blogs: Rick Redding 

Since we publish our stuff here in the online world, we don't have to worry about some of the issues that are part of the daily life at LEO, the city's alt-weekly. So when a group doesn't like what we publish, we don't have to worry about them going out and stealing our product from our public distribution outlets in order to keep readers from getting to it. Actually, it's a rare event for LEO, and even more surprising that someone associated with River Fields might be doing it. But if you read Stephen George's column in this morning's paper, there's certainly some evidence that thin-skinned reps of the organization, lambasted in a lengthy cover story last week, were lifting copies of the paper from LEO boxes. More surprising, since it's coming from a group of supposed smarties, is that River Fields reacted to an accusation leveled at it by sending LEO a threatening letter. An excerpt from George's column: After our visit to the group's office, our publisher, Pam Brooks, sent a letter to River Fields asking that if they had been stealing LEOs to please stop. Tuesday morning we received a response from (Bob) Griffith, the group's attorney, threatening a lawsuit if we published any story about the alleged theft. The letter also demanded to know the source(s) behind the allegations of theft, as well as other internal LEO information. Laughable, if it weren't such a clear indication of the way River Fields likes to play in this community: intimidate and shutter, squash your critics, complain about your plot and bring in the lawyer to defend it. Come on, now, Mr. Griffith. Are you really stooping to this level? Threatening a lawsuit over reporting of fact? Aren't you smart enough to know that taking on the news media is bad policy? Whatever bad press the organization endured publicly over last week's story, the P.R. just got a whole lot worse.

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	chuck   wed nov 18 2009 at 9:55 am         ·  And it should go without saying, but please visit www.8664.org and get involved now. :-) Its OUR river front, it's OUR air... Don't allow the downtown expansion of spaghetti junction. Best, - Chuck
	Rob Beanz #162341   wed nov 18 2009 at 10:10 am         ·  Isn't the LEO FREE? Stealing news would be something like taking other news agencies news articles and putting those headlines on ones own page instead of going out and doing all the hard work themselves! Oh gee wait......... :)~
	photog   wed nov 18 2009 at 11:31 am         ·  Someone needs to call the noon-time protest group that Coleman used to use to protest construction sites. Park those guys out in front of River Fields at lunch time for a few weeks...
	Stephen George #317178   wed nov 18 2009 at 12:18 pm         ·  Yes, LEO is free. However, as a disclaimer at the front of the mag states, each reader is entitled to one copy. Obviously there are associated costs to printing the thing, so it's not without value. There is a good bit of legal precedent establishing value for freebies like LEO in these cases.
	Steve Magruder   wed nov 18 2009 at 1:35 pm         ·  photog, I actually miss Rev. Coleman. Even if disagreed with many of his positions, I always felt heartened to see citizens acting as CITIZENS, and speaking up about policies they disagreed with. Why can't more of us do that? By the way, LouHI is joining in the happy-fun-news-stealing (I like to think of this as sharing, or spreading the word, giving the LEO free advertising) as well. http://www.historyandissues.org/louisville/viewtopic.php?t=1633 Check out the poll: "How would you rate River Fields' damage to the economic and transportation interests of the Louisville metro area?"
	rob   wed nov 18 2009 at 2:52 pm         ·  River Fields looks bad.
	chuck   wed nov 18 2009 at 4:08 pm         ·  RE: Legal Precedent... I believe that they have passed laws about this in California as some people were stealing ALL of the free papers and then taking them to a recycling center to earn a few bucks. And really, that's just sleazy. Best, - C
	Rob Beanz #162341   thu nov 19 2009 at 8:25 am         ·  This is so like the pot calling the kettle Hot! Did anyone stop to think that since them RF people are so "egocentrically conceded", that maybe they just wanted to share the article with their family and friends, so they took a few extra copies? After all it is FREE at any public distribution outlet, like your local Kmart, Dennys, and of course their favorite frequented adult book stores! I can hear them all now: Look Maw, we made the news, AGAIN and Again, and again and again.......