[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

In today’s San Diego Union Tribune there is a story about the 78th Assembly District primary election – which ends by helpfully telling readers the primary will occur on June 3rd. You know, three days ago.

Tomorrow’s news today? No, Yesterday’s news today.

In the body of the story it is disclosed that Auday Arabo received over $200,000 mostly from “liquor stores and markets”. Although Arabo failed to break 20%, he gets most of the attention in this article. And, knowing he took liquor money might indeed have affected some of his votes. No small matter when only 400 votes separate the two top contenders.

But it’s hard to see how a story describing the contributions of a third place finisher are relevant to November.

It caps the poorest coverage of an election campaign in recent history. The alternative San Diego Reader at least took notice of the Independent Expenditure campaigns of selected interest groups.

By contrast, the Union-Tribune set a precedent by providing a pre-election story in a post election context.

What’s the opposite of a Pulitzer?

by DFA Staff [courtesy of Blog for America]

The Associated Press via the San Diego Union-Tribune looks at the Rand Corporation report on the mental health status of veterans of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan:

Roughly one in every five U.S. troops who have survived the bombs and other dangers of Iraq and Afghanistan now suffers from major depression or post-traumatic stress, an independent study said Thursday. It estimated the toll at 300,000 or more.

Danny
Communications Director