The following is an email sent to NorCo Exec John Brown, Controller Steve Barron and all members of Council:
After going for nearly eight weeks with no coverage of Northampton County government, The Express Times was embarrassed into sending a freelance reporter to cover the May 21 meeting. But last night, it was MIA again. The paper is also only providing the most cursory coverage of civil and criminal proceedings, In short, this paper no longer informs the community. It has failed in the basic role of a free press. Taxpayers subsidize an office for the newspaper at the courthouse. Since the paper now believes prom coverage is more important than government, it should no longer be subsidized. The County that could use that office space for numerous other things. I have written about this before, and Editor Jim Deegan has stated I am wrong. But time has proved I am correct.
27 comments:
Throw one tantrum, throw ten, throw 20. Your ability to bully the press into water-carrying stories, editorials and coverage on non-issue garbage like your sticker buddies is now extinct, and a refreshing change , to say the least. Several reporters had to be moved from the courthouse upon request because of your debilitating and exhausting demands, stench and attention-seeking behaviors, that occur daily, and non-stop. The pacifier was tossed into the can, as it should have been years ago.
Your antics of scurrying back and forth to bootilick Tom Shortell with your hit pieces, fueled by personal envy and rage is a thing of the past. The newspaper has learned, (sensibly) to stop being a partisan political publication that routinely throws the right side under the bus.
The best choice they made this year, was simply NOT to cover the elections at all, save only for their main line of financial support, Ron Angle, who managed again, to get free press....as usual.
Your number is up. The ET is sick and tired of you, and your constant embattled displeasures with the bulk of society. Your tantrum throwing hissy fits with the comment section, the courthouse office, the reporters, the editorial staff, the online ads, etc, etc, etc is ignored, as it should be. As you take out your fury and rage atop an innocent keyboard, covered in grime, the ET has found better things to do.
Your aggravated malcontent status emulates en masse daily through your hate filled blog of lies. Enjoy!
Suck it up, cupcake!
Mezzacappa, Go take your drug cocktail.
At the rate you and Ron are going, that annex will have to be converted into a legal file complex dedicated to O'Hare /Angle storage for frivolous litigation. We should seek donations for a dedication ceremony, and the mass move of O'Hare/Angle malcontent court fights from one storage room to another. The person who moves the most files gets a free 1 year supply of tic tacs, and a free meal at the new greek restaurant called "Feta-Data."
Mezzacappa, Stay off this blog. Don't you follow any court orders at all? You have a $67,140 judgment against you, your mother is being sued, and you have hidden your car after it was levied on and are now facing criminal charges for that and will be going to jail unless you face facts and turn it over now. You are an admitted liar and a condition of your bail is that you refrain from all contact with me, direct or indirect. Please do so. I will notify pretrial services.
Express Times is a sorry joke.
Says an anonymous coward. The public should spend no money to subsidize a newspaper that fails to tell it what is going on. I question whether office space should be given to any newspaper.
If the county held regular hot dog contests or occasional, dress-for-the-prom court proceedings, Deegan would send his top guy, Tony Rhodin, to file numerous, error-file dispatches to keep readers misinformed. Deegan knows well that hot dog contests are a winner because when man bites dog, it's news.
Doesn't the county have some kind of deal where they get free papers from the MC and ET in exchange for the free office space? I agree Bernie that one could question why the county is providing this accommodation in the first place. Is there any other county in the state that provides a free office to any local newspaper? What is the justification?
I am unaware of any press offices at Lehigh, but I think I will do a survey. I know there are offices for the press in Harrisburg.
I doubt the paper provides free papers.
See if Campos knows the arrangement. Oh, that's right. The sniveling know-nothing is under Browns gag order.
Close Express Times Courthouse Office?
Sadly, I agree with you on this one Bernie. When you let go of an excellent veteran government reporter like Ed Sieger and fill your website with prom and graduation pictures, it's clear that local government is no longer a priority.
Sieger being let go while other incompetent reporters were retained is unforgivable. Does anyone know if the dirty dozen or so reporters left have taken up residence in the alpha building yet?
Last night's meeting multiple important things happened, and only because the Call and O'Hare covered it are we informed.
This is ridiculous, and so was Deegan's denial. "O'Hare is wrong." Wrong about WHAT?
Anyone notice ANOTHER ET reporter went to the Call? Sarah Wojcik is burning up the keyboard and beats over there in the past few days. The ET is headed into the hopper. Go ahead and tell me I'm wrong, Mr. Deegan. People used to insist the Earth was flat too.
Wojcik leaving didn't spare another writer who had their neck in the noose either. They just moved forward with the layoffs and let wojcik walk without replacement.
" only because the Call and O'Hare covered it are we informed."
Joe McDonald also covered it for WFMZ. Anyone who wants a "no bullshit, just the facts" story will love this guy. Joe also writes for UPI and The Daily News.
Sorry I left out Joe McDonald. He is excellent. Covers our town meetings sometimes.
You got to admit it's good prom coverage.
Prom photo galleries will yield to graduations then musikfest. Can't wait!
I love when LVL publishes 35 photos of the same three 17 year olds with their developing cleavage showing. People claim the paper leans left, but the salacious photo spreads of mud fights and juveniles scantily clad looks more like something pious social conservatives would promote.
It's a damned shame this is what the paper does best. It's really become pathetic - when you compare the same story that the Call publishes to that in the ET. MCall's looks professional at least by comparison (never thought I would say that), ET's is not researched and poorly written - kind of like reading stories on Yahoo.com.
When you think about it, what has happened to the ET is something like what is happening at NorCo under Brownie - only the cracks in ET are more visible.
Wow, the first post above at 11:49AM yesterday talks about a tantrum, and that is exactly what Mezzacappa wrote. Not getting any visibility these days, eh?
You want to see a tantrum - read the post at 11:49AM. The new Lehigh Valley Nobody.
Jim Deegan has been the ultimate company man as he leads this outlet to irrelevancy and extinction. Not once has he pushed back on corporate, even when he knows they have cut beyond the bone. Chooses to bring along the favored, spineless few on this ride that ends as a train wreck. All the good journalists (except Brad Wilson) have long since left. Check out mcall.com for many of them.
If Jim Deegan was any good, he'd not be working in Easton at his age.
Deegan's not that OLD he's just not that GOOD
"I doubt the paper provides free papers"
E-T often trades papers for advertising. I haven't purchased an E-T in more than two years. You can pick them up gratis at Lafayette College or the YMCA.
Express Times is consumed by'' pantie waist ''non-sense .Are they connected to Clear Channel somehow? The amount of inches of paper about the 'Freddies' is alarming !! What is important? I just want to throw up ! In fact,why bother to move into Alpha Building ,just close up and forgetabout it.
Regarding the Freddy's, The E-T have a co-dependent relationship with Downtown Shelley Brown over at the State Theatre.
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