Why Don't TV Stations' Apologize?

Homeless Man Did Not Shoot a Police Officer at Hopkins

The first reports from WKYC-TV and then others were that a homeless man was killed after shooting a police officer at Hopkins Airport. This turned out to be wrong. When was the last time you remember a television station apologizing for making a mistake? WKYC had on their website for the entire day that a homeless man was responsible for the shooting. They did not issue a correction or an apology that I could find. (This was not Tom Beres who NEOCH is giving an award to next week at their Annual Meeting--whew.)

I think that the Police identified the man as having loitered in the airport before the shooting, and the media just naturally assumed homeless. Because they used the word loiter, the press immediately thought homeless. Then there is this press virus where one media will use the other media as a source, and eventually it becomes a "fact." This is especially true at a "breaking news" story. Rumors get reported as facts, journalists become gossips, and the story becomes one giant game of telephone. Thus is born the Daily Show and the ability to make fun of the news with "fake news."

If they would just admit their mistakes with the same gusto and graphics that they reported the bad information in the first place, we could accept the mistakes. We need to give the media some lessons in reporting on poverty issues. They always seem to report the myths and stereotypes. Why can't they just say they are sorry? Anyway, the Plain Dealer and Associated Press did not seem to use the word homeless with any of their stories. They should be congratulated.

Brian

Homeless Coalition Annual Meeting

Coalition to Give Out Award for the Journalist of the Year

Tickets are available for the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless Annual Meeting. There will be the best collection ever of quality reporters in one location in Cleveland. The Coalition is giving the Journalist of the Year award to Tom Beres of Channel 3. Also, outstanding journalist, Renita Jablonski of WKSU will be the host for the evening. Grapevine staff and writers will be present at the event rounding out the collection of great journalists gathering in one room.

The Grapevine also assisted in judging a poetry contest for the Annual Event. The two winners will be present at the Wine and Words annual meeting and will read their poetry. All the top submissions will be published in the next Grapevine (Issue 76).

Time is running out to sign up for the Coalition for the Homeless Annual Event "Wine and Words." If you want your name listed in the Annual Report reservations need to be in by Friday. Final Reservations need to be made by next Thursday May 4 at http://www.neoch.org/annual_event_signupform2006.htm.
May 5 at Massimo da Milano 6 p.m. Wine Tasting and 7 pm the event starts at the Corner of West 25th and Detroit Ave.

The Evening will feature:

• 50/50 raffle
• Hosted by Renita Jablonski of WKSU-FM
• Winners of the NEOCH/Grapevine Poetry competition
• A few words from Phyllis Cleveland Ward 5 City Council Member
• Awards to Tom Beres of Channel 3 for Journalist of the Year
• Advocate of the Year: Marcia Bufford
• Volunteers of the Year: Michael Ferrell and Michael Shapiro who volunteer for Cleveland Homeless Legal Assistance.
  
• Fine Italian food from Massimo da Milano
• And a look back at the last year by the Coalition for the Homeless staff and
• Board.

For information, please call Teri' Horne at NEOCH at 216/432-0540

Brian

Larry Petrus's Ideas for Improving Cleveland

Dear Sirs: This concerns the downtown area. First of all, Putting up a lot of boutiques and more restaurants isn't going to do it. All those do is fill the pockets of the owners or whoever put up the money and cater to the tastes of suburban folk. There's enough of those kind of eateries already and they only segregate people from the rest of the community. There's a parking lot, I believe , just west of the square that could be converted into a park. There and the square should be made family friendly where perhaps some outdoor sculpture designed for kids are installed. A competition could be held for that. The idea is to attract families who can stroll down paths or sit on benches and just converse with others. Instead of having art shows in some far off town south of Cleveland, invite them to set up on the Square on special days in the summer, and have an art Fest with music. Also invite the art group of Cain Park to do the same. Get a jazz group out of the dark bistros in the Warehouse District and have them play on the Square, or even a combo from the Institute of Music. Homeless Grapevine could set up a booth. Some homeless should be screened and organized to take turns to man the booth and perhaps serve coffee and just show folk that they are real people too. The whole idea is People. Do things for the people and not just think in terms of money and providing investment opportunities for entrepreneurs. What we need to do is not for them and their profit, but for the people for their soul. That's the key to success for Improving Cleveland. Sincerely, Larry Petrus, Rocky River.

Come Celebrate Daniel Thompson's Birthday

An Announcement from Daniel's Friends

Dear Friends/Poets,

Daniel Thompson, Cuyahoga County Poet Laureate, would have turned 71 years on April 21. Join us in a night of celebration in a free concert performance by Drumplay with his comrades of Cleveland + Kent - wordsmiths/friends who knew and loved our poet-warrior. Daniel succumbed to leukemia on May 6, 2004.

This will be a benefit concert for The Homeless Grapevine, a monthly newspaper (to which Daniel contributed), produced and distributed by the homeless through an empowerment project of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless.

All proceeds will benefit this NEOCH newspaper, and its continued operations. Limited edition CDs/cassettes and books/posters of Daniel Thompson and Drumplay (and other artists) will be available for purchase to help this worthy cause.

Freewill donations will be accepted; and a representative from NEOCH is attending to talk about issues facing the homeless in 2006.

WHEN: April 21, 2006 from 7-11 p.m.
WHERE: Algebra Tea House (Little Italy) Cleveland, Ohio
2136 Murray Hill Road
(216) 421-9007

WHY: You know why!

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
James Onysko
james@drumplay.com
(216) 429-1152

Kevin Cleary
homelessgrapevine@neoch.org
216-432-0540

Delores Manley's Idea for Improving Cleveland

Clean up the abandoned buildings and renovate them into small apartments and let the people who cannot afford high-price rent pay what they can afford. For a small room, include utilities and use the money for cleaning and renovating other buildings and so on. Even though there are homeless people out there in the city of Cleveland, at one time they had jobs like contractors, remodelers, plumbers, and etc., but their luck has gotten the best of them. These people do know how to fix up businesses, paint, etc. And have job training in the buildings where people reside, so there would be no need for them to pay for transportation or worry about the weather.

My example of how renovating abandoned buildings will work: if a person could pay at least $100.00 a month and the building has 13 rooms for rent then that will be $1300.00 paid every month on the small loan for materials for remodeling, taxes on the building, etc. What is left over can be put into a fund to buy and rehabilitate more properties. Also take donations for buildings being fixed up and have job training in the building so the tenants can eventually find better jobs and move into nicer places. In the mean time, the owners of these buildings would see $1300 a month coming in, instead of a vacant building that is just costing money.

Tim Ferris's Suggestions for Improving Cleveland

CORRECTION- We posted the link to Mr. Ferris's blog incorrectly in our original post. The following post is unmodified except for this correction. -Kevin 4-7-2006

This was originally posted on Brewed Fresh Daily (one of the links on the left side of our blog) in response to our recently posted Editorial. Thank you to BFD for posting it, and thank you to Tim Ferris (http://timferris.blogspot.com) for responding.


One Response to “Cleveland’s Voice for Social Justice: Cleveland Needs Your Ideas to Improve City”

1.

Tim Ferris

says:
April 1st, 2006 at 7:26 am

Just on the streetscape side of the issue, take out the parking meters, the advertising kiosks (can we see the numbers on these monstrosities, please?), and all newspaper boxes. Get all wires & cables underground, in all the neighborhoods, into utility trenches. Ban overnight parking, as they do in the suburbs, wherever it’s remotely possible–have the streets clean and vacant at least once each day. The police say it’s a tactical plus. Institute a program of street cleaning, as they did years ago in Atlanta. Dissolve 85% of all the 501c3’s, and give 10% of the savings directly to the poor and the homeless, so they’re at least not poor any more and homeless only if they want to be. Put the rest of the savings into safety and maintenance. Dream up programs to incentivize use of public transportation–emulate a lifestyle like that in Boston, or New York City.