Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "MiceAge/MiceChat is clearly in the "second" camp, so much so that Disney isn't happy with much of our coverage... but then, the Media loves us, as they can get a different viewpoint from the always positive spin that comes from Disney Marketing/PR." Which, no doubt, helps drive the tone on that site. I mean, everyone wants attention from the media, right? Darkbeer, I agree that we all have different viewpoints on Disney and I have been very vocal about my dislike of the direction that the parks have been headed for some time now. In that spirit I have no real issue with Miceage, or Al's viewpoint. But I can only rely on facts not rumors, conjecture, or gossip. For me Al's blog is little more than entertainment. Others here apparently share that viewpoint and rightfully question his credibility on reporting the facts.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "Also sad to state, Al is having some serious health issues..." I'm sorry to hear that.
Originally Posted By Manfried I am very sorry to hear he is in ill-health. I did not know. I wish him well in his battle with Parkinson's.
Originally Posted By Manfried I am truly sorry to hear of Mr. Lutz's ailment, but that said, I think it is very important that for any future credibility, he should turnover editing and control of the website to someone else. He should also have someone read his column and check the facts. If there are questions on some fact that bit should be removed. Otherwise, no matter the ailment, he sets himself and Miceage up for criticism and ridicule.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer Sigh, it is fairly public knowledge in regards to Al's health, so I am not saying things out of "school", I have known about his issues for years, and really haven't said much until it became too visible and public knowledge. One weird fact, it seems like Parkinson's is much more pronounced on one side of his body, which has many Doctors stumped as to way it isn't the entire body, as it is in most cases. And my NO way am I trying to say that folks disagree with Al due to his health issues, that has NO issue with his thoughts. His health does have an issue with the amount of articles he writes though, and why I brought it up after someone mentioned his current time period between articles. And as for the Media, yes, for folks like myself, MiceAge and MiceChat, we live due to the traffic we bring in and the ad revenue we sell (just like LaughingPlace and many others). By becoming the "source" gives us more views and of course more revenue. For example, my wedding. Yes, since we first started to plan it, we had the Media in mind, and worked with Knott's to provide the best options, from the time of day, to the roller coaster we picked, to when we served our meals to our guests. (And all I have heard is very positive comments from our event, I think the Stunt Show cowboys crashing our wedding was the main highlight for the reception). I am in regular contact with both the LA Times and OC Register, and a few other sites working with them to bring the best coverage and latest news to folks. Yes, that is part of my job! Do I want to work for the best known website that covers Theme/Amusement Parks and not a runner-up. Of course, why not?
Originally Posted By Darkbeer But Al's articles are not JUST Facts, as neither are mine. We reporter on RUMORS that we are informed of my folks, and we can't admit to their exact identies.... Heck, the National Enquirer broke the John Edwards illegitimate Birth issue, and might win the Pulitzer Prize for its coverage. We both have different writing styles, I tried to make it clear in regards to the World of Color opening, that Disney hasn't announced an official date yet, and Al does the same, though some folks like to "ignore" those comments. You want the official line, go to the DisneyParks site... You want the NEWS and Rumors, check out MiceAge and the AroundDisney.com blogs, as you will find out a lot more, much earlier than waiting for the DisneyParks blog site.
Originally Posted By Manfried much earlier than waiting for the DisneyParks blog site. On that we agree. The DisneyParks blog is a little too fluffy for me. It feels like something written in the fifties.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I'm sorry to hear about Al's health and I wish him the best. As for the time between articles, I kind of like it the way it is now better. It gets me to anticipate the new articles more, instead of just waiting for Tuesday to roll around and you know it's going to be there. That way, when you get one, it's that much more fun to read. I do enjoy that it's kind of gossipy in the writing style (it works well with having to wait a while between articles), and there's almost always something new in there. Even if it's not 100% reliable (what is these days?), there are a lot of fun things in it. Most of the things that get changed do seem reasonable (I always thought that the original opening date for Paradise Park in October/November seemed rediculously early, and the March opening for WOC was just being hopeful), and some of the other stuff (commentary on execs) can't really be backed up by the readers so it's just fun to read. There are times that I just plain disagree with things (like how supportive of George K he was immediately upon his replacement of Ed Grier, who he had always been so negative on), but for the most part it's easy enough to see the lines between undisputable facts and editorial flouris. Al's articles are not really my primary news source, but they definately qualify as a guilty pleasure! : )
Originally Posted By Darkbeer You know, the DisneyParks Blog is fun to watch for me... On Occasion they have snuck in a "breaking news" story, and kudos to them when they do. But folks like myself and others try to make sure we get the info before they break it. But the DisneyBlogs is the "official" site, but then again, isn't the Rocket Rods coming back based on what Disneyland Marketing/PR has stated.... for some reason, they tend to not report certain things that look badly on them. As I said earlier in this thread, VARIETY is good, and you shouldn't rely on just one source. But then, I have broke many news stories that have ended up in the Main Stream News, such as AP and UPI. It is not a daily issue, but a few times a year my info, and also Al's articles get confirmed and picked up by places like the New York Times. And yes, that does help to add to your "resume".
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Darkbeer your definition of media "story" is questionable in my opinion. And if the report on The Main Street Cinema redo does in fact qualify as a legitimate story from someone that your site wants us to take seriously then why not step up to the plate and take responsibility for reporting it wrong?
Originally Posted By Manfried why not step up to the plate and take responsibility for reporting it wrong? Thank you Dr. Hans.
