Sound Off

Batch Data Processor | Saturday, Jul 14 2007 9:40 PM

Last Updated: Saturday, Jul 14 2007 9:43 PM

Reader: I just wanted to write regarding last Saturday's story about the death of a dachshund at the Centennial dog park.

I think that this article is absolutely appalling! There is no reason that every detail describing this dog's horrible death was written. Down to the noises he was making as he died! Give me a break, how can you in your right mind even think that would make for a good article? Just because it was an animal there is no reason to describe it with such crudeness, or describe it at all.

You would have never done this with a person, death is death regardless. What about this dog's poor owners who have to see and read the disgusting details you have written. Trying to be dramatic for an impact or just writing the news is one thing, but this is totally over the line! This was NOT news!!

What about the youth who are encouraged through school to read YOUR paper, look for an article to share, etc.? How do you know that a child didn't stumble across this article? It would scar them. I was in tears reading this article, and not just because I am a pet owner.

I can tell you that I am glad that I DO NOT have a subscription for your paper anymore; if I did I would cancel it immediately due to this inappropriateness!

Thank you for your time, and I hope you take this matter seriously.

--Veronica Slaton

Jenner: We do take it seriously. In fact, the level of detail was carefully weighed in the writing and editing of this story.

I asked reporter Felix Doligosa Jr. to share the thought process he went through in reporting the story and in choosing what to include.

Here's what he had to say:

"The dog owner wanted to tell me the details. He said it felt good to talk about it, even though he sometimes choked or his voice cracked over the phone.

"He wanted me to know how bad it was because he didn't want dog owners to suffer like he did. He felt it was important that others know about the risks of having a small dog around big dogs in a dog park.

"I hate to admit this, but when I was writing the part of when the couple hurried to take Grr to the hospital, I started choking up. I didn't really think about how sad it was until I wrote it. I'm a small-dog owner and I wouldn't want that to happen to my baby."

As for how the owners of the dog felt about the story, here's an e-mail they sent Felix after it was published:

"Thank you for writing the article about Grr. We really appreciate that you kept it in the spirit of what we wanted to say. Our esteem for your newspaper has gone up tremendously.

Thanks again,

Sarah and Spencer Schluter"

My take: The description of the attack and Grr's death were a minute portion of this story, and was tastefully handled.

I'm sorry you found the story so disturbing, but it was a disturbing event, and I thought Felix handled it well.

Reader: Thank you reporter Jason Kotowski for your follow-up story about the extraordinary actions of the two men who performed an amazing rescue of two people involved in the head-on crash on Granite Road last Sunday. William Roper and Ray Haycock are true heroes and deserve such recognition.

I was one of the drivers who happened on the accident, but was stopped several vehicles back so I had no view of the actual scene. I did learn it was a head-on crash and shuddered at the thought. It wasn't until I read reporter Louis Medina's account of the accident on Monday that I learned about unnamed passers-by rescuing the two drivers.

Why am I not really surprised? Their actions are pretty indicative of what you would expect in our area. Thank goodness Kern County is still a place where people care enough to become involved, even at their own risk. Their quick thinking and resourceful actions saved two people. I'm grateful such men live among us.

-- Mary K. Shell

Jenner: Your comments about Kern County still being a place where people will put themselves at risk to help others are right on, and we love to celebrate such heroes on the front page.

I invite readers to tell us about such heroes and suggest such stories by calling the News Desk at 395-7384 or by e-mailing local@bakersfield.com.

Reader: I think you should publish the morning and afternoon television programs at least for Saturday and Sunday. This aspect is pretty important to the sports buffs in town. If I can't dig the channel and time for an NFL game from the sports page, where do I go?

-- Norm Barone

Jenner: We do publish the listings for televised sports every weekend. A full slate is available in Friday's paper, and on Saturday and Sunday we list that day's programming in Sports.

Reader: While I didn't like your decision to cancel the weekly TV guide, I can live with the current daily TV page with one change: If the listing doesn't indicate whether or not the program is new, the page is useless. I am sure I am not alone in refusing to watch what the TV industry euphemistically calls "encore presentations." The L.A. Times seems to be able to do this and I see no reason why you can't do so also.

Sincerely,

-- Glenn Wells

Jenner: I see no reason why we can't do it, either. Our listings provider tells us they can distinguish between new and recycled programming, and we've asked them to begin making that distinction in the listings. Look for this feature to begin in the next week or so.

Reader: "Fiery head-on crash injures 2" (last Sunday, Page B4): Right next to the Sound Off column, which has some items regarding goofs, appear the words: "Byrd was removed the vehicle Kern County firefighters, Arnold said." That is not a sentence. Are you eliminating prepositions as a cost-saving measure?

"Wildfires rage ..." (Page A11):

This is an Associated Press article, so you're not solely to blame, but it refers to "Highway 395, which runs along the eastern spine of the mountain range ..." This makes it sound as if 395 is in or very near the Sierras in the area being discussed when the highway is actually several miles away from the (high) mountains.

The article is not very clearly written in that it's quite vague as to where the fire is. There are hand-waving references to the John Muir Wilderness area but it's uncertain if the fire is in the wilderness or just somewhere nearby. The article mentions 395 being closed between Big Pine and Lone Pine but doesn't say why it's closed.

All in all, a not very well-written article.

-- Everett Greene

Jenner: Ugh! It always makes us cringe when we have errors of any kind in the paper, or when stories are vague. Thanks for reading us closely.

Reader: I would like to thank everyone for the article regarding the stolen palms, especially the diligent California Highway Patrol for their watchful eyes.

I would also like to thank the owner of the property, Dick Watson, for giving me palms to replace the stolen ones. To some it might have seemed trivial but to those of us that have had things stolen it was quite personal.

Thank you also to Californian reporter Maggie Anderson for her hard work in gathering all the information. It is nice to know that people still read the paper.

-- Shirley Brown

Reader: I would like to thank the Californian's Eye Cook crew and Urner's for doing such a good job Saturday, June 30. They were all very courteous and helpful. Also a thank- you goes to the other sponsors. I met some very nice cooks and employees.

And last but not least, a great big thank you goes to the judges: Herb, Merv and Myles.

-- Doris Patrick