Yellow in Black and White

What happened in the Toledo Blade January 8th (and counting) – in plain sight and multiple copies – is
called Yellow Journalism. There are multiple definitions, even a history for the term, but the best and
most appropriate is found at Wikipedia:

Yellow journalism… a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched

news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include
exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism. By extension "Yellow Journalism"
is used today as a pejorative to decry any journalism that treats news in an unprofessional or unethical
fashion.

This concisely describes the paper’s concerted attempted to pass off as “news”, first on their web site
(1/7) then every day since*, sometimes splashing above-the-fold-complete-with-color-picture headlines
“WSPD host compares TPS students, monkeys; Wilson denies racism.” The Blade has printed over
4500 words to incite civil rights leaders, community leaders and readers into believing I made racist
comments; that I compared TPS students to monkeys. It never happened; I never said it. Amazingly
unnoticed, unreported and unremarked, however, is “race” was never any component of my commentary.
Race only became an “issue” when inserted via the jaundiced opinions of Tom Troy and the editors of
The Blade. They did it purposefully, with malice and they knew it, a fact reported only by the Toledo Free
Press.

As the “story” unraveled, TFP readers and WSPD listeners learned the Blade’s yellow print had zero to
do with TPS students, monkeys or racism. More noteworthy were the Herculean efforts by “political
writer” Tom Troy, some other scribbling wanna-be’s and their co-conspiring editors to blatantly finesse
members of the African-American community, including Mayor Mike Bell, into providing “substance”
for their pre-written headline blaring “community outrage”. Manipulating the opinion of readers is
standard with every issue of the Blade.

The only complete, objective, accurate account is found in Michael Miller’s "Monkey Business"

But there is a greater scandal and bigger problem for Toledoans than the Blade’s reporters, columnists,
editors and Pittsburg-based publisher’s serial raping of facts and sodomizing of truth. It is the Pavlovian
reaction of too many citizens – some in so-called “leadership roles” – to swallow whole the mis-truths,
half-truths and outright lies, regularly featured in the daily paper. As revealed by TFP reporting, none of
those who had their “outrage” quoted by the Blade had actually heard my comments in real time, only the
14 second out-take Troy schlepped around town, trolling for indignity and insult. Quoting Miller: “So
unless you heard the comment live (which apparently none of the quoted leaders did), or caught it
overnight during the Web streaming repeat of the broadcast, your only source for the content was The
Blade’s race-baiting reporting.” (Italics added). Not to be over-emphasized is the fact WSPD received
virtually no complaints from any source as a result of my comments – until the Blade’s manufactured
“news”.
 Here lies the scandal: How could these people – especially “community leaders” – not know the
perpetual motives of the Blade and its myrmidons; their rich history of abusing the First Amendment to
carry out vendettas against those who dare challenge their decades of control and influence over Toledo
and its citizens?

Since the quoted parties knee-jerked in unison responding to the Blade’s race-baiting, is it a scandal of
ignorance or a scandal of fear? Could these “community leaders” really be that functionally illiterate –
like too many TPS graduates – to not suspect an ulterior motive when presented with a sensational
“quote” supplied by a reporter for a paper with such a notorious reputation? Or just as malignant, do they
live in fear of not providing a juicy quote, possibly incurring the wrath of the Blade’s well-know
retribution? Either way, the best interests of Toledo citizens – and students – were not served by their
comments. Some were offended, yes – because they allowed themselves to be manipulated by the mis-
and dis-information manufactured by the Blade.

And here lies the problem: On cue, every one bought the snake oil Troy was selling and promptly
provided their predictable reactions. More embarrassing for the community, even when presented with the
facts by the Toledo Free Press, TPS Superintendant Jerome Pecko, TPS President Bob Vasquez, TPS
Board Vice President Lisa Sobecki and past president of TPS Parent Congress Chris Varwig adamantly
preferred the Blade’s distortion to truth. What message of objectivity does this send to parents and
students? All are part of the TPS problem that has been the focus of WSPD programming which has
diligently – and accurately - exposed years of scholastic failure of Toledo public schools, the fiscal
irresponsibility of the Board, the financial millstone of TFT Union contracts, the adolescent in-fighting of
its members and shoddy treatment of parents and public. Could it be their breathless indignation serve as
a convenient smoke screen to their culpability surrounding the real issue of administrative malfeasance at
TPS? Is incompetence how elected leaders “lead by example”?

To date, after also being presented with the full text and content of my comments, TPS board member
Larry Sykes and NAACP President Rev. Kevin Bedford have not publicly clarified their position.

Sadly for Toledo, these are your “leaders”, drum majors for Ineptitude On Parade, charged with
administering public education for Toledo, hiding behind a man-made smoke screen of lies and deceit;
some proudly so. With these examples, only the willfully obtuse could not understand why
“dysfunctional” modifies “TPS” so well.

As reported in the Toledo Free Press, Bell, GTUL’s John Jones and others who initially demanded
apologies, my termination, even FCC sanctions subsequently acknowledged they had been snookered by
Troy. A source in Bell’s office said Troy “pounded” on the Mayor’s office for a response condemning
me. Jennifer Sorgenfrei, public information officer for the City of Toledo, told TFP, “[The mayor’s]
statement was in direct response to the portion of audio he was provided by The Blade.” That “portion of
audio” was the 14 seconds Troy surgically removed in order to rile his “reliable” stable of respondents.

The latest milk-spitting episode is the recent arrival of a letter to Mike Miller from the perpertrator
himself. Alternating between “Irrational” and “Fallacious”, Troy makes a limp-wristed 8 point attempt to
parse Miller’s critical “Monkey Business” selectively objecting to the damning evidence. Around #5, Troy
revs up:

“Brian Wilson is the one that threw out the monkey reference. He’s a professional. He knows
what the word connotes when he’s talking about how to teach students in Toledo Public
Schools”. Typical of racists and elitists, Troy demonstrates he is deaf, delusional or both with his
Selective Listening techniques. When exposed in print, they reveal the Blade’s witch-hunt mentality.
Fact: the “monkey-student” connection, generated exclusively by Troy, lives on in the dank recesses of his
prejudice. In my on-air discussion with Greater Toledo Urban League’s John Jones (pod cast at
WSPD.com), he and others had no problem making the distinction contrary to Troy’s ugly fantasy.

Then Troy is achieves lift-off:

“Anyway, it was a bad analogy. Monkeys don’t need to be taught to peel bananas. They
do it instinctively, like swinging on vines. It’s not a parlor trick. Teaching dogs to walk on their
hind legs or dolphins to balance a beach ball on their noses would be parlor tricks, and would
have made Wilson’s point without the egregious offensiveness – or at least less offensively. But
no, we have to go with monkeys”. “We”? With a keen sense for the obvious, again Troy (un)wittingly
shares his condescending elitist mentality alongside his dearth of “reporter’s objectivity”. He anoints
himself judge and jury of good/bad analogies, lecturing on animal instincts and what constitutes his
personal preferences for “less offensive” point making. What a talent to be so squandered on cheap
Yellow Journalism!

“Finally, I am very proud of The Blade’s handling of this story and of my own part in it.”
Wow. Ready to re-new your subscription?

My friend, Tom Sowell wrote: “The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is
best.” Who do you want to decide? You – or Tom Troy and the bigoted Blade?

So what’s the “take away”? Since this originally only concerned the efficacy of TPS teaching standards,
has the Blade’s systemic lying, intentional smearing and flat-out unapologetic admission taught us
anything?

For one, there is an obvious prejudicial “rush to judgment” imbedded in Toledo, its politicians and what
passes for “journalists” at the local daily and certain area TV News departments. Coupled with that is a
daunting paucity of intellectual curiosity about most anything that remotely challenges the stultifying
ignorance of too many area “leaders”. Those revealed in this latest Blade fiction should remember the
words of another friend, author James Bovard: “A surplus of lies naturally produces a deficit of trust.”

Is this what you want for Toledo?

On a positive note, more and more Toledoans are to be congratulated for learning the lessons about the
Blade as it shrinks in size, content and relevance. They’ve discovered a multitude of better sources for
their news needs along the “Information Highway”. As evidenced by this sordid event, there is the Toledo
Free Press and, dare I say, 1370 WSPD, both devoted to factual accuracy, adherence to the principles of
journalism and a shared concern for improving the quality of life in the Toledo metropolitan area. The
“presentation” may occasionally rankle – but facts are not altered or comments “yanked” out of context.

And, by the way, they’re both free.