I want to talk about the primary local Newspaper and Business Advertising Venue, the Big Canoe Smoke Signals, or as I refer to them, the Smoke Screen Newspaper. This glorified marketing tabloid, whose sole reason for existing is to promote real estate sales and paint the picture that every day is a miracle of happiness and fiscal responsibility in Big Canoe, is nothing but a disgrace and liability to this community. I’ve been here 20 years and I can tell you right now that they have been used like a cheap whore by the Developer, Board and Insider Committees for as long as I can remember. They helped sell the Land Deal. They did their damndest to help push the Internet Task Force Agenda (thank God someone – me – was working behind the scenes to stop that $13 Million Dollar Boondoggle). And they NEVER, ever, ask sincere tough questions about any issues of substance in the community. But they have a role to play in this drama that is Big Canoe….. they are the “Token Newspaper” providing Smoke Screen cover to make people think that they have a faithful news watchdog looking over things. Well, you do now, but it isn’t the Smoke Screen Newspaper fulfilling that role. They win awards for really nice graphics, and pretty advertising design – but in regards to matters of true journalism – if our founding fathers, who put FREEDOMS OF THE PRESS into the very FIRST (1st) AMENDMENT, could see what journalism has become today – they would be rolling over in their graves. I CHALLENGE the Smoke Signals “Newspaper” to step up and actually earn the “News” prefix. It is DISGRACEFUL that our primary “newspaper” doesn’t have at least one beat reporter that does a thorough monthly investigation, review, and summary of Board & Committee Meetings, Minutes of Meetings, Financial Activities, etc for the property owners.
I want to make it clear that my condemnation of the Smoke Screen does NOT extend to the many fine and wonderful volunteer writers that produce such fantastic community interest stories each month. That portion of the Paper is very well done, and a lot of wonderful effort goes into that. My criticisms are EXCLUSIVELY for the Editorial Staff and Board, and the way they allow the paper to be used as a propaganda outlet for every stupid idea our Board, or the Developer has – and FAILS to honor its most basic journalistic responsibilities as a watchdog of the property owners. May I suggest you try doing some basic investigative reporting, and I mean more than just 3rd Grade Level, Book Report “Quoting” of the party line.
Here’s one idea for a story…. instead of using your pages as a source for hack opinion letters (containing unchecked, untrue, and out-of-context allegations) that issue lectures on “Civility” – why don’t you assign a reporter to do an indepth article on how certain Facebook Groups and their Admin/Leaders (past and present to include: Meg Rooney, John & Elaine Fitzgerald, Warren Culpepper, Rachael Goodman and others) are destroying the Social Fabric of the community by acting as Censorship Agents – creating literal cesspools of hatred, gossip and division within the community, and creating very powerful echo chambers that are used by the “powers-that-be” to influence, intimidate, ban, or ostracize property owners. But of course, the Smoke Screens Editorial Staff and Board won’t do that – because that would be shining a light on the very network they are a part of.
Alas, when they do run an editorial – it is simply a subtle character assassination piece, devoid of any facts, and failing to address any of the real issues within the community.
FOR EXAMPLE, I just sat down to actually read carefully the September 2019 letter by the “Editorial Board”. It really is just so sad and pathetic. For months they have been decrying ME as uncivil, and now they call for “Dialing down the Rhetoric”. So let me summarize the article in its own words…..
Editorial Title: “Time to dial down the rhetoric“
“invisible peddlers of information grind out fiction” —— “a one-man blog and self-described “newspaper” —— “possible illegal use of the community name” —— “mystifying scrutiny” —— “inflammatory headlines and conspiracy theories” —— “mysterious signatory” —— “determined to destroy” —— “mystifying is his motive” —— “curiously out of sight behind his keyboard” —— “a crusade to turn molehills into mountains” —— “churns out factually dishonest conclusions” —— “conspiratorial swirl of righteous indignation, amateurish personal attacks and reckless allegations” —— “his threats” —— “no stranger to law enforcement” —— “worrying implications” —— “lacking any coherent expressed purpose” —— “a conduit to feed a hungry ego” —— “not bashful about bragging” —— “his fantasies” —— “rants and name-calling” —— “the man behind the cyber-curtain” —— “is baiting us with lame name-calling” —— “the opening to UNLEASH A FAMILIAR BARRAGE OF INVECTIVE“…..
Well, LOL – I am not sure I can top the above 🤔 While a masterpiece of allegorical drama – the “editorial” contains not a single whiff of factual reference. It is simply an uncivil, untruthful character assassination – a dagger embroidered with flowery and cowardly words – the entire article ironically “Dialing UP the Rhetoric” – and continuing a sad pattern of avoiding discussion of Actual News.
I am afraid my “barrage of invectives” may seem tame by comparison….. But I am willing to try. Here goes….
They (the POA, Developer, GM, Committees, Senior Management, Smoke Screens Editorial Board) have…..
—- “failed to address any of the actual issues, and are relying on name calling and false narratives in an attempt to misdirect attention from the issues uncovered by our reporting” —-
There! How was that? 😉
Let me give an honest suggestion to the Editorial Board of the Smoke Signals Newspaper…. Try focusing on news INSIDE of the Gates, and stop spending all of your time trying to be a regional newspaper. Cover your own community FIRST – then you can go meddling outside the gates.
One last thing… in your article you repeatedly in childish fashion mock my “signature” of “david/publisher”, but then conclude “We all know who he is”. And yes, most people do know who I am – for it is not “secret” or “mysterious”. I am David Hopkins, a 20 year resident of Big Canoe, and a Property Owner, and the publisher of Focus On Big Canoe, GA.
What we do NOT know is who YOU are. It seems you are embarrassed of your own “editorial” for you simply sign the piece “the editorial board”. But who are you? Who are the cowards that hide behind the words? Afraid we might find some POA Board Members or other well known Insider Names on the list? You conclude your article with “Smoke Signals…. does not now have, nor at any time in the past had, an organizational or operational relationship with ….. the Big Canoe Property Owner’s Association.”
But that is a lie. You’ve had a long history of ex and current POA Board Members on your board. And Committee Chairs. Your “News organization” is nothing but a front for a small group of well known insiders.
PS…. The Smoke Signals is currently engaged in launching their annual Marketing for Advertisers. I have in the past found their advertising rates to be abominably high, and to be of little value. The majority of their distribution is in North metro or far-flung tourist attraction areas of North Georgia. I fail to see what benefit this is to Advertisers of local Big Canoe based businesses and services. It would probably be more cost effective to advertise locally on Facebook. Also, Treena Parish of Architectural Controls keeps a list that she provides to ALL property owners. Here is the most recent copy of the Sub-Contractors List (9 Pg PDF). Service Contractors can be added to that list at no charge, and it is most likely more productive than paying for high-priced, ineffective advertising in a POA Directory that ends up hidden in a drawer somewhere. Contact the Big Canoe Architectural Controls Department (706) 268-3394 to have your business or service reviewed and included on the list. Market for free on the Big Canoe Facebook Business sites.
Furthermore, the Smoke Screens Newspaper is a Disgrace – and it is harming the community to allow this misconception to continue that we have an actual news watchdog on duty. All advertisers that truly care about the sanctity of the “Press” should boycott, and thereby choke off funding support for this “newspaper” until they learn how to actually protect and serve the community they claim to represent. People shouldn’t be supporting this. They should vote with their wallets. Being a patriot often means engaging in unconventional methods to ensure the protection of our constitutional civil liberties.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FocusonBigCanoeGA/
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In our Next Installment Series – we will be looking very closely at the recent words and actions of our POA Board and General Manager. We will be releasing some audiotape as well. But I have one more brief article before we get to that – about the Property Tax issues.
Peace,
– david / publisher
themtnsvoice@aol.com < tipline and submissions for letters to editor
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