Newspaper That Published Gun-Owner Addresses Gets Its Staff's Info Outed

[timsatx]

Yesterday we told you about the interactive map of local gun owners published by the Journal-News, a newspaper serving the Westchester and Rockland counties of New York, and the outcry it immediately drew. Turns out the stunt was so unpopular — with gun owners and privacy advocates alike — that a blogger named Christopher Fountain took it upon himself to dig up and organize the names, addresses, and phone numbers of the Journal-News staff, starting with editor Cyndee Royle. The post is called "Keep up the heat" and encourages readers to pester the paper and prevent them from continuing to report gun-owner addresses.

As long as they were keeping it to letters to the editor(s), the staff list was, at first, small potatoes as far as payback goes: the allure of the paper's original map of gun owners was the ability to see who, and how many people, owned a gun near a specific address — the paper's stunt was a map, not just a (sparsely populated) list of names. But overnight a different retaliatory blogger decided to map the newspaper staff addresses culled thus far (from Google and elsewhere). Here's what Robert Cox, of Talk of the Sound, came up with: http://www.newrochelletalk.com/content/map-where-are-journal-news-employees-your-neighborhood

It's a disparate (and perhaps desperate) effort — there are only eleven addresses, one of which is located in Manhattan — and lacks the visual impact of the original map, which indicated just how many gun owners (and guns) there are in just two counties in blue-state New York. So it's not particularly interesting, but it may be dangerous, and it's certainly depressing — as its author notes: "Be advised that the Journal News has been in downsizing mode for the past several years. I have to wonder if all these names are current employees but we will treat them as such until we learn otherwise."

It's an open question whether the retribution is misplaced. In a morning interview with CNN, Fountain said he was angered by calls from victims of domestic abuse with gun permits who were worried their whereabouts had been inadvertently revealed. And, more philosophically: "In the aftermath of Newtown, it was obviously one tragedy, but somehow they were conflating legal gun owners with some crazed tormented devil up in Newtown and putting the two together."

http://news.yahoo.com/newspaper-published-gun-owner-addresses-gets-staffs-outed-144657471.html

[Tim]

I think everyone is upset over the wrong thing here. A name and an address was printed in the paper about gun permits. Now if I were a crook I would avoid those addresses and go next door. The people living next door should be upset with the newspaper right after they get robbed. 

[timsatx]

Unfortunately from what I have heard is that they are more upset that they are living next to someone with a gun.

[Walker18]

Unfortunately from what I have heard is that they are more upset that they are living next to someone with a gun.

                           Well, since they don't mind the advertising...

[Strawboss]

I'm sure that the owners and editors at that paper have placed a "GUN FREE ZONE" placard prominently on thier houses front doors right?.........

[Pokey]

They are going to continue posting even more owners, will be spreading out to the other counties. 

[Strawboss]

Here in Cleveland they post every single CCW permit holder when they are issued their license, name and city. Printed and over their web site. They said its for public safety and awareness, not sure what they mean. They felt it was their duty as the Ohio law as originally written allowed only certain media folks access to these files.  I think someone got the papers owners and editors addresses and published them too. They've since tweaked the law but I'm not sure if they changed thst aspect of it.

[Pokey]

The 1st Amendment should never be able to trump the 2nd Amendment.   

[gPink]

A sign in every published gun owners yard :
                                                 _____________________________
                                                           The  Journal-News says
                                                       my neighbor has no firearms.
                                                 _____________________________

[gPink]

 

                                    'Journal News' hires armed security guards'

 By DYLAN BYERS |
1/1/13 6:16 PM EST

The Journal News of West Nyack, N.Y., has hired armed security guards to defend its offices after receiving a torrent of phone calls and emails responding to the paper's publication of the names and addresses of area residents with pistol permits.

RGA Investigations, a private security company, "is doing private security at on location at the Journal News as a result of the negative response to the article," according to a police report first obtained by the Rockland County Times (Nanuet, N.Y.) and shared with POLITICO. The guards "are armed and will be on site during business hours through at least January 2, 2013."

Last month, in the wake of last month's elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., the Gannett-owned Journal News published interactive maps showing the names and addresses of pistol permit holders in New York's Westchester and Rockland counties. Conservatives and gun rights advocates publicly protested the paper's move; on Monday, the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association called for a nationwide boycott of the paper's advertisers, calling it a “wanton act” that “has put in harm's way tens of thousands of lawful license holders."

The Journal News continues to host the map on its website and has said that it will soon add a map listing all pistol permit holders in Putnam County.

According to the Clarkstown Police report, filed today, Journal News editor Caryn McBride had "previously reported a large amount of negative correspondence in response to the media outlet's publication of local gun permit holders." McBride shared one email with the police officer from "an unknown subject who wondered what McBride would get in her email now." The officer told McBride the email did not constitute an offense.

The Rockland County Times, a Journal News competitor, led its exclusive report citing the juxtaposition of targeting gun ownership while hiring armed guards.

"Guns are good for the goose but NOT for the gander," Dylan Skriloff, the Rockland County Times' associate publisher & editor-in-chief wrote.

[Steve in Sunny Fla]

Sounds like they understand the whole "it takes a good guy with a gun to stop a bad guy with a gun" more than they figured initially 

The fact is EVERYONE understands the "good guy / bad guy" idea. That's why everyone who wants to disarm the populace still wants the police armed. That's not a bad plan if you can carry a cop around with you all the time.

If you want to see how people REALLY feel, ask them this "if you had been a teacher in Newtown, and the shooter is coming to your room, would you rather reach for an eraser or a gun to protect the children and yourself."  See how many say "eraser". Steve