Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/49185
4A Daily News – Friday, December 2, 2011 Opinion D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 This is generally among the top responses given when Americans are surveyed about why they read newspapers. A recent post that landed Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer's home street address and home phone num- ber. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 on my Facebook wall argued otherwise, but only by half measure. This led to an extended discussion about bias and the nature of report- ing all the facts. The item was from The Huffington Post and carried the evocative, but incomplete, heading "Fox News viewers are less informed than people who don't watch any news." The link capitalized on a statistic from a new poll from Fairleigh Dickinson Universi- ty that found "people who watch Fox News are 18-points less likely to know that Egyp- tians overthrew their govern- ment" and "6-points less like- ly to know that Syrians have not yet overthrown their gov- ernment" compared to those who watch no news. For those on the left this was huge, and the responses added to the post reveled in It makes me smarter? agreement that Fox News viewers are spoon fed partisan drivel that leaves them less informed than those on the left. But looking at the rest of the poll we find that "Viewers of cable news on MSNBC are the most likely to think the (Occupy Wall Street) protest- ers are Republicans. Watching the left-leaning MSNBC news channel is associated with a 10-point increase in the likeli- hood of misidentifying the protesters." Somehow this portion of the poll – admittedly coming a few paragraphs later in the summary – didn't make the cut at Huffington, nor on my friend's post. Yes, Facebook isn't intend- ed to be a source for news and it's understandable that those responding to the post didn't bother to look over the com- plete poll results. But what if I told you Face- book is third on the list of sites people visit to get break- ing news? My friend's post illustrates how dan- gerous this trend is to the truth. But there are other exam- ples. The Fairleigh Dickinson Universi- ty poll found that viewers of The Daily Show with Jon Stew- art – a Monday through Thursday late night satire of cable news shows on Comedy Central – were most likely to answer correctly the question about Occupy Wall Street protesters. Fox News, which carries a conservative slant, did a much worse job of help- ing viewers identify the Republican front-runners in the presidential primary than the left-leaning MSNBC. Go figure. If this column has a moral, it would be to consider the source when digesting the vast amount of news avail- able these days. If something presented as fact sounds either too good or too bad to be true, depending on your beliefs, it proba- bly isn't. The truth is likely Chip Thompson 545 Diamond Ave. somewhere in between – nestled in complexity that won't generate broadcast ratings or website hits. Whenever I get beat up for running a particular columnist, cartoon or even police report, I remind myself that my job is to put the most accurate, complete and verifiable information before readers and let them make up their own minds. And that's the whole truth. Chip Thompson can be reached at 527-2151, Ext. 112 or by e-mail at editor@redbluffdailynews.com. Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3070 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2595 Cean- othus Ave., Ste. 182, Chico, CA 95973; 893-8363. U.S.SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Tom Hanks strikes out? Commentary How about something sacrilegious for a change of pace? The missus and I did not enjoy the latest Tom Hanks film "Larry Crowne." I know it was given a free mini-premiere at the local movie house to benefit the State Theatre for the Arts…but that said, the film just did not get it for us old folks. It may have been designed for the younger ticket buying set, and probably made some money, but it did not seem to be up to his usual high standards. We did not relate to the other actors. Even Julia Roberts seemed dispirited, although her character required that attitude ini- tially. Hanks is a great actor and director and has portrayed memorable characters, but this film for us was a letdown. It may be that the subject of a guy losing his job was too topical for many viewers in this continuing recession. However, the problem may have been that Hanks, who is wealthy, was trying to figure out what it would be like to be poor. And when his character lost his home, I don't think he exhibited the panic that most homeowners exhibit when faced with foreclosure. We like Tom Hanks and have always related to him in the past. I wonder what his mother, who lives in our fair city, thought of his effort? Perhaps she will e- mail and let us know of her thoughts. I hear she has a mind of her own. Maybe we will find out the hard way. *** Under the heading "HEALTH AND WELL- NESS" is an advertisement that I am surprised to see still running in this family newspaper, though I understand the need for additional rev- enue. It is titled "Why is Tom's Wife Smiling" and pictures photos of a randy Tom and his leer- ing wife. She is not named, but is holding up her two thumbs accompanied with an open- mouthed gawk. By responding to the ad, appar- ently Tom will be able to "perform like a 20 year old." It does not explain the nature of the performance, but it is designed to certainly make his wife's day. I am always interested in making the day of the missus, but in a more conventional way...like bringing flowers to the office and tak- ing out the ashes from the fireplace. In this I need no further instruction nor guidance. *** As previously mentioned, we have a big barn in which to shelter our 7 horses and 2 burros dur- ing the coming winter months. They look forward to being put in their own indi- vidual stalls and paddocks each evening at dusk in which are their supplements and their hay. However, the burros bunk up in just one stall which is plenty big for them to move around in and recline on the shavings at night. They came as wild burros high on the Susanville plains and were not used to such luxury when they came down to our modest spread in the valley. Robert Minch I Say Whereas each horse has his or her own feed bucket, the burros…Jackie one year old and Joanie about 25 or so (she refuses to give us her real age…says it is for her to know and us to find out) share a large feed receptacle. Years ago I discovered a tip proof container. It con- sists of an old passenger car size tire, and, in the wheel cavity a plastic container is inserted that looks like either a flying saucer or an inverted large derby. It is designed to rest snug- ly in the tire thus thwarting any attempt to turn it over. However, the manufacturer did not count on the curiosity of the burro, for every night I fill said container with alfalfa cubes…and each morning it has been separat- ed from the tire and shoved over in a stall cor- ner. I have discussed this with Joanie, who is the main perpetrator, and she says that she up- ends it because there might be some food remaining under it. There never is, but she never tires of her investigation. Not much of an equine anecdote, but then, where else can you learn of the life of the burro? *** Nothing can be as frustrating as relying on your computer to function flawlessly every time you turn it on, only to find it is no longer your friend and is marching to the beat of a different drummer. You go through the steps, previously learned by tiresome trial and error, only to find that a new set of sequences are required to get online and into being cre- ative…by which time you are exhausted as though you have been doing some really heavy lifting. I now envy the com- puter illiterate. Their time is their own to waste on whatev- er effort they might engage. *** Sources say buyers, doing the Black Friday event after Thanksgiving, spent an aver- age of $400 each. There must be some dude out there who spent $800, because I did not spend a sou. *** Last week's quiz was answered correctly by B. Hellekson, who read the quiz carefully and spotted the red herring. It was "Nod" not "Ned" who went to sea in a wooden boat, Wonder Woman's real name is Diana Prince, and that Woodstock is the name of Snoopy's bird friend. This week's quiz: What is the Hindu trinity, what was the slogan featuring the terrier in RCA Victors ads and what nice guy was TIME's Man of The Year for 1938? *** Funny put-downs: On Bill Clinton; "He is a hard dog to keep on the porch." Hillary Clinton. On Gerald Ford; "He looks like he just fell off Edgar Bergen's lap." David Steinberg. On Dwight Eisenhower; "Why, this fellow doesn't know any more about politics than a pig knows about Sunday." Harry S. Truman. Robert Minch is a lifelong resident of Red Bluff and former columnist for the Corning Daily Observer and Meat Industry magazine. He can be reached at rminchandmurray@hotmail.com.