Kit Energizes the Chronicle

Early June, 2004: Tapes of Enron traders reveal their contempt for Californians in 2001. It plays on CBS News for several nights running, but the San Francisco Chronicle buries the story on page B-3. Kit Schlich writes this letter:

> From: Kit Schlich <kit@kitsch.net>
> Date: Thu, 03 Jun 2004 15:43:16 -0700
> To: <letters@sfchronicle.com>
> Subject: Asleep at the switch?
>
> Editor -- Chronicle, you've let me down. Why haven't you featured the story
> -- and transcripts -- of the recently released Enron videos on your front
> page? I found a short related story buried on the bottom of Thursday's page
> B3. The story broke Monday night on the CBS Evening News and featured
> laughing Enron employees mocking Californians and gloating over our agonies
> as blackouts hit our state in 2000 and 2001. The obscenity-laced chortling
> provoked in me the same visceral rage as viewing the grinning faces of the
> Abu Ghraib prison guards as they practiced their abuse. Because only a
> minority of citizens listen to TV news, I think you owe your readers a full
> report on this subject in all its grisly detail. This story is a bombshell
> that ought to make Californians of ALL political persuasions united in
> outrage! We must also demand immediate disclosure of vice president Cheney's
> secret energy policy meetings which reportedly included Enron executives.
> --Kit Schlich
> Petaluma

June 11: Readers' representative column publishes an excerpt from the letter.

June 15: The Chronicle publishes a front-page story about Enron traders caught on tape!