Definitions:
Column: The text of the Happenings page that is used for articles, letters to the editor, etc.; appears in two sections (columns), left and right, on the same page.
Column Inch (C.I.): One measured inch of the column; in quarter inch increments.
Article: Any written material that is not an advertisement. It may be an article, letter to the editor, or whatever.
Pro-Incorporation: Supporting incorporation in an outright manner.
Anti-Incorporation: An article that is not supportive of incorporation.
Neutral: An article that does not give strong support to either side.
Supposedly Neutral: An article that is from an organization that is supposed to be neutral, but that contains derogatory statements about one side or the other.
Time Frame: Every issue of Happenings from January 2002 to October 2002.
Methodology:
Scan article to decide if it covers the issue of incorporation. If it does not, but is from one of the organizations involved, that column is not counted. If it does cover the subject, and is pro-incorporation, if it uses only one column, measure only that column. If it uses two columns that are very much alike, use one measurement and multiply by two: for three the same idea, four the same idea. If it covers two column widths but in only one column (if it goes from one side of the page to the other), measure and multiply by two to equal the column inches used. Measure the column from top to bottom, including the signature, but NOT the headline. If an article only touches on incorporation, measure only that portion. Note measurements by issue and by page number. Measure in only quarter inches; thus, 5-and-3/8-inches becomes 5¼ inches. If a full column width is not used due to advertisements, but a partial column width is used, measure full column length, adjust for column width. Thus, 9.25 inches, with an advertisement encroaching into the column width, becomes 7 column inches. It is important that you remember that the ONLY subject taken into consideration for this research was the NAMED issue of Incorporation. The Feasibility Study was not taken into consideration (nor any other issue), although they may be part of the issue, if it focused on the Feasibility Study (or other issues), then it didn't get used for this research.
Pages used per issue:
| January 2002 | February 2002 | March 2002 | April 2002 | May 2002 | June 2002 | July 2002 | August 2002 | September 2002 | October 2002 | NOVEMBER 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10, 11 | Not covered | 11, 12, 13, 23 | 1, 10, 11, 12, 16 | 1, 10, 11, 21, 22, 23, | 10, 14, 15 | 6, 7, 8, 9, 18, 19, 28, 29, 30, 31 | 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 31, 32 | 1, 10, 12, 13 | 1, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 30, 31, 32 | 1, 4, 6, 8, 18, 23, 26, 35 |
The Total Numbers (percentages rounded):
| Pro-Incorporation | Anti-Incorporatin | Neutral | Supposedly Neutral |
|---|---|---|---|
| 309.5 C.I. | 155.5 C.I. | 68.25 C.I. | 14 C.I. |
| 99.035% MORE PRO-INCORPORATION C.I. | 28.41% Incorporation C.I. | 12.47% Incorporation C.I. | 2.55% Incorporation C.I. |
Figuring the results:
To find the total Column Inches, add up the number of column inches used. That's the Total Incorporation Column Inches (C.I.). To find the percentage of the Total Column Inches for Pro-Incorporation, Anti-Incorporation, etc., divide the Pro-Incorporation number (309.5 C.I.) by the total of 523.75 = 56.55% of the Total Column Inches used for the Incorporation issue in the year 2002 in Happenings. (To prove it works, divide 30 by 40 and you will get 75%: 30 is 75% of 40.) Do that for the other "sides" of the issue as well.
Now, to find how much more one side got than the other side, an example first. Say I got $25 and you got $35. To find out how much more money you received than I received, I would subtract $35 - $25 = $10. Now divide that $10 by how much I have, $25. It looks like this $10 ÷ $25 = .40 (convert that to percentage) 40%. Got it?
Results:
Okay. So we do the same thing for the Column Inch issue. The PRO-Incorporation side got 309.5 Column Inches. The Anti-Incorporation side got 155.5 Column Inches. 309.5 - 155.5 = 154. 154 (the difference) ÷ 155.5 (how much the anti-incorporation side got) = 99.035% MORE PRO-INCORPORATION Column Inches in the January to November issues of Happenings than the anti-incorporation people got. That's an astonishing number.
Mr. Rodriguez wrote in the December 2001 issue that he quit PSJ4T because he thought that PSJ4T had lied to the public and that they had not considered other options besides incorporation as PSJ4T had said they would. In the January 2002 issue of Happenings, PSJ4T wrote an angry article that included the fact that Randy had quit their organization's executive committee "without any prior notice or conversation." On the next page Randy wrote, "As you can see, (read?), PSJFT is well covering the idea of incorporating ourselves. Now, for the other options - Over the next few months I'll be writing about some of the other possibilities and options so you can decide what is best for you. My specific points to compare will be utility service, law enforcement, zoning control, citizen input to policy or government, sewers vs. septic, growth issue and how much control the citizens of PSJ would actually have." Those articles never appeared.