Reporter confession unveils Bakersfield Californian cover-up - By N.L. Belardes

Speaking up for the music, theatre and literary scene in 2005 in my blog got me called an “uncivil bully” by the Bakersfield Californian. Now that there’s a confession posted on the Internet by Danielle Belton, former entertainment writer for the Bakersfield Californian, I have to ask once again, was I an uncivil bully for speaking up against the local media in my blog?

Well of course I don’t think so.

The Bakersfield Californian hurts feelings all the time by just telling the news. Look at the recent article on The Filthies. Not a hurtful article, though recent news of digging up controversial ghosts over the death of Kenny Mount’s father was possibly very disturbing to he and his family.

In 2005 I expressed what I heard on the streets—that people weren’t getting coverage or replies from the entertainment reporter. I began to engage in an online dialogue with my readers. I really became critical after getting some attitude from Danielle Belton about an unwillingness to write about my newsworthy novel. Quite possibly that was her superiors forcing her to not write about my book. Why the gag order on my book? I can only guess it’s the subject matter. Anyway, I was just reporting what I felt was a dilemma: the local newspaper not paying attention to local entertainment news.

It’s just opinion, right?

In retrospect, maybe I should have just complained about Belton’s superiors instead of about her. Would it have made a difference? Maybe.

I’d already reported about Jerry’s Pizza and exhausted that story of local entertainment gone haywire. It was high time I reported about entertainment news. Of course I was kicked out of the Bakersfield Californian’s early blog community for expressing my critique of poor entertainment reporting. I hadn’t been quiet about calling for the firing of Danielle Belton.

Months later I heard gossip that Danielle Belton suffered from some kind of mental condition. Some people even blamed me. Her condition was hidden from the public, and I wasn’t about to launch into a series of “Belton is sick” gossip blogs. If she was sick, then I figured that a private matter.

Had I worsened Belton’s condition by aiming my blogs toward her dismissal? I have no idea. I do know she soon stopped writing, and the Bakersfield Californian went into protection mode. She disappeared from the public eye for quite some time.

But now Belton has exposed all, including her condition, and has offered an apology of sorts. She writes:

…why I often didn't go to plays and concerts in the last few years was because I was suffering from crippling agoraphobia. Or I was too busy trying not to kill myself, consider that horrible mystery solved. I'm sorry if I ever hurt anyone's feelings or made them feel like I was shunning them as entertainment reporter.

Mystery solved and apology more than accepted. Belton knew she wasn’t doing a good job as she was suffering from one or more mental conditions. But where did she go? According to Belton, she locked herself up in her apartment writing screenplays, musicals, parts of novels, short stories and TV pilots. She claims to have disappeared from the winter of 2005 to the spring of 2006 and was hospitalized three times, including one Christmas in a UCLA psych ward. Her suicidal condition affected her work. Bouts of depression led her to becoming agitated and easily upset while at the Bakersfield Californian.

It’s clear now, that although Belton worked at the Californian, her workmates became much more than just coworkers. They became her closest friends. All I can do is guess that such closeness may have led to the sudden combativeness of the Bakersfield Californian toward me.

It’s easy to find a scapegoat when you’re protecting someone. Instead of a dialogue, the Californian pushed me away. The Californian, though never paying me, booted me from their midst, and so I booted Belton from my own now defunct blog community. Tit for tat.

And since I was also protecting people; artists who I didn’t want the Californian to know criticized the newspaper; that left me as the target for the certain people at the Californian to possibly spread rumors that I was mean, nasty, and so forth.

No, not mean and nasty. I was just reporting that locals deserve stories in print and online. The Filthies were just as deserving one and a half years ago as they are today to get into the local paper. Just look at the newly formed band, The Dives. Erik Loyd is proudly writing about local acts who don’t have a long track record. And Bakotopia is putting together a CD compilation—that’s Bakersfield Californian money supporting local entertainment. That’s a good thing. Matt Munoz of Bakotopia is heading up that project and even performed in a recent play as a show of good faith toward local art culture. That means the Californian is paying more attention to local art culture, no matter what level of success, in at least their niche market activities.

What I can say is thank goodness Danielle Belton is alive.

Thank goodness her friends saved her. I don’t wish anyone dead. At the most, I had community expectations for Belton as a reporter—so did a lot of artists. I was going to get quotes to back up such statements. But once again. I’m not going to do that. Any fallout from this article doesn’t deserve to land on certain individuals of the art scene.

In the end, I wanted everyone to work together, for the community to live up to its full potential. Belton’s words to me, though now in retrospect, were words crying out that she wanted away from the scene for personal reasons, were taken as a ‘brush off’ of me and other artists. I had to fight back. Just as she believes she eventually had to withdraw to help save herself.

Today, the art scene and the Californian are experiencing more unity than ever before. We’re inching closer toward a day where local bands, and local writers, filmmakers and theatre can enjoy mutual success through media attention.

The Bakersfield who doesn’t know, deserves to have citizens aware of its artistic culture. Culture breeds culture, and Bakersfield needs to grow.

As for the Californian covering up Belton’s illness. She had a right to keep it secret, and the Californian had a right to protect her. I just don’t think the Californian was showing non-bias. They could have spoken to me about their concerns for local entertainment. Instead, they got rabid and distrusting as they sought to protect an ill individual. Calling me an ‘uncivil bully’ just showed they wanted no discussion with a blogger.

In the end, Belton quit her job and is moving to St. Louis. Her myspace letter marked January 19th reveals some of her current state and what she believes she needs to do to build herself a better life:

The mood swings. The medication. The loneliness. The feelings of loss and anger. They weren't going anywhere. They were part of my life now and I needed to finally deal with them. But I needed to go somewhere safe to work my life out. I needed to go home.

In the meantime, I work with Matt Munoz of Bakotopia and give him my best advice as often as he allows it. And he does the same for me.

It’s just sad that I know gossip was spread, and likely still may be because a full story wasn’t told, until now.

Other related articles:

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The Californian should fire Danielle Belton
Belton talks shop over Mount rant
Californian gets hip to local blogger news stories
On the Star Wars beat
Wing Wahs and Gigantic disappear
Punk kid attacked and reported on nlbelardes.com
Californian gets even
The unappreciated war for online traffic
Drama in the blog scene
Letter from Matildakay.com
Where's Bakersfield Bob?

This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on Monday, January 22, 2007. You can leave your response.