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BART's failed press mainpulation

09.14.11 - 2:17 pm | Tim Redmond |
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Another nice scoop by Zusha Elinson at the Bay Citizen: He's got emails showing how BART tried to set up a fake counter-protest and press conference to skew media coverage toward how protests were inconveniencing riders.

The brainchild of Linton Johnson, BART's PR chief (and the man who brought you the cell-phone shutoff), the plans included a pre-written script and a couple of private SUVs with drivers to take the BART loyalists to the press conference.

You can't make this shit up.

BART's attempts to avoid protests and manipulate the press appear to exceed its interest in reforming police practices. I wonder, sometimes, if the BART Board is even paying attention.

Comments

So you can protest but BART cannot?

It seems perfectly reasonable to me that BART should encourage those who wish to protest the behavior of those who seek to disrupt train service.

This story is on life support, Tim. Give it up. Everyone else has.

Posted by PaulT on Sep. 14, 2011 @ 2:56 pm
BART is perpetrating a fraud

About a third of BART's budget comes from the taxpayers, half from commuters. Is this how they're wasting our money? It's outrageous. The DA should start an investigation a.s.a.p.

Posted by Lisa on Sep. 15, 2011 @ 5:50 pm
OK when SEIU does it?

Can the mock shock Tim,

Everyone scripts their demos. How many times have you seen the vans and buses from A. Philip Randolph and the bevy of Judas goats pushing the Lennar agenda?

A bit off topic but if you want to see what I think will be great theatre then watch the Board's Rules Committee tomorrow. Item #5 involves filling 4 seats on the very very important Reentry Council. The heads of all of the Public Safety departments are part of it along with ex-cons. These 4 seats are all for ex-cons and there are 15 applicants. Their testimony will be fascinating. 1:30pm

Giants win 4th in a row!

h.

Posted by h. brown on Sep. 14, 2011 @ 3:39 pm
Why does PaulT argue, when he is so easily proven a liar?

Google news search: BART

BART and protesters could use a few pointers‎
San Francisco Chronicle - 1 hour ago
(09-14) 14:55 PDT San Francisco -- After more than a month of weekly BART protests, we can say there is plenty of blame to go around for both the tone-deaf ...
BART offered riders scripts and free travel to pro-BART news ...‎ San Jose Mercury News
BART: No More Fake News‎ The Bay Citizen
Q&A: How BART Tried to Stage Media Coverage‎ KQED (blog)
NBC Bay Area - KGO-TV
all 18 news articles »

Inside BART's Propaganda Campaign‎
The Bay Citizen - 23 hours ago
11, BART recruited loyal riders, prepared a script for them to read from, and hired a car service to take them to and from a press conference intended to ...
Blog: I'm not a BART protester‎ SFGate.com (blog)
Small group protests BART - no service disruption‎ San Francisco Chronicle
No arrests amid new BART protest in San Fran‎ San Jose Mercury News
Bay Area Indymedia - NBC Bay Area
all 97 news articles »

Posted by Guest on Sep. 14, 2011 @ 3:52 pm
No lie. I simply stated that I see nothing wrong

with BART engaging in some "free speech" of their own.

Although given that there are less and less protestors each week, they need hardly bother.

Never has so much hot air been about so little.

Posted by PaulT on Sep. 14, 2011 @ 4:28 pm
Here's your lie, PaulT. In your own words.

"This story is on life support, Tim. Give it up. Everyone else has."
PaulT on Sep. 14, 2011 @ 2:56 pm

A simple Google news search proves you lied when you said EVERYONE ELSE has given up on the story of BART's continuing saga of wrongdoing.

So the question remains:
Why blow hot gas in an attempt to support the idiots who waste our money at BART, when even the most retarded chimp capable of reading your falsehoods will immediately recognize the complete lack of factual support?

Posted by Guest on Sep. 14, 2011 @ 6:14 pm
Talk it up all you want, "Guest", but

this dog is deader than a dodo.

Posted by PaulT on Sep. 14, 2011 @ 6:34 pm
PaulT vs. The Real World

More than 100 articles written and published in the last day, and you make the laughable claim that the story "is on life support" and everyone else has moved on.

Then there is your disagreement with BART itself regarding the latest revelation of wrongdoing on their part:

BART spokesman in hot water for staging support
Justin Berton, Chronicle Staff Writer
(09-14) 14:46 PDT SAN FRANCISCO --
"The head of BART's Board of Directors on Wednesday denounced an attempt by the transit agency's chief spokesman to stock a news conference with riders critical of activists"

"It seems perfectly reasonable to me"
PaulT on Sep. 14, 2011 @ 2:56 pm

Posted by Guest on Sep. 14, 2011 @ 9:27 pm
So it's OK when activists pack City Hall meetings

to create the delusion that "the people" believe this or that, but BART aren't allowed to do anything to ensure greater balance at these "events"?

Posted by PaulT on Sep. 15, 2011 @ 10:08 am
Administrators appointed by

Administrators appointed by elected bodies organizing against the interests of the electors will work out as well for BART as it did for Arlene Ackerman here in SF and Philadelphia. I'm sure we can count on six figure payouts in either case, but still.

Did you miss studying up democratic legitimacy and conflict of interest when you were being spoon fed ahistorical right wing economics?

Posted by marcos on Sep. 15, 2011 @ 10:15 am