AMERIQUE:


A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: It is the unspoken statistic, but it is as real as anything to do with the lingering U.S. war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the military, 1,800 American servicemen have killed themselves since the initial invasion of Baghdad. That is in addition to the more than 4,000 who died in battle. This week, families of the soldiers who committed suicide asked President Barack Obama to change the government policy of not forwarding letters of appreciation to mothers and fathers of these servicemen. By week's end, the White House had reversed the policy and agreed that such letters are needed, as well... - Eduardo Paz-Martinez, Editor of The Tribune

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

The Mother of All Blogs: Jury Weighs Content...Will Render Verdict By Week's End...

By PATRICK ALCATRAZ
Special to The Tribune

PORT ISABEL, Texas - A jury of noted media professionals journeyed here from across Texas to begin a weeklong study of Rio Grande Valley blogs. Meeting at the Port Isabel Yacht Club, the group of twenty-two judges expects to render its Top Blog verdict by week's end, said Paul Harasim, a well-known journalist from Houston who is chairing the group.

In the running for the title are this blog - The Tribune - and two rowdy Blogs from Harlingen, MyHarlingenNews.com and MyLeaderNews.com, along with the fourth finalist, ElRocinante.com of Brownsville. In the Second Banana category are the blogs, ElRrunRun and BrownsvilleVoice.

"We've got a long week ahead of us," said Harasim as he sat at the hotel's bar with fellow judges Steve Solo-Olafson, a former Houston Chronicle reporter, and Diane Freeman, formerly of The Houston Post. "We're poring over archives of all the involved Blogs and keeping an eye on what they're doing this week. So far, it's a toss-up as to who will win the big award."

The Tribune is the youngest of the group. Harasim characterized it as "a valuable resource for any community. Its seriousness of purpose is obvious." About MyHarlingenNews.com, Harasim said, "It is a feisty Blog interested in hitting after the bell has sounded to end a round." About MyLeaderNews.com, he said, "I see a lot of baseball on there, so that may hurt it in the end." As for El Rocinante, Harasim went on at-length before saying, "It sucks the air out of you with all that porno, but the blogs's central message, its raison d'etre, is the stuff of free speech, a winner in most media relevance contests."

El Rrun Rrun, a neighborhood news-driven blog, is seen as slightly ahead of BrownsvilleVoice.com, mainly, said Judge Solo-Olafson, "because I detect a clear whiney tone to BV's content, while El Rrun Rrun, perhaps the absolutely worst name I have ever seen for a blog, banks on detail many would say is boring when looked-at by the entire community. The fact that it is too Pro-Brown, Hispanic, keeps it from competing for the main award."

An awards banquet sponsored by The Tribune is planned for mid-August at the Havana Club in McAllen...

- 30 -

4 comments:

Chano Maracas said...

They are all Wonderful blogs, giving us the editors, journalists , readers and the rest... a chance to use our civil rigth of Freedom of speech and expression.

Mary Lou said...

Good Luck, to all the blogs, my favorites are: The Tribune, Myharlingennews and El Roci, if they just did away with some of the Porn, it would be better, but oh well, el roci, is just el roci.
May the best one win!!!

Anonymous said...

Is there a third rotten banana category for the following wannabe bloggers:


1. Aim low and you'll never be disappointed
2. blogginallthingsbrownsville
3. Cafe Brownsville
4. Merovingian
5. Nunnayerbizness

El Chris

Patrick Alcatraz said...

EL CHRIS (What's with the "El?" Are you Egyptian?): Those Blogs are too insignificant and, if we had such a category, would like fall under the 'Best Washerwoman Blog' category.... - Editor