Selling out to all those lawyers

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

The first all-woman jury in Los Angeles was seated in November 1911.

Even though Superior Court judges set aside Friday as sentencing day and juries like to return verdicts on that day -- so they won't have to come back on Monday -- there is way too much crime and punishment news in The Record of Woodland Park today.


In fact, you'll find only one municipal story on the front page and one in Local -- as head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes' staff of lazy, incompetent assistants and reporters apparently took a three-day vacation from covering the 90 or so towns in the paper's circulation area. 


Editor Francis Scandale was so desperate to find something legitimate for Page 1, he had to pull out of the can a takeout on police using stun guns and blow up a photo of a high school football player. 

In recent months, Sykes' Local section has swung more and more toward accident, fire, police and court news as reporters neglect municipal coverage or are sidelined on endless "investigations." 

Hackensack reporter Monsy Alvarado has been told to chase every lead on the downfall of Police Chief Ken Zisa and cover every dinky disciplinary hearing as if it was the convening of the Supreme Court.

It's no wonder residents had to turn to a weekly paper this year to learn details of the city budget and higher tax rate, and the name of the new mayor.

Editors stun readers

Today's A-1 story on police use of stun guns is based on guidelines the state issued "last month." The graphic next to it uses the word "shootings" three times and "fatalities" twice in its heading and text. Someone should shoot the news copy editor.

On A-13, the Editorial Page, critical letters from three readers show they haven't been fooled by all the positive editorials and columns on Governor Christie's education and transportation policies, many by Alfred P. Doblin, the ass-kisser who edits that page.

In lawyers' pockets

Kibret Markos, the reporter who wrote the stun-gun piece, had a busy day at the Bergen County Courthouse, filing three major stories for today's paper. All the stories on the front of Local are related to state and federal civil or criminal courts.

Markos is in the pockets of the civil bar, as you can see in his report on a $7.4 million judgment Friday in a lawsuit filed by a Hackensack cardiologist who was run down by an inebriated minor. 

There is not a word on the huge amount of money that will be claimed by the plaintiff's greedy lawyers. In fact, in all the years Markos has been covering the courthouse, he has never discussed legal fees or explored how they limit people's access to the civil courts.


More crime-and-punishment news appears today on L-2 -- with an enormous photo to take up space -- and L-6. What's that harness racing story doing on L-3? Must be more filler from the desperate Sykes.

Selling out to advertisers

There is no local food coverage in Better Living today, but consumer reporter Kevin DeMarrais of the Business staff covers the opening of a "fast, casual" eating place in Clifton -- two days after Business had what amounted to a huge, free advertisement for a high-end steakhouse that is opening at a Paramus mall.