 Image via Wikipedia |
| This is how John Cichowski prefers his old people -- waiting for a ride. |
Liberty Mutual and many other insurance companies would like nothing better than if thousands of seniors gave up the keys to their cars. That would cut claims from the hundreds of accidents caused by elderly drivers and boost profits, even as it curtails their independence.
So can you imagine a more shameless performance by The Record's editor, Francis Scandale, and Columnist John Cichowski than today's lavish, front-page coverage of a Liberty Mutual-financed service to provide low-cost rides for seniors in North Jersey and other suburbs?
Instead of identifying programs that can help seniors meet the challenges of driving as they age, Cichowski sells out to the insurers, just as the commuting columnist has sold out to car dealers by virtually ignoring mass transit.
Chick, as he is known in Woodland Park, actually left the office to attend a dog-and-pony news conference in Manhattan and donned bulky clothing that made him "feel as old as Methuselah," who was blind. I guess that's how he regards elderly drivers.
Of course, there is no refer in his story to today's L-1 story on an accident caused by an unidentified "grandmother" who crashed into the front of a day-car center in Pal Park when she mistook the accelerator for the brake pedal. In the past decade, the former Hackensack daily has covered hundreds of similar accidents with a photo and caption or a few paragraphs.
What will that limited ride program publicized on Page 1 do for thousands of seniors who need their cars every day to shop for food, take care of their spouses and grandchildren, and preserve their dignity?
Also on L-1 today, Hackensack reporter Monsy Alvarado has her ninth story since Oct. 1 on the Police Department, elevating a disciplinary hearing into major news.
Englewood reporter Giovanna Fabiano also has an L-1 story today -- her first since Oct. 26 -- on a new schools superintendent who comes from a district that is "81 percent minority." But there is absolutely nothing similar in the story about Englewood, which has segregated elementary and middle schools, not even how many students live in the district.
Cichowski, Alvarado and Fabiano are inspired to do such a great job day after day by head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes and her lazy minions, including Dan Sforza, Richard Whitby and Christina Joseph.
In Better Living, Restaurant Reviewer Elisa Ung has a lukewarm, two-star appraisal of Chef Ji's Moonjar in Fort Lee. She tells readers the restaurant is not appropriate for a "formal meal." I see that term a lot in her reviews, but can't imagine what a "formal meal" is.
Unfortunately, she long ago cheapened the two-star rating (good) by giving it to Bahama Breeze, a faux-Caribbean chain restaurant in Wayne.
There are no local restaurant health ratings in the paper today, but there is plenty of wire service copy on the right wine to drink with spicy meals and bar food.
Today's front page from the Newseum
I believe today's Record shows just how serious an effect Eye on the Record is having over in Woodland Park. You've often knocked Cichowski for ignoring the issue of older drivers, which I think is why they put him on A-1 today, even though the program isn't even available to North Jersey drivers. In other words, it's not even a local story.
ReplyDeleteOn top of that, you've written, somewhat favorably if I recollect, about Chef Ji in the past, which very likely is why Elisa said to herself, okay, let's show Victor how to write a review.
These are two examples of how you've affected the paper's coverage. In my opinion.
Thanks. One is a seasoned journalist who has lost his way, the other an obsessive one who still is trying to find her voice.
ReplyDeleteHow can you find your voice when your mouth is full of fattening desert?
ReplyDelete