Sign of the Times: The Tracy Press Chases TT

It’s not too often that we get the opportunity to brag about our local news blog.

Still, in the case of breaking the story about the State Bar’s disciplinary charges filed against Tracy’s former, controversial City Attorney, Bijal Patel, we deserve all the credit.

We posted the story over a week before the Tracy Press (TP).

It’s a sign of the times.

Traditional media is losing the news race to social media.

The TP is doing the best it can with the bare minimum resources it’s been given.

One reporter cannot be everywhere all at once.

Nor can that reporter afford to be critical of the City of Tracy, which it relies on heavily for information.   

While Tracy has its issues, it is a quiet bedroom community where most of the news comes from the local government. 

Maintaining trusted sources is critical for newspaper journalists, as this former paid journalist can attest.

The TP is in a Catch-22, as are many local newspapers.

This is why TT got started, and why this publication continues to deliver hard-hitting reports, most often about the issues transpiring at City Hall.

We devote resources to investigating behind-the-scenes activities, rather than merely reciting what happened in public after the fact.

This is also why we stay anonymous. Without our anonymity, neither we nor TP would have discovered the formal State Bar complaint about Patel.

Tracy needs a resource that critically examines what's happening at City Hall, something TP is either unwilling or unable to do. 

The attacks against this publication are irrelevant; both residents and elected officials can keep guessing who is behind them.

We face criticism from special interests because truth threatens their pursuit of power and wealth.

When the same advocates for special interests attack us, it confirms we've hit the mark.

What is relevant is our continued reporting of what is happening at City Hall, both in front of and behind the public’s eyes.

Tracy, as we know, is a major commuter community with many taxpaying, voting-age residents who are too busy and tired to attend council and commission meetings.

However, these residents still deserve to know what is going on with their local government.

This is why we will continue to provide the hard-hitting stories, whether they are popular or unpopular with City Hall or our elected officials.

We will continue to report on the Bijal Patel story and the implications for City Hall.

We do this for the betterment of Tracy.

On that note, we appreciate your readership and are grateful for the news tips we receive, and we remain dedicated to keeping all sources anonymous.