Dueling papers: Your weekly Los Alamitos local media post
January 30, 2013 in Local Media review & reporting, Perspective, Your reporting and comments By: Dave Emerson
(Los Alamitos, 1/30/2013) This week’s News Enterprise was on my driveway before 8:15, with four timely Los Alamitos stories on the front page alone, including additional information on Dean Grose’s “one AK47 at a time!” Facebook post (See “Who said it? And is it crossing the line?”)
By mid-afternoon February’s OC Breeze had arrived as well, wrapped in plastic to avoid today’s rain. . . or maybe tomorrow morning’s sprinklers.
By now we all have figured out that the News Enterprise has taken a turn towards real local news and sports while the Breeze mainly reprints press releases, but the contrast seems to grow more start with each passing week.
I was especially impressed by the N-E’s ability to include important new details in a brief but factual page 1 report on Council Member Grose’s comment on Tea Party Activist Allan Bartlett’s Facebook status commenting on the long lines at an OC Gun show last Saturday.
Not only did Dean admit the comment ( ”Uniting American against Obama’s regieme one AK47 at a time!”) was, indeed, his post, but he also explained why he posted it:
My posting on a friend’s Facebook page was not advocating anything regarding our President, rather I was merely articulating my support for our Second Amendment rights in light of the national discussion on the issue.
The article also explained Dean subsequently removed that post “because he thought the remark could be taken out of context.
Accurate and timely reporting on issues of local interest. For free! On our driveway every week.
You can’t ask for more than that!
Keep up the good work, Ted & Lon!
This is actually your weekly local media post, published most Wednesdays, for you to comment on all local, national, and other media over the next week. Put up links, comment on what you see, reply to an editorial. The choice is yours, as long as it’s diplomatically stated in “family friendly” language.
What have you noticed of interest to Los Al & Rossmoor in the media lately?
So, I’m sitting here and playing at being Dean’s adviser on how to manage the latest unforced error (baseball reference).
First thing is to make it go away. Dean did that when he deleted the comment.
Second thing is to take responsibility and admit that you did it. Dean did that.
Now to bury it, you fall on your sword.
This means that you release a statement along the lines of “I reviewed my comment and realized that I had been inarticulate about what I wanted to say and removed it. I also know that my inarticulate comment could have been construed in a way that it was not my intent, and I apologize if my response was found offensive by anyone in any way.”
Now go back and re-read Deans response and compare it to the falling on ones sword response.
I fail to see where Dean’s comment was supportive of the Second Amendment in any way, shape or form. The Second Amendment doesn’t state anywhere that the goal is to arm Americans with semi-auto weapons of military grade so they can shoot at the democratically elected government.
As Dean’s fictional adviser my only question to Dean is “Why the hell did you throw more fuel on this fire?”
Three simple steps.
1) remove the comment
2) Take responsibility for the comment
3) Fall on your sword
Maybe Dean should start with a first step that includes firing the adviser who told him that step three was a waste of time and energy.
Grose has a hard time admitting when he is wrong. He has a harder time apologizing when he is wrong. He stated at the last council meeting he would take responsiablilty for his actions. He has an easy time stating what he will do, he has a harder time doing it.
In the past blaming the OCR for printing the watermelon article, and blaming the woman who received the email for telling the OCR is NOT taking responsibility. He has a reason or alibi for everything he does. He will NEVER change no matter how much he says he will. I doubt if he even knows to this day what a weasel he looked like when he was making all his excuses on how the watermelon email got out of hand.
Now he is blaming the public because they might take this out of context. Since he seems to “step into it” often maybe he should just not talk so much.
Actually, I thought Council Member Grose handled this one a whole lot better than the watermelon e-mail. Two out of three steps ain’t perfect, but it ain’t bad. In fact, in Mr. Grose’s case, it’s progress.
I think most of us are like that. I know I am.
I also think back 25 years to a time when my boss forced me to come into his office, pick up the phone, call a client, and “fall on my sword” while the boss listened. I still thought it was the client who was wrong, but I did as I was told. . . . and avoided a potential long and bitter lawsuit.
I suspect there are lessons for all of us in this little incident.
As my lovely wife is fond of saying, “There aren’t any grown ups any more.”
Perhaps she’s right.
Again.
Sigh.
Dave E here. From a post put up late Wednesday night on the Patch:
Thanks to an alert reader for e-mailing me the link. Click here for the complete article with comments.
Kudos to the NE for putting the Grose story on the front page. The old NE would have swept that story under the rug. I don’t even consider the Breeze to be a newspaper.
While I knew that it would only be a matter of time before Grose stepped in “it” again, I was really surprised to see it happen so soon. Stories like this will hopefully function as “Grose’s Filter”, something that he obviously does not have. Like Dave said, at least he did 2 of the 3 things he should have this time, so I commend him for improving.
I really think that JM nailed it when he said in an earlier post:
“As an elected official Mr. Grose should be aware that when he speaks out he now represents the City of Los Alamitos, not just himself. He should be acutely aware of that since his last foray into the public eye. ”
Grose is now our elected official, he represents us. He won’t be able to turn that switch off until at least Nov. of 2016. Anything he does or says is a direct reflection on our city and each one of us.
While he has first amendment rights, his actions put him under the scrutiny of the public microscope and opinions of those he serves as well as the outsiders too. He needs to uphold that commitment of Public Office to those who elected him and those who didn’t.
This is the part of serving in public office that Grose does not comprehend. Maybe if Grose were not so caught up in the moment and impulsive to respond to these posts /emails the way he has, he wouldn’t find himself in hot water with his constituents.
A good piece of advice for Grose, don’t get caught up in the moment, think about the consequences, i.e.- take a long time to think before you hit send…perhaps even sleep on it.
JH:
That last paragraph would be good advice for us all!
Good to hear from you again!
Ultimately Councilman Grose will be judged on how effectively he helps our town move forward and how well he represents the best interests of both our residents as a whole and all our various neighborhoods.
His years of experience will hopefully be a real asset for our Council, especially if he seeks to understand the perspectives of all our residents.
Nobody’s perfect, but I’m still expecting and hoping for an improved Councilman Grose this time, older and wiser. Had he handled the e-mail incident like he handled this one, it probably would never have made the papers.
With all the crazy people running around the world today. Do we really need Dean Grose making it worse? His comment was not about gun control. It was about disrespect to the President of the United States. I did not vote for Obama either election.
If I were an elected official I would never put a comment like that on a social media site. With Grose it always comes back to his judgement.
I am a Republican, how is it that I can see it and understand it and he doesn’t?
Grose seems to love attention, good or bad behavior brings attention. Any three year old knows that. The difference is a three year old would not be allowed to run for office. I don’t understand why residents would vote for a three year old just because he is in a big body?