Editorial: The Newspaper of Record, In Short Supply for Sunland Tujunga

Originally published 8/24/2012; this post refutes journalistic claims made by David "Doc" DeMulle, a formerly unknown photo-journalist who joined Sunland-Tujunga's "No 2 Home Depot" campaign (he later told a source he was the burglar who broke into the Home Depot attorney's offices to steal critical documents) and initiated his non-profit 'newspaper' which was thrown into local front yards as a campaign outreach. After the campaign, Doc published The Foothills Paper as self expression, using it to retaliate against Sunland-Tujungans he is at odds with. His increasingly libelous articles escape prosecution because he targets those unable to afford the expense of lawsuits.

The Foothills Paper no longer calls itself "The Newspaper of Record for Sunland Tujunga". The only publication to entirely earn and hold that distinction was Sunland Tujunga's historic Record Ledger which ceased publication some 20 years ago. I was a reporter and proofreader for that newspaper in the 70s.

"The Newspaper of Record" is a privileged term in journalism; highly desired and seldom earned. It comes from "The Newspaper of Public Record" which refers literally to publications approved by government sources to print legal notices. Legal notices are the bread and butter of the advertising department; they are a steady source of income. "Legals" must run a certain number of issues to satisfy court orders. They are paid copy and very valuable to a publication, which must have a high circulation and matching reputation to qualify to run them. The Foothills Paper doesn't run legals. The Record Ledger ran pages of them; I thought I'd go blind proofing that fine print.

"The Newspaper of Record" (not 'Public Record') is a term equally clear in its demands upon a publication to qualify for such distinction. According to Wikipedia, in order to call itself such, the publication must "typically consist of those newspapers that are considered to meet higher standards of journalism than most print media (including editorial independence and attention to accuracy) and are usually renowned." That does not describe The Foothills Paper.

The Foothills Paper once called itself the newspaper of record for the Sunland Tujunga community. It was not qualified to do so. Not one of the above qualifications can be said of The Foothills Paper. It does not have a high circulation or a high reputation. It does not meet higher standards, nor attention to accuracy and is not renowned. Infamous, yes... renowned, no.

On the other hand, "Yellow Journalism" according to Wikipedia "presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines...Techniques may include exaggeration of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism. By extension, the term yellow journalism is used today as a pejorative to decry any journalism that treats news in an unprofessional or unethical fashion."

Now what disturbs me in this whole thought provoking discussion is the blatant use and abuse by The Foothills Paper to capitalize on current community controversy by promising angry Sunland brick and mortar restaurants their "side" will be addressed in The Foothills Paper re: the Food Truck Standoff if they agree to be a distribution point for The Foothills Paper. Many of these locations never distributed (or read) this paper before. Most of them do not advertise in The Foothills Paper as required by the paper to be distributors.

This is a frank effort by The Foothills Paper to advance the controversy rather than report it. It is a disservice to both sides of the issue and an unethical attempt to 'make the news' then report it. Doc DeMulle, the publisher of The Foothills Paper had to be ordered by Councilman Alarcon to leave the meeting last week between supporters of the Food Truck Night and brick and mortar stores. An independent source says Doc resisted the order but the audience agreed he should leave. No press was allowed to attend the meeting. Neither side apparently believes in the press anymore... there is no Newspaper of Record for our community of Sunland Tujunga. Where is Philip Horwith, Lucy Colville, and Jennifer Olson when you need them?

BOYCOTT The Foothills Paper

Doc DeMulle persuades an unwitting GoodWill employee to
display the latest Foothills Paper with a headline falsely
accusing a community member of murder!

BOYCOTT The Foothills Paper!

This is a call to arms for all the citizens, stakeholders, and visitors of Sunland Tujunga to blot out the existence once and for all of the Foothills Paper, the warped and illegitimately labeled “newspaper of record” for Sunland Tujunga. This publication by Doc DeMulle is a travesty of the term, ‘journalism’.

Never in the history of journalism has a publication been more deserving of such an action. Public outcry is not enough as David “Doc” DeMulle, the publisher/writer/owner of The Foothills Paper is perversely motivated by shock, hurt, despair, and deliberate personal injury his articles, editorials, cartoons, and posts cause citizens of Sunland Tujunga. The man is certainly capable of genuine journalism but uses his newspaper as a weapon. Not capable however of rapier wit, Doc bludgeons citizens with slanderous and libelous words of print. Doc DeMulle “lies, cheats, and steals”, to craft articles without a shred of truth in them. Lies are the mainstay of his ‘informational’ style. No Associated Press credentials can be extended to the author of deliberate ‘yellow journalism’.

If readers are all this man writes for, he has them. So stop reading his words! Let them dry up and blow away like desiccated weeds. Think of his words as the virus you never want yourself or anyone you care for to be contaminated by. 

Stop reading Doc DeMulle’s wretched Foothills Paper! Stop allowing this abomination to be representative of our community! Stop allowing legitimate counter space for this miscarriage of the written word! Stop advertising in this embarrassing publication! Stop reading his on-line version and his Facebook version of the Foothills Paper. Stop allowing it to be distributed in legitimate locations such as the Sunland Tujunga Neighborhood Council meetings, the Sunland Tujunga library and the Los Angeles City Council office!

Doc DeMulle does not care who he hurts, how he destroys lives and relationships; Doc thrives on discord and takes personal pride in his deliberate destruction of Sunland Tujunga with his utterly false words, outright lies, and carefully crafted layers of deceitful articles that NEVER add anything of value to the community but are aimed at the heart of our community with every intention to kill it. Doc is murderous in his desire to hurt Sunland Tujunga.

Doc writes false headlines accusing innocent citizens of murder. Doc falsely accuses neighborhood council members of lying, cheating and stealing. Doc fabricates stories and prints them without a shred of proof. Doc DeMulle makes parody of religion, light of death, and feels utterly no shame at personal injury aimed like bullets of print at anyone who confronts him.

Doc DeMulle is a common journalistic criminal. His crime is in print and bears witness against him. Find him guilty and sentence him to silence. Silence his words by not reading them: he will have only himself to listen too and that will be justice.



An example of Doc's manipulation of the printed word to insert lies in the text of another... http://brockbajer.blogspot.com/2011/08/guilt-by-association.html

One Year Later... Brock Baj'er's First Post Is History (In The Making)

David "Doc" DeMulle starts more fires than he puts out.

Enough is enough.

Brock Baj'er has been sleeping and was rudely awakened by Doc DeMulle of The Foothills Paper infamy, digging up dirt and going out of his way to step on her while she remained on the sidelines. The Badger is mad. The Badger is launching a campaign to boycott The Foothills Paper: the only "paper of record" to spew dirt on the community it professes to serve.

Contact Brock if you want to join this campaign...

In the meantime, here is the original article that launched the blog Brock Baj'er: read it and weep but never sleep. The enemy is at the door: http://brockbajer.blogspot.com/2011/07/where-is-foothills-paper-foothills.html

The 'Doc' Debate

I'm sort of stuck between the Rock and a hard place... Remember that original controversy that landed me in hot water in this community two years ago? Well I do, because today I changed my mind. And my stand and my opinion. Wow. I did not even know I was going to do it till the words were out of my mouth and were the exact opposite of the view I held two years ago...

At that time I challenged the campaign to boycott advertisers in The Foothills Paper, a local publication almost entirely dedicated as the mouthpiece of publisher Doc DeMulle. I felt it was unfair to target the advertisers in order to force them to pull their ads from The Foothills Paper and cause it to fold by drying it up financially. I contacted the advertisers and supported their decision. I still feel the Paper (not the advertisers) should be boycotted if readers find it objectionable. Nearly all do. But everyone still reads it! Oh well. I moved on...

Recently my new employer wanted to advertise in our community and proudly told me she had found the 'community newspaper': The Foothills Paper and was about to call them for ad space. Oh Noooooo!!! I set her straight. "Nothing good can ever come of having your ad or your name in The Foothills Paper!" I declared. Don't do it! As I recounted some of the offensive statements that went to press in The Foothills Paper my friend paled. "Does he just make these remarks in the editorial section?" she asked. "No" I replied, they are throughout the whole paper, like legitimate news." She decided not to advertise in The Foothills Paper.

When I told this story to a friend tonight I said "I just don't want anyone or anything I care about to advertise in The Foothills Paper..." Then I realized, "wow, I just declared support for the drive against advertisers in The Paper!"

It's easy to champion a cause when its not your own. It's different when it becomes personal. Maybe all journalists should experience a reality check from time to time? And maybe you should think who you are likely to offend Doc, with your un-newsworthy newspaper.