100s Boycott Mini-Cassia Weekly Mailer/News Journal Advertisers

Categorized | Breaking, Business, Featured

100s Boycott Mini-Cassia Weekly Mailer/News Journal Advertisers

Posted on19 October 2009. Tags: Burley, Business, Idaho, news

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On Thursday, October 15th, 2009 The Weekly News Journal published an article entitled “What People Earn”. The article outlines public employee salaries in the Mini-Cassia area which included city employees, all school employees, Minidoka hospital employees, and numerous other organizations. The article highlighted the top 10 salaries in both counties, and had numerous quotes from the likes of Thomas Jefferson and Aristotle.

The information is public knowledge, but seemed to spark a large amount of public anger towards Weekly Journal and Mailer. Last Friday, a petition started to emerge in select places around the Mini-Cassia area. The petition was put together by citizens who were less than thrilled with seeing their salaries as a newspaper headline. From early reports, it is stated that there are currently 100′s of people who have signed the petition. Here is what it says…..

To Whom It May Concern,

We, the public employees of Cassia and Minidoka Counties, surrounding cities, school districts, local hospitals, friends, and relatives, in response to the recent edition of the Weekly News Journal’s article “What People Earn” do hereby declare that we will no longer be patrons or supporters of the advertisers of the Weekly News Journal or its companion paper the Weekly Mailer. We feel the recent publication, although, a matter of public record, was written with intended malice and retribution toward specific ‘public employees’ for the sole purpose of the publisher’s self gratification.

That is the letter in it’s entirety. The only thing not copied from the letter are the spaces for people to sign.

I am interested to know your thoughts on this Boycott. I am sure there are a lot of people for and against for various reasons, and those points can be discussed below in the comment section. Just follow the comment guidelines!

Reported by Mike Ramsey

Oct 22nd 2009 note from Mike — I removed the list of businesses because I don’t want GoBurley.com to become the place for people to come for a list of companies to boycott. Though it was part of the document, I felt it would help in our unbias approach to covering this topic if we were to remove the companies.

10 Responses to “100s Boycott Mini-Cassia Weekly Mailer/News Journal Advertisers”

Jacob Landon says:

October 19, 2009 at 4:26 pm

Hot debate. What do you think? 11 8

I too believe that the article they posted in the weekly mailer was extremely inconsiderate and unprofessional. There are some things that just shouldn’t be exposed to the public. How much someone gets paid is one of those things. I think giving an average salary would have been more appropriate, but naming the exact employee was just childish.
Daxson Hale says:

October 19, 2009 at 4:56 pm

Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 24 11

Although I agree that it is unprofessional to publish these salaries in this manner, I think it is equally unprofessional and even childish to boycott these companies for advertising. These companies advertise, not because they support the opinions of the editor, but because it is a publication which reaches to every household in this area. Advertising is how money is made. People who signed this petition and are seriously planning on boycotting these companies should realize that they would only be hurting small business and the Magic Valley economy.
Cortney Smith says:

October 19, 2009 at 4:56 pm

Hot debate. What do you think? 16 13

Although I do feel that the article in question was inappropriate I feel that it is just as inappropriate that the local people of such an honorable town would try to destroy the lives of the innocent people that work for the companies they are trying to put out of business, and hurting the businesses that advertise with them. They have a right to try to be profitable and help employ our community. I do feel that this is malice and uncalled for. Stop the petition and lets all just grow up already.
Jim Ringle says:

October 19, 2009 at 6:12 pm

Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: 15 24

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.

While it may be true that the businesses that advertise in the weekly mailer don’t necessarily have to agree with what is published, the only people that a newspaper are accountable to are the people who pay their checks, i.e. the advertisers. If enough advertisers pull their advertisements, then the newspaper will have to change what is printed or fold.
I think that the boycott is not only an appropriate rection to the article but also a necessary step to restore fair press and eliminate propaganda in Burley.
Clay Handy says:

October 19, 2009 at 6:26 pm

Hot debate. What do you think? 21 18

I am not sure that a petition is even neccessary to get advertisers to not support the Weekly Mailer (or as some call it the Weekly Nailer) and the Journal. Most of the advertisers are local business men who care about our area and have been unhappy with what has been in the paper in the past. I am thinking the last stunt to create controversy and sell papers will push most of them over the top and they will not advertise with these papers anymore. I am sure there will be a very contrite apology by the editor and owner in the next Journal and some excuses made for the inappropriate listings but in the end the stunt was either to sell papers or hurt some public employees. Means don’t justify the end.
Richard Call says:

October 19, 2009 at 10:06 pm

Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 30 1

As an American, I believe in the constitution of the United States. Specifically, the freedom of speech. I believe censorship is the obligation of the reader or observer or listener. I believe any one has a right to speak their mind. I cherish my right not to listen, not to see, and not to read what offends me. There’s been many things on the Weekly Mailer from advertisements, to letters to the editor, and articles which I chose not to read. Many of my colleagues and friends have been affected by many voices in this community. I find this disheartening, but the freedom of press is a right that we must accept. I applaud those who chose not to support what they find offensive. I also applaud those who have the courage to speak their mind. As an artist, I have an obligation to my audience not to offend. If my audience pulls out of my show, I have no art. Perhaps The Weekly Mailer and The Journal should be more conscience of who their audience is.
Marcie Bowers Miller says:

October 20, 2009 at 9:30 am

Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 23 5

It is sad to see what is happening in the town that I grew up in. The town of Burley has turned into a town that I am ashamed to say I was raised in. I used to be proud to say I was born and raised in Burley now I am not sure.

What the Weekly Mailer is doing to the community with their gossip column and latest article is uncalled for. It is unnecessary and childish. Why doesn’t the editor of the Weekly Mailer post his/her earnings of what he/she makes a year degrading the town of Burley?

However, boycotting the businesses that advertise in the Weekly Mailer will also affect your community. If the town of Burley wants to take a stand you need to boycott the paper not the businesses. It is time that Burley takes a stand and remembers what the town represented 10 years ago or this town will become a ghost town. No businesses. No people.
Lucas Handy says:

October 20, 2009 at 9:58 am

Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike: 14 21

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.

Adolph Eichmann, the creator of the massive extermination of the Jews concentration camp, when finally found in South America believed that he was not as accountable for the death of thousands of Jews. He believed he was just doing his job effectively. Every day we buy gasoline that eventually works its way to financially supporting the Taliban. Thus are we indirectly responsible for financially supporting the Taliban?
These examples are dilemmas that question accountability.
I have personally talked to six families that have been negatively effected from direct verbal attacks published to entertain the entire community. These attacks have not killed people, but have sought to kill names and defame through misconceptions and lies. It has hurt people. Should we hold the publisher responsible for the things in his paper? Should we hold the advertisers responsible for financially supporting this paper? This is a question each individual must answer. I feel that some accountability should be had. Imagine you opened the paper to see that you were called paranoid, a hypocrite, a nepotist, a law breaking, or overly outspoken for trying to help the community. How would you feel if that was you blasted in front of the entire community. What would you do? I hope that those that have been attacked will recover rapidly. I hope that the attackers will question their behavior before they attack. There is better ways to resolve differences.
Chelsea Robinson says:

October 20, 2009 at 12:17 pm

Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 29 17

Have you read your posts here??? You want to boycott businesses in a small town because a small town newspaper published information that is already available to the public anyways. These economic times are tough enough without punishing hard working businesses that pay local and state taxes. What are we doing to our community and ourselves?
The Sound Off simply publishes ALL opinions of the local residents that choose to write in, regardless of personal opinions. We don’t need to agree with everything that is said and THAT is what makes America great. These are the freedoms that we have fought and died for.
This is a very slippery slope that I don’t think anyone wants to go down. Socialism is very real and very scary. I certainly do not want someone else deciding for me what is or is not appropriate for me to think or say. That is a freedom that all Americans share.
I personally didn’t care for the column with the posted names and salaries. However, boycotting and retaliating only escalates the situation by bring more negativity to already volatile situation.
Mike Ramsey says:

October 23, 2009 at 5:44 pm

Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 14 2

We just added the ability to “Like” or “Dislike” comments.