Editor is a day late with full story

When Jeremy Lin delivered a Chinese take-out order of shrimp in black bean sauce to the Knicks' Carmelo Anthony, a light bulb went on in the coach's head.

On Friday, head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes threw at least 10 reporters at the arrest of a second man in the firebombing of Bergen County synagogues.

On Saturday, puzzled readers plowed through a long Page 1 news story and a profile inside the paper and searched in vain for any mention of the suspect's religion or ethnic origin.

Today -- a day later than other media -- the lead front-page story fills in all of the missing information about Aakash Dalal, 19, an Asian Indian who hated Muslims, all religions and government.

By contacting others who knew Dalal at Lodi High School, the Woodland Park daily answered a lot of questions raised by its earlier stories.

More holes

Imagine what readers could learn about another suspect, Charles J. Ann, who allegedly killed his girlfriend with his car on Feb. 20 in Fort Lee -- if Sykes had only sent a reporter to Bergen Community College, where Ann was a student.

Christie spin

Also on Page 1 today, Sykes gives readers more masturbatory journalism -- a glowing portrait of Governor Christie's chief crony inside the Port Authority, David Wildstein.

Buried deep in the story, on the continuation page, readers learn Wildstein fast-tracked the enormous Hudson River toll and fare hikes late last year, ramming them down the throats of angry commuters.

Wildstein said "Boo!" and Staff Writer Shawn Boburg scurried away when the over-paid official refused to answer questions about his job.

The story notes Wildstein often arrives at the office at 6:30 a.m., suggesting he is a hard worker, but doesn't say whether he merely is trying to beat traffic. Does he take mass transit? Does he go home at 3, again to beat traffic?

Please. Those questions would be too intrusive and counter to the editors' goal of making Christie and Wildstein look good.

Balance needed

Editor Marty Gottlieb could have balanced this A-1 hose job with a story on Democrats who may try to unseat Christie next year (A-3).

But he couldn't find room for the story outside, because he squandered a good part of Page 1 on the Meadowlands Racetrack and Jeremy Lin, a Chinese take-out deliverer whom the desperate Knicks dragooned into playing basketball.

Tunnel vision

Rear-view cameras have been proven safety devices on tens of thousands cars and minivans for years, so why is Road Warrior John Cichowski just discussing them now and why is he quoting greedy automakers who oppose anything that cuts into their profits (L-1)?

Readers will search in vain for any Hackensack, Englewood or Teaneck news today, presumably because Sykes believes race horses are more important than people (L-1).

Disappointing sections

Local isn't alone in disappointing readers.

Columnist Mike Kelly was one of the journalists who whipped up anti-Muslim hysteria over the mosque near Ground Zero. Today, he's back on the Opinion front to re-assure North Jersey Muslims they have nothing to fear from NYPD spying (O-1).  

Reviewer Elisa Ung apparently has run out of restaurant issues to write about in her Sunday column, so she offers two soup recipes to home cooks, cheered on by Food Editor Susan Leigh Sherrill, the paper's chief cookbook maven (F-1).

Good journalism

In Business, Your Money's Worth Columnist Kevin DeMarrais has an eye-opening column exploring the risks of scanning those innocuous-looking QR discount codes with a smart phone (B-1).