If At First You Don't Succeed, Go Public
Comments (18)
Alexander Comisar, a staff reporter for Neon Tommy, attempted to arrange an interview to shadow Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky for a piece on the daily life of a local politician. After being rebuffed by Yaroslavsky's press office, Comisar attended the next supervisors meeting and requested an interview during the public comment period.Â
Reproduced below is a transcript of the exchange. Comisar's profile on the supervisor will run in the coming weeks.
SUP. KNABE, CHAIRMAN:Â YES, ALEX?Â
Â
ALEX COMISAR:Â YES, THANK YOU. MY NAME IS ALEX COMISAR. I AM A JOURNALIST.Â
Â
SUP. KNABE, CHAIRMAN:Â I APOLOGIZE FOR MISPRONOUNCING YOUR LAST NAME.Â
Â
ALEX COMISAR:Â OH NO, THAT'S FINE. MY HANDWRITING'S BAD. MY NAME IS ALEX COMISAR, I'M A JOURNALIST WORKING FOR A RECENTLY LAUNCHED NEWS WEBSITE CALLED NEON TOMMY. AND I'M ALSO A STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. SUPERVISOR YAROSLAVSKY, IT'S SORT OF HARD FOR ME TO SEE YOU BEHIND THAT FLAG THERE, BUT I'M HERE TO PUBLICLY ASK YOU TO RECONSIDER YOUR REFUSAL TO GRANT ME ACCESS TO YOUR OFFICE SO THAT I CAN WRITE A STORY ABOUT HOW YOU CARRY OUT THE PUBLIC'S BUSINESS ON A TYPICAL DAY. ABOUT A MONTH AGO, I APPROACHED YOUR OFFICE, AS ANY JOURNALIST WOULD, AND I PLACED A CALL TO YOUR PRESS DEPUTY TO ASK IF I COULD SHADOW YOU FOR A DAY FOR A STORY ABOUT HOW A VETERAN COUNTY SUPERVISOR SPENDS HIS TIME. WHERE DOES HE GO? WHO DOES HE MEET WITH? THESE WERE QUESTIONS THAT I AND MY EDITORS WANTED TO ANSWER. YOUR COLLEAGUE, SUPERVISOR MOLINA, FULFILLED THE SAME REQUEST FOR ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES THREE WEEKS AGO. YOU DENIED ME FLAT OUT. YOU DISMISSED ME. NOT DUE TO YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE OR AN UNREASONABLE DEADLINE, BUT SIMPLY BECAUSE OF MY STATUS AS A STUDENT IN THIS COMMUNITY. YOUR PRESS DEPUTY TOLD ME THAT AS A POINT OF POLICY, YOU DON'T DO INTERVIEWS WITH STUDENTS BECAUSE IT ISN'T YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP US WITH OUR HOMEWORK. OF COURSE, YOUR OBLIGATION TO THE STUDENTS OF THIS COMMUNITY IS NO LESS THAN TO YOUR OTHER CONSTITUENTS, BUT WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT MORE PRIVATELY. RIGHT NOW I'D LIKE TO REMIND YOU OF A DISAPPOINTING REALITY THAT GREATLY AFFECTS US BOTH. JOURNALISM'S AGE OLD INSTITUTIONS ARE DYING. ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, NEWSPAPERS THAT ONCE PROSPERED ARE COLLAPSING INTO NOTHING. TODAY THE LOS ANGELES TIMES CUT ITS ENTIRE LOCAL NEWS SECTION. BUT I DON'T NEED TO TELL YOU THAT. YOU RECENTLY SENT A LETTER TO THE LOS ANGELES TIMES PUBLISHER URGING HIM TO RECONSIDER HIS DECISION TO CUT THE SECTION. IN YOUR LETTER, WHICH MANY OF US SAW ON KEVIN RODERICK'S L.A. OBSERVED, YOU RIGHTLY CITED THE CRUCIAL IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL COVERAGE TO THE CITY. BY THE WAY, DID YOU SEE THAT MR. RODERICK LINKED TO ONE OF MY STORIES ON SUNDAY? I GUESS HE DIDN'T REALIZE I WAS A STUDENT. THE COLLAPSE OF THE CALIFORNIA SECTION DOES NOT SIGNIFY THE DEATH OF LOS ANGELES'S LOCAL NEWS COVERAGE. JOURNALISTS OF ALL BACKGROUNDS, AND, YES, EVEN SOME STUDENTS ARE QUICKLY FILLING THE VOID LEFT BY THE TIMES. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STUDENT JOURNALIST AND A PRO JOURNALIST IS SMALL THESE DAYS. AND IN THE NAME OF LOCAL NEWS AND THE DRIVING PRINCIPLE OF ALL JOURNALISTS TO MAKE THE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS ACCOUNTABLE, I URGE YOU TO RECONSIDER YOUR DECISION, SUPERVISOR YAROSLAVSKY. ACT LIKE THE TRUE CHAMPION OF A FREE PRESS AND LOCAL NEWS COVERAGE THAT WE ALL KNOW YOU ARE. I'LL BE IN TOUCH WITH YOUR PRESS DEPUTY, JOEL BELLMAN, AFTER THE MEETING TO SET UP A DAY WHEN I CAN OBSERVE YOU IN ACTION. THANK YOU.Â
Â
SUP. YAROSLAVSKY:Â FIRST OF ALL, YOU'RE WITH U.S.C., CORRECT, WITH THE NEW ONLINE PAPER, WHICH IS ACTUALLY QUITE GOOD. IN FACT, I HAVE BEEN -- I HAVE INTERVIEWED WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES. AND I THINK IT'S AN UNFAIR -- I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT MY PRESS DEPUTY SAID THAT I WOULDN'T INTERVIEW WITH STUDENTS BECAUSE HE KNOWS THAT I INTERVIEW WITH STUDENTS ALL THE TIME. AND ESPECIALLY ONES WHO KNOW HOW TO WRITE LIKE YOU GUYS DO. SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU PICKED THAT UP. (CELL PHONE).Â
Â
SUP. KNABE, CHAIRMAN:Â THAT'S THE DAILY BRUIN CALLING.Â
Â
SUP. YAROSLAVSKY:Â THAT'S THE DAILY BRUIN CALLING. [LAUGHTER.]Â
Â
SUP. YAROSLAVSKY:Â SECONDLY, I THOUGHT IF YOU REALLY WANTED TO MAKE A CREDIBLE ARGUMENT YOU WOULD SAY THAT I'M DISCRIMINATING AGAINST YOU BECAUSE YOU WENT TO U.S.C. BUT I WOULDN'T DO THAT BECAUSE I TALKED TO THE DAILY TROJANS AS READILY AS I'LL TALK TO THE DAILY BRUIN. SO WE'D BE HAPPY TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SCHEDULING A TIME. BUT I THINK AS A JOURNALIST, YOU SHOULD -- (CELL PHONE) -- EVEN IN MR. BELLMAN'S CASE, CONSIDER THE SOURCE. [LAUGHTER.] SORRY, JOEL. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU TOLD THIS FINE YOUNG JOURNALIST, BUT WE'LL BE HAPPY TO TALK TO YOU.Â
Â
ALEX COMISAR:Â THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR.Â
Â
SUP. KNABE, CHAIRMAN:Â KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND GO BRUINS.Â
Â
SUP. KNABE, CHAIRMAN:Â FIGHT ON! YES, SIR.
Â
ALEX COMISAR:Â YES, THANK YOU. MY NAME IS ALEX COMISAR. I AM A JOURNALIST.Â
Â
SUP. KNABE, CHAIRMAN:Â I APOLOGIZE FOR MISPRONOUNCING YOUR LAST NAME.Â
Â
ALEX COMISAR:Â OH NO, THAT'S FINE. MY HANDWRITING'S BAD. MY NAME IS ALEX COMISAR, I'M A JOURNALIST WORKING FOR A RECENTLY LAUNCHED NEWS WEBSITE CALLED NEON TOMMY. AND I'M ALSO A STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. SUPERVISOR YAROSLAVSKY, IT'S SORT OF HARD FOR ME TO SEE YOU BEHIND THAT FLAG THERE, BUT I'M HERE TO PUBLICLY ASK YOU TO RECONSIDER YOUR REFUSAL TO GRANT ME ACCESS TO YOUR OFFICE SO THAT I CAN WRITE A STORY ABOUT HOW YOU CARRY OUT THE PUBLIC'S BUSINESS ON A TYPICAL DAY. ABOUT A MONTH AGO, I APPROACHED YOUR OFFICE, AS ANY JOURNALIST WOULD, AND I PLACED A CALL TO YOUR PRESS DEPUTY TO ASK IF I COULD SHADOW YOU FOR A DAY FOR A STORY ABOUT HOW A VETERAN COUNTY SUPERVISOR SPENDS HIS TIME. WHERE DOES HE GO? WHO DOES HE MEET WITH? THESE WERE QUESTIONS THAT I AND MY EDITORS WANTED TO ANSWER. YOUR COLLEAGUE, SUPERVISOR MOLINA, FULFILLED THE SAME REQUEST FOR ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES THREE WEEKS AGO. YOU DENIED ME FLAT OUT. YOU DISMISSED ME. NOT DUE TO YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE OR AN UNREASONABLE DEADLINE, BUT SIMPLY BECAUSE OF MY STATUS AS A STUDENT IN THIS COMMUNITY. YOUR PRESS DEPUTY TOLD ME THAT AS A POINT OF POLICY, YOU DON'T DO INTERVIEWS WITH STUDENTS BECAUSE IT ISN'T YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP US WITH OUR HOMEWORK. OF COURSE, YOUR OBLIGATION TO THE STUDENTS OF THIS COMMUNITY IS NO LESS THAN TO YOUR OTHER CONSTITUENTS, BUT WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT MORE PRIVATELY. RIGHT NOW I'D LIKE TO REMIND YOU OF A DISAPPOINTING REALITY THAT GREATLY AFFECTS US BOTH. JOURNALISM'S AGE OLD INSTITUTIONS ARE DYING. ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, NEWSPAPERS THAT ONCE PROSPERED ARE COLLAPSING INTO NOTHING. TODAY THE LOS ANGELES TIMES CUT ITS ENTIRE LOCAL NEWS SECTION. BUT I DON'T NEED TO TELL YOU THAT. YOU RECENTLY SENT A LETTER TO THE LOS ANGELES TIMES PUBLISHER URGING HIM TO RECONSIDER HIS DECISION TO CUT THE SECTION. IN YOUR LETTER, WHICH MANY OF US SAW ON KEVIN RODERICK'S L.A. OBSERVED, YOU RIGHTLY CITED THE CRUCIAL IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL COVERAGE TO THE CITY. BY THE WAY, DID YOU SEE THAT MR. RODERICK LINKED TO ONE OF MY STORIES ON SUNDAY? I GUESS HE DIDN'T REALIZE I WAS A STUDENT. THE COLLAPSE OF THE CALIFORNIA SECTION DOES NOT SIGNIFY THE DEATH OF LOS ANGELES'S LOCAL NEWS COVERAGE. JOURNALISTS OF ALL BACKGROUNDS, AND, YES, EVEN SOME STUDENTS ARE QUICKLY FILLING THE VOID LEFT BY THE TIMES. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STUDENT JOURNALIST AND A PRO JOURNALIST IS SMALL THESE DAYS. AND IN THE NAME OF LOCAL NEWS AND THE DRIVING PRINCIPLE OF ALL JOURNALISTS TO MAKE THE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS ACCOUNTABLE, I URGE YOU TO RECONSIDER YOUR DECISION, SUPERVISOR YAROSLAVSKY. ACT LIKE THE TRUE CHAMPION OF A FREE PRESS AND LOCAL NEWS COVERAGE THAT WE ALL KNOW YOU ARE. I'LL BE IN TOUCH WITH YOUR PRESS DEPUTY, JOEL BELLMAN, AFTER THE MEETING TO SET UP A DAY WHEN I CAN OBSERVE YOU IN ACTION. THANK YOU.Â
Â
SUP. YAROSLAVSKY:Â FIRST OF ALL, YOU'RE WITH U.S.C., CORRECT, WITH THE NEW ONLINE PAPER, WHICH IS ACTUALLY QUITE GOOD. IN FACT, I HAVE BEEN -- I HAVE INTERVIEWED WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES. AND I THINK IT'S AN UNFAIR -- I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT MY PRESS DEPUTY SAID THAT I WOULDN'T INTERVIEW WITH STUDENTS BECAUSE HE KNOWS THAT I INTERVIEW WITH STUDENTS ALL THE TIME. AND ESPECIALLY ONES WHO KNOW HOW TO WRITE LIKE YOU GUYS DO. SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU PICKED THAT UP. (CELL PHONE).Â
Â
SUP. KNABE, CHAIRMAN:Â THAT'S THE DAILY BRUIN CALLING.Â
Â
SUP. YAROSLAVSKY:Â THAT'S THE DAILY BRUIN CALLING. [LAUGHTER.]Â
Â
SUP. YAROSLAVSKY:Â SECONDLY, I THOUGHT IF YOU REALLY WANTED TO MAKE A CREDIBLE ARGUMENT YOU WOULD SAY THAT I'M DISCRIMINATING AGAINST YOU BECAUSE YOU WENT TO U.S.C. BUT I WOULDN'T DO THAT BECAUSE I TALKED TO THE DAILY TROJANS AS READILY AS I'LL TALK TO THE DAILY BRUIN. SO WE'D BE HAPPY TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SCHEDULING A TIME. BUT I THINK AS A JOURNALIST, YOU SHOULD -- (CELL PHONE) -- EVEN IN MR. BELLMAN'S CASE, CONSIDER THE SOURCE. [LAUGHTER.] SORRY, JOEL. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU TOLD THIS FINE YOUNG JOURNALIST, BUT WE'LL BE HAPPY TO TALK TO YOU.Â
Â
ALEX COMISAR:Â THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR.Â
Â
SUP. KNABE, CHAIRMAN:Â KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND GO BRUINS.Â
Â
SUP. KNABE, CHAIRMAN:Â FIGHT ON! YES, SIR.
Comments
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Your Piter
Hello!
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Oh, to be old and bitter...
Alex:
You did yourself and Neontommy proud. Now go out and kick some more ass.
Ed
Good job, Alex. Wow, when confronted, Yaroslavsky really brings out the snark, doesn't he?
Alex, I cringed at first when I saw you were going make a public comment that you couldn't get an interview. You didn't whine, you got noticed and you certainly gave us a plug. Kudos! LOL.
Way to go Alex. As a former Trojan and a former LAT staffer, I read the transcript with much interest.
However, I did want to point out that the Times did not cut its entire local news section. More accurately, they folded/merged it into the main section. A tragedy nonetheless, but I think it is important to not overstate an already bad situation. There is still a group of very dedicated, seasoned journalists in Metro who work tirelessly to cover this city.
Power to the people! Way to go! I'm proud to be a fellow Neon Tommy staffer.
Please ask Zev about his FIRST election win, here in Los Angeles County. I was a younger man, on that election day, and remember VIVIDLY that Zev Yaroslavski had volunteers (?) that stood on just about EVERY corner of the city, with his signs, waiving them at oncoming traffic, like the people advertising condos in the area for sale. Who was the campaign manager that masterminded this visual onslaught that carried Zev into office ( he had been defeated in a previous election ) and once elected, has never been out of office since.