Weighty stories balance sports blather

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The Church on The Green in Hackensack.

Editor Martin Gottlieb delivers a localized news story on the economy and a weighty analysis on the expansion of profit-driven health-care companies to balance more Super Bowl drivel on the front page of The Record of Woodland Park today.


But there is just too much coverage of Sunday's game throughout the paper, including an inane photo in Local of two men who plan to drive a gas-guzzling SUV to Indianapolis (L-7). 


Head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes found room for that in a section that is devoid of any news from Hackensack or many other towns.


Sykes still hasn't reported the death on Friday of Jean Zisa, matriarch of the family that has virtually controlled Hackensack for decades, nor has the editor ever assigned a story to explain why some residents refer to the city as "Zisaville." 


Other possibilities include Zisaship, Zisarough, Zisacity and Zisasack.


Bowled over


The lead A-1 story on hiring makes it clear GOP front-runner Mitt Romney probably is headed for a second defeat in his bid to become president. 


On A-6, one of the Super Bowl stories quotes more than a dozen Giants fans from New Jersey -- in Indianapolis or at Newark Liberty International Airport.


But during the rest of the year, the editors rarely interview North Jersey residents about such issues as Governor Christie, high property taxes or whether they think their towns are well-run.


Hard-to-read news


The analysis on the regional expansion of Hackensack University Medical Center and other for-profit companies is probably much too long to interest more than a handful of readers.


On the front of Local, Sykes turns the death of another elderly driver into a photo-op, accompanied by a story that doesn't even say whether the poor schmuck (John Perconti, 68, of Hasbrouck Heights) was wearing a seat belt or why the car's air bag didn't save him.


Three reporters worked on the story, but the possibility of a heart attack, stroke or other medical emergency isn't even raised. Did an assignment editor just spell-check the file and send it on to Editor Liz Houlton's robotic news copy editors for a headline?


Sykes' assignment desk and John Cichowski, the Road Warrior columnist, have virtually ignored the challenges facing older drivers and have never reported on where they can get help to improve their driving skills.