Editor of The Tribune
HARLINGEN, Texas - They're throwing stones here. Big'uns. Scuds flying across town. Blogger Jerry Deal, editor of MyLeaderNews.com, has begun flaming his old friend, Tony Chapa, editor of MyHarlingenNews.com, in what is being labeled as the Mother Of All Blog Wars.
And all because of a woman, that being City Commissioner Kori Marra (shown in photo above).
Deal, a veteran newsman, has come out hard in defense of Ms. Marra after Chapa attacked her public service on his Blog ahead of this afternoon's crucial meeting of the Harlingen City Commission. At play will be the hiring of a new city manager and discussion of the city's annual budget. Chapa has been on Marra like a fly on a dying cow, relentlessly lobbing vicious salvos against her. Deal, meanwhile, has turned into the chivalrous blogger, defending her at every turn, using his Blog to blast Chapa's style and characterizing him as anything but a true journalist.
In the insular world once the exclusive domain of the Old Guard, Deal’s flaming of Chapa might fit – not today. Those days are gone. There, indeed, are many in Harlingen – Deal's readers primarily – who would love to see Chapa's MyHarlingenNews.com shut down. It’s the Old Guard that wishes to silence the town, to get things calm as they were in the past, to stifle criticism of their inaction. Chapa's backers say MyHarlingenNews is right in calling grammar-challenged Commissioner Marra on the carpet for missing a string of recent budget meetings.
The woman, sad to say, is said to be way over her head. Whatever political skills she may have, note critics, are buried so deep in her supple skin that it would take a killer sunray to bring them out, if that. Her public relations are a royal mess.
If Blogger Deal believes this woman is the answer to the city’s problem, well, say some in town, then Jerry’s mental state needs to be questioned. Deal claims respectability as a journalist, but he has yet to delve deeply into Marra’s public service. The bet in struggling Harlingen is that he won’t. I’ve met Jerry Deal and he seems to be a nice guy, but his Journalism is from another era in Harlingen. His elitist stab at knifing Tony Chapa is silly. MyHarlingenNews is a Blog, as is The Tribune.
As such, both go after news & info from their perspectives. Deal's MyLeaderNews is not a newspaper, nor is it the best & only source of info in Harlingen. It is simply another fountain of stuff Deal feels like throwing on his website – nothing more and nothing less. MyLeadernews, goes the line in the streets, would gain respectability a-hundredfold if it addressed Marra’s failings honestly and fairly.
Some have suggested that Jerry Deal break out his AP Stylebook if he wants to practice Objective Journalism. Knocking another source of information is never a good idea, especially when the raison d’etre is the same one, they note. They say, as they have done before, that he risks being labeled a mouthpiece for a novice politician whose main contribution to local public service has yet to surface.
Much about Marra's future will be decided in her telling votes this afternoon...
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3 comments:
With all due respect to Korry, she has been more of disruption to the city commission than an assest. What a shame, I remember during her campaign she brought up many good issues, that was until she was elected.
A harlingen blogs keeps tabs on her real close. I am glad someone is watching her. Like hello, she is behaving like old guard.
Mary Lou:...There is a certain fear among people of the so-called Old Guard. They know time is changing, time is passing them by, time has come for those who never got a shot to take the reins of city government. They know it's coming, but they hate it.... - Editor
Well she might as well get use to it. Because changes are here to stay. There are two blogs in Harlingen, for some reason she uses myleadernew.com. I spoke to my dad in Austin. He was telling me Jerry Deal was the editor of th VMS at one time and was very critical on the city. In fact, some think the old guard had something to do with his retirement from Cardinal land.
Oh, well we shall see, I know, it is going to be hard to change, but some of us want change, and want it now.
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