The San Francisco Citizen

Here’s what’s up with that - If you operate a television news station in the San Francisco Bay Area, life’s a little easier when you don’t plaster your rolling stock with gaudy graphics.

‘Cause if you put your station name on your vans, then some vandals will come around with a can of spray paint (what’s that? you yourself don’t carry spray paint with on your person at all times?) and write “Fuck The Corporate Media” all over said vans. Thusly.

Circa 2008 - a live remote capable truck on the streets of San Francisco, anonymous and therefore safe from mischief. Click to expand:

(If you don’t believe that, then type in “954 Front” in the San Francisco section of Mapjack. See?)

Of course, “Fuck the Corporate Media” was quite the meme back in 2005. Witness the start of the downward spiral of Josh Wolf (aka “Insurgent,” srsly) that ended up landing him in the hoosegow.

But now, this “legend among journalists” is with the corporate media (or what looks like the corporate media, what with all the ads ’n stuff) himself.

Isn’t it ironic, dont’cha think?

The Marin Independent Journal is trying to do the best it can in this Internet Age. That means putting content online and maybe allowing for a reader poll on some topic of the day.

Last week, IJ editor/writer Brad Breithaupt wrote a piece about the sprawling 3rd Senate District involving “incumbent Senator Carole Migden and her two challengers, Assemblyman Mark Leno and former [A]ssemblyman Joe Nation.”

Readers were allowed to cast their vote for whomever they favored until someone at the IJ cancelled it. Why? Check it:

“Due to suspected ballot-box stuffing, results of the poll will not appear. You dirty rascals!”

Thusly:

Appears is if more than one person repeatedly voted for a particular candidate and, so much so, the results got all screwy. Apparently, “cookies” were involved.

Now, who would do such a thing? (If only Marin County had its own Matier and Ross to get to the bottom of this!)

Can’t we all get along?