01/17/05  Mountain Creek Community victimized by City Hall, ignored by DMN

This 'Letter to the Editor' of the DMN was submitted in November, and it might be of
interest to your readers.  The News did not print it.

Background:
Our Mountain Creek Community was involved in a controversial zoning case, essentially identical to the one we won 2-1/2 years earlier, beginning last August, which was initially reported by Emily Ramshaw.  When the real fire works began before the city council and Ed Oakley was in the hot seat repeatedly in October, the community was assured and reassured several times by the News reporter that what occurred in October and then in November would be reported.

Contrarily, it was not reported or even mentioned.  When asked why there was no reporting, the reply was "There wasn't room," which lead to the following:

SELECTIVE REPORTING ?

Letter to Editor: [that the News wouldn't publish]

Why is it that when 100 people show up at the Dallas City Council to protest a Super Wal-Mart, it makes the front page of the Dallas Morning News Metro Section, but when 250 folks from a community surrounding Grady Niblo Rd. in Southwest Dallas appear before the same council to oppose a proposed development there is no mention?

Could it be that the News doesn't want the word to get around that folks southwest of the Trinity in the Mountain Creek Area want compatible development that is consistent with their surroundings? Or is it too controversial to point out that there is an attempt to depart from Dallas' fifteen year successful zoning history in the area that is specifically recommended by Dallas' own
Southwest Land Use Plan, the only one of its kind?

Does the paper just believe that good fiscal policy which has been economically sound and supportive of the Duncanville ISD should not be encouraged because it's not in North Dallas?

Why spend 1.5 million dollars on a Comprehensive Plan at taxpayer expense while ignoring a successful existing Land Use Plan?

Could it be that it doesn't support Current Political Desires to cram inferior high density housing down communities' throats south and southwest of Downtown?

Does the News have an AGENDA that selectively decrees what is to be reported regardless of the degree of bias evident?

Could the News create a new section, title it "SELECTIVE REPORTING," where it lists all the news the News doesn't wish to report?

F. Bracken