A post from War On Guns

David Codrea posted Monday, The Canons of Journalism. When I read the article, I was surprised that it was about an article in a newspaper I read upon occasion, especially since I do business in the Rio Grande Valley- particularly Hidalgo and Cameron Counties.

The paper in question is the McAllen Monitor, sometimes referred to as "The Monotonous" by the locals. The article is about a new indoor shooting range that will be opened by Sgt. Frank Guerrero of the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Department.

David Codrea took exception, and rightly so IMO, about how the article was written, the "facts" presented and not checked by the reporter Cari Hammerstrom.

From the first paragraph:

"If, in the presence of an overanalyzing golfer, a little sniffle is a distraction, imagine the damage bullets zinging overhead can do to the psyche."

Well my paranoid readers, the only outdoor firing range that I am aware of in Weslaco, Texas is the Weslaco Police Department's outdoor range. So, if bullets really are "zinging overhead", should not the fine citizens of Weslaco, Texas be extremely concerned with the marksmanship of the Weslaco PD? No more than any other city with police departments, but that is a different post entirely.

I contacted a very good friend and business associate of mine, who prefers that I do not mention his name, but was O.K. with using his initials- DC down in the McAllen area, and asked him to check on this for me, and he did. I sent him the link to David's post and he was not pleased at all. He called and spoke with Cari Hammerstrom, who he says swears she has no bias one way or the other, and he said she sounded sincere. Further, DC told me that Cari Hammerstrom stated that she has shot guns on a number of occasions, and even taken courses (PD and Border Patrol). I asked DC if he asked her if that was as a LEO, or just a quick course for reporters, and DC said that he did not clarify this. DC did also tell me that he told Cari Hammerstrom of David Codrea's posting and where to read it- she said she would check it out.

DC then told me that he called the Weslaco PD, and spoke with an operator and a Sgt. Rodriguez, and asked both of them if the Weslaco PD range was north of Tierra Santa, after reading the first three paragraphs of the article to them, and both said yes it is.

Now, neither DC nor I think that the officers of the Weslaco PD are intentionally, or otherwise, "zinging" shots over the Tierra Santa Golf Course as stated in the article, and both of us think David Codrea was right in calling Cari Hammerstrom on the carpet for the sloppy reporting. David Codrea spent about an hour doing research and DC said that he spent all of twenty minutes on the phone. One man is in California and the other in McAllen, and both were able to get better facts than Cari Hammerstrom. Why is this? In my opinion, laziness and a desire for sensationalistic "journalism" by reporters.

Several posts back, I was really angered by Tom Bernardin and his assertions. I stated that men should call such stupidity on the carpet and give no quarter. David Codrea has done the same with reporters with his post and I agree completely.

Thank you David for pointing out Cari Hammerstrom's weak reporting and how easy it can be to disprove the lies and sensationalism of reporters- particularly in today's World. Go over and read his post, and not just the one I reference here, but the many others as well. The man's blog is a damn fine one and worth your effort.

Oh, and, thank you DC for doing the legwork that I could not...

--WP