A recent report by the Columbia Journalism Review focused on news in Modesto. It is a must read, especially those sections by former Modestans, including former Modesto Junior College Professor Laura Paull. The report sparked a great deal of commentary, all of it of keen interest to Valley citizens. Our take follows. Many Modesto Bee employees and former employees cried “foul” when the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) released a report that […]
History
Modesto's Retrograde Motion and Why Peggy Mensinger Matters
Many Modesto residents will be surprised to learn that their fair city was not always at or near the bottom in national rankings. The University of California at Davis didn’t always rank our planning at the very lowest “sustainable” level of Central Valley cities. Forbes magazine didn’t always rank Modesto among the twenty worst cities in the U.S. In fact, if there were ever a case of going backwards, Modesto […]
By Popular Demand: Flint's Spiked Column, by John Michael Flint
In what has by now become just another stage in the longest political marathon in local memory, Carmen Sabatino is running again—this time for city council. It is a delicious bit of irony that there could be no better occasion to feature here John Michael Flint’s spiked column, the very column the Modesto Bee refused to run last year, when Sabatino vied for county supervisor. As always, Flint’s take is original, […]
Tour Memory Lane in Village I with Bill Zoslocki
“’We never had control of the process — ever,’” said [Bill] Zoslocki, a member of the Building Industry Association of Central California board who insisted he was only speaking for himself. “’Everybody needs to get off their soap box.’” This was nearly a decade ago, back in September, 2002, when the Village I fees shortfall was hitting the fan. By now, Village I has receded into the mist of dim […]
In Memoriam: John Michael Flint
The Valley Citizen is dedicated to the memory of John Michael Flint. Flint had several careers over his lifetime, including as a local radio talk show host, and a career in the early days of computing. It was as a Community Columnist for the Modesto Bee that people remember him best. A self-confessed political junkie, his brevity, wit, and vast knowledge of local politics were unequalled. As former Bee assistant Opinion […]
Banned by the Bee: Flint's Spiked Column
August 3, 1997, under a headline that read, “We’re offering differing points of view,” the Modesto Bee announced a new program for the OP/ED page. The idea was the brain child of then publisher Orage Quarles III, who wanted to encourage community participation on the Opinions page. After a contest that featured 249 entries, the Bee chose twelve local writers, each of whose work would appear once a month. The […]
The Only Game In Town: Why Every Community Needs Newspapers
New Year’s Day, Eric Johnston and Mark Vasché published the Modesto Bee’s annual pledge to Bee readers. Johnston and Vasché pledged to, “adhere to the highest journalistic standards of accuracy, fairness, impartiality and independence,” and added the plea, “that readers—and we ourselves—be respectful of people of differing viewpoints.” Johnston and Vasché’s words are best understood within the context of a remarkably candid speech made by Bee publisher James B. McClatchy at the Bee’s […]