Mon 11 Jun 2007
Monday’s demonstration against The Point Reyes Light
Posted by DavidMitchell under History, Point Reyes Station, The Point Reyes Light Newspaper
[3] Comments
PROTEST AT POINT REYES LIGHT. Some 15 to 20 demonstrators showed up Monday morning to protest new publisher Robert Plotkin’s debasing the formerly all-West Marin-news community newspaper. (Photo by Scott Leslie)
In the year and a half since Plotkin bought The Light, the paper has dropped most coverage of West Marin’s local-government and school-board meetings while adding a smattering of news from Sonoma County, East Marin, and San Francisco.
Also offending numerous demonstrators was The Light’s new sensationalism, such as photos of a girl biting into the severed head of a goat on June 6, 2006 (666 supposedly being the symbol of Satan) and large, color photos of blood draining out of dying chickens that are hanging upside down with their throats slit.
The protest, which was organized by Elizabeth Whitney of Inverness, was called “Take Back The Light,” and some demonstrators brought copies of The Light to return.
Historian Dewey Livingston of Inverness (in cutoffs with back to camera), who has quit writing for The Light, arrived with a copy of The Light’s quarterly Coastal Traveler.
Noting that West Marin is already plagued by dangerous drivers, Livingston complained about the spring 2007 Traveler in which Plotkin advised motorists from out of town to “give your car an Italian tune-up. Take it up to the redline [the maximum revolutions per minute before the engine is damaged]. Compress the suspension. Northern California highways are better than any Austrian pass or German Autobahn.”
The same issue contained an enticing photo of a girl in a swimsuit wading out into Nicasio Reservoir, which is illegal in the drinking-water supply. The photographer was Plotkin.
3 Responses to “ Monday’s demonstration against The Point Reyes Light ”
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I was very disappointed that there were not more demonstrators to speak up for what has happened to “Our Point Reyes Light” because Plotkin really has made it HIS PAPER. It does not belong to US. I myself, have not touched HIS paper in almost a year; except when I was visiting Dave the week Plotkin wrote the article with a picture of Dave Mitchel in HIS paper, about the mental ward.
Plotkin belongs in a mental ward, because of his lack of knowledge of what a Local Newspaper should be, his total disregard of the speeding, and drinking and driving laws. He writes about speeding in West Marin. He wrote and admitted having one too many drinks at The Western and driving home anyways, about a year ago. Drunk Driving is a VERY SERIOUS offense.
And this PUNK PLOTKIN continues to have Tunnel Vision that is applied only to HIM, NOT US. He is not a local, and he never will be. He is not paying his Out of Town Interns, and I really do think they too have No Clue, what kind of a community we live in. I was there this morning, and all his staff looked very old to me; not students.
I think that another Town Meeting should be called to see if we can figure out how to get rid of this PUNK. I really don’t know how we have let him stay this long. How dare he invite people to come to WEST MARIN, and speed BECAUSE HE DOES — and he admits to drinking on top of it.
I really wish the owners of All our businesses would hear the people of West Marin, and not carry HIS PAPER. Because, it IS NOT our paper. This would truly shut him down because the visitors are the only ones buying the paper. All the unnecessary stress that he has caused to my friend, Dave Mitchell. And to the Judge, who does not know the difference in a Newspaper & a website, let alone, Sonoma County & West Marin County. Why is Plotkin getting away with everything?
I WANT ANSWERS.
Linda Sturdivant
Inverness Park
I forgot to say that the photo of the girl standing in the reservoir above the [redline-your-car] article in The Coastal Traveler shows that HE DOES NOT HAVE ANY RESPECT FOR WEST MARIN. When Plotkin took the picture, he simply did what he wanted to do.
Linda Sturdivant
Inverness Park