Up until this morning, local San Diego mainstream media have been getting it all wrong about the Ocean Beach Pier. From Fox5News to ABC10News to KUSI, to KOGORadio, they all are making the same journalistic and factual errors.
Tuesday morning, April 13, the OB Rag broke the devastating news about how badly damaged the OB Pier really was, and how it may actually be history – as it’s doubtful the strapped city could come up with the millions needed to rehab or replace the pier.
OB Rag reporter Geoff Page had filed a Freedom of Information Act request over three years ago in an effort to obtain the consultant’s report about the pier. Page just received the report – which was the basis for his post on Tuesday.
Contrary to every other media report, which stated that the City had released the report to the media, Page had to get a crowbar and force it out of the city.
And contrary to standards in relation to a breaking story, not one media source, or outlet, or newspaper, or online news-platform contacted the OB Rag or Geoff Page about his findings. This is a staggering disservice to the community at large – and to the coastal village of Ocean Beach and other Pier patrons from Point Loma. And not one media source linked to Geoff’s article and all but one (KUSI mentioned the Rag, but did not link to Geoff’s piece) did not even mention the OB Rag at all. Until today.
We’ve been trying to get the word out – we’re not tooting our horn and obviously are not making money off of this – but we ran into a brick wall in finding cooperative media resources to help us get the word out.
Today, Friday, the San Diego Union-Tribune published an online story about the Pier, with a link to Geoff’s article. But even the U-T got it wrong about the status of the report from the consultants. Again, the city did not release the some 350 page report – the OB Rag did. (By now, however, with all the pressure that has been building up about the report, maybe the city has released it.)
People are upset about this news about their favorite pier. The City and its politicians – from Republican mayors to Democratic councilmembers – have not shared the real truth about the pier with the community. So, this has greatly angered folks. And understandably so. Another infrastructure failure hidden from the people. And it’s still happening – see City’s response to Page’s post from today.
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The Pt Loma – OB Monthly, which generally republishes articles from the U-T, ran the UT article today about the OB Pier – same article – except it removed any reference to Geoff Page and the OB Rag. WTF! Why is it so difficult to recognize the Rag and its reporters? We always give credit to the media we quote from or refer to. Why? Why? Why do they do this? Is it because they view the Rag as just one more ruffian, radical or rebel from OB? Please, someone explain it to me. Sure, at times, we make fun of other media outlets. But this is absurd. https://www.pointloma-obmonthly.com/news/story/2021-04-16/ob-pier-has-reached-the-end-of-its-service-life-according-to-2019-report-city-says-it-still-plans-repairs