Bad Sign of the Times

Update: See also After 174 years, Ann Arbor News folds.

What the hell is going on with Fond du Lac?

First we read that Mercury Marine might close shop and now comes word the FDL Reporter will close its downtown offices, relocating "all non-production work" [that would be news and sales staff] to a small printing facility on the west side. (Editor and Publisher)

The Reporter, the Gannett Company's 13,207-circulation afternoon daily, is continuing the downbound path of print newspapers the nation-over.

Local news is the bread and butter of all smaller newspapers, and this service appears in peril.

It's not just technological change causing this trend. The recession is killing off newspapers everywhere, clinging to survival through consolidation and other business moves.

Reports Editor and Publisher, "At the same time, printing and packaging will move to the Gannett Wisconsin Media Production Facility in Appleton." There goes a few dozen more jobs of dedicated employees.

One can't help seeing corporate greed driving professional news reporting during these hard times. Gannett’s Quarterly Earnings Fall 60% in April, the New York Times reported.

Greed, maybe that's too strong a word. Maybe not.

Ganett's (CGI) stock is up 48 percent in the last month, and nine percent today. This news likely won't thrill the employees losing their jobs.

On the other hand, if you're a stockholder, you might have been concerned that Gannett isn't making enough money to declare decent dividends and to bolster the meager stock price.

Old-school

The newsroom at the Reporter as depleted as it is, is still staffed by old-school professionals.

Can't treat this as anything but tragic. It's painful to think of the Reporter's newsroom operating not downtown—yards from the YMCA, City Hall and the Police Department—but rather from Rolling Meadows Drive near the Fond du Lac County airport.

It seems one beautiful city, one community, is beginning to shake at its pillars.

And Fond du Lac epitomizes the United States of America that is heading toward the century's second decade with shaken confidence and growing apprehension.

Those passing 33 West Second Street in Fondy and reading the "The difference is news," on the Reporter building will soon see these words disappear.

Everyone knew this was coming, but maybe not so fast and so harsh.

Fond du Lac Police: Neo-NAZI Cards Not "blatantly offensive racially," says report

Update III: Fond du Lac Police Captain Steve Thiry: "Obviously, people were offended," or we would not have investigated the incident. The Fond du Lac Reporter's piece gets knocked down.

Update II: Check out the xenophobic comments on the bottom of the Fond du Lac Reporter's piece, and you can understand why Neo-NAZIs in Fondy are in a word: Worrying.

Update: SPLC Maps 12 Racist Groups in Wisconsin

I read with disappointment this morning's report in the Fond du Lac Reporter on the neo-NAZIs leaving their business cards on the car windows of several participants of a Hispanic-Latino event last week.

The "Aryan Wear" group's cards asks if the car-owners had "had enough diversity?"

The card is pictured at right.

The lede in the Reporter piece by Sharon Roznik reads: "Fond du Lac police said the content of anti-diversity cards left on the car windows of several participants of last Thursday's 'HOLA!' event is neither threatening, nor blatantly offensive racially."

What?

What is so insidious about institutionalised racism is that it's sometimes difficult for some to recognize it when it presents itself, making an argument to persuade on the merits of racism [there are none] all the more difficult.

Yet I have to question either the reporting by Roznik or the perspicuity of the Fond du Lac Police. [Note: Fond du Lac Police Captain Steve Thiry just phoned and said, "Obviously, people were offended," or we would not have investigated the incident.

Are we to believe that a group advertising itself as "Aryan" and denouncing "diversity" is, as Roznik reports the Fondy police say, not "blatantly offensive racially"?

Are you kidding me? Are the Fondy police really that dumb? Did the police really make this value judgement? No.

This is the neo-NAZI group, "Aryan Wear" advertising their website and blasting "diversity": http://aryanwear.com/

The Fond du Lac Public Library is an outstanding institution serving as a counterweight to what is often a xenophobic city, a city in which "nigger" jokes were routinely heard during this writer's elementary school experience at Elizabeth Waters elementary school.

I'm curious and I'm going to follow up on these questions: Are they kidding me, since when are Aryans not "blatantly offensive racially"?