On October 8, 2009, the Duluth News Tribune ran a front-page story entitled “Wild ride coming to Duluth.” Written by veteran reporter John Myers, the story was about the Alpine Coaster, a new ride being planned for Spirit Mountain.
“It’s the coolest thing ever,” Renee Mattson, executive director of Spirit Mountain, is quoted as saying. “This is going to be a great thing for us and for all of Duluth.” The project, which “already has the blessing of city officials and the Spirit Mountain board,” is expected to cost “more than $2 million.”
For a front-page story, the article was curiously short, both in length and on facts. For example, it neglected to mention where the $2 million was going to come from, merely quoting Mattson as saying that the ride “is expected to pay for itself quickly.” None of the city officials who supposedly blessed the project were quoted, or even identified. No city councilors were asked to comment on the project. Indeed, other than Mattson, no local person was asked to comment at all.
The story was accompanied by a massive full-color picture of a guy in shorts and sunglasses sailing through a green forest in a plastic yellow coaster on stainless steel rails. Weirdly, this was not a photo of a Duluthian or anything in Duluth, but a promotional photo lifted from the website of the Wisp Resort, a recreation area in Maryland.
Obviously, an article like this—one that answers no questions, provides no context, interviews no people and borrows its pictures from advertising brochures—is not journalism at all, but a press release.
It is not unusual for newspapers to run press releases—this group is having a meeting, that group is hosting a dinner. Such items are generally a few lines long, buried deep in the paper with no author mentioned. In this case, however, the press release was elevated to front-page status, given an excited headline and dressed up with a John Myers byline. One wonders how Mr. Myers—a seasoned reporter well versed in the philosophy of watchdog journalism, after all—felt about putting his name to such a piece of garbage. Did he feel a twinge of shame, or did he merely hit Return and reach into his desk drawer for another jelly doughnut?
More importantly, one wonders: Why did the News Tribune do it?
One has to view this as more than a simple slip-up. Assuming that the powers that be at the News Tribune are capable of distinguishing real journalism from a press release, one can only conclude that the royal treatment given this particular press release was calculated and intentional.
Any remaining doubt we might have had on this score was removed the next day, October 9, when the News Tribune followed up its abysmal reporting with an editorial entitled, “Bring on the slide.”
When was the last time Duluth had a new bona fide reason for visitors to scream, “We gotta go back there!” or “We gotta check that out!”?
The Alpine Coaster ride being planned at Spirit Mountain has promise to be Duluth’s next big thing.
And the next big thing for the ski hill, too. Not only will the ride push the recreation area closer to becoming a year-around attraction as it has always been envisioned, it’ll generate revenue to pay for other projects that also will help Spirit Mountain succeed. Things like snow-making equipment that pumps water from the St. Louis River rather than drawing from the city’s water supply.
The stainless steel track ride, the first of its kind in the Midwest, is to cost $2 million to build. But it’s an investment that could quickly be recouped via ticket sales. Who won’t be eager to plunk down a measly eight bucks to whisk 750 feet downhill, achieving speeds of up to 26 mph? Views will be unbeatable. Less-adventurous riders will be able to control their speed. And the automatic ride back up could be just as big a thrill.
Visitors and locals alike will ride again and again. And then maybe head up to Lutsen to ride its similar Alpine Slide.
This proposal fits. It complements an attraction that already exists, meets the region’s need for fresh draws, ties in with the existing ski hill, and doesn’t disrupt the environment. The ride will wind around existing natural features. Little tree-cutting will be necessary.
Construction could begin as soon as spring, and the new ride could be open by midsummer — but only if the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission and City Council sign off this month.
If the details prove as enticing, as promising and as sound as the proposal, neither body should hesitate to approve what very well could be Duluth’s much-needed next big thing.
Does any of this sound familiar—the over-the-top enthusiasm (the project is “fresh,” “enticing,” “promising,” “sound,” “the next big thing”), the giddy assertions based on nothing (“Visitors and locals alike will ride again and again”! “It’s an investment that could quickly be recouped via ticket sales”!), the casual dismissal of any possible criticism (“Who won’t be eager to plunk down a measly eight bucks?”), the closing demand for public officials to fall into line and approve it? Does any of this ring a bell?
I am reminded of another editorial, published in the News Tribune on July 28, 2000.
Lively, detailed, lovingly hand-crafted, hands-on exhibits should spark new interest among young and old, resident and visitor, skeptic and enthusiast in the unique qualities of freshwater ecosystems….
After 11 years of persistence in the face of ongoing skepticism, hours upon hours of fundraising, painstaking attention to detail and stubborn commitment to freshwater preservation worldwide, Duluth’s Great Lakes Aquarium is finally a reality.
The Great Lakes Aquarium is a place to return to time and again—and to bring friends, family and visitors.
With television, it would be more understandable. Television news stories rarely, if ever, venture far from the realm of press releases. Television reporters are too busy fixing their hair, brushing on makeup, and standing in snowdrifts with microphones to update everyone on the weather to bother much with reporting. Once you weed out the sports stories, the breast cancer awareness stories, the lost pet stories, the burned-down-house stories and whatever lady-with-a-big-collection-of-something stories happen to coincide with that night’s news cycle, there isn’t much left. And that’s okay, or at least unsurprising, because we don’t expect anything more from television.
Newspapers are different. Even in today’s environment of slashed reporting staffs, newspapers have a little more time to do it right. There is no evidence that Myers did anything but spew out the press release verbatim. A simple Google search of the phrase “Spirit Mountain master plan” would have instantly turned up three articles on the subject—two written by me (here and here) and one written by Richard Thomas of Business North magazine (here)—that would have provided some context for the Alpine Coaster story.
Since the News Tribune seems unwilling to do its job, allow me to fill the breach.
The Alpine Coaster story is the first salvo in a public relations campaign being waged by Spirit Mountain to increase their share of the city’s tourism tax. Currently, Spirit Mountain receives $225,000 a year in tourism tax, which it uses to pay off bonds for past improvements. They would like the city to raise this amount to $450,000 annually. Mayor Don Ness has told the board that such an increase will not happen in 2009, but there is a possibility that it could happen in 2010.
The $2 million required to build the Alpine Coaster will come from capital improvement bonds issued by the city, similar to bonds the city issued last year to finance the DECC expansion. As with all such bonds, the city is ultimately held responsible for repayment. If the wild fever dreams of Renee Mattson and the News Tribune editorial board don’t quite pan out as expected, the city will be held accountable.
No studies of any sort have been done on the potential economic impact of the Alpine Coaster. Any predictions that appear in the media are nothing more than speculation fueled by hope. As far as Spirit Mountain is concerned, it wouldn’t be such a terrible thing if the Alpine Coaster did fall a little short, as this would give them a great reason to ask for more tourism tax.
If built, the Alpine Coaster will be the first visible component of Spirit Mountain’s updated master plan, which was approved by the city council on August 25, 2008. Johnson Controls, Inc. is the company responsible for oversight and implementation of the master plan.
A major part of the master plan calls for Spirit Mountain to build a pipeline from the St. Louis River to the ski hill, to establish its own water supply for snowmaking and thereby eliminate the need to purchase city water. Although no physical work has begun on the pipeline, a great deal of behind-the-scenes work involving permits and engineering has already been completed. The official project schedule prepared by Short Elliott Hendrickson, subcontractor for the pipeline, shows that permitting is largely complete and that final design of the pipeline will begin in November of 2009—that is, now (Figure 1, prepared by Short Elliot Hendrickson Inc./Jeffrey R. Ledin, PE).
Figure 1. Schedule for Spirit Mountain Water Supply Infrastructure Improvements
To date, SEH has been paid $43,000 for their services, which money came from a $350,000 interest-free line of credit that the city extends to Spirit Mountain to cover their expenses during the off-season. This money is separate from the tourism tax. When the final design and construction estimates for the pipeline are completed, Spirit Mountain will undoubtedly use them as another reason to ask for more tourism tax.
According to the experts on the News Tribune editorial board, the Alpine Coaster will not only pay for itself, but will also generate enough money to pay for the pipeline. Does this mean they have any idea what the pipeline will cost? Of course not. They’re just spouting off any old thing, because they’re so excited by the project they can’t think straight.
Here are the numbers. Preliminary estimates developed by Spirit Mountain’s Finance Subcommittee and presented to the board on January 22, 2009 put the cost of the pipeline project, including a new maintenance shed to house the pumps, at $6.4 million. When added to the $2 million cost of the Alpine Coaster, we come up with $8.4 million that the News Tribune believes the ride will pay for. At $8 per ride—and without considering maintenance, labor or inflationary costs—this means that 1,050,000 riders will have to zip screaming down the mountain before the projects break even. Is this realistic? Does anybody care?
I find it highly amusing that the News Tribune calls the Alpine Coaster Duluth’s “next big thing.” It so happens that I wrote an article two years ago with exactly that title, in which I argued that the city will never be able to climb out of debt, because as soon as it starts to, the “next big thing” comes along and wipes out any progress that’s been made. The fact that the News Tribune uses the phrase three times in a single editorial does little to change my point of view.
Now (you may ask yourself) how is it that I, an average citizen operating on a voluntary basis, am privy to such detailed information about these projects, while the veteran reporters at the News Tribune are forced to rely on press releases? Do I have an inside track, some plugged-in contact who feeds me juicy tips?
Far from it. Actually, I find that most of the people at Spirit Mountain don’t even like me much. The reason I have information is because I attend board meetings and get copies of everything that is discussed. News Tribune reporters do not. That’s the whole secret.
Now, I hardly think that I just happened to stumble across the one board that DNT reporters neglect. I don’t think they go anywhere, unless somebody calls them up and says something is happening. This is lazy, irresponsible journalism, and it is the journalism of Duluth. There is so much going on, so many boards holding public meetings on so many topics and issues, and yet we don’t know anything about them, because the members of our particular Fourth Estate are content to sit at their desks and twiddle their thumbs while waiting for the phone to ring.
Although this arrangement shortchanges the public as a whole, certain people find that it works very much to their advantage. If you are somebody with an agenda, say, and you believe that positive, uncritical media attention will help your cause, why, just wait until the time is ripe—say, a few weeks before the city council is scheduled to vote on your proposal—and pick up the phone to call the News Tribune. Tell them what to print and they will print it. It’s as easy as that.
on Oct 14th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Bravo, John.
on Oct 14th, 2009 at 11:12 am
nice piece of work John. keep it up!
on Oct 14th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Nice work John – epic smackdown. I would only broaden the focus of this one line:
“This is lazy, irresponsible journalism, and it is the journalism of Duluth. ”
It is the journalism of America for the past forever, seems to me… Oh look something shiny
on Oct 14th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Came to this post via an email from my wife with the subject “Why the DNT is so bad.” Just about sums it up.
Great post- our community could use a lot more of this!
on Oct 16th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
I think there can be honest disagreement as to whether we missed this one … but to point to this one example and say “the DNT stinks here’s why” is really cutting us short. We cover more public meetings than any other local news organization combined. We dig into more documents and data than any other news organization combined. We have more investigative reporting than any other local news organization combined. This year alone I’ve uncovered and broke numerous stories that would not have been reported by any other organization otherwise.
Yes, we are not doing nearly what we have done in the past, a result of 1) trying to produce more content for the web while 2) having a smaller staff. I wish we could look with a close eye at every single issue in this city. We can’t. I’m glad there are people like John Ramos to challenge us and pick up where we haven’t gone.
But come on now: to call us lazy, to say that we only go somewhere unless the public calls us is such a gross misrepresentation of what we do here and how hard we work. And John, you of all people should know that.
on Oct 17th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
I don’t know whether the DNT journos are lazy or if they’re simply too dependent on the powers-that-be and advertisers for survival, to the point that the DNT has become Duluth’s Pravda. Brandon talks about all the stories he’s broken, but at the same time, there are too many stories right in front of him he’s missed. There’s an obvious reluctance to take on the power structure with hard-hitting investigative reports such as the one John’s written above. Brandon, how many stories have you broken this year have been stories that have made the powerbrokers in town really squirm? Yep, I didn’t think so.
And I know one recent story you were working on that was killed. All I can say is, thank god. Peering into someone’s private life is not investigative journalism, Brandon, it’s bottom-feeding voyeurism.
I remember the DNT as it used to be and I read the DNT as it is now and I wince. Thank god for citizen journalists like John Ramos to do the work the DNT should be doing but can’t. I wish there was a Duluth version of MinnPost, we desperately need it. There’s too much at stake for our community to be fed pap by our local paper instead of real news.
on Oct 17th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Sometimes one example is all you need.
I would not say that the DNT “missed” the Alpine Coaster story so much as rolled out a red carpet for it. Complete with full-color advertising on the front page, the story was everything Spirit Mountain could have wished for. My rage comes from seeing the region’s largest daily newspaper operating as a publicity shill for Spirit Mountain.
If the DNT is going to run this kind of meaningless garbage and call it news, can they be trusted to write anything remotely critical, or even realistic, about Spirit Mountain? This isn’t really directed at you, Brandon, but at John Myers, who wrote the article, Chuck Frederick, who wrote the editorial, and whoever else in the upper echelons of DNT management collaborated with Spirit Mountain on this story. What was the deal there, guys?
Perhaps you could write that question on a Post-it note and stick it to their computer screens for me, Brandon.
on Oct 19th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
I just can’t believe how lazy the DNT reporters are — or maybe they just don’t care. Look at the Becky Hall profile, a perfect example. Becky Hall says to Brandon Stahl, that it’s a “myth” that she’s a well-to-do, stay-at-home mom. So he writes that — though later in the article, he writes, “Hall, who lives on London Road in Lakeside with her husband, an orthopedic surgeon, and their five children, is a stay-at-home mom. . . . ” Hunh? And again, in the article, Hall tells Stahl she’s “not necessarily a Republican.” So he writes this, without calling her out on her close and recent associations with the Republican Party. This spoon-feeding puff stories and outright lies to the media by powerbrokers and others goes on all the time. Is it any wonder that Renee Mattson would feed the paper the Alpine Slide story and they’d go for it, hook, line, and sinker? This kind of credulity is par for the course at the DNT these days. They’re too close to the powerbrokers to be objective and to ask the necessary questions.
on Nov 11th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Hey John,
A guy like you should look at UMD and that Rod Raymond issue. Questions a good reporter like yourself should be asking are:
1. How can UMD investigate itself concerning Rod Raymond, when they down the road could be sued? Do you think this investigation might be slanted?
2. Why are not the police involved in this Raymond case if he did those things?
3. How many young women have come forward now? I heard 12 to 18 now about Raymond, yet he is out on the street, where is the Duluth PD?
4. Would there be a conflict of interest if you did investigate Raymond, seeing that his businesses support one of your media outlets (the Translstor)?
Also, why are you spent so much time investigating SMRA? Did you lose a job there? Do you hate skiing?
Why don’t you look into medical costs and why they keep on going up? Who is benefiting here in Duluth with these costs going up?
Come on John, be the reporter you dream of becoming, Start with UMD and then the Medical Mafia.
Bill
on Nov 12th, 2009 at 11:01 am
I don’t think investigating Rod Raymond would be a conflict of interest for me. It’s just not my kind of story. Exercise, fitness, snowshoeing, some guy strumming a guitar in a candlelit den of seduction…none of this gets me going.
As for rapidly rising medical costs, I can think of nothing more boring. My interests lie with elected officials, government budgets and the exercise of political power. And the media.
One reason I spend so much time investigating stories and publishing them for free is to prove that average citizens can do it. In my more optimistic moments, I hope that my efforts may inspire others to do the same. In reality, however, I find that the more I investigate things, the more people want me to investigate other things. Wild Bill, for instance, presents me with a list of questions he wants me to answer. I urge him to do his own legwork.
I have never worked at SMRA, nor do I hate skiing. I began attending board meetings because SMRA is a recipient of the tourism tax, which I have studied for years.
on Nov 13th, 2009 at 8:32 am
Wild Bill knows the answers to at least question #1.
on Dec 25th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
John,
A snowy Christmas Day in southern Wisconsin, presents opened, a glass of wine at hand. It’s enough to turn a man’s mind to thoughts of what was before contemplating, as soon we all must, the will-be of the New Year.
“I wonder what’s going on in places I used to inhabit?” I ask myself.
There are many such places, but in time I land at the talented Mr. Ramos’s Web site and this Spirit Mountain posting. Excellent work John. You deserve to be paid for it, but that will not happen in Duluth. Oligarchies do not like or tolerate truth-tellers, much less pay them.
But come on John, you know as well as I do that the bad newspaper article you critique, produced by the seasoned reporter, was not the product of sloth. It was the product of fear, though none of the folks associated with its production would ever admit it. You don’t think they get to be seasoned Duluth reporters and editors by aggressive reporting on local heavies and the industries they love, do you?
God bless all of Duluth’s plaid shirts. Joe and Molly Duluth deserve so much better than they’re getting, or will ever get, from Duluth’s suits and tuxedos. Because, in Duluth, it really is all about the suits and tuxedos, no matter what the local myth-makers and press-release-like newspaper articles say.
Keep fighting the good fight, John, till it is no longer good for you. Then, move on. I have. No regrets. No longer angry, but still sad for the inequities and lies and casual cruelties that so many allow to exist in plain sight while laying claim to virtue and a paycheck.
We are all nighttime travelers, bumping into things in the dark. But some light candles.
Pete