Imagine my surprise and thrill to have been included on Room Eight's list of bloggers who dared to speak up during the City Council's recent power grab.
Here is the mention on their blog:
Was the Lie of “Consistent Leadership” Old Media’s Last Stand?
Bloggers Got the Real Story When It Counted
“It used to be that a handful of editors could decide what news was and what was not. They acted as sort of demigods. If they ran a story, it became news. If they ignored an event, it never happened. Today editors are losing this power. The Internet, for example, provides access to thousands of new sources that cover things an editor might ignore.”- Rupert Murdoch
Only the city’s bloggers like Your Free Press, Pardon Me For Asking, The Brooklyn Optimist, The Daily Gotham, Queens Crap, and Washington Square Park reported to their readers during the term limits debate that the Council’s argument for continuity of leadership to save the city’s economy was nothing more than public relations spin to cover the Council’s blatant power grab for an additional term in office. At the same time these citizen journalists across the City were reporting the real facts, the Mayor was meeting with the publishers of the three major dailies to coordinate a cover story for his support of extending term limits. Working in concert, the dailies provided the Mayor with the rationalization to disregard Bloomberg’s previous public statement that “it would be an absolute disgrace to go around the public will” to extend term limits.
Rafael Martinez-Alequin, publisher of Your Free Press, wrote on his blog that it was a sad day for democracy when the Council passed the term limits extension. He openly expressed anger at those that voted for its passage, echoing the spirit of Former Daily News columnist Jimmy Breslin. As Breslin said, “Rage is the only quality which has kept me, or anybody I have ever studied, writing columns that exposed the wrongdoing in government.”
It is bloggers like Martinez-Alequin who are keeping journalism alive and vital in New York City. They are following in the footsteps of newspaper greats like Joseph Pulitzer of the long lost New York World, whose legendary name is ascribed to journalism’s greatest honor. Pulitzer’s passion-filled editorial pages were the true heart of the World. There he crusaded against the robber barons and oil and rail companies, exposed corrupt politicians and brutal policemen, and advocated for decent working hours and humane living conditions for the poor.
That’s just what Martinez-Alequin has dedicated his life to trying to do. And that’s just what has gotten Mayor Bloomberg so mad at him.
Neat, no?
It is important to take a stand and to be involved in local as well as national politics as a private individual. You don't have to be a blogger. Personally, writing Pardon Me has giving me a voice in this big world. Covering my neighborhood of Carroll Gardens has connected me to my neighborhood and allowed me to meet many of you, my readers. It has been an incredible experience.
I hope that you will consider signing a petition that urges New York City to protect the right of freedom of the press for bloggers.
This is the text:
To: The City of New York
We, the undersigned, join ChangeNYC.Org in supporting Rafael Martinez-Alequin, Ralph E. Smith, and David Wallis, three online journalists unfairly denied press passes by the New York City Police Department. We believe that the right of a free press is a cornerstone of our democracy and we applaud civil rights attorney Norman Siegel for bringing suit on behalf of these three journalists to protect this fundamental constitutional liberty.
The NYPD's refusal to issue these three journalists press passes demonstrates a bias on the part of the City against New Media and the blogging community. As bloggers, citizen journalists, and readers who depend upon online publications as an essential source of independent news, we stand together with Rafael Martinez-Alequin, Ralph E. Smith, and David Wallis. Their lawsuit is a significant First Amendment case vital to asserting and protecting the right to a free press for every online journalist in New York City and across America. We strongly urge the City of New York to immediately reform its system of granting press credentials to recognize the importance of New Media.
Here is the link to the petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/
For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking
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