Monday, January 6, 2014

Page 1 news: In winter, It's really cold in the Dakotas

In Hackensack this afternoon, there were few signs of what The Record predicted four days ago would be a "double-headed monster of a storm." 


By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor

If the winter weather in North Jersey doesn't live up to The Record's dire predictions, Editor Marty Gottlieb always has a backup plan -- as Page 1 clearly shows.

How else to explain today's wire-service weather report from the Dakotas, Michigan and Missouri, and photos from St. Louis and Bismarck, S.D. (A-1 and A-6)?

Where are the North Jersey weather photos? Shouldn't the one on L-1 today be on the front page?

And why is the North Jersey weather story and a second local photo buried on L-6?

After all, Marty Gottlieb, you gave up Paris for Woodland Park and became editor of a local North Jersey daily. You're not at The New York Times anymore.

Borg monster?

On Thursday morning, hours before a 7-inch snowstorm hit North Jersey, a story in The Record predicted "near-blizzard conditions" and a "double-headed monster of a storm."

Nothing of the kind materialized, prompting readers to wonder if "double-headed monster" was, in fact, a subliminal reference to the spoiled Silver Spoon sibs running The Record of Woodland Park, Stephen A. and Jennifer A. Borg.

Head up asshole

On the Local front today, Paramus Mayor Richard LaBarbiera praised the borough Police Department for responding "professionally" to a gunman who invaded Westfield Garden State Plaza on Nov. 4 (L-1 and L-3).

What's professional about not responding in time to prevent panic among shoppers and employees, failing to disarm Richard Shoop of Teaneck and failing to prevent his suicide?

And what about the irresponsible lack of security provided by the wealthy Australian owners of the state's biggest mall?

Second look

On Sunday, an L-1 story on Fu King Smoke Shop is likely the first about Hackensack's Fairmount section in decades.

Staff Writer Hannan Adely describes Fairmount as "quiet," but residents there and in most other parts of Hackensack are annoyed around the clock by incredibly loud jet aircraft using Teterboro and Newark airports.

The smoke shop is on a part of Main Street that gets even less attention from The Record than the city's main shopping district between the courthouse and Sears.


6 comments:

  1. It's hard to believe the store owner didn't realize the double meaning of his "Fu King" Smoke Shop in Hackensack. Really??

    Next, you'll tell me there there is a bed store called "Shh! It Makes Sense" in Paramus or;

    A lawyer's firm in Ft. Lee called "PR Ick Defense", which handles cases involving inflammatory or defamatory (icky) Public Relations

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  2. I read somewhere that what we've been experiencing the last couple of days is a "winter wonderland." So true. So artfully said.

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  3. The Record made a weather prediction instead of attributing it to meteorologists? How irresponsible. Who on their staff can do that?

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    1. Attributing it doesn't get you off the hook of finding the right sources and reporting what they say responsibly -- without hype and exaggeration.

      Maybe the lesson here is to not assign a weather story to an investigative reporter, even if he is considered one of the paper's star.

      Delete

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