Through my eyes

Ron Davis

I know I’ve been somewhat negative about government lately, so it’s about

time I said something positive.

I need to publicly thank Richard Barnard, deputy city administrator of

Huntington Beach, who supervises HBTV-3.

Two weeks ago I wrote a column regarding our cable channel, reminding you

that we spend almost $600,000 of our money to bring you what I consider

to be nothing more than one-sided, government propaganda.

A couple of weeks before the column was published, I had appeared on the

very kind of show I am critical of, “Your City Your Issues,” as a guest

of Councilman Dave Sullivan.

Sullivan’s invitation to appear as a guest was quite out of character for

government. Sullivan knew that I would be criticizing the very program I

was appearing on, and also advocating electing council members from

districts -- a concept that Sullivan doesn’t necessarily buy into.

I give him credit. It is a rare instance when any member of our city

government knowingly showcases any person who is critical of government

or who holds a contrary view on a given issue.

While it didn’t take much, that appearance fanned my flames of discontent

about HBTV-3. Shortly thereafter I penned a column critical of HBTV-3 and

suggested programming that truly presents all sides of an issue.

Why am I thanking Mr. Barnard? For making my point.

In last week’s Independent, the paper published a letter from Mr.

Barnard, as the spokesperson for the city, in defense of the city’s

proposed spending of $10,000 for the employees’ Christmas party.

Eron Ben-Yehuda, a reporter for the paper, had written a piece about the

party a week earlier, and Barnard claimed that the story “completely left

out the other half of the story.”

But isn’t this what HBTV-3 does, present only half of the story? Are

there really more sides to an issue than the side presented by HBTV-3?

I attribute my confusion on this subject to having watched far too much

HBTV-3.

Barnard was indirectly criticizing this paper and Ben-Yehuda’s story as

incomplete, and suggesting that the city should have the right to fill in

the gaps with government’s version. As Paul Harvey would say, “The rest

of the story.”

Do you get it?

The same man who honcho’s the seldom-presenting-other-sides-of-the-issues

HBTV-3 was actually complaining that the other side wasn’t heard, and

implicitly suggesting the news media -- the Independent -- had some sort

of duty to present an alternate view.

Had this paper followed the practice employed by HBTV-3 about airing all

sides of an issue, then the city’s defense and argument would have lined

a trash can at the editor’s desk.

Thankfully, this paper believed otherwise and published a defense, which

was over twice the size of the original story.

I suggest that it’s fair to demand that gate swing both ways.

Do Mr. Barnard and the City Council not believe that there are those of

us in the city who think the council and the hosts of “Your City Your

Issues” have not presented a complete picture on any number of

significant issues?

The Independent allowed the city, as a critic of both the paper and the

reporter, and with a different take on the issue, to present its case.

For what reason? Because it was the right thing to do.

Try that at HBTV-3.

Ask those in the community who are critical of the city’s agenda on

eminent domain, Wal-Mart, the Bluff Top Park, increased fees, and other

issues, whether they’ve had the same right to express their opinion on

HBTV-3.

Returning to the positive side of me, I have hope.

Mr. Barnard gave me hope in his published remarks affirming his faith in

the people of Huntington Beach: “When they hear the whole story ...”

I share Mr. Barnard’s confidence in the citizens of this community to

make the right decision after they’ve heard the whole story. What I lack

confidence in is our City Council’s willingness to permit the community

to have a program on HBTV-3 that allows the citizens of this community to

hear the whole story, or, as Mr. Barnard said, “the other half of the

story.”

As an aside, I need to also thank those of you who have been encouraging

me to be more positive in my writing. You were right. I feel a whole lot

better.

* RON DAVIS is a private attorney who lives in Huntington Beach. He can

be reached by e-mail at [email protected].