I was thinking more like a political conspirator. There are many ways that the public can steer news stories in different directions, and that can have an effect on public policy makers.

This sort of project looks like exactly what a liveable streets advocate dreams of doing all over the region. Yet the Times covered it in a negative way. That ends up making weak local politicians wary of doing projects like this - as that negative news can come back to haunt them when they run for re-election or higher office.

For example, if any of these projects hit a snag, the Times has laid the groundwork to call the whole thing a debacle, despite any marked improvements this may bring to the area.

I guess what I'm getting at is, I have an agenda to push, and being "truthful" got thrown out the window when I learned how this stuff actually works. Journalists are writing copy to sell papers - not necessarily to get to the truth of a matter. I can't afford to care about "telling the truth" in print if nobody else does.

I think it behooves liveable streets advocates to work the media the same way other interest groups do. If we can find a way to help journalists sell papers and cover our ideas in a more positive way - that is what I would like to see.

If the journalist has no stake in framing a story to suit his or her interests, it will print conflicting viewpoints, including anti-urban ones.

However, Brayj, you are right to scrutinize reporting methods in this and all stories. Consider the angles not addressed as much as those that were. Consider the journalist covering the event, and how much experience he or she has in a particular beat.

There's both a problem with both inexperience and too much experience. Inexperienced reporters not only miss important angles, but they have a tendency to be overreliant on sources. Reporters with extensive experience often produce better copy, but they tend to use the "cell phone circle of five friends" of sources, where they quote a short list of sources to the point where they work like a comedy team.

Why can't the headlines be "Neighborhood eager to see new improvements", "USC area to be made safer for bikes, peds", "Local leaders move to encourage walking", etc.?

There are all kinds of positive story hooks that could make this type of local political action keep on happening all across the city.