Why is The Bee picking on Rick Mirigian?
Why was the fact that a local concert promoter missed a loan payment considered newsworthy enough to run an article about it in the Bee? Will we be seeing regular articles on other businessmen when they miss a loan or credit card payment? What about late water or PG&E bills? Here we have a local man who is a great success story, and I see no purpose in stating he may have missed a loan payment (supposedly unrelated to concert promotion) other than to make some people believe he is somehow crooked. I would bet at least half of us have missed a loan payment at least once in our lives.....give the man a break.Greg Wike
Interesting question. Thanks for asking. First, I must point out that Rick Mirigian didn't just miss a payment -- he was sued. Still, the lawsuit was routine, and normally we wouldn't have bothered reporting it ... except that we had just published on the front page Mike Osegueda's enormous profile of Mirigian, the promoter of last week's big Beyoncé concert. That story made the lawsuit temporarily more relevant than it otherwise would be.
And, to answer your question directly, yes, we might write about another business owner missing a payment, if the circumstances made it of particular interest to readers. Say, for example, that business owner also was running for office on a platform of fiscal responsibility.
By the way, a couple of readers had exactly the opposite complaint about our coverage of Mirigian: that our profile was essentially free publicity. I think it was appropriate because (a) he's a terrifically interesting character and (b) he's a rare local promoter able to play with the corporate big boys in promoting major touring shows. In addition, the story gave us a fascinating nuts-and-bolts look behind the scenes of a major concert.
But while we took pains to show Mirigian with warts and all in that profile, it would have been wrong not to give some attention to a lawsuit that very week accusing the promoter of failing to pay his debts. There is a certain justice to serving readers the bad news about Rick Mirigian along with the good.
Comments
Im just like everyone else, pants go on one leg at a time, but it is good to know some people actualy do want me to make it! I also respect and appreciate the Bee's job and I take the good with the bad. They have a job to do, good or bad and they do it well.
Posted by: rick mirigian | September 6, 2007 10:43 PM
Sounds like Fresno needs more business-men such Mr. Mirigian in order to keep some life in this town. It's pretty much a sign of boredom in this town when the the Bee has nothing else better to write about but a businessman missing a payment and getting sued for it. "Hey writers" I didnt make last months mortgage payment and now I'm in default. Can you put me in your paper too? What a waste of time!
Posted by: walter freeman | September 12, 2007 6:07 PM
I read the article about Mr. Mirigian's efforts to but on the Beyonce concert while I was on vacation in the area. My first impression was that this guy was crazy, but as I read on I found it to actually be inspiring, the way Americans use to be. It is admirable that he has taken risks and followed his dreams. Unfortunately, sometimes while following our dreams we may hit a few bumps.
Posted by: Rosa Washington | October 18, 2007 10:06 PM