Editorial Practices at 21 Newspapers in U.S. Metropolitan Cities

Editorial Practices at 21 Newspapers in U.S. Metropolitan Cities

In 2010, I co-managed Tyler Ingraham's candidacy for District 1 of Alamo Colleges. In the process, I learned that The San Antonio Express-News doesn't allow members of a campaign to observe its editorial interviews. Also, The San Antonio Express-News only provides a snippet of the information gathered during its editorial interviews to the public. For an hour, candidates for the board of trustees for Alamo Colleges responded to intelligent questions from veteran editors, yet only a sliver of this valuable information was made public. In the race for District 1, The San Antonio Express-News published only a 531-word editorial endorsing Thomas Hoy, a well-qualified candidate. However, Joe Alderete, a man indicted for stealing money as a city councilperson and the least-informed candidate, won. Had the editorial interview been made public, this may not have happened. If the editorial interviews of The San Antonio Express-News were made public -- with audio, transcripts or video -- San Antonians would have the opportunity to learn if candidates' answers to questions from well-informed editors are satisfactory. If the answers aren't satisfactory, the candidates don't deserve residents' votes. 

In other cities, editorial interviews are made public. In other cities, newspapers provide their readers with the valuable knowledge derived from editorial interviews.  

Given that I was barred from observing the Q&A with candidates for the board of trustees for Alamo Colleges and given that The San Antonio Express-News hasn't regularly provided audio, video or transcripts of its editorial interviews with candidates, I started a petition with Tyler Ingraham in an effort to improve the editorial practices of The San Antonio Express-News. 

After reading the petition, faculty at The University of Texas at San Antonio and San Antonio College encouraged me to research the editorial practices at other major, daily newspapers. I did, and here are the results. If I were to modify the petition directed at The San Antonio Express-News, I'd request that unabridged transcripts of all editorial interviews be made available to the public.    

Four questions were sent to daily newspapers in populous cities. The questions involve each newspaper's editorial practices. Responses primarily came from editorial editors. The report is attached.

Teasers from the Report: 

"We have discussed on numerous occasions the idea of videotaping the interviews and posting the videos online. We attempted to do it on several occasions but encountered resistance from the interviewees. (They agree to our policy that such interviews are on the record and will be audio-taped, but object to the videotaping.) Ironically, one of those who objected to the videotaping was Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former actor." -- Editorial and Opinion Editor William Osborne with The San Diego Union-Tribune

"It's already hard enough to get candidates to say anything substantive even when their comments are not going to be broadcast." -- Editorial Page Editor Bob Caldwell with The Oregonian 

Some Comments from Petitioners: 

"Dear Mr. Rivard, I thoroughly agree with Mr. Pohl; this would be a remarkable service to the community. If the service is also publicized it might increase voter turnout. (When my wife and I voted late in the day in the District 7 runoff for the Alamo Colleges Board, we were sixth and seventh voters for the day.) As an additional incentive, if you announce that you intend to follow Mr. Pohl's suggestion, I will hold off on my plan to cease subscribing to your ever dwindling, minimally covering, and poorly proof read newspaper." -- Dr. Charles Feldston 

"Since most voters know nothing about most of the candidates on a long ballot, making interviews with candidates public would provide an important service to representative democracy." -- Dr. Steven G. Kellman

"I have taught at SAC for many years, and I fully endorse the petition that is presented here. Making the interviews public would give voters much more information about the ACCD candidates for the board. More information should lead to more informed voters." -- Professor Janice Clayton 

www.newsworthysanantonio.com,

Robert J. Pohl
(210) 638-0475
pohl.robert@gmail.com

Newsworthy San Antonio: A Collaborative, Journalistic Project

General Electric, the nation’s largest corporation, had a very good
year in 2010.

The company reported worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, and said $5.1
billion of the total came from its operations in the United States.

Its American tax bill? None. In fact, G.E. claimed a tax benefit of
$3.2 billion.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/business/economy/25tax.html?hp


"President Obama has chosen GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt to replace Paul
Volcker as the head of his Economic Recovery Advisory Board, now
reframed as a "Jobs and Competitiveness Council." According to Fox
News talking head Noelle Nikpour, the appointment is yet another
example of "Chicago-style politics payback." The new position is a
reward, so her analysis goes, for NBC's "rooting" for Obama over the
last two years."

http://www.salon.com/technology/how_the_world_works/2011/01/21/jeffrey_immelt

Michael Moore: The Rich Are Committing Class Warfare on Us

Michael Moore sat down with Stephen Colbert to talk about the Republican governors and corporate America's assault on the working class in America.

No federal tax expense for Bank of America in 2010

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/03/25/2753024/no-federal-tax-expense-for-bank.html

By RICK ROTHACKER

McClatchy Newspapers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - After another money-losing year, Bank of America Corp. got the upper hand with Uncle Sam in 2010.

The Charlotte-based bank had no federal income tax expense for a second straight year and actually reported a tax "benefit" of nearly $1 billion. Also, the bank's billions in accumulated losses could reduce its taxes in future years, a tax expert said.

The bank says the reason is simple: Corporations pay taxes on their profits, and Bank of America posted a pre-tax loss of $5.4 billion in the U.S. in 2010.

"Bank of America takes its role as a corporate citizen very seriously, and pays taxes in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations," bank spokesman Jerry Dubrowski said.

That doesn't satisfy a group that has been staging protests at Bank of America branches around the country and crashed the bank's New York investor conference this month. The bank is an "aggressive tax dodger," said Ryan Clayton, a Washington-based organizer of U.S. Uncut. "We pay our taxes. Why don't they?"

Clayton's group suggests Bank of America and other large U.S. companies are using subsidiaries in offshore tax havens to eliminate their taxes.

Bank of America and other companies do avoid paying taxes on profits they make in overseas operations by reinvesting these proceeds overseas, instead of bringing them back home. Some business leaders recently have called for a lower tax rate on these earnings, a move they contend would encourage companies to bring these profits to the U.S.

Corporate tax returns aren't public, so it's not apparent what companies actually pay in taxes or receive in rebates. But each year companies in their annual reports provide information on the income tax "expense" or "benefit" they recorded in their financial statements. These numbers do show the bottom-line impact. An expense reduces net income for the year; a benefit adds to net income.

In 2010, Bank of America reported a federal income tax benefit of $953 million. But the bank did have an expense for state, local and foreign income taxes: about $1.9 billion. That means, combined, the bank had a total tax expense of $915 million last year.

In 2009, the bank had an overall tax benefit of $1.9 billion, counting federal, state, local and foreign taxes, because of losses that year, too.

In contrast, San Francisco-based Wells Fargo, which bought Charlotte's Wachovia in 2008, made money each year. Wells had a total tax expense of $6.3 billion in 2010. That was up from 2009, when it had a tax expense of $5.3 billion.

In light of its losses, it's not surprising that Bank of America did not have a federal tax expense in 2010, said tax expert Bob Willens of New York-based Robert Willens LLC. Individuals, in contrast, pay taxes based on their income minus certain deductions. Corporations essentially deduct all of their expenses.

It's also not unusual for a company to pay no federal taxes, while still paying state and local taxes, Willens said. Items that can be deducted for federal purposes aren't always deductible for state and local returns, he said. State taxes can also be based on the amount of capital deployed in a state, not pre-tax income.

Dubrowski, the bank spokesman, said the company's taxes rise and fall with each year's financial performance, but over time it has been a major taxpayer. From 2000 to 2009, the bank had a federal income tax expense of $40 billion, which it calculates is more than any other U.S. company. Adding state income taxes, property taxes and other payments, the bank doled out $60 billion in that period, he said.

U.S. Uncut has focused attention on the bank's 2009 tax benefit and plans another rally at bank branches across the country on Saturday. The group, modeled after a similar one in the United Kingdom, contends massive government spending cuts could be curbed if corporations paid their fair share, Clayton said.

He pointed to a 2008 U.S. Government Accountability Office report that found 83 of the largest 100 publicly traded companies have subsidiaries in offshore tax havens, which the GAO defined as jurisdictions with no or nominal taxes. Bank of America had 311 foreign subsidiaries, including 115 in tax havens. The study said the existence of the subsidiaries didn't necessarily mean the companies tried to reduce taxes.

Dubrowski said Bank of America is a global company that has foreign subsidiaries for legal, accounting and client reasons. He noted the bank pays U.S. income taxes on "virtually all of the income" out of its offices in the Cayman Islands, where 59 of the 115 subsidiaries identified by the GAO were located. He didn't have data available on the other locations.

As for U.S. Uncut, Dubrowski said "the individuals claiming to protest this issue are simply pursuing their own private agenda." He added: "We won't let such outlandish claims tarnish the reputation of our company and our employees."

Under U.S. law, Bank of America has been able to save on taxes by keeping profits made in foreign operations invested abroad. In its annual report, the bank said it had $17.9 billion in earnings parked overseas at the end of 2010. Returning that amount to the U.S. would have incurred $2.6 billion in taxes, the report said.

Business leaders such as Cisco Systems Chief Executive John Chambers have argued that a lower tax rate on these earnings - say 5 percent instead of 35 percent - would encourage companies to bring home $1 trillion in earnings that they could invest in new jobs and research. Critics say companies are likely to hoard the cash or spend it on share buybacks.

Going forward, Bank of America has racked up net operating losses and other "deferred tax assets" that can be used to offset tax bills in the future, said Willens, the tax expert. Losses can be "carried forward" for 20 years. Overall, the bank had net deferred tax assets of $27.1 billion at the end of 2010.

"They will not be contributing to reducing the (federal) budget deficit anytime soon," Willens said.

Dubrowski said he couldn't comment on future taxes because it depends on the amount of income the bank earns, which is still to be determined. A portion of those deferred tax assets would apply only to taxes owed in the United Kingdom, he added. He also noted there are specific rules the bank must follow in applying deferred tax assets.

At an investor conference this month, Bank of America chief executive Brian Moynihan said the bank could someday make between $35 billion to $40 billion in annual pre-tax income. But he acknowledged that might still be two to three years away.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/03/25/2753024/no-federal-tax-expense-for-bank.html#ixzz1HoS5lcgm

USuncutMN is taught political science @demo !!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B508fFCVoNk&feature=player_embedded

Best list of Koch Brothers products yet

http://inspirationgreen.com/koch-brothers-products.html

Great presentation AND includes a timeline of their environmental crimes .. Here in full (long, it is too - but JUST in case it disappears, this keeps it cached. - vas

Koch Brothers' Products  -- We're Surrounded.

If you have been following news about the Koch brothers, you might be curious as to which products they manufacture. 

Lots!  List of koch brothers products

   

Georgia-Pacific also distributes paper towels, napkins and soap dispensing systems used in commerical settings. As well, Georgia-Pacific produces ink and office paper under the GP label and the Spectrum® family of office paper products.

 




Wood Products:


Georgia-Pacific is the largest manufacturer of plywood in the U.S..

Including Plytanium Plywood®, DryPly® plywood, Ply-Bead®.

Georgia-Pacific is one of the country's largest suppliers of corrugated boxes and containers.

Various, numerous wood products, dimensional lumber and building materials. 

ToughRock®, Fireguard®, DensArmor and DensShield® gypsum board.




Chemicals for textiles and plastics
via Invista Products:

• Stainmaster
• Dacron
• Lycra
• CoolMax
• Tactel
• SolarMax
• Polarguard 
• Thermolite
• Comforel fiberfill
• Cordura fabric
• Antron
• DBE® dibasic esters
• Terathane
• ADI-Pure®
• Polyshield®
• Polyclear®
• Oxyclear™
• Performa®
  
  
   

Invista produces a large selection of products under this business, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymers for carbonated soft drink, water, beer, juice, food and custom container applications. Production also includes polyester intermediate feedstocks, film products, fibers, and specialty polymers for a variety of applications, inlcuding PBT-based engineering polymer. 

Chemicals, Coal & Oil:

Through its subsidiaries Koch operates refineries in Alaska, Minnesota and Texas, with a combined crude oil processing capacity of more than 800,000 barrels per day. Koch Industries owns or operates about 4,000 miles of pipelines that transport crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas liquids and chemicals. Koch Minerals and its affiliates are among the world’s largest dry-bulk commodity handlers, marketing and trading more than 40 million tons of coal, coke, cement and other related products annually. Flint Hills Resources produces about 9 billion pounds of building-block chemicals per year. Koch is a leading producer of paving and roofing asphalt. www.kochind.com

Koch Industries Produces:


    * Gasoline
    * Diesel
    * Jet fuel
    * Naphtha
    * Asphalt
    * Benzene
    * Toluene
    * Metaxylene
    * Paraxylene
    * Orthoxylene
    * Cumene
    * Cycohexane
    * Heavy reformate
    * Pseudocumene
    * Sure Sol ® 100
    * Sure Sol ® 150
    * Purified Isophthalic Acid
    * Maleic Anhydride
    * Trimellitic Anhydride
    * Ethylene
    * Chemical Grade Propylene
    * Polypropylene
    * Polyethylene

"In Flint Hills Resources manufacturing plants, various hydrocarbon products are the basic feedstocks. At the refineries, the main feedstock is crude oil. The refineries produce a wide range of transportation fuels for motorists, truckers and the airline industry. In theolefins plants, the company processes natural gas liquids into ethylene and propylene. In the polymers plants, those two products are processed into various forms of olypropylene, which are key ingredients in products such as consumer and healthcare products, packaging and other plastic products. In the aromatics plant, products produced during the crude oil refining process become xylenes, cumenes and other light products. Those products are the building blocks for many other chemicals and plastics."*www.fhrstage.fhr.com

Koch Carbon, LLC and its affiliates globally trade and transport petroleum coke, coal, cement, pulp and paper, sulfur and other related commodities through a network of bulk import/export terminals in the United States and Europe. The C. Reiss Coal Company is a leading supplier of coal and related products typically used in industrial applications or to generate electricity.

Koch Exploration Company, LLC and its affiliates acquire, develop and trade petroleum and natural gas properties in the United States, Canada and Brazil. 

Pipelines:

Koch Pipeline Company, L.P. and its affiliates own or operate about 4,000 miles of pipelines that transport crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas liquids and chemicals. 

Koch Alaska Pipeline Company, LLC owns an approximate 3 percent interest in the Trans Alaska Pipeline System. Another Koch company has a 28 percent interest in Colonial Pipeline Company, owner and operator of the world’s largest-volume refined products pipeline. 

Fertilizer:

Koch Fertilizer, LLC and its affiliates;  have the capability to manufacture, market and distribute more than 10 million tons of nitrogen fertilizer products annually. They distribute to dealers, so their product has many a label. "Fertilizer today is an intensely industrial business more akin to oil refining or chemical production."* www.kochind.com

Equipment:

Koch-Glitsch, LP and its affiliates are global leaders in the design, manufacture and installation of mass transfer and mist elimination equipment. The company’s products are found in refineries and chemical plants worldwide. 

Koch Membrane Systems, Inc. develops and manufactures membrane separation systems for a variety of applications worldwide, including membranes for microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis.

John Zink Company, LLC and its affiliates are global leaders in ultra-low emission process burners, boiler burners, duct burners, flares and thermal oxidizers. The companies are also global suppliers of flare gas/vapor recovery and vapor combustor systems. 

Cattle:

Koch Agriculture Company, operates three ranches with a total of 15,000 head of cattle in Kansas, Montana, and Texas. "Matador Ranch in Texas offers a number of hunting packages that include first-class accommodations. Everything is provided to ensure an enjoyable experience." www.kochind.com

Services:

Koch Supply & Trading companies around the world trade and provide risk management services in crude oil; refined petroleum products; natural gas and gas liquids; gas, power and emissions;  industrial metals; and other commodities and financial instruments.

Optimized Process Designs, Inc. provides consulting, engineering, design, procurement, fabrication and construction services for the natural gas and gas processing industries worldwide. OPD has been the general contractor on some of the largest natural gas plants built in the U.S.

Koch Knight LLC and its affiliates are leaders in acid proof solutions. The companies offer construction, engineering and services through a global network of manufacturing and outsourcing facilities. Their products, made from state-of-the-art ceramics and plastic materials, are available worldwide.

IPT provides the resources and know how to deliver world-scale technology for licensing to a growing portfolio of technologies in the polyester, polyurethane and nylon value chains.

European brands:

• 
  Colhogar®
• Delica®
• Demak'Up®
• Inversoft®
• Kitten Soft®
• Lotus®
• Moltonel®
• Nouvelle®
• Okay
• Tenderly® 
• Tutto®

Source =  www.kochind.com

Logos property of Koch Industries www.worldofkoch.com


 

Georgia-Pacific Products
One more time:

• 
  Angel Soft®
• Brawny®
• Dixie®
• Mardi Gras®
• Quilted Northern®
• Soft ‘n Gentle®
• Sparkle®
  Vanity Fair®
• Zee®

Pollution:

University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute, shows Koch Industries as one of the nation’s top 10 polluters/emitters. See detailed emissions breakdowns - www.peri.umass.edu/toxic_index

A Sampling of Environmental Charges Verses Koch:

September 2000, a federal grand jury in Corpus Christi, Texas returned a 97-count indictment against Koch Industries Inc., Koch Petroleum Group for violating federal clean air and hazardous waste laws, due to the release of at least 91 metric tons of uncontrolled, untreated carcinogenic benzene. www.justice.gov

March 2000, Koch petroleum which operates a refinery in Rosemount, Minn., was sentenced to pay a $6 million criminal fine and pay an additional $2 million in remediation costs to the Dakota County Park System in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. This is the largest federal environmental fine ever paid in Minnesota. Koch admitted that it negligently discharged aviation fuel into a wetland and an adjoining waterway. Even though Koch was aware of the problem, it did not develop a comprehensive plan to recover between 200,000 - 600,000 gallons of released fuel until June 1997. In addition, their way of recovering the fuel destroyed a portion of the surrounding ecosystem and wildlife habitat. In a separate offense, Koch dumped a million gallons of wastewater with high ammonia content on the ground between November 1996 and March 1997 and also increased its flow of wastewater into the Mississippi River on weekends when no one monitored discharges. These actions allowed Koch to circumvent the weekly monitoring and reporting requirements of its wastewater discharge permit. The case was investigated by EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and was prosecuted by the U. S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota. www.ehso.com

Climate Change Denial:

For info on Koch Industries funding of Climate Denial Groups -- See

GreenPeace's report "Koch Industries Funding the Climate Denial Machine"www.greenpeace.org

Revenue:

Koch Industries currently brings in $100 billion in revenue annually.

Each brother is personally worth $21.5 billion. Together 42 billion.*

Koch Industries spent a total of $37.9 million on oil and gas lobbying

from January 2006 to December 2009. www.sourcewatch.org

*www.thinkprogress.org

~ List of Contributors to Scott Walker, VALUABLE ~

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?created&&note_id=177145388998571

Boycott ALL,  Picket those you can!!

From Daily KOS:  A couple of people have posted the link to the boycott list at scottwalkerwatch.com but I thought it'd be eye-opening if everyone saw the complete list here (and I seriously doubt that scottwalkerwatch.com is going to mind):

Political Action Committees ($5000 or more in contributions)

    * ABCPAC-WIS

    * AT&T Wisconsin Employee PAC (formerly SBC)

    * Building a Better WI/Wisconsin Builders Association

    * Concerned Realtors Committee

    * Deere & Company PAC – WI

    * Eli Lilly and Company PAC

    * FONEPAC Telecommunications & Computers

    * Friends & Neighbors of Robin Vos

    * Friends of Alberta Darling

    * HNTB Holdings Ltd PAC

    * KochPAC Natural Resources

    * Managed Health Services/Centene PAC

    * Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance

    * Operating Engineers 139 PAC

    * People for Rebecca Kleefisch

    * Realtors PAC

    * Republican Party Milwaukee Co

    * Republican Party of Wisconsin

    * Tavern Industry PAC

    * TDS Telecom

    * Wal-Mart Stores/WAL-PAC

    * WellPAC Wellpoint Inc

    * WI Credit Union League Action Fund (WCULAF)

    * WI Dental PAC (WIDPAC)

    * WI Insurance Alliance PAC

    * WI Pipe Trades PAC

Employers ($5000 or morein contributions)

    * ABC Supply Co

    * Agrecol Corp

    * Allen Edmonds Shoes

    * AMK Concepts & Services

    * Anew Health Care Services Inc

    * AO Smith Corp

    * Apache Stainless Steel

    * Artisan Partners

    * Atlantic DQ

    * Audio Implements/GKC

    * Badger Meter

    * Baraboo Growth

    * Bevco Ergonomic Seating

    * Blomquist Benefits Consulting

    * Boerke Co Inc

    * Bradley Foundation

    * Brian Retzlaff Trucking

    * Briggs & Stratton

    * Burke Properties

    * Burlington Northern Santa Fe…

    * Call Solutions

    * Campbell Wrapper Corp

    * Carpenter

    * CD Smith Construction

    * Chambers & Owen

    * Charro Restaurante

    * Charter Manufacturing

    * Church Mutual Insurance

    * Cobalt Partners LLC

    * Commonwealth Development Corp…

    * Continental Properties Co Inc

    * County Concrete

    * Couri Insurance Agency

    * Custom Pak Products

    * EBY-Brown Co

    * Einhorn Associates

    * Emergency Medicine Specialists

    * Endeavors Group

    * Fabco Equipment Inc

    * Fashion Angels Enterprises

    * Feather Larson & Synhorst…

    * Fiduciary Management

    * First American Funding

    * Fisher Barton Inc

    * Glenora Co

    * GMR Marketing

    * Gogebic Taconite LLC

    * Gold Leaf Development

    * Hal Leonard Publishing

    * Hammes Co

    * Harris Associates

    * Hay Creek Pallett

    * Heartland Advisors

    * Hexagon Investments

    * High Crossing Development Corp

    * Holton Brothers Construction

    * Horton Group

    * Hovde Financial

    * Hy Cite Corp

    * I-Robot

    * Iconica

    * Inpro Corp

    * Insight Industries

    * Irgens Development Partners

    * Johnson Controls

    * Johnsonville Foods

    * JSD Professional Services Inc

    * Kapur & Associates

    * KBS Construction

    * Koss Corp

    * Krier Foods

    * Kwik Trip

    * Lorman Education Services

    * Lubar & Co

    * M&I Bank

    * Meissner, Tierney, et al

    * Michels Corp

    * Midwest Neurosurgical

    * Milksource

    * MillerCoors

    * Minnesota Wild

    * MJ Construction Inc

    * Morrison Creek Cranberry

    * Nicholas Company Inc

    * Nova Surgical LLC

    * Orthopaedic Associates of…

    * PACUR

    * Panduit Corp

    * Paper Machinery Corp

    * Payne & Dolan

    * Pinstripe Inc

    * Plastic Surgery Group

    * Prent Corp

    * Promotions Unlimited

    * RCI FirstPathway Partners

    * Reiman Publications

    * Richardson Industries

    * Rite Hite Corp

    * Roehl Transport

    * Salomon Smith Barney

    * Sargento Inc

    * SC Johnson & Sons

    * Schneider National

    * School choice

    * Sendik’s Food Market

    * Shannon Sales Inc

    * SIG Financial Holdings

    * Specialty Underwriters

    * St John Properties Inc

    * Standard Process Laboratories

    * Stark Investments

    * Super Steel Products

    * Tamarack Petroleum Co

    * Tankcraft Corp

    * ThedaCare

    * Tries & Rice

    * Uihlein Wilson Architects

    * US Counseling Service

    * US Oil Co

    * V Duane Rath Foundation

    * Wausau Homes

    * Wausau Paper

    * West Allis Salvage

    * West Bend Clinic

    * Zenith Tech (read less)

The goal is not to bring your adversaries to their knees but to their senses. 

                       ~ Mahatma Gandhi