When Seven Days returned from its annual holiday break this week, we found a crapload of snail mail waiting for us. Within that pile was a curious pitch from the publisher of the Bridge, Montpelier’s weekly newspaper.
“Dear Paula,” the letter began, referring to Seven Days coeditor and publisher Paula Routly. “Here is a proposal to share resources between the Bridge and other newspapers across the state.”
Bridge publisher Nat Frothingham went on to explain that beginning in January, the Bridge will be producing a weekly political report from the statehouse authored by John Odum (pictured), and making it available to weekly newspapers across the state “for a modest fee that will help us cover basic costs.” How modest? Try $30 per column.
Odum (pictured) is the publisher of the left-leaning politics blog Green Mountain Daily and, as of last summer, news editor of the Bridge. He’s also worked as a paid political consultant advocating for at least one of the issues his capitol report intends to cover: a proposal to unionize childcare workers.
The statehouse report will also cover topics such as health care reform funding, permit reform as part of the Act 250 process, the physician-assisted suicide (or “death with dignity”) bill and the politics behind the proposed merger of Green Mountain Power and Central Vermont Public Service.
We tried to reach Odum earlier today but did not hear back immediately.
In a phone interview, Frothingham says he mailed the column proposal to around 15 weekly newspapers that may not have a dedicated statehouse reporter, including the Barton Chronicle, the Herald of Randolph and others. None has committed to buying the column yet, Frothingham says, but one or two weeklies have expressed “strong interest.” He isn’t sure yet whether the column will be news, opinion or both.
“Many said they want to wait and see how the column turns out,” he says.
Frothingham says Odum is well suited to write a syndicated statehouse report because he’s “well connected” and “totally engrossed by the political process. …He has a very nice manner with people. He’s not acerbic. He doesn’t strike me as abrasive.”
Asked whether he is concerned about Odum’s past advocacy work creating a perceived or actual conflict of interest, Frothingham said, “I was’t aware that he’d done [that]. All I’m aware of is the general situation in Vermont in which people have about a dozen hats on a rack, and they put on a different hat on a Tuesday than they did on Monday. It can be abused and it’s important to identify people and the hats they’re wearing. The best way to deal with that possibility is to be transparent.”
Curiously, the Bridge‘s pitch arrived at our office not long after former Seven Days political columnist Shay Totten announced his departure.
Coincidence?
File photo by Jeb Wallace-Brodeur
This article appears in Jan 11-17, 2012.
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Neat. I remember him from North Clarendon.
“Odum (pictured) is the publisher of the left-leaning politics blog Green Mountain Daily”
“Left-leaning”?
GMD doesn’t “lean” to the Left. It’s fully there. Like, insanely left. Like, kooky-nutty left. Like, left the planet left. Like the work of unemployed bloggers left.
And the comment by his publisher at The Bridge that Odum isn’t acerbic or abrasive is the idiocy of someone who obviously hasn’t even read his own employee’s online work.
Nice character assassination.
And I assure you, I’m quite employed.-kestrel9000
First, it’s not character assassination. It’s true.
Second, as Shay would say, it’s Fair Game when you’re responding to Nat Frothingham’s shameless PR effort and attempt to trade Odum’s opinions for money.
. . . “Left-leaning”?
GMD doesn’t “lean” to the Left. It’s fully there. . .
Hmmm, and trees are wood, yes?
Yes, GMD is so far left that it is objective as opposed to deceptively neutral.
The corporate media has championed the art of partisan false neutrality. You won’t find uncritical regurgitation of partisan or hack political/governmental pronouncements at the unabashedly left/liberal GMD. GMD is does not buy into the corporate media’s formula of reporting “the Republicans say” vs. “the Democrats say” followed by a negligent neutrality that abdicates the obvious follow-up facts or questions when a political/governmental claim is objectively false/wrong/deceptive or ignorant.
You may not like GMD’s conspicuous honestly about its political agenda – or even understand it given your resort to personal attacks over substance – but GMD’s take on issues is objective with no hidden agenda.
Feel free to look for unemployed bloggers in outer space. It’s probably the highest and best use of your time.
cl
” . . . Curiously, the Bridge’s pitch arrived at our office not long after former Seven Days political columnist Shay Totten announced his departure. . . . “
Curiously, Seven Days political columnist Shay Totten announcement came not long before the start of the legislative session. . .
Curiously, the legislature began its session, apparently unaware that Shay Totten had announced his departure . . .
Curiously, a bear shit in the woods while looking for Shay Totten’s departure announcement, but nobody heard the tree fall. . .
Somebody’s feeling special!
cl
Never mind, then.
Oh boy. Take a breath, everyone.
Also, if you “out” another user who chooses to use a psuedonym, I’m gonna take the comment down. That’s up to them.
. . . “PR effort and attempt to trade Odum’s opinions for money. . . . “
Finally, our Good Worthy’s true colors are splashed onto the ideological wall.
You are obviously one of those fringe occupy wall street types who abhors capitalism, open markets while demanding strict control of commerce and laws governing who is allowed to sell what to whom and for how much? I’m pretty sure that Mao dedicated a chapter in his Little Red Book to Comrade Hoo’s fellow-traveling disgust of capitalism.
Marketing, yuck!
Free Trade, gross!
Goodness, exchanging a product “for money,” that’s just, just, just Dirty-Fucking-Lucre-Capitalism, YIKES!
Carry on Comrade Hoo, your Great Leap Forward is just around the corner.
Ah, yes. GMD’s self-righteousness and intolerance is amply demonstrated here.
“Frothingham says Odum is well suited to write a syndicated statehouse
report because he’s “well connected” and “totally engrossed by the
political process. …He has a very nice manner with people. He’s not
acerbic. He doesn’t strike me as abrasive.”
BAHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHAHAA
I know and have worked with John Odum. He is who he is…very articulate and knowledgeable. I’m been impressed with John’s ability to “cut thru the BS”. I’ve been a fan of GMD from its beginning.
John brings an authentic view of VT & national politics.
Actually, if 7Days was as cutting edge as it once was, Odum would be Peter Freyne in today’s world. You may not agree but, his observations are more realistic than VT’s main street media.
Shay “served” Chittenden county “centric” politics & gossip. UVM Fogel drama…who cares….Shumlin rides in a SUV…that’s “inside info” and newsworthy…really? REALLY. I read Shay’s column faithfully, however as time went by, my rush to get the newest 7Days waned. His column lacked passion.
I would think 7Days would jump at the chance to have someone like John to enhance and invigorate 7Days. Maybe AB should put aside his ego and collaborate.
I like Freyne. He was left as left goes, and he made no bones about it. But it was never billed as anything other then an opinion piece. As long as Odum does the same who cares. Or at least try to be halfway unbiased.
I’ll register my dissent to Vteec295’s suggestion. Shay was way too left-biased for me, but he was a VAST improvement over the totally-biased, opinionated, logic-free, dishonest, purely-gossipy, name-calling, and character-assassinating Freyne. Going back to that type of column would be the last thing we need.
who’s we?
Those of us who want honest, insightful but fair political reporting, not the half-baked, gossipy by-product of some former taxi driver’s and disgraced press secretary’s left-wing biases?
i find it interesting that you “speak for those of us”…what is your demographic defining “those of us”. Shallow.
Um he did define his demographic… “those of us who want INSIGHTFUL BUT FAIR POLITICAL REPORTING.” Clearly you are of the opinion that Odum will do that, however other people have differing opinions. Calling someone shallow because they don’t share your own point of view is… well, shallow. Obviously Odum is far left, and if you are on the left side of the spectrum you are going to expect he will be a great reporter. If you are on the right side then you see the spin on GMD and shake your head at the idea he can provide fair and unbiased coverage. It’s called point of view, not shallowness.
thanks for your definition…but I’ll stick with what i wrote. Say what you will, but John’s column has more real newsworthiness than AB, JMcC or VT main stream media. I agree to disagree with you and your ilk.
Not my definition, Sutton-hoo’s. You seemed to have missed it when reading his post. It’s pretty common for “you and your ilk”
“John’s column has more real newsworthiness than AB, JMcC or VT main stream media.”
No, it doesn’t have more “newsworthiness.” It has more left-worthiness. If that’s what you want, fine, but don’t pass off Odum’s predictable left-wing slant as “newsworthiness.” And if you think it has more “newsworthiness” than AB, why are you hanging around here. Lastly, using the term “your ilk” was petty. Congratulations.