Friday, August 04, 2006

When is a retraction not a retraction? When it comes from the OCR!

When is a retraction not a retraction? When it comes from the OCR!
August 4, 2006
 

In the August 4 issue of the OCR’s CanyonLife, hidden under a picture of the Pet of the Week, appears an inconspicuous paragraph titled Clarification that reads”
“Coto resident Ed Caruso and Board President Bob Varo of the CZ Master Association disagreed on whether Varo, in a private meeting, told Caruso that he planned to fire the California Highway Patrol from traffic duty within the community. A story in the July 14 edition of Canyon Life/Rancho Santa Margarita News about a Public Safety Committee session may have been unclear in describing the exchange between the two men”
So after the OCR City Editor “paraphrased” the story to make Varo the hero, now we get a “retrophase clarification”! –And only after days of relentless attempts by Caruso to get the OCR to print a Retraction – Not a retrophrase! 
 
par·a·phrase    ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (pr-frz)
n.1. A restatement of a text or passage in another form or other words, often to clarify meaning.  
The restatement of texts in other words as a studying or teaching device. 
 
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
 
Request to OCR for Retraction - Ed Caruso 
My journey started on July 14, 2006 and today is August 2, 2006 and it's still not resolved. This is after 12 emails and many, many phone calls. I called Ron Gonzales of the OCR this afternoon and he said that either him or D. Foley will call me today or tomorrow. I also requested an email as well. Here is the history.Email # 1 from Ed Caruso to Mark Eades dated July 15th 
Sir,My name is Ed Caruso and you mentioned my name in the subject article. The least you could have done was to quote me accurately.
 I started off by telling the members that I was a former employee of UPS and that I asked for a meeting with the Coto BOD. What I got was a private meeting with the President of the Board, Mr. Varo.We talked about several items in the meeting that lasted for well over 1 hour and one of the points that MR. Varo told me was when the Welcome Center is completed and he moves the Call Center people, the Transponder people and the UPS staff into that building, that he was going to make a work area for the Sheriff’s department and then he was going to fire the CHP again. I said "Mr. Varo, is that what you told me? His reply was, "No that is not true".  I then replied "Mr. Varo that is a Lie".I am requesting that you write a retraction and print the correct conversation that we had which is the above statement. 
Waiting for your reply. 
Ed Caruso
Email # 2 from Ed Caruso to Coto Buzz Group dated July 19th
I sent Mark Eades an e-mail about the article where he mentions my
name and requested that he write a retraction. I left two telephone
calls for him and left him two messages. I have received no replies
up to this moment.

Monday around midday I called the main office for the OC Register
asking for Mark Eades Manager. The secretary gave me Melissa Jones
name and she told me that she would have Ms. Jones call me on
Tuesday. I gave the secretary my cell phone number and said that I
would be working until 10 PM on Tuesday evening so have her call me
cell phone.

Around 4 PM or so Ms. Jones called my cell phone and stated that she
had called my home phone and left two messages for me. I stated to
Ms. Jones I specifically asked the OCR secretary to have you call my
cell phone because I'm still at work and will be here until 10 PM
tonight.

I then told her that Mr. Eades miss quoted me and that I want a
retraction printed to include the correct statement that I asked Mr.
Varo to confirm at the meeting. Ms. Jones said that Mr. Eades had
included my exact statement in his article and that "I, as the City
Editor changed it and paraphrased it because we have no knowledge
that Mr. Varo made that comment to you." I quickly replied, so you
are taking the position of believing Mr. Varo as telling the truth
and that I am a liar? So in your mind Mr. Varo is a hero and I am a
rat? She replied, "no, that's not what I'm saying". I said it sure
sounds that way to me. You are putting "Your" spin on it and telling
the BOD's side of the issue. What ever happened to fair and
impartial reporting? I guess the OCR does not believe in that.

I then stated to Ms. Jones that I was very busing and requested her
to do me a big favor, and she replied, "If I can". I requested Ms.
Jones to e-mail exactly what her position is so that I could try and
better understand her reasoning. She stated That she WOULD do that
and I said When I get home this evening around 10:15PM I will the
first thing I will do when I get home is to check my e-mail. You
will never guess what happened when I checked my email. HER EMAIL
WAS NOT IN MY IN BOX.. Surprise, surprise, surprise.

Now it's today, Wednesday July 19th at 2:30pm and I called Ms. Jones
phone and left her a message and telling her how disappointed I was
that I still have not received her email that she said she would
send me.

I then called the OCR main number and asked for the name of the
person that Melissa Jones reports to and the same secretary that
answered the phone on Monday answered the phone today. I told her
who I was and she recognized my name immediately and started making
excuses for how busy Ms. Jones was. I replied, everybody is busy in
today's world but being busy is no reason for not doing what she
said she would do and that was to send me an e-mail.

The secretary said that she just spoke with Ms. Jones and if you
call her right now she will talk to you. I said transfer me to her
number and she said "You have to call her direct".

I called her direct and, Your right, I got her answering machine.

What a tangled web we weave when we try to deceive.  
Email # 3 to Chris Anderson, OCR Publisher dated July 20thMr. Anderson, the following email I sent to your reporter Mark Eades on July 16, 2006: (See above)This email I posted on a local web site that involves my dealings with your city Editor: (See above)
Melissa Jones, and a conversation I had with her and what she promised to do for me:
I sent Mark Eades an e-mail about the article where he mentions my name
and requested that he write a retraction. I left two telephone calls for
him and left him two messages. I have received no replies up to this
moment.

Monday around midday I called the main office for the OC Register
asking for Mark Eades Manager. The secretary gave me Melissa Jones name
and she told me that she would Have Ms. Jones call me on Tuesday. I gave
the secretary my cell phone number and said that I would be working
until 10 PM on Tuesday evening so have her call me cell phone.

Around 4 PM or so Ms. Jones called my cell phone and stated that she had
called my home phone and left two messages for me. I stated to Ms. Jones
I specifically asked the OCR secretary to have you call my cell phone
because I'm still at work and will be here until 10 PM tonight.

I then told her that Mr. Eades miss quoted me and that I want a
retraction printed to include the correct statement that I asked Mr.
Varo to confirm at the meeting. Ms. Jones said that Mr. Eades had
included my exact statement in his article and that "I, as the City
Editor changed it and paraphrased it because we have no knowledge that
Mr. Varo made that comment to you." I quickly replied, so you are taking
the position of believing Mr. Varo as telling the truth and that I am a
liar?. So in your mind Mr. Varo is a hero and I am a rat? She replied,
"no, that's not what I'm saying". I said it sure sounds that way to
me. You are putting "Your" spin on it and telling the BOD's side of the
issue. What ever happened to fair and impartial reporting? I guess the
OCR does not believe in that.

I then stated to Ms. Jones that I was very busing and requested her to
do me a big favor, and she replied "If I can". I requested Ms.
Jones to e-mail exactly what her position is so that I could try and
better understand her reasoning.. She stated That she WOULD do that and
I said When I get home this evening around 10:15PM I will the first
thing I will do when I get home is to check my e-mail. You will never
guess what happened when I checked my email. HER EMAIL WAS NOT IN MY IN BOX.. Surprise, surprise, surprise.

Now it's today, Wednesday July 19th at 2:30pm and I called Ms. Jones phone
and left her a message and telling her how disappointed I was that I
still have not received her email that she said she would send me.

I then called the OCR main number and asked for the name of the person
that Melissa Jones reports to and the same secretary that answered the
phone on Monday answered the phone today. I told her who I was and she
recognized my name immediately and started making excuses for how busy
Ms. Jones was. I replied, everybody is busy in today's world but being
busy is no reason for not doing what she said she would do and that was
to send me an e-mail.

The secretary said that she just spoke with Ms. Jones and if you call
her right now she will talk to you. I said transfer me to her number and
she said "You have to call her direct".

I called her direct and, Your right, I got her answering machine.

What a tangled web we weave when we try to deceive.

Ed Caruso
Mr. Anderson, as you can tell I am very upset with a couple of people on your staff.
I am asking you to step in and order Melissa Jones to print a retraction for openers
and then send me an email explaining why she believed Mr. Varo was telling the Truth
and that I was telling a lie. 
If you, your paper and your staff believe in "Fair and un biased reporting" then here is youropportunity to prove it.
I hope I see the retraction and a return email from you.
Ed Caruso
 
Email # 4 copied from the OCR dated July 21stIf you have a correction or want to make a comment about the OCR
here is what you do. Here is the article that is in every edition of
the OCR.

CORRECTIONS

We will correct factual errors promptly.
Call 714 796-7951

e-mail: corrections@ocregister.com

Legal demands for corrections must be in writing and sent to the publisher at
Box 11626, Santa Ana, Ca. 92711-1626

To comment on our
Coverage:
Call Dennis Foley at 714 796-6011
e-mail: dfoley@ocregister.com

Email # 5 from E Caruso to D. Foley dated July 22nd
Mr. Foley, 
Thanks for taking the time to listen to my complaint. I look forward to your reply. I would prefer your reply in an email.Thanks
Ed Caruso
 
Email # 6 from Melissa Jones ,City Editor OCR to Ed Caruso dated July 24thMr. Caruso,

I'm writing in response to our recent phone conversation and your
request for a retraction. Our reporter, Mark Eades made note of the
conversation you have referred to in your e-mail and made me aware of it
when writing his story. As the city editor, I chose to ask Mark to
paraphrase the information for the sake of making it clearer for readers
who had no access to your private meeting with Mr. Varo. In paraphrasing
the information I was careful to make sure that the controversial issue of
whether the CHP would remain in Coto was brought out, and that Mr. Varo's
response became part of the public record. I was not comfortable in
printing a direct quote about a private conversation that could not be
verified (regarding either party). I believe the paraphrase correctly
informs the readers that a feeling of uncertainty regarding the CHP's
future in Coto exists in some parts of the community.

Thank you for making your concerns known to us. We strive to accurately
represent the questions and concerns of our readers.

Sincerely,
Melissa Jones,
City Editor
Canyon Life and RSM News
(949) 454-7373 
Email # 8 from Ed Caruso to Melissa Jones , OCR dated July 24thMs. Jones

I was very disappointed in your refusal to publish a retraction. First, your
use of the term paraphrase is incorrect. Secondly, your "paraphrase" allowed
the goat to look like a hero and vice versa. You make me look like the goat
in essentially a defamatory remark. I resent that.

What you should have done was to either not report the incident at all, or
simply report it and state that "Ed Caruso" alleged that what Mr. Varo said
was not true based on a private conversation. Now THAT would have been a
paraphrase.

If you provide me your business address I will purchase a dictionary and
send it to you.

If you believe that your reporting of this article is fair and unbiased you
really need to take me up on my offer for the dictionary because you need
one badly.

I am requesting one more time for you to retract the story and print the
TRUTH.

Ed Caruso

Email # 9 from Ed Caruso to Melissa Jones dated July 27th
Are you going to answer my last email to you? I hope to hear back from you
by Friday July 28th by 5:00PM.

Looking forward to your reply.

Ed Caruso


----- Original Message -----
From: "Ed Caruso"
To:
Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 7:37 PM
Subject: Re: request for retraction
Email # 10 from Ed Caruso to D. Foley OCR Dated July 28th
You said you would get back to me. When is that going to be?

Ed Caruso


----- Original Message -----
From: "Ed Caruso"
To: "D Foley"
Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 2:30 PM
Subject: Fw: request for retraction
Email # 11 from D. Foley to Ed Caruso dated July 28th
 
Thanks for your patience, Ed. Should be soon.

Cordially,
Dennis

Dennis Foley
Reader Innovation Editor
Internships, Recruiting & Training Coordinator
Phone 714.796.6011
Fax: 714.796.7820
625 N. Grand Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92701Email # 12 from Ron Gonzales OCR to Ed Caruso dated July 28th
Mr. Caruso: Your request for a correction is undergoing review. I'll let
you know when we've made a decision. Thanks for communicating your concerns
to the newspaper.

Ron Gonzales
Orange County Register
(949) 454-7334

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We do not make jokes, we simply watch the Coto de Caza Board of directors, the LA Trash and the Orange Crud Repository and report the facts

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