The following will be sent to the TU today.  The list of those who signed off on our blog about the Tiny Union will be sent along with it.  Thank you for your support of this project.  Here's the letter to the TU:

To:  Mr. Mike Marino, Region Editor, The Florida Times Union

There has been a major discussion going on via our community website.  The conversation has focused on the Times Union’s turn from a paper of excellent journalism to one of liberal bias. 

There is a lot of frustration about the only newspaper in town which at one time represented all its readers and not just a handful of special friends of the editors or owners of the paper. 

One of our members wrote you asking about the article with the headline “Marquee” or “Passionate” GOP supporters giving their support over to Alvin Brown.  She asked if you would also publish the list of Passionate Tea Party Supporters of Mike Hogan. 

Our member forwarded your response:

Perhaps I can explain. It is not surprising that Mike Hogan is supported by tea party members. One would expect tea party members to support the Republican candidate for mayor with the same fervor as they have Republican candidates state- and nationwide. Therefore this would not, by definition, be news. It is by contrast historically significant that major Republican donors are supporting the Democratic candidate for mayor. By the same definition, this is news. Conversely, if there were major Democratic donors who were supporting the Republican candidate, that would also be news and we would write that story.

Also, please note the article in today’s Metro section about the $100,000 in cash and services donated to the Hogan campaign from the state and local Republican parties.

Thank you for your interest in the Times-Union.   Mike Marino

Mr. Marino, we think you missed the point.  The headline noting “Marquee” or “Passionate” indicated these people were extra special people.  We could not understand what that meant so we did our own investigation and found out that many of those “marquee” supporters do NOT give to the local GOP.  We were stunned and then wondered “What makes them a “marquee” supporter?”

In your response you noted that it is “normal” for tea party members to support Republicans.  Please remember that Governor Rick Scott was NOT a GOP contender even though he was a Republican.  We fought hard for him against the GOP and also against the TU.  Did you also not read our press release from March where we endorsed two Democrats for city council?  We did so because these two people voted   NO to raising our taxes.  You can find those endorsements on our website at:  www.fctpcommunity.org.  Your answer indicates even more bias towards the people of the tea party.   Has your team researched those who are supporting Mike Hogan and discovered some of them are Democrats?  Do you only consider it news worthy if they give a lot of money?  Would it not be a news story if a Democrat gave his/her support to a Republican without the hand off of a large check?   Did you know there are Democrats and Independents who are also a part of the tea party movement?

Mr. Marino, your readers are leaving.  They are leaving because the TU has consistently violated the following statements from the Society of Professional Journalists code of ethic:

• Examine your own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.
• Act Independently:  Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public’s right to know.
• Be Accountable:  Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other.

Journalism in North Florida has died and it happened right before our eyes.  You have made business decisions to save money by pulling articles from AP instead of doing your own research; you reduced the size of the paper; and you  laid off staff.  It was necessary for you to do this because readership was down causing revenues to drop. 

Had you listened to those who subscribed to your paper, it would not have been necessary for you to make these decisions.  The TU would be thriving if the bias had not been shown.  It was and therefore the TU is what it is…another struggling newspaper trying to hold itself together. 

You had an awesome responsibility afforded you by the First Amendment.  Unfortunately, the TU and hundreds of other news sources across America have blown it.  You can’t blame the internet for your demise.  In all businesses, if you give people a great product, they will buy it. 

We would have bought it Mr. Marino.  We would have looked forward to walking outside in the wee hours of the morning and bending down to pick up the news of the day.  We would have held it close as we walked inside and poured a cup of strong coffee.  The unfolding of the newspaper as the coffee steamed from our cup was a great way to start our day.  Reading the news with both sides of the story displayed in print was great fodder for work discussions throughout the day.  Those days are gone for now. 

But, we do know this…Wherever a gap appears in the business world – someone will fill it.

We anxiously await the filling of the gap.