The Buzz 05.24.18

WHO’S IN TOWN?

It’s tough being the older organization on the block. The challenge is to stay fresh and relevant – especially when a young upstart draws lots of attention. It’s a situation the 108-year-old NAACP finds itself in with Black Lives Matter, only a few years old and described as “not your grandfather’s civil-rights movement.” Last fall the NAACP Board of Directors elected Derrick Johnson as president and CEO, with expectations he will lead the NAACP in a new direction, including an increased role in the upcoming midterm elections. Johnson is in town this week as the guest speaker for the NAACP Monterey County Branch’s Freedom Fund Life Membership Gala. The theme: “The Time is Now: Economic Justice and Self Determination.”

6pm, Sat May 26. Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa, 1 Old Golf Course Road, Monterey. $100. montereynaacp.org.

FREE SPEECH

On May 9, President Donald Trump tweeted, “… 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?” Whoa. Let’s unpack that. First, the White House historically does not have a role in credentialing journalists, to avoid exactly the type of quid pro quo the president suggests. Instead, it’s the domain of the White House Correspondents Association. WHCA President Margaret Talevsaid in a statement, “A president preventing a free and independent press from covering the workings of our republic would be an unconscionable assault on the First Amendment.” The 91 percent figure is presumably drawn from the Media Research Center, which the Press Freedom Tracker describes as a conservative media watchdog, and which has reported that in 2017, 91 percent of evening newscasts on Trump was negative. But negative is different than “fake”; accurate, factual – dare we say, real news – can still be negative.

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

GOOD:

The sustainability of global seafood got a big boost May 15 when Red Lobster, the world’s largest purchaser of seafood, announced it would be compliant with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch list by 2025. Red Lobster, which has over 700 restaurants worldwide (including one in Salinas), will work with the Aquarium until then to find suppliers that can provide products that fit either the Seafood Watch list’s “green” or “yellow” rating – “best choices” and “good alternatives.” That will have a ripple effect on the global seafood supply chain, as suppliers who want to do business with Red Lobster will be forced to provide sustainable products. Aquarium Executive Director Julie Packard said in a statement, “It sends a strong signal to the marketplace: Fishing fleets and aquaculture producers will be rewarded for adopting practices that support healthy ocean ecosystems.”

BAD:

The Federal Aviation Adminsitration delivered bad news for local drone pilots when it announced May 18 it would expand “no-drone zones” to the airspace over three U.S. Department of Defense facilities, including one in Monterey. The new restrictions, requested by the DoD, are intended “to address the potential threat posed by malicious drone operations.” The new rules take effect June 1, and apply to the Naval Air Station in Kingsville, Texas, Naval Support Activity in Orlando, Florida, and Naval Support Activity Monterey, the installation that’s home to the Naval Postgraduate School. (The FAA is also widening the boundaries of proteted airspace over a naval facility in Maryland.) “Operators who violate the airspace restrictions may be subject to enforcement action, including potential civil penalties and criminal charges,” according to the FAA’s announcement.