Here's another take by Mr. Butani on Mark Cripps' -previously skewered- column.
And of course, I was obligated to respond:
It's hard to figure where Mr. Cripps gets his perspective...and yet not. Take a look here at how he viewed G8/G20 protestors...and he's had some pretty whiney things to say about stuff like car-flags during the World Cup.
What's fascinating to me is that while he's pumping out this stuff a la 'Fox News', he's also ruminating on notions of tolerance.
I have no delusions as to what the Metroland group of area 'community newspapers' are all about. They're the modern equivalent of the barber shop discussions or the hair salon gossip-catchups...they're a little bit of news, a little bit of 'good news'. (Of course, the core truth with these papers is that they probably only exist because they're delivered with a massive pile of retail flyers...in addition to having ads of their own within the publication itself.) So the tone is not the same as for The Spec, for example.
And yet... I'm seeing almost zero leadership on their part in respect to the role a 'community newspaper' should be displaying, at least in my neck of the woods (I am referring of course, to Stoney Creek), and Mr. Cripps is probably the worst example. If he's going to wax so poetical about substantive issues such as municipal identity, then can we please get the whole package? Otherwise, shouldn't he just have his Dave Barry/Gary Lautens-esque 'column' placed in a more frivolous section, and actually feature someone who has a true journalist's bent?
(And while I'm at it, why-oh-why isn't this group of papers in the 21st century, with an online presence that features message boards (we ARE talking 'community', after all...) and stories updated in real-time and not just according to their weekly publication dates? Honestly; you're either in for a penny, in for a pound in this newfangled 'Internet' thing...and right now, the Metroland group is sitting in a ditch, not even on the fence, if I may be so bold as to mix my metaphors.)
Well done, Mahesh for calling out Mr. Cripps on this baldly egregious column. Would that Mr. Cripps would respond. *sigh*
What's fascinating to me is that while he's pumping out this stuff a la 'Fox News', he's also ruminating on notions of tolerance.
I have no delusions as to what the Metroland group of area 'community newspapers' are all about. They're the modern equivalent of the barber shop discussions or the hair salon gossip-catchups...they're a little bit of news, a little bit of 'good news'. (Of course, the core truth with these papers is that they probably only exist because they're delivered with a massive pile of retail flyers...in addition to having ads of their own within the publication itself.) So the tone is not the same as for The Spec, for example.
And yet... I'm seeing almost zero leadership on their part in respect to the role a 'community newspaper' should be displaying, at least in my neck of the woods (I am referring of course, to Stoney Creek), and Mr. Cripps is probably the worst example. If he's going to wax so poetical about substantive issues such as municipal identity, then can we please get the whole package? Otherwise, shouldn't he just have his Dave Barry/Gary Lautens-esque 'column' placed in a more frivolous section, and actually feature someone who has a true journalist's bent?
(And while I'm at it, why-oh-why isn't this group of papers in the 21st century, with an online presence that features message boards (we ARE talking 'community', after all...) and stories updated in real-time and not just according to their weekly publication dates? Honestly; you're either in for a penny, in for a pound in this newfangled 'Internet' thing...and right now, the Metroland group is sitting in a ditch, not even on the fence, if I may be so bold as to mix my metaphors.)
Well done, Mahesh for calling out Mr. Cripps on this baldly egregious column. Would that Mr. Cripps would respond. *sigh*
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I'm always interested in feedback, differing opinions, even contrarian blasts...as long as they're delivered with decorum...with panache and flair always helping.