Opinion: Anderson Airport Relocation -The Backlash has begun
Tags: Anderson Airport, Anderson Airport Relocation, Anderson, Anderson Herald BulletinTopics: Community GroupsTypes: Opinion
Ed. Note: This is an opinion piece submitted to Anderson Free Press by the No Fly Zone group.
We believed there would be reaction to Mr. Ockomon's statement that the SW Madison airport is a "dead issue." We don't know all that is being done behind the scenes, but we do know that in the past 4 days, 3 separate letters have appeared in the Herald Bulletin.
These letters not only support the proposed SW Madison airport, but suggest that the discussion should be reopened and shifted to the County level. The HB lead Editorial on Sunday openly criticized Mr. Ockomon for stating, at last Monday's meeting, that the SW Madison airport was "dead."
Please take a minute and read through the following links - don't worry, they're short! But warning: These will make you mad!
- "Time for open discussion on airport" - Anderson Herald Bulletin
- ""Dead Issue" is not Ockomon's call" - Anderson Herald Bulletin
- "Making the same airport mistake" - Anderson Herald Bulletin
It is imperative that we nip this in the bud now, before it gains any momentum or inspires Fishers (or our own County officials) to continue on with it's pursuit. We've come too far to slip back now!!!
We are particularly incensed by the HB's editorial which refers to Mr. Ockomon's "brazen" statements. Where were they, we wonder, when the current Mayor brazenly initiated the airport scheme in the first place, approaching Fishers with the offer to close the current Anderson airport and build a new one on land he has no jurisdiction over? We believe Mr. Ockomon did the honorable thing by trying to end the mess the current administration created, and should be praised, not criticized.
So please …. seriously … please take a minute and write to the HB (address below) and let them know how you feel! Mr. Ockomon did us a great service when he declared the airport issue "dead", BUT IT HAS COME AT A COST TO HIM!. Let's thank him - and perhaps express our disappointment in the HB for handling the airport issue in such a biased way - quibbling over semantics when it was they who allowed the current Mayor to promote this for months unfettered.** And PLEASE copy your email letters to our County Commissioners - that way, every letter will "count" even if the HB doesn't print each one.
Herald Bulletin contact info for Letters to the Editor:
Email:
Mail: letters@heraldbulletin.com Letters to the editor
The Herald Bulletin
P.O. Box 1090
Anderson, IN 46015
(You must provide name, address and daytime phone # for verification. Letters should be no more than 250 words. Anything longer would have to be a "viewpoint" column.)
County Commissioners:
Paul Wilson: pwilson@madisoncty.com
John Richwine jrichwine@madisoncty.com
Pat Dillon pdillon@madisoncty.com
Thanks for you help in this! Your letters will truly help keep the airport out of SW Madison!
** In case it comes up …. From the beginning, we've all maintained that Anderson has no jurisdiction in SW Madison, and have stressed that to any elected official or media person who would listen! In that, we agree with the HB when it states that the airport is a county, not a city, issue. However, we don't believe that Mr. Ockomon was stating otherwise when he, personally, declared the issue "dead". It would seem he was simply ending the discussion the current administration had started, using the parameters the current administration had set.
Source: NO FLY ZONE/don’t_fly_zone Group
Please note some of these
Please note some of these links have already appeared in the AFP forums thanks to some members...
I don't know that it will
I don't know that it will do anygood to submit a letter against the new airport in SW Madison county.
This has been brought up on another thread. The HB is so very biased I doubt they will even print anything against the new airport. I also doubt that Kris Ockomon will ever get even a fair shake from the HB no matter what he does. Thay is really sad for the community and him.
If you are going to put
If you are going to put items like this on top of your homepage, you should clearly mark them as editorial opinion. While this also may be found under the opinion tab as opposed to the news tab, it is not clear what it is trying to be when sitting on your homepage.
If you are trying to be a viable, legitimate news outlet alternative, and I'm not sure that you are, the two should not be intermingled. Another alternative might have been to split this into two parts. One being your opinion of how the HB apparently unfairly editorialized their opion on the issue, and two being your own opinion of the issue.
Given the state of the HB, it wouldn't take much to surpass them in content and credibility. That's MY opinion.
Thanks, Scumpadelic. It
Thanks, Scumpadelic.
It is marked as Opinion, but only when you click the headline and read the story (it's near the top under the headline - need to make it more clear somehow?
What do others think of having it on the homepage with the news/news?
Also, this wasn't written by me - the source at the bottom is the No Fly Zone group. Maybe that needs to be more clear too? Unlike the HB and other papers, when I run a press release, I actually mark it as a press release.
These are valid concerns, though. I'll give it some thought.
Oh, and if you have any questions about what I'm trying to do with Anderson Free Press, just ask via PM, email or here in front of everyone on the site. I'm more than happy to explain about Grassroots Journalism and why it's needed.
Again, though, thanks for the input. I'll see what I can do about better differentiating the opinion/news...
Your friendly and accessible publisher,
K. Paul Mallasch
If you are going to put items like this on top of your homepage, you should clearly mark them as editorial opinion. While this also may be found under the opinion tab as opposed to the news tab, it is not clear what it is trying to be when sitting on your homepage.
If you are trying to be a viable, legitimate news outlet alternative, and I'm not sure that you are, the two should not be intermingled. Another alternative might have been to split this into two parts. One being your opinion of how the HB apparently unfairly editorialized their opion on the issue, and two being your own opinion of the issue.
Given the state of the HB, it wouldn't take much to surpass them in content and credibility. That's MY opinion.
Colts Fan wrote: The HB is
The HB is so very biased I doubt they will even print anything against the new airport. I also doubt that Kris Ockomon will ever get even a fair shake from the HB no matter what he does. Thay is really sad for the community and him.
If people started cancelling subscriptions, they'd start to listen, I bet. Not that I'm recommending that, but if you're a subscriber, it's one way to get your voice heard. (Someone in journalism circles started a firestorm about a month ago when he wrote that journalists had a DUTY to subscribe to print papers. I wrote about it more at Journalism Hope in a piece titled My Duty as a Journalist...)
Anyway, there *are* ways to get the HB to listen and respond. Unfortunately, some of those deal with money... Fortunately, there are ways in which I can help get your voice heard on matters that are important to you in the community.
Cool. When I clicked on it
Cool. When I clicked on it I saw "submitted by you" at the top and though you wrote it. Missed the No Fly Zone stamp at the end.
Now, do you think you could find room to squeeze in a crossword puzzle if I can find time to cobble one together?
If not, that's OK.
Kpaul - I just looked at
Kpaul - I just looked at the piece and I think you handled it well. You've probably changed it since Scump last saw it, and if so you did a great job.
I like the way you marked it "Opinion" right up front. Alternatively, you could mark it "Newsletter", or "UPDATE from NO FLY ZONE".
The way you handled the mail and email addresses, in colored boxes separate from the main text was visually pleasing and easier to read.
All around, nice job, kp!
Well, if I spent the time
Well, if I spent the time working on the time machine, you might have already found them here? ;)
Seriously, though, I'll add it to the public to-do list for AFP where you can 'make your case' for it being a priority. (I like the idea...)
What? Did I make a case for
What? Did I make a case for something?
And thanks, Bard. The
And thanks, Bard.
The 'submitted by' bothers me now too, though. I think I may remove that for stories and have another actual 'byline' field with the source or writer - and a checkbox to say if it's a press release.
Thanks again to everyone participating so far.