I’m not sure if you were paying attention to the local media over the weekend, but our Clark County Shooting Park was the recipient of two hit pieces. First the Las Vegas Review-Journal came out with an article Saturday alleging that Nellis Air Force Base is “very concerned” about the possibility of stray bullets hitting their airplanes! See article: HERE
Later Saturday KLAS TV, channel 8, felt that they had to lend credence to the erroneous R-J article by broadcasting a story that was short on facts and long on plagiarism. See synopsis: HERE
Of course I was appalled by two stories on the same topic hitting the street the same day. How in the world could this have happened? I think that there are a number of reasons. First the folks in Carmel Canyon hired a public relations hack named Lisa Mayo-De Riso, who has been attempting to spoon feed the media. It looks like this has been money well spent!
Second, the R-J and KLAS both run short staffs over the weekend, it’s eminently apparent that neither of these pieces passed by any editor over the age of consent. Both pieces are poorly researched, biased and sensationalized. Any decent editor would have thrown them back at the reporter and demanded facts, not innuendo; identifiable sources instead of allegations from a paid wordsmith; and responses from county officials.
I sent an email to the author of the R-J piece, Scott Wyland, and the News Director at KLAS, Ron Comings. Both were similar and here’s what I wrote to Mr. Comings:
Mr. Comings the "hit" piece on the new shooting park that aired on Saturday was irresponsible. Apparently your reporter just cut and pasted the erroneous information that appeared in the R-J on Saturday and found some clips to fill in the blanks, but that's what you were shooting...blanks!
Nellis AFB has known about the shooting range from its inception. Senator Reid with Senator Ensign have been huge supporters of the range. In fact Senator Reid fired the first shot at the range during the groundbreaking that occurred back in 2007. See picture attached. You'll also see a number of Clark County officials all assisting Senator Reid as the first shovel of dirt was turned! The shooting park has had widespread city, county, and federal support all along, not to mention the more than 1,000,000 citizens in Clark County that will potentially be served by the park.
The bogus allegation that Nellis AFB is now concerned about the shooting park and "stray" bullets is laughable! The uproar by the Carmel Canyon residents is a tempest in a teapot as their paid public relations person searches for "story ideas" to feed the media. It's obvious that your reporter and editor took the bait!
It's no wonder that so many call you "the drive-by media". You do a hit piece without research, but tons of allegations, and then move on! I thought that KLAS was better than that; I guess I was wrong.
I encourage each of you to not sit idly by while the nation’s premier shooting park is being under attack. Please write to the Review-Journal and KLAS TV. If we allow them to chip away at the park we could eventually see it delayed or even fought over in court. We need you to stand up for our dream!!
WE MUST REMAIN EVER VIGILANT…EVER WATCHFUL
Later Saturday KLAS TV, channel 8, felt that they had to lend credence to the erroneous R-J article by broadcasting a story that was short on facts and long on plagiarism. See synopsis: HERE
Of course I was appalled by two stories on the same topic hitting the street the same day. How in the world could this have happened? I think that there are a number of reasons. First the folks in Carmel Canyon hired a public relations hack named Lisa Mayo-De Riso, who has been attempting to spoon feed the media. It looks like this has been money well spent!
Second, the R-J and KLAS both run short staffs over the weekend, it’s eminently apparent that neither of these pieces passed by any editor over the age of consent. Both pieces are poorly researched, biased and sensationalized. Any decent editor would have thrown them back at the reporter and demanded facts, not innuendo; identifiable sources instead of allegations from a paid wordsmith; and responses from county officials.
I sent an email to the author of the R-J piece, Scott Wyland, and the News Director at KLAS, Ron Comings. Both were similar and here’s what I wrote to Mr. Comings:
Mr. Comings the "hit" piece on the new shooting park that aired on Saturday was irresponsible. Apparently your reporter just cut and pasted the erroneous information that appeared in the R-J on Saturday and found some clips to fill in the blanks, but that's what you were shooting...blanks!
Nellis AFB has known about the shooting range from its inception. Senator Reid with Senator Ensign have been huge supporters of the range. In fact Senator Reid fired the first shot at the range during the groundbreaking that occurred back in 2007. See picture attached. You'll also see a number of Clark County officials all assisting Senator Reid as the first shovel of dirt was turned! The shooting park has had widespread city, county, and federal support all along, not to mention the more than 1,000,000 citizens in Clark County that will potentially be served by the park.
The bogus allegation that Nellis AFB is now concerned about the shooting park and "stray" bullets is laughable! The uproar by the Carmel Canyon residents is a tempest in a teapot as their paid public relations person searches for "story ideas" to feed the media. It's obvious that your reporter and editor took the bait!
It's no wonder that so many call you "the drive-by media". You do a hit piece without research, but tons of allegations, and then move on! I thought that KLAS was better than that; I guess I was wrong.
I encourage each of you to not sit idly by while the nation’s premier shooting park is being under attack. Please write to the Review-Journal and KLAS TV. If we allow them to chip away at the park we could eventually see it delayed or even fought over in court. We need you to stand up for our dream!!
WE MUST REMAIN EVER VIGILANT…EVER WATCHFUL
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4 comments:
Mike,
I watched the Jon Ralston show on Tuesday about the shooting park issues and he made it look like very much like there was a lot of negligence associated with the planning and this park is doomed. What are your thoughts?
Jim, John Ralston has been a bomb thrower forever. He has never let facts get in the way of his left wing, liberal opinion. That being said, I didn't see his show--why would anyone waste 30 seconds watching him anyway, much less 30 minutes!
Mike,
I also watched the Ralston show. I don't know what show Jim watched, but it couldn't have been this one as it was crystal clear that the homeowners don't have valid complaints, they just want the range project killed and will use lies and distortions to make it look like the park was at fault. Every one of their distortions was refuted, and Ralston allowed the points to be made.
Jim sounds like the Jim that is on the RJ blog trashing the shooting park. I think he was trying to bait you.
Even Ralston made the statement that nothing would make them happy.
This was a unique show in that Ralston did not pick on the county representative. It was a fair show.
Dusty
Dusty and Section 11 readers I apologize for my mischaracterization of the John Ralston show. I have heard from a couple of other sources that Ralston handled this pretty evenly.
I tell ya, these homeowners in Carmel Canyon (am I talking to you Jim?) will stop at nothing to try and get their way...even to lying to your's truly.
I am going to be much more dilligent in my acceptance of comments here at Section 11
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