Is it a square or is it not?

Morris Cortez Jr.
July 19, 2007
Imogene Smith
July 23, 2007
Morris Cortez Jr.
July 19, 2007
Imogene Smith
July 23, 2007

Shapes like news stories can appear different based on the angles to which they are viewed. A square viewed from the side may look like a rectangle, and likewise a story written with a particular “angle” can also have a different appearance. The Tri-Parish Times has always strived in providing fair and balanced coverage of every issue n a square is a square when viewed straight on.

Unfortunately, not all reporters use the same magnifying glass. One example was a story that ran in another newspaper. The headline was “Terrebonne loses 600 new jobs to Texas.” The same story was compiled by the Associated Press with the headline “Houma area may still get 500 jobs.” It was essentially the same story, but seen from two different angles.


The true shape of the story is actually falls in the middle of the two headlines.


A manufacturer that once considered building a facility in Gibson, among other locations, and employing as many as 1,100 in Terrebonne Parish decided to split the project into three phases. Michael Ferdinand, chief executive officer for the Terrebonne Economic Development Authority (TEDA), said the company chose Texas as the location for phase one. However, Terrebonne is still in the running for two other phases.

From the outside it may appear as though new jobs were lost or new jobs are near. But in reality, there are numerous job-creating projects on the table in Terrebonne Parish, and this is just one of the companies considering the Gibson location, according to Ferdinand. He also claims three other companies are interested in the same exact property as the company in the articles.

A truer headline might be, “Company chooses Texas for first phase, other companies eyeing Gibson site.” Information released at last Wednesday’s TEDA meeting shows as many as 36 new companies considering locating in Terrebonne Parish. Other figures released at the meeting show over $18 million in new investment already having been committed to Terrebonne Parish since Jan. 1, 2007. This accounts for the proposed creation of as many as 419 jobs and the retention of 493 jobs.

It is likely that many companies are also considering new projects in Lafourche Parish, but since Lafourche lacks its own economic development agency, exact figures aren’t readily available.

Nevertheless, there are many positive things currently shaping the Tri-parish economy … it’s all a matter of how you view it.