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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

A Tale of Two Newspapers

Because I have no television, I attend lots of public meetings all over the Lehigh Valley. Yes, I am a bottom-feeding blogger with two flip cams, but I mostly prefer to let others do the talking. I do my damage here. But what about the folks who regularly attend meetings? What's their excuse? Is it an ego trip, as some think? Or are these people who care, citizen watchdogs? The two daily papers appear to have different views.

In The Morning Call, a subtle bias from an increasing number of reporters is to look down on the unwashed masses. Rarely will the observations of a mere citizen be reported. When they are, it's often done in a disparaging way.

Doubt me? Let's take a look at a recent posting at Valley 610, where the regulars who speak during Bethlehem's courtesy of the floor are disparaged with the title "Council Karaoke." That happens to be the exact term condescendingly used by Bethlehem officials to refer to their City Council audience. The implication is that these people are pale imitations of the gods sitting behind the dais.

Bob Pfenning is one of the Bethlehem regulars featured. He's also a Northampton County fixture. I know no person with a better understanding of the ins and outs of our goofy gaming laws. In fact, when Mike Dowd was Council Prez, Pfenning was appointed to a committee that ended up recommending the Gaming Authority now in place. Even Angle listens to Pfenning. Even McClure.

Pfenning addressed Bethlehem City Council last week with some legitimate concerns about the introduction of alcohol into the Christmas City's First Night festivities, asking whether "we must have beer and booze to appreciate the arts." For stating his opinion, he is depicted singing the Beer Barrel Polka.

For a different attitude, there's the gritty, in-your-face, Express Times. That daily recently featured Becky Butz, a Nazareth regular, in its Five Questions feature, using words like "diligent" to describe her. Officials liked it so much they ran off a copy and handed it out to the public with their "Nazareth Musings" before Thursday night's workshop.

Becky, a pleasant but opinionated woman, complained about that, too, wondering why only the negative comments were passed out and not the entire piece.

This little borough council assured her there was no malicious intent. They also listened to four other regulars, including Louise Diaz. She's concerned about people who ignore red lights and speed through the Nazareth Circle without yielding to pedestrians. "It's not safe for kids crossing the streets," she laments. Council member Mike Kopach, sitting in front of a big picture of Mario Andretti and a race car, assured her it must be those damn out-of-towners, i.e. people who've lived in Nazareth for les than fifty years. Auslanders. Mayor Fred Daugherty, agreeing that "traffic is a problem," wants their license plate numbers.

Actually, we all drive like maniacs in Nazareth, and I'm pretty sure I'm the person who nearly flattened Ms. Diaz in the Circle when I was texting and reading the newspaper while swilling a Mocha Java. Sorry. We all think we're just like Mario.

But the point is that they listened. They learned the hard way. In 2007, when borough officials cooked up a secret scheme to ruin a beautiful baseball field for a goofy government center expansion, there was nearly a revolution. One of the persons who dragged them into the sunshine, was Becky Butz.

"In a democracy, the highest office is the office of citizen." So says Felix Frankfurter. Nazareth Borough Council finally gets that. So does The Express Times, which was at last night's meeting. The Morning Call was absent.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pflenning is a Stoffa flunky and a well know Bethlehem gadfly.

Anonymous said...

Bernie,

I agree with your criticism of the Morning Call. I could add the laundry list of complaints that I’ve compiled over the years but why bother. The paper continues to cut its own throat and will very likely be nothing more than an unpleasant memory soon enough.
It is a tragedy for the city, its residents and the paper’s employees that by their own actions they have written themselves off.
Scott Armstrong

Anonymous said...

Joe Long, Charles Dertinger, Ann McHale and Callahan just decided to pitch in and get you a TV!

Anonymous said...

And what about you, Bernie? Claiming to be only a lowly blogger while you're byline is all over the Bethlehem Press. How can you expect those published articles to be taken as unbiased and objective when your own opinions are well splattered over the Web? Shame on you and shame on that publication for failing to uphold the standards of journalism. You're no better than the Call. Enjoy your glass house.

Anonymous said...

If he gets a tv, whoo pays for the cable? Ronny

Anonymous said...

So glad you've brought this topic up with regard to council meetings. Perhaps you will open discussion to the following: How did we allow local governments across the region to dictate a 3 to 5 minute limit to our presenting public opinion? How did this happen?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

Bernie,

I agree with your criticism of the Morning Call. I could add the laundry list of complaints that I’ve compiled over the years but why bother. The paper continues to cut its own throat and will very likely be nothing more than an unpleasant memory soon enough.
It is a tragedy for the city, its residents and the paper’s employees that by their own actions they have written themselves off.
Scott Armstrong

6:02 AM

Scott,
Did you hear the federal government is considering employing AmeriCorps members as journalists?

Bernie O'Hare said...

" Claiming to be only a lowly blogger while you're byline is all over the Bethlehem Press. How can you expect those published articles to be taken as unbiased and objective"

It's "your."

The title industry is in the tank and I don't make much money blogging. A fellow blogger and my brother suggested it. The part-time gig at BP helps pay the bills. It is a matter of financial necessity, but I've enjoyed it.

Those pieces are edited. I do get an opportunity to try and write objectively, and get feedback and questions about the pieces I submit. I have no training as a reporter, so this makes me a better blogger.

Yes, I am opinionated here. That's because I care.

Bernie O'Hare said...

" How did we allow local governments across the region to dictate a 3 to 5 minute limit to our presenting public opinion?"

That's legally permissible under the Sunshine Act, and when lots of people have somethign to say, it's necessary.

Anonymous said...

Bernie,
Here's something to write about.

Huffington Post
By Ben Protess and Jeannette Neumann
Some of the nation's largest and most elite universities stand to gain millions of dollars from selling the names and addresses of students and alumni to credit card companies while granting the companies special access to school events, the Huffington Post Investigative Fund has found.

The schools and their alumni associations are entitled to receive payments that multiply as students use their cards. Some colleges can receive bonuses when students incur debt.

The little-known agreements have enriched schools and some banks at a time when young women and men already are borrowing at record levels, raising questions about whether such collegiate and corporate alliances are in the best interests of students.

"The fact that schools are getting paid for students to rack up debt is a disgrace," said congressman Patrick Murphy, a Pennsylvania Democrat and former professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He said that banks' payments to schools amount to "kickback

Anonymous said...

Once again, what is legal is not necessarily what is right.

How it happened is that people got lazy, thought they could just pay for and trust a nanny to mind
everything for them, so they could play all day. Meanwhile, nanny ransacks and takes over the house, and tells you what you can have, what you can't.

Too many people see government as a benefactor to protect them from themselves. Instead of the outrage expressed by Anon 9:21 a.m., the sheeple squeal with excitement:

They're giving us 3-5 minutes if we want to speak. Aren't they WONDERFUL?!

Anonymous said...

Yeah Big Government!

Vote Democrat this fall and forever more!!!

Anonymous said...

Today about 14 primaries across the country are taking place. Folks want to offer predictions?

Anonymous said...

That's legally permissible under the Sunshine Act, and when lots of people have something to say, it's necessary.

10:23 AM

It's never necessary. Government is for the people and if officials are too busy or too tired, they should resign. Wish we'd see taxpayers require councils rescind such stipulations.

Anonymous said...

Still waiting on your blog about how Angle was set straight by the courts!

Bob Pfenning said...

I don't think of myself as a Stoffa flunky. Just look at my position on how Gaming Revenue Authority Funds should be distributed and compare it to John Stoffa's. In the end County Council agreed with my view. Reasonable people can disagree, and John and I agreed to disagree on that major issue.

Anonymous said...

anonymous said...

"The fact that schools are getting paid for students to rack up debt is a disgrace," said congressman Patrick Murphy, a Pennsylvania Democrat and former professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He said that banks' payments to schools amount to "kickback
---------------------------------

Patrick Murphy should phone DNC headquarters and get straight with his party's new view on affordability and debt:

In a bid to stem taxpayer losses for bad loans guaranteed by federal housing agencies Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac, Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn) proposed that borrowers be required to make a 5% down payment in order to qualify. His proposal was rejected 57-42 on a party-line vote because, as Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn) explained,

here it comes....

“passage of such a requirement would restrict home ownership to only those who can afford it.“

Anonymous said...

I can't believe that "First Night" is going to include alcohol!
What a disgrace to the original idea of an alcohol free new year's eve celebration. That's what happens when you let Arts Quest get control of something. They are only a Sand's lackey and a greedy bunch of overstuffed shirts.

Chris Casey said...

On topic comment:
I think the MCall's problem is that they take orders from Chicago. Their local coverage has diminished to almost irrelevance. I don't blame the people locally, I blame the corporate Money pigs. Maybe after I hit the Powerball for 300 million I can buy it back and make it a Valley presence again!

Anonymous said...

Your point that reporting as a "journalist" for a "newspaper" makes you a better blogger only proves your narcasim. The blogging you do isn't about your passion to inform the public, it is about you and your ego.
I'm not saying you shouldn't blog -- you certainly have ever right to do that -- I'm just saying don't hide behind some false sense of civic pride. You blog because you want people to know your opinions; it has nothing to do with being a patriot or a watchdog or a citizen hero or any other label you paste to yourself.
It also applies to residents who attend government meetings. They are allowed to monitor government but they certainly aren't representative of the general public.
That being said, thank God we live in America where we're allowed to attend meetings and share our opinions without fear.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"The blogging you do isn't about your passion to inform the public, it is about you and your ego."

And here you are, stroking it at 11:34 PM.

Anonymous said...

Your blogging is about helping your political mancrushes and destroying the people you hate. Pretty simple really.

monkey momma said...

Personally, I am stoked that beer will be served at First Night. Maybe the monkey famnily will attend this year! Nobody is saying kids CAN'T attend, right? (But, we usually drink beer with the neighbors here at home. Bad night to be on the road.)

As for Bernie taking a turn in traditional media, I say it's about time and CONGRATULATIONS! I am sure the readers are smart enough to figure out your bias - we manage to figure it out for everyone else, so why not you? I hope the job is fun and rewarding for you - the Beth Press is lucky to have you on as a writer. Here's hoping you can handle having an editor! That's probably the biggest adjustment for you, I'm sure.

I see that the Call is trying (again) to make changes to appease its readers. We'll see if it works. Personally, I am surprised that it's June of 2010, and we're still even getting a paper called the Morning Call. Who knows - maybe they can make it good again?? But something tells me corporate greed does not lead to great news articles. Oh well...at least there'll always be bloggers.

Anonymous said...

www.steelstacksboulevard.com

Monkey momma said...

I hope you don't mind I am testing an iPad at the apple store. Just wanna make sure this thing does all mt favorite websites! Ain't new media great?