The Express Times failed to provide coverage at a meeting of the largest local government in Northampton County - the County itself - on March 19. Just two weeks later, the daily let down its readers again. It failed to cover an important meeting in which Council was concerned about endangered children and at-risk seniors who might also be victimized by a county unwilling to pony up and pay for the staff to protect them. It failed to cover a story about our elections process. It failed to tell taxpayers what the county is doing with the 1-mill tax hike it voted for last year.
This failure is not just hurting Express times readers. It hurts democracy itself.
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Local Government TV
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Thursday, April 02, 2015
19 comments:
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
Maybe Deegan should get off his butt instead of writing false stories about cops at fast food joints
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lehighvalleylive.com/jim-deegan/index.ssf/2009/03/oops_maybe_that_wasnt_an_easto.html
Here are some of the stories the E-T did cover while missing the county council meeting:
ReplyDelete"McDonald's opening this month in Forks Township"
"Blairstown Township rescue dog barking up bracket contest"
"The 2015 lehighvalleylive All-Area Girls Swimming And Diving Team"
They will do anything that doesn't require them to leave their desks ... Phone, email, etc.
ReplyDeleteNo more feet on the street
Could it be that nothing relevant to ordinary people happens at a county government meeting? Their time is better served at a school board meeting or their local town meeting.
ReplyDeleteWhy bother covering the meeting, they can just copy/paste Bernie's report.
ReplyDeleteAnon 8:41 - They don't cover many school board / town meetings, either.
ReplyDeleteThey have their priorities...like every morning Tony writing a "we're all going to die" (coughclickbait) weather story. And they don't care what anybody else thinks.
ReplyDelete"Could it be that nothing relevant to ordinary people happens at a county government meeting?"
ReplyDeleteI'd say discussions about elections, endangered children and at-risk seniors are pretty important. But I believe in democracy.
Their last editor swerved out of town with an embarrassing DUI. Their current editor writes hard-hitting pieces on food contests and weather. Several of this morning's stories contained more errors than a junior high school paper. They provided extensive coverage of professional wrestling last weekend. The E-T is a joke.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you deleted my Jake and the Fatman comment, Bernie. That show was classic. And you are quite the investigator.
ReplyDeleteI wish they would Deegan would come over here to comment. You know he is already coming here for story ideas.
ReplyDelete12:24, I deletedcit bc I thought you were referring to a specific person besides me. I do not watch TV.
ReplyDeleteBernie has had it out for the ET ever since Owens kicked his blubbery arse in a 5k race. They have shut down Greggy's LTE's because Bernie complained he thinks he knows what the readers want, he's wrong.
ReplyDeleteI'll assume that this lack of reporting has something to do with the recent news about further staff reductions at the paper. I must also assume that morale is at an all-time low among existing staff because of all of the recent moves. A shame.
ReplyDeleteVOR
It is sad.
ReplyDeleteOne of the problems with the E-Ts situation is that the strong employees are the ones who are gone. Many left on their own because it was hard not to see they way things were trending.
ReplyDeleteOthers were let go because they didn't eat, drink and (in some cases) sleep with the right people.
The ones who remain are basically unemployable anywhere else. Some of them (including the so-called decision makers) should have been among the first to get the axe.
Hey, we will cover any meeting you want so long as it concerns a Costco.
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Precious Petty's 1,887 articles on Costco
Since the Express-Times is going down the crapper, we are counting on you Bernie to step up your game!
ReplyDeleteShortell still reporting for the MCall. At least we have that much to be thankful for.
ReplyDelete