Another Star Re-write

I have trouble figuring on what is going on at the Star. Here is another re-write below that changes the Star's story completely between online and published.

Of course, you have to read to the end of it to find out about the postponement. I noticed also that they did not quote the number of tickets sold or how much the postponement cost. Where was that investigative zeal that was so evident on the Council "dinner" expose.

Oh, I do understand that the "online" is a quick and dirty posting to get news out quickly since a newspaper only prints once a day. And obviously the story is amended and finally edited before publication. I have no objection to that. However, when stories are changed so dramatically, as this one and the one on the Assumption meeting were, then one has to ask why.

Perhaps we can explain it away merely because the National Post is a sister publication of the Star and who would want to admit that its "Editor at large" did not have the drawing power to fill such a smallish theatre.

Or is it due to an Editor with a wicked sense of humour and tickets for a Capitol performance that was cancelled linking and emphasizing Eddie's failure on the Arts in Windsor.

I wonder if the Star saw my "BLOG Special" BLOG first so that they also got rid of that silliness about ticket sales being low "which he attributed to the uncertainty over the Capitol's future."

Frankly, this fiasco can be used by Eddie to suggest that the City needs to spend a quarter of a million dollars on a PR department badly. City Hall PR is a disgrace.

Here is the Star story online and the Star published story:

ONLINE:

Francis stands by council decision
Dalson Chen, Windsor Star Published: Thursday, March 08, 2007

Mayor Eddie Francis isn't budging on City Hall's rejection of the Capitol Theatre's grant request.

"It went from a loan to a grant," said Francis Wednesday evening. "Council is still in the position that we are prepared to assist. We are prepared to offer a loan -- subject to the condition of priority."

Francis said no further council discussion on the matter has been scheduled. The Capitol board has threatened to file for bankruptcy Friday if a grant isn't forthcoming.

Asked what impact the theatre's closure would have on the city centre and the arts community, Francis replied: "What we are doing now is basically waiting to see what actually does happen with the Capitol Theatre, and what steps they take. Until they make their decision, we're taking a wait-and-see approach, and we'll deal with that issue when we need to deal with that issue."

A municipal event booked at the Capitol tonight has been cancelled. The event was entitled Looking Forward: Windsor's Future in a Changing World, and was to feature a talk by National Post editor-at-large Diane Francis.

Francis said the event has been postponed due to low ticket sales, which he attributed to the uncertainty over the Capitol's future.


PUBLISHED:

FRANCIS STANDS BY COUNCIL DECISION
Dalson Chen/Star staff reporter

Mayor Eddie Francis isn’t budging on City Hall’s rejection of the Capitol Theatre’s grant request.

“It went from a loan to a grant,” said Francis Wednesday evening. “Council is still in the position that we are prepared to assist. We are prepared to offer a loan — subject to the condition of priority.”

Francis said no further council discussion on the matter has been scheduled. The Capitol board has threatened to file for bankruptcy Friday if a grant isn’t forthcoming.

Asked what impact the theatre’s closure would have on the city centre and the arts community, Francis replied: “What we are doing now is basically waiting to see what actually does happen with the Capitol Theatre, and what steps they take. Until they make their decision, we’re taking a wait-and-see approach, and we’ll deal with that issue when we need to deal with that issue.”

A municipal event booked at the Capitol tonight has been cancelled. The event was entitled Looking Forward: Windsor’s Future in a Changing World, and was to feature a talk by urban strategist Glen Murray on strengthening the links between arts, culture and the economy to enhance quality of life.

Francis said the event was postponed due to low ticket sales.