It's back to the same old clueless reporting

Commuters line up for NJ Transit buses in the midtown Port Authority Bus Terminal.

In today's and Monday's editions, The Record discusses the return to normalcy in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, but there are signs the editors also have lapsed into the clueless reporting of the past.

You'd think the "DIGGING OUT FROM SANDY" package on Page 1 today would have enough to report without more blah, blah, blah about Governor Christie's proposal for an income-tax cut.

Every story about the proposal should explain who will benefit most from a tax cut, but for some reason, the editors seem to be trying to hide from readers that Christie's plan would help the wealthy far more than the middle class (A-1).

2016 election already?

There's even more about Christie on the Local front (L-1): 

A Charles Stile column promoting him for the Republican Party's standard bearer in 2016. 

Seriously, is The Record going to start covering the next presidential election just 7 days after the last one? Give us a break.

Bitter Herb

If the Christie-for-president column is way premature, the lead L-1 story is weeks late for people who live the 9th Congressional District, where Democrats think Rep. Scott Garrett, R-Wantage, can be beaten in 2014.

Aided and abetted by the local-news editors, The Record's so-called Washington correspondent, Herb Jackson, did everything he could to slant coverage in the Nov. 6 election, largely ignoring the campaign of Teaneck Deputy Mayor Adam Gussen, a Democrat, early and often. 

Dissing Hackensack 

Meanwhile, head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes and Deputy Assignment Editor Dan Sforza became so accustomed to ignoring Hackensack before and after Hurricane Sandy that readers won't find any news from there today except the death of a former resident in Middletown, N.Y. (L-3).

Also on L-3, Sykes and Sforza return to reporting disruptions in mass transit, but continue to ignore  the overburdened bus and rail systems, and the resulting hellish traffic congestion.

Is it really necessary for the photo caption about Lincoln Tunnel and Route 495 accidents to describe the pedestrians as "morning" commuters.

Readers can plainly see the sun shining.