Jun 15, 2014 tt post

"So when Econcat88 does it, it's negativism that will set this town back 100 years. When the Blade does it, it's journalism."

November 2013 Toledo Blade front page story.

June 2014 Toledo Blade front page story

That latter is a "Special Report."

I think the June 2014 story headline should read:

"Toledo Blade: Trashing Toledo one negative story at a time."

Quoting directly and paraphrasing some of the Blade's stories from Nov 2013, Dec 2013, and Jan 2014 that mentioned EconCat88, and adjusting the language to apply to the Blade's June 2014 negative assault on Toledo.

Nov 24, 2013

• “I’m not sure what you gain from dumping on your city,” said Jeff Schaaf, brand manager for the Toledo Brand Initiative project.

• It’s unknown what impact stories such as the Toledo Blade's will have on the city’s economic development efforts, said city spokesman Jen Sorgenfrei, but they could have a negative impact on a family planning a trip to watch a baseball game in the Midwest that didn’t know much about Toledo. Maybe they’d go elsewhere after seeing and reading the Toledo Blade's work, she said.

• “That is an economic impact,” Ms. Sorgenfrei said. “They are also not going to spend money on a hotel or restaurant.”

• It’s also not exactly clear, Mr. Schaaf said, what the Toledo Blade hopes to gain from the stories. The Blade's posts are similar in some ways to ruin porn, a style of photography focused on urban decay. Some stories seem to point out poverty and businesses that have hit hard times.

• It could be argued that what The Blade does is not fundamentally different than traditional journalism. They document what they feel are things that should be changed in a community in order to create awareness. And, to be fair, it’s not the media’s job to make a city look good. The Blade was criticized by, among others, Mayor Mike Bell, for its gang series, which he said hurt the city’s reputation.

• It’s not easy to combat media posts that put a city down, said Mike Horning, an assistant professor of journalism and public relations at Bowling Green State University. “In one sense it is a positive thing, because it helps a person take an active role in their community,” Mr. Horning said.

• There’s not much Toledo officials can do about The Blade's stories. It’s free speech, and they have the right to post stories.

• What the city should do, Mr. Horning said, is push its own message. “You have to fight speech with more speech,” he said.

• That’s exactly what Mr. Schaaf said is the plan. He said he doesn’t want to get into a “pissing match” with negative commentators but instead would like to focus on the positive in the region. The Toledo Brand Initiative plans to do a video similar to one done by the Downtown Cleveland Alliance.

• And while the internet and a printing press make it easy for the media to trash a city, it also makes it easy for residents to post their own positive messages about a city they love. There are Instagram accounts devoted to photographing beautiful parts of the region, for instance.

Nov 25, 2013

• I have some sympathy for The Blade's righteous anger. Why have we let our housing stock deteriorate so much? Why do we take such poor care of our parks? Why do we let ourselves be snookered and conned?

• Most of all, why is the Toledo Blade the first voice and image you hear of Toledo? Why is this paper introducing our city to the world and analyzing our problems on the internet and in print?

• The Blade is entitled, of course. They're exercising their right to free speech. But why aren’t our business and political and academic leaders showing the electronic world the positive side of our city?

• Where is the Chamber of Commerce? Where is the man who should be the city’s leading salesman — the mayor?

• This problem goes beyond branding or marketing. It’s more fundamental than that.

• The question is: Who will define Toledo? Will it be the critics, the cynics, and the nihilists? Or will it be the builders?

• I don’t know what has disappointed and embittered The Blade. I’d like to see the paper be part of the solution and not the problem.

• But I know we can’t let The Blade be the face of Toledo on the internet and in print.

• This city has so much more going for it than most cities this size — all the economic ingredients, including a skilled work force, plus location, and a citizenry that cares.

Nov 29, 2013

• City Councilman Steven Steel has a solid idea: Encourage everyday people to create alternative stories that portray the positives of Toledo, and have them posted and viewed on a video-hosting Web site created by The Blade or another outlet.