Originally Posted By Doobie This topic is for discussion of the September 9 article: Editor's Report at <a href="News-ID101260.asp" target="_blank">http://LaughingPlace.com/News-ID101260.asp</a>.
Originally Posted By LVBelle Thank you Doobie! Not only for this great article but also for you and Rebekah's hard work over the weekend! I truly appreciate all you do to make LP a great place!
Originally Posted By FamilyFun Thank you for the heartfelt piece, Doobie. As someone without a TV, I found out about the accident thru LP, and knew I could, and can, rely on this site for updates and links to articles.
Originally Posted By thenurmis Well said Doobie, and thanks. You profess to not being a journalist, ya might be right. But you are a very articulate and sensable man ( even if I don't know how to spell the word ; ) ) Thank you for being a beacon of light in what is a very dark time. Thanks for being "Doobie"
Originally Posted By ecdc Very much appreciated, Doobie. Perfect is the right word. Thanks for all the hard work for making LP the wonderful community it is.
Originally Posted By jnemo Thanks Doobie, you expressed many of the same feelings I have been having these last few days. Accidents can happen anywhere. My hope to come out of this is to find the fault, and they never make that error again, whoever's fault it was. That in my opinion is the best way to honor the life that was lost and the suffering of those on the train that day and the family who lost their loved one.
Originally Posted By mmaus1962 Well stated, Doobie. Thanks to you and to Rebekah for your hard work over the weekend.
Originally Posted By KevinYee For a non-journalist, Doobie, you sure did a great job "hooking" the reader with the "not-a-journalist" plea and then returning to that same theme, this time with more emotional punch, at the end. In short, methinks the webmaster doth protest too much! (translation: this piece is much better than you think. Even as journalism.)
Originally Posted By MaryJo You wrote a very eloquent article, Doobie, and expressed a lot of my same sentiments. This is so very tragic. We go to church in Gardena, and there is a good chance that services for this young man will be held there. I'll say a prayer for him, and keep you, Rebekah, and other LP'ers in mind. Thank you for expressing your thoughts and feelings so well.
Originally Posted By Misty Thank you Doobie. You may not be a journalist, but your article was the first to invoke tears from me. You are so kind to share your thoughts.
Originally Posted By friendofdd Thank you Doobie. I was driving to DL when I heard the news on the radio. I talked about it to friends there, but have yet to read what LPers are saying on the boards. I join with you in praying for those you mentioned. May they all feel the touch of God's comforting presence.
Originally Posted By mousemom11 Doobie, a heartfelt thanks to you and Rebekah! I live in Seattle and there was very little coverage of the accident up here. The first place I went when I heard about the accident was LP. I really appreciate your hard work keeping us abreast of what was happening. From Rebekah giving us live updates of what was happening at the Eisner/Rasulo press conference, to the transcripts of the press conference, to keeping us focused in our discussions that day. It was really a labor of love.
Originally Posted By JohnS1 Very well-written, heart-felt and informed piece of writing, Doobie. And this comes from someone who does have a journalism degree. Good work.
Originally Posted By StartedByAMouse LaughingPlace.com is indeed a journalistic endeavor. To say anything else would be to selling this site's services short. The fact that you culled reports from other outlets is no different than wire services like the Associated Press. The fact that you "felt it [y]our job to make sure the speculation and finger pointing didn't get too out of control too quickly" on an open forum that you host shows editorial integrity. The fact that you report "soft" news instead of "hard" news doesn't make the process any less legitimate. I have a degree in journalism. I was an editor of my college paper and my college magazine. I loved writing and I felt I was good at it. However, I was a lousy reporter. I hated the feeling that I was supposed to find the "truth" that every source must be hiding. I hated having to ask the "tough" questions. I hated having to seek out someone with an opposing viewpoint to every topic just to feel my reporting was "balanced." Because of these feelings, I found that I was better suited for the world of public relations. I can use the skills that I learned in school and the knowledge of journalist processes to do something that I feel more comfortable doing. I think, Doobie, that you feel much like I do - that you aren't a "hard" news reporter. But I would regard you and the rest of the LP staff to be journalists in every sense of the word, whether formally trained or not. I don't watch TV news or read most sections of the newspaper anymore. That may seem strange coming from somebody with a journalism degree. But "news" has just become too sad in recent years. I tire of reading "unnamed sources" or watching "if it bleeds, it leads" newscasts. This site is a laughing place for me, one that I like to visit. And though reading about the Big Thunder tragedy here brought tears to my eyes, I was glad to hear about it here first. You guys did a fine, journalistic justice to your coverage. And for that, I thank you. Matt
Originally Posted By robertsp Wonderful work Doobie. Above all else, I saw something in the article that points out why I love visiting laughingplace.com There are a lot of boards/sites out there for Disney collectors and fans to go to. Yet something has always been different at LP, and you can see it in this section as well as others concerning this tragedy. LP'ers care. Where else do you see postings where "in my prayers" is commonly included. LP'ers log in from all over, and when something like this happens or an LPer needs a friendly word or prayer, positive postings flood in. Thanks Doobie. Robert
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 Doobie, excellent job on everything this past weekend. In fact if it wasn't for LP I would have only noticed a blurb in my local paper. Thanks again.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper There was a lot of information (and misinformation) on the web and on tv about the accident. I came straight to LP.com becuase I knew that it would be handled in an appropriate manner. I wasn't disappointed. This incident brought up some terrible memories for me. Unfortunately, I have been involved both directly and indirectly in park incidents that resulted in injury and death. It was devastating to me but what made things worse was all of the speculation, rumor-mongering, accusations, etc. Noone really knows yet what happened Friday. What we do know is that some families will never be able to call our favorite place the Happiest Place on Earth. That is so sad. Instead of everyone trying to become experts and make themselves feel smarter than the next guy by exhausting this topic I would ask that everyone wait and see what comes out...and use that energy to pray for the victims.
