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Thursday, August 31, 2006

Pedersen is Not a Lobbyist

Posted by on August 31 at 15:25 PM

This correction will run in next week’s paper, but I want to get it up on Slog right now.
At one point in our endorsement for Stephanie Pure for 43rd District Rep (vote Pure, she’s a smart, articulate, urban headed woman who will make stuff happen in Olympia), we incorrectly identified Preston Gates & Ellis attorney Jamie Pedersen (another candidate in the race) as a lobbyist. Pedersen is an attorney with Preston Gates. He is not a lobbyist.

Preston Gates do have several registered lobbyists in Olympia, but Pedersen is not one of them.

We regret the error.


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Translation:

Josh just hung up the phone with Preston, Gates who just threatened him with a lawsuit.

Nope.

Preston Gates didn't call me. Someone from Pedersen's campaign called me yesterday to ask for the correction. I told him I'd correct it on-line, which I did.

Since an error in an endorsement is especially unfortunate for the candidate, I figured I'd put the correction up on Slog too.

And...huh? A lawsuit over incorrectly identifying Pedersen as a lobbyist? I think Preston Gates has a better grip on the law than that.

Urban Headed Women = UHW = WTF?!

Hub cap diamond star halo.

Thanks for the prompt correction, and for the typically excellent endorsements section. Nothing but love for the stranger's political coverage.

Philip Dawdy, Seattle Weekly writer and blogger, took harsh issue with Dan Savage on Seattle Weekly’s blog earlier today for Savage’s stunt involving pot cookies, a toy gun, and city hall. That, given the antagonism between the two papers, might have been expected. What wasn’t expected, and indeed might be unprecedented, was how Seattle Weekly reacted when, after exchanging even harsher words with a reader over the blog entry, someone at the Weekly decided to delete the whole exchange: not only the reader’s remarks, but Dawdy’s also. (By chance, this reporter, was able to cut and paste those exchanges before they dissapeared. See below). This might be the very first time any newspaper, say nothing of one belonging to the “alternative press” has undertaken such a drastic measure. And it’s probably a fair to say it’s the first time a writer for a fairly well-respected publication that has New Yorker-of-Seattle aspirations, calls one of its readers/commentors a “douchebag.”

Indeed, even a mainstream daily newspaper, like the Sacramento Bee, would consider such action a case of blatant censorship. Tony Marcano, the Bee’s ombusdman, wrote about the huge controversy surrounding the paper’s blog when it was discovered the author of the blog was subject to some slight edits.

Just so the Weekly knows, there’s a new book out by Reporters Without Borders called the Blog Censorship Handbook. The book instructs journalists how to cicumvent blog censorshop in countries like Iran and China, where such action routinely takes place.

Here are the exchanges. The first one is following the rebuke by Dawdy:


---As Dan's PR director, we thank you for taking the bait. It was a stunt to get people to notice and write about Dan and The Stranger. And you did. The details don't matter much, it's the reactions that count, although the story may, as you indicate, result in new security at City Hall - which apparently it should - and for which Dan can be credited. Thanks again for spreading the word!
Posted today at 10:24 am by Menance

"
----You see, Savage used the power of the press (he was playing reporter when he visited da' mayor's office, how fucking quaint!)
"
Wait ... did Savage flash a press pass or introduce himself to security as a "reporter?" That's not mentioned in his article.
If he didn't — and merely entered as a moderately famous local character — does this argument still apply? Do tell.
Posted today at 11:07 am by h0rati0sanzserif

----To Menace: Just trying to return the favor after Dan's "Ask a Mexican" post on Slog.
Posted today at 11:35 am by Seely

----"I care about what I put into my body."—Savage
"So I skipped the open-air drug market in the vicinity of City Hall. Instead, I scored some quality pot from a quality source and turned it over to a quality baker. My buddy the baker reduced the pot in oil and then, using a box of Ghirardelli chocolate chip cookie mix, whipped me up a huge batch of insanely powerful pot cookies."—Savage
High Quality drugs are better than cheap ones logic..OK, riiight.

"It wasn't a real gun (I'm afraid of real guns), but a really scary-looking prop gun."-Savage

Last I knew, when students in schools bring ANY thing that even remotely resembles a weapon into a school building or onto a campus, they will be expelled.
Or, if a cop saw a person with a realistic prop gun, they would have aimed a real one at the person, and told them to drop the weapon.

To make a point to the Mayor this way, not only sounds Junior High, it does not sound like a credible, intelligent journalist at work.
I hope Savage does not try to prove any points at an airport anytime soon.
Posted today at 11:42 am by steph

----oh hi horatio or whatever the hell your handle is: you don't check in with security at city hall, you check in with a receptionist. if you are known toi them to be a press person or you have your little old press badge in you go.
Posted today at 11:55 am by Dawdy

----Dawdy (or whatever the hell your handle is):
Uh, you didn't answer my question. Was Savage known to be a press person or have "a little old press badge?"
Posted today at 12:43 pm by h0rati0sanzserif

----Dawdy's my name douchebag. Savage is of course widely known in Seattle as a press person. Any otehr questions, Mr. Sanserif?
Posted today at 12:58 pm by Dawdy

----Douchebag? Is this the new, erudite New Yorker-styled Weekly speaking - or am I back reading my high school newspaper? If you can't write, try at least to have a little class.
Posted today at 1:39 pm by Menance

----No, Menance, douchebag is my erudite new jersey-styled way of speaking. i can write better than you likely every have in your life. so go away now little menance.
Posted today at 2:17 pm by Dawdy

This dialogue sounds like a hockey-puck of 40-something high school sophomores running alternative weeklies, dying to be noticed, hoping to influence public opinion by telling us what movies to see, who to vote for and what sexual appliances we need while gracelessly failing on all counts. Wake me when recess is over.

Practicing "identity politics" for the sake of your own self-interests is not a sin - it is an imperative.

Well, I wish best of luck to Stephanie Pure and Bill Sherman - two of the best qualified candidates in the race - but I just mailed in my ballot for Dick Kelley this morning.

Will: And your point would be??

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