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Dear Ms. Reynolds,
My reaction to Alan Bisbort's commentary "GOP Goose is Cooked" (and, for that matter, an earlier piece of his from the archives - "Republicans on the Ropes")? I am on my knees, praying to God, begging for Bisbort's words to find their way to EVERY AMERICAN VOTER by November.
Bisbort just pegs it so accurately - this is EXACTLY the way I feel about the horrendous, completely apalling situation our country is in, not to mention how things are with the rest of the world in the last three miserable years! What keeps me on stun is how many people are still fooled by these greedy, sneaky, power-crazed Chickenhawks. That's what makes the discovery of Bisbort's columns and opinions especially savory. I'm mighty glad you guys are running him. I wish every paper did.
Thanks!
By the way, Janet Reynolds is apparently Alan Bisbort's boss or some such. She's Group Publisher and Senior Editor. Her email is jreynolds@newmassmedia.com
Folks, brethren and sistren (?!),
It is VITALLY important that we make an effort to contact publishers, editors, writers, when they issue something terrific. I was originally going to email Alan Bisbort himself, but when I sought the contact info, the management listings are what came up. So I went to the top of the list from his online publication. Positive reinforcement is SO important, to counter-act the seemingly monopolistic barrage of all-conservative-all-the-time. They seldom hear from people who believe as we do. They only hear the other guys. And they hear them all the time. So, they only have one side of the story upon which to build their own conclusions. We don't get a chance to lobby for OUR views!
What to do, then? Stuff like the above. CONTACT people. Email a writer, reporter, editor, publisher, whichever information you can find. Often it's easier than this was. Usually you'll find the writer's email or other contact info, even phone numbers, at the bottom of the piece. Or, you'll see the author's name underlined in the byline itself, or in another color print, indicating this is where to click, and THAT'S where you find their contact info. AND THEN USE IT!
They need to hear from us because if we don't weigh in with counter-wisdom, and set the record straight, they're just gonna be caught in a shallow, one-dimensional political world. I bet they don't even realize how many of us there may actually be. Consider the reactions of various talking heads on Primary Night - couldn't believe the turnout. We HAVE to let them know that
a) they're not publishing in a vacuum,
b) their stuff is welcomed, falling on eager eyes,
c) what's in their stuff REALLY IS what other people are also thinking,
d) this is exactly the kind of thing they should keep publishing, because, believe it or not, there's a hungry and vastly underfed market out there wanting and waiting for it.
e) if they cater to this audience, they'll benefit with bigger readership/subscribership, stronger appeal to advertisers/underwriters.
It really makes a difference. I went to hear Robert Scheer speak, a few months ago, and his wife attended. He's a columnist whose stuff appears in alternet and the L.A. Times and other places. He's wonderful. His wife is an editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, I believe it is. He said, and she confirmed while there, that the editorial staff looks at all the letters that come in. They're seriously read and discussed, to determine the best ones to use every day. They look at trends (how many people are writing in about the same matter or article) and how stuff is written (shorter is better, and write it as well as you can, so you'll be taken seriously).
I do this whenever I can, although not nearly often enough. I actually get responses. Helen Thomas has responded to me several times. I've had more than a dozen, no - probably over two dozen writers or editors get back to me about stuff, and if nothing else, they acknowledge my email. Frequently it's a personal note from them, although Bob Herbert and Paul Krugman send automatic responses reflective of the large quantities of emails they get. Even so, the input is noted by these writers. Having been one, myself, I always want to know how my stuff is going over, and how many people are agreeing with me and how many wanna string me up. I guarantee if you do it more than once or twice, you WILL get a response from somebody who either thanks you or encourages you in your shared feelings or appreciates something specific you mentioned in your email. I had one writer in Canada email me back to thank me and she added that she liked my reference to "The Silenced Majority." You WILL hear back from some of these people. And that, in turn, will make YOU feel better.
Until our conventional media wakes up and starts doing its job again, it is unfortunately up to us as individuals and consumers to be the message-bearers and the information-brokers. When I was in radio, we were ALWAYS aiming to be part of the "watercooler talk" at work later that day, or the next morning, based on something they'd heard us do. ALWAYS. These writers and editors WANT TO KNOW what people think. Even if they are conservative (YES, write the bad guys, too!) and sneer at your email, I'll betcha said sneer will be WIPED OFF their faces when they start getting dozens if not hundreds of oppositional input from readers. Even they have to acknowledge impressive shows of opposition.
Sorry to blather on, but man-oh-man this is important.
Remember Buckminster Fuller's reminder about the "trim-tab effect." A trim-tab, as I understand it, is a little teeny movable part at the edge of a rudder in a larger-sized boat. Big ships need 'em to enable the turning process. A big ship is a heavy ship and it takes lots of effort and energy to turn her. You have to start by enabling the turning DEVICE - ie: rudder. So, you adjust the trim-tab. The trim-tab turns, and that turns the rudder, also. The rudder, then, turns the ship. Each one of us can be a trim-tab to turn our ship of America back around in the correct direction. Each one of us can be a trim-tab to turn our ship of America back around in the correct direction. That’s what he meant by “think globally, act locally.”
For whatever it’s worth.
XOXOXO
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