitted by Hays County and District Court Judge Robert Pfeuffer’s screwy ruling believed to be a favor for Hays County Republican Good Ole Boys.
Barton used his Free Press during the recent election to promote Ramus as a viable Republican candidate. Ramus had no campaign signs, relied on the Free Press for free publicity, and on Republicans Conley and Jim Green for campaign funds that Ramus reported using for personal purchases.
Free Press reporter, Jen Biundo attributes Ramus failing to file his campaign financial reports on time as due to “ill health.” But Ramus told a Statesman reporter the reason was because he was “bedridden” for several months: see article.
Ramus has been caught in numerous other lies. Here is another one the Free Press article skated past readers. Ramus said that his campaign account was linked to his personal debit card because of a Frost Bank error. Incredible!
Finally, the Free Press attempts to characterize our sworn complaint as a “feud.” More Ramus damage control propaganda. The HaysCAN mission is to ensure that our laws are enforced and that public officials operate in full public view.
Beth Nelson wrote:
Okay, here we go:
• Ramus was convicted twice of being a public nuisance. *Charles, please provide the proof for this assertion. *
• Ramus was fired from his cook’s job at Southwest Texas State. *I'm eliminating this statement because I can't imagine you could find a credible source to verify something like that about a person's employment history. *
• Ramus hasn’t applied for a Texas Food Establishment permit in two years since his non-compliant commercial septic system was permitted by Hays County, and despite District Court Judge Robert Pfeuffer’s screwy ruling believed to be a favor for Hays County Republican Good Ole Boys. *Charles, I'm going to change this to "...his, in my opinion, non-compliant commercial septic system...*"
• Ramus had no campaign signs, relied on the Free Press for free publicity, and on Republicans Conley and Jim Green for campaign funds that Ramus reported using for personal purchases. *Charles, Ramus got the standard $800 from the Republican Party. We need you to provide proof that he got money from Conley and Jim Green. *
• Ramus has been caught in numerous other lies. Here is another one the Free Press article skated past readers. *Charles, What "numerous other lies"? Please provide proof. * * * *Thanks, Charles. Please remit the proof for the passages that I've mentioned, and we should be good to go unless I have other questions. Regards, * Beth Nelson Managing Editor, Hays Free Press 109 W. Center St. Kyle, Texas 512-268-7862 512-268-0262 (fax)
Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2008
To: Beth Nelson
(Edited for style and length)
Item two: Where has the Free Press been the past two years? This information and the backup documentation has been in print several times. With all the supporting articles for Ramus in the Free Press and now you are acknowledging that you didn't know Ramus was fired from Chartwells when they purchased PFM Services, and Ramus filed two suits against Chartwells in federal court? Those suits claim age and race discrimination in firing him and are also in the public domain. I can't believe the Free Press is so in the dark and yet will print such slanted articles about Ramus that are full of unsubstantiated claims.
Item three: Beth, it's not just my opinion. There are at least three P.E.'s who rendered the same opinion, in writing. Look at the two Snowden reports that Jeff Barton, your boss, commissioned as a member of commissioners' court, and the email from David Venhuizen, P.E. that I'm sure Jeff received along with the other commissioners' court members. I've seen the Venhuizen email with Jeff's email address.
Item four: How is it that you know Ramus received the "standard $800 from the Republican Party" but not that he received $150 from Jim Green? Both were reported by Ramus in his late and incomplete financial reports to the TEC, and both were reported in the Austin-American Statesman who got that information from the same public source I did.
Item five: Ramus claimed he was indigent (public record). Ramus claims he has a $100,000 OSSF and a million dollar property (public claim unsubstantiated). Ramus claims he has attended the worlds most prestigious culinary schools (public claim unsubstantiated). Ramus claims he is a restaurateur (public claim unsubstantiated). Ramus claims he evolved from a leopard and is a guru in his Toltec Cult. Pick up the phone and ask him.)
Much of what Ramus swore to in his lawsuit is (not substantiated and Judge Pfeuffer's ruling will be difficult to sustain, much less explain on appeal).
It really appears that you are stalling me and have orders not to publish my letter. If the Free Press is so really out of it on these public matters, why in the world would you print Jen's article that is so off the mark and full of unsubstantiated claims?
You are pressing me for public documents that are easy to obtain, but . . . has the Free Press requested that Ramus document his outlandish claims . . . has the Free Press attempted to document his claims(?) Why are you imposing a different standard on me when you know I have a reputation for sound research?
Please don't play games with me. If you are really uncompromisable as an editor of the Barton Free Press then print my letter. If you are constrained by your orders I understand, but don't play with me. It wastes both of our time and I believe it demeans you.
Charles HaysCAN
3 comments:
I think you hit the nail on the head in your last paragraph. She is obviously constrained by Bob Barton's shopper, but here's why she's wasting your time: she's pretending to be a legitimate journalist working for a legitamate "newspaper". Perhaps she even went to J school somewhere, or learned a bunch of stuff on the internet. Jobs are tough these days. Until I change my mind, and I won't, the HFP is not worthy of being called a newspaper, is NOT a newspaper, is simply propagandic claptrap, and is run by some old man with delusions of granduir (sp?) and his little son. It is a pro-growth Shopper, plain and simple. If the readers of Buda/Kyle don't already know this, there's a real paper over there, The Kyle Eagle. The HFP, in my opinion, is garbage to be taken out in the morning trash- whoops!, I meant recyled before reading. I know you want to set the record straight about this leopard, but it's an uphill battle with those strange Bartons. If this paper belongs to some legitimate newspaper organizations in the state or nationally, these organizations need to know the Bartons are not playing with a full deck, and they should be removed from any legitimate news organizations. Now.
Why didn't you "really" stick it to Beth and answer her questions? Then she would have had to publish your letter. Or can you not answer them? Hmmmmmm
Charles, have you ever worked at a small-town newspaper? Budgets are miniscule. A few people do the work of many. Investigating every claim put forth in a letter to the editor is extremely time-consuming, taking time and resources away from news stories while the deadline clock inexorably ticks. She asked you to provide proof of your claims. Why is this unreasonable? If you have it, provide it.
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