tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3926672310135081412024-03-13T13:45:13.189-04:00Eye on The RecordOn July 6, 2016, Gannett, the nation's biggest newspaper chain, paid the Borgs $40 million for North Jersey Media Group (The Record of Woodland Park, Herald News, NorthJersey.com, (201) magazine and 50 weeklies). Stephen A. Borg, publisher for a decade, oversaw the biggest downsizing ever. Local news declined, errors mounted and most employees were denied raises. Gannett replaced Editor Deirdre Sykes, revised The Record's website and redesigned the print edition, cutting another 350-plus jobs.Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.comBlogger2473125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-57144488416181753302020-07-23T10:02:00.006-04:002022-02-28T11:54:51.541-05:00From great local journalism to hawking 'luxury' apartments<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>UNDER CONSTRUCTION: The first of 5 apartment buildings planned for 150 River St. in Hackensack -- where The Record and North Jersey Media Group were located -- is under construction, below. The roughly 20-acre building site is between River Street and the Hackensack River. The rendering is from JLL Capital Markets.</b></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By VICTOR E. SASSON</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Generations of the Borg family prospered in Hackensack for roughly 110 years operating The Record and North Jersey Media Group.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Then, Stephen A. Borg pushed aside his father, Malcolm A. "Mac" Borg, and took over as publisher in 2006.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By 2009, he had moved printing of The Record and Herald News to Rockaway, executed the largest downsizing in the once-great local daily newspaper's history, closed 150 River St. and decamped to Woodland Park.</span></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The younger Borg also ended separate local news sections for Bergen and Passaic counties, and often news of Paterson, Wayne and other communities would dominate the single Local section.</b></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>That saved newsprint, but alienated Bergen readers and reduced circulation.<br /></b></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><u>Sells out to Gannett</u></span></b><br /></span>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Then, in July 2016, he sold the family's publishing company to Gannett for nearly $40 million in cash, and laid plans to become an apartment developer, using 19.6 acres cleared of The Record's landmark headquarters and parking lots as his building site.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Now, the Borgs' Fourth Edition Inc., with a nearly $49 million construction loan and two partners, has begun work on the first of 5 buildings with a planned total of 654 units.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The first building of these so-called luxury apartments is sited roughly where The Record's executive offices were located, as well as circulation, advertising and the 4th-floor newsroom.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Think of this: </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Tenants of luxury apartments will be moving their bowels on the site of a great local daily newspaper Stephen Borg helped turn to shit.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Read: <a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2020/07/japanese-conglomerate-owns-equity-fund.html">Japanese conglomerate</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2020/07/japanese-conglomerate-owns-equity-fund.html"> is ultimate owner of The Record, (201) magazine</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Read: <a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2019/06/shit-in-driveway-wasnt-from-dog-walkers.html">Shit in my driveway: </a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2019/06/shit-in-driveway-wasnt-from-dog-walkers.html">The Record was delivered to us by mistake</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Read: <a href="https://eyeontherecord.blogspot.com/2011/11/mac-borg-settles-porn-suit-allegations.html">Malcolm A. 'Mac' Borg</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://eyeontherecord.blogspot.com/2011/11/mac-borg-settles-porn-suit-allegations.html"> settles porn-suit allegations</a></span></b></div>
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-47289219005058486142019-12-08T11:16:00.002-05:002021-05-28T15:59:00.479-04:00In 2019, The Record's slide toward mediocrity didn't slow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>CIVIC PUZZLE: On Oct. 26, a business district group and the borough of Fort Lee unveiled this nonsensical sign, which they called an "arts installation," near the massive Hudson Lights development, leaving hundreds of residents to scratch their heads on its meaning and wonder just how they can "be" Fort Lee. </b></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By VICTOR E. SASSON</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">HACKENSACK, N.J. -- After lunch at Hiura, our favorite Japanese restaurant in Fort Lee, my friend Arthur drove us to a small park in the massive Hudson Lights development.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">He pulled over and I opened the window to make a couple of photos of a sign he told me about a few weeks earlier:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">"Be FORT LEE."</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">"What does that mean?" Arthur had said over and over again.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>I couldn't shed any light on its meaning or how one could "be" Fort Lee, but when I got home, I Googled "Be Fort Lee" and found a statement from a business district group and the borough labeling the sign an "arts installation."</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Then, I read this:</b></span><br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="background-color: #f2f3f5; color: #1c1e21;">"The iconic installation signa</span><span style="background-color: #f2f3f5; color: #1c1e21;">ls the Borough's recent renaissance and serves as an aspirational invitation, to residents and visitors alike, to fully experience its enlightened cosmopolitan lifestyle so uniquely situated in a friendly community environment."</span></b></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>What idiocy.</b></span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><b><u>The Record</u></b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Did The Record, the once-great local newspaper in Hackensack, report installation of the sign at the controversial high-rise/retail development or ask business and borough officials what the hell it means?</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I no longer subscribe to the print edition or NorthJersey.com, which you cannot search unless you do.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But I do see the paper at least once a week, and the local news from Paterson and other towns in Passaic County continues to dominate the Local section, to the chagrin of readers in Bergen County, the heart of the circulation area.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Sports section usually is twice the size of the Local news section, and both are filled with typos, errors and tortured writing.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Borg family sold The Record to Gannett on July 6, 2016 -- a date that will live in infamy -- for nearly $40 million in cash, and laughed all the way to the bank.</span></b><br />
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<b><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><u>The Sasson Report </u></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Here are posts from my omnibus blog, <a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/">The Sasson Report</a>, on The Record, (201) magazine and the Borg family: </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">READ: <a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-record-and-northjerseycom-lose-even.html">The Record, North Jersey.com</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-record-and-northjerseycom-lose-even.html"> lost more readers in 2018</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">READ: <a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2019/06/shit-in-driveway-wasnt-from-dog-walkers.html">Shit in driveway wasn't from dog walkers</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">READ: <a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2019/07/readers-of-record-turn-thumbs-down-on.html">Readers must pay for news, editor says</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">READ: <a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-records-old-address-markers-serving.html">Tombstones for great local journalism</a></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">READ: <a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2019/04/from-shit-to-ritz-are-these-really-best.html">The best hamburgers in Bergen County?</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">READ:</span> <a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2019/10/repairs-on-uss-ling-have-potential-of.html"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Repairs on USS Ling</span></a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2019/10/repairs-on-uss-ling-have-potential-of.html"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> appear to have been successful</span></a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The following post on redevelopment of downtown Hackensack includes details about the Borg family's plans for nearly 20 acres at 150 River St., where The Record's headquarters once stood:</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">READ: <a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2019/09/a-stroll-on-main-street-new-restaurants.html">New restaurants and apartments,</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2019/09/a-stroll-on-main-street-new-restaurants.html"> but where do you park?</a></span></b></div>
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-22987046674266650762018-06-24T14:33:00.002-04:002018-06-24T14:35:16.530-04:00Civic Info Bill hopes to improve local journalism in N.J.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">One look at the smaller and thinner Hackensack Chronicle is all it takes to see how Gannett Co. guts local news staffs. The free weekly no longer has its own editors and reporters. Instead, the paper re-prints stories from The Record of Woodland Park, below.</span></b></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By VICTOR E. SASSON</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The state Legislature is expected to vote soon on the Civic Info Bill, one response to the consolidation of media in New Jersey.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Gannett Co., which bought North Jersey Media Group in July 2016, now owns eight daily newspapers in the state, including The Record, the Woodland Park daily that abandoned Hackensack in 2009.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">For more, see <i>The Dodge Blog</i>:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://blog.grdodge.org/2017/06/27/local-news-lab-civic-info-bill-would-create-fund-to-spark-local-journalism-projects/">Civic Info Bill would create fund</a></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://blog.grdodge.org/2017/06/27/local-news-lab-civic-info-bill-would-create-fund-to-spark-local-journalism-projects/"> to spark local journalism projects</a></span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Also see: </span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2018/06/nj-bill-hopes-to-revive-local.html">N.J. bill hopes to revive local journalism</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-61306174756190604532017-03-16T15:45:00.000-04:002019-12-08T10:13:04.844-05:00Storm prevents delivery of print edition three days in a row<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">A Hackensack Parks Department truck and two men cleared my driveway this afternoon, above and below, after I called to complain plows had blocked it three times during Tuesday's snowstorm, and the barrier was frozen solid.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>-- HACKENSACK, N.J.</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>By VICTOR E. SASSON</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Gannett continues to slash the payroll at The Record of Woodland Park.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The latest exodus of 141 North Jersey Media Group employees has already begun, and the last of them will be gone by March 25.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>They will be receiving one week's pay for every year of service, and can apply for unemployment.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>For more news and views of The Record, see these and other posts at <i>The Sasson Report</i>:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2017/03/a-small-citys-high-property-taxes-get.html">After the storm, icy roads in Englwood</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2017/03/hackensack-dpw-getting-more-low-marks.html">More low marks for Hackensack DPW</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-records-readers-hit-corporate-greed.html">Readers hit 'corporate greed' at Gannett</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-record-readers-slam-daily-as-rabid.html">Trump supporters attack paper as 'left wing'</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>For more, see:<i> <a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/">The Sasson Report</a></i></b></span><br />
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-83437715209993244992017-01-18T11:04:00.003-05:002017-01-24T13:09:50.953-05:00Eye on The Record has moved to The Sasson Report<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc3iZXUpJopbWM8jJovxfqu4IyOJkeGcfQq46zBrhpkrRcvEDxPgOUnPo7pa4Alnd8oa5Ab68h3h5zGU7W0eGWWg6-PrQOLeEWnuCxDQxkfPeIdcJoRYv4zHGQ702PkWhWw06emxJgkoo/s1600/1+garret-mountain-elevator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc3iZXUpJopbWM8jJovxfqu4IyOJkeGcfQq46zBrhpkrRcvEDxPgOUnPo7pa4Alnd8oa5Ab68h3h5zGU7W0eGWWg6-PrQOLeEWnuCxDQxkfPeIdcJoRYv4zHGQ702PkWhWw06emxJgkoo/s400/1+garret-mountain-elevator.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Record newsroom is in this building at 1 Garret Mountain Plaza in Woodland Park.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Eye on The Record</i> has moved to <i><a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/">The Sasson Report</a>.</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>-- VICTOR E. SASSON</i></b></span></div>
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-40179114643782299132017-01-17T11:21:00.001-05:002019-12-08T11:37:43.854-05:00200,000-plus protesters will speak for many millions more<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Cartoonist Gary Varvel portrays Friday's inauguration of President-elect Donald J. Trump as a moment from "Celebrity Apprentice." Other political cartoonists gave the ceremony a sinister twist.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>For commentary on today's edition of The Record and the protests expected in Washington, D.C., please see:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://thesassonreport.blogspot.com/2017/01/200000-americans-will-speak-for-silent.html"><i>THE SASSON REPORT</i></a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>-- VICTOR E. SASSON</i></b></span></div>
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-13702697749447494132017-01-15T12:35:00.004-05:002017-01-16T08:41:32.876-05:00Editors finally acknowledge issues, not politics, matter most<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qCt2QF1XaPvgDIn8u06zqZ8o-idelSX7aSi69ofhA4I7UufJRiku4fgU_whG8KvvtwHeWUX3VjcDV9fkj1Yr5ZVBPTe-61Nz79XF0Dvw7VmznntUkQVuf31Aow_j9Rii9nlOjAHsqi4/s1600/190094+John+Cole.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qCt2QF1XaPvgDIn8u06zqZ8o-idelSX7aSi69ofhA4I7UufJRiku4fgU_whG8KvvtwHeWUX3VjcDV9fkj1Yr5ZVBPTe-61Nz79XF0Dvw7VmznntUkQVuf31Aow_j9Rii9nlOjAHsqi4/s400/190094+John+Cole.png" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Cartoons from John Cole on Meryl Streep's criticism of President-elect Donald J. Trump , above, and Rick McKee on President Obama's legacy, below.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>By VICTOR E. SASSON</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u><br></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Though many months too late, The Record deserves credit for launching a series on "15 issues important to North Jersey residents" that could be affected by the administration of President-elect Donald J. Trump.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>No matter that "Trump Tracker" echoes "Christie Tracker." </b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>That was the Matt Katz series on our very own GOP bully, Governor Christie, that ran for a couple of years on WNYC-FM, the New York and New Jersey public radio station.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>And readers also know that if the Woodland Park daily and all of the other news outlets across the country had been focusing on issues during the campaign, the outcome of the 2016 presidential election would have been far different.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Instead, the news media delighted in repeating every sensational, unsubstantiated charge against Democrat Hillary Clinton, and ignoring her decades-long service to families ad children.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Five-part series</u></b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Today's "Trump Tracker" installment focuses on immigration, train transportation and health care (1A, 8A and 9A).</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Editor Rick Green doesn't explain why the transportation segment leaves hundreds of thousands of New Jersey bus commuters out in the cold (8A).</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The other issues -- including homeland security, education, taxes, the environment, social-safety net and infrastructure -- are scheduled to run through Thursday, the day before the inauguration (8A).</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Politics as usual</u></b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Sadly, it's politics as usual at the bottom of Page 1 today, with yet another Political Stile column on Christie:</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Christie leans left in N.J., </b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>but keeps door open on right"</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Readers also are keeping their bathroom doors open, in case they get the sudden urge to throw up.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Local news?</u></b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>On the Local front, Road Warrior Columnist John Cichowski appears to be telling drivers they have two and a half months to "read, eat, drink, groom themselves and use hand-held devices to ... talk, text or find their way" before an April police crackdown (1L).</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>In Opinion, an editorial notes Paterson remains "among New Jersey's most violent places" despite an overall drop in crime (2O).</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Homicides held steady at 19, the same as in 2015, while the number of rapes increased" to 57 from 42, according to the editorial. </b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The editorial is incorrect in saying rapes "increased from 42 to 57 percent." </b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>A year ago, another editorial on the overall drop in crime credited Police Director Jerry Speziale while letting him off the hook on curbing gun violence and the drug trade. </b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Today's editorial doesn't even mention Speziale or the undercover state police troopers who have been helping Paterson police.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Korean food crawl</u></b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Better Living cover on a Korean food crawl in Palisades Park should have been labeled, "For carnivores only" (1BL and 3BL).</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>By using Robert Austin Cho, owner of a Korean barbecue restaurant, as her guide, Staff Writer Sophia Gottfried largely omitted all the great non-meat dishes -- heart-healthy seafood, tofu and vegetables -- served in Korean restaurant in Palisades Park and neighboring Fort Lee, which isn't even mentioned.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>And with Cho in tow, Gottfried also managed to keep the secret of the vast majority of Korean restaurants -- they serve low-quality beef and pork raised on harmful antibiotics and growth hormones to boost their bottom lines.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Fewer stories?</u></b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Since the November redesign of The Record, many readers have complained there are fewer stories in the paper.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>There was a good reason for that on Saturday, when an upbeat Page 1 story explained how teenagers are coping with life in crime-ridden Silk City:</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Paterson students</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>outsmart crime</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>through use of </b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>technology"</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The story reported these geniuses developed "a cellphone application that would send an alert to school security staff if students diverted from their normal route home from school."</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>If readers turned to the continuation page (Saturday's 4A) and read the story to the end, they found the entire story was repeated -- all 23 paragraphs.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>How's that?</u></b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>On Saturday's Local front, this headline puzzled many readers:</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Hospital</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>manager</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>gets 6 </b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>months"</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>But the story had nothing to do with the sentencing of a human to jail or prison.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Manager" referred to a company that manages Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus, and the "6 months" is how long its contract has been extended.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>This is high-school level journalism, plain and simple.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>For that, you can thank the payroll-slashing Gannett Co. -- owner of seven New Jersey dailies -- and the morons employed in a centralized Neptune design center.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span></div>
Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-90818389993498380682017-01-13T14:29:00.000-05:002019-06-26T09:57:28.260-04:00In nasty health-care battle, racism is rearing its ugly head<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibruHnlLqz8X8ZMbFxBaYbQRx4QtewTUdRFvsTjGrpAlWYZkzhk3BmVXVHeI0QfJr-Is77jxueqvc2K66oYFp88Milr-eb7ZZAAZSk-7iqHnE8E6vwZC76vAoJ40qZ3JR2OBUs4YF8aG4/s1600/190021+Trump+hookers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibruHnlLqz8X8ZMbFxBaYbQRx4QtewTUdRFvsTjGrpAlWYZkzhk3BmVXVHeI0QfJr-Is77jxueqvc2K66oYFp88Milr-eb7ZZAAZSk-7iqHnE8E6vwZC76vAoJ40qZ3JR2OBUs4YF8aG4/s400/190021+Trump+hookers.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">From cartoonist Steve Sack, a Pulitzer Prize winner for editorial cartooning in 2013, on the "Russian hookers rumor" dogging President-elect Donald J. Trump a week before he is inaugurated.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>By VICTOR E. SASSON</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>A black journalist strongly suggests racism is behind the attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act or what Republicans curse as "Obamacare."</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Neither President Obama nor his detractors saw political advantage in discussing the Affordable Care Act as an anti-poverty or racial-justice program, but it is both of those things," Kai Wright reported today on WNYC-FM, a National Public Radio station based in Manhattan.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Between the January 2014 launch of new coverage options and ... that August, the nation's public-insurance program for the working poor grew by roughly 7 million people.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"As of this summer, it had gone up by more than 10 million," Wright said in a story adopted from one he wrote for The Nation's special issue, The Obama Years.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"The Affordable Care Act overall has likely saved hundreds of thousands of black lives, and it has certainly produced one of the most significant advances in racial equity on record:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"By the end of 2014, in just one year's time, it had entirely erased the disparity in health coverage between white and black kids," Wright said.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Media coverage</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Like many news outlets, The Record repeatedly refers to the Affordable Care Act as "Obamacare," adopting a favorite pejorative used by Donald J. Trump during his Republican presidential campaign.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Tea Party radicals compared the health-care law to the Holocaust, but Republicans failed repeatedly to have the 2010 law declared illegal.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Now that Trump won the Nov. 8 presidential election, Republicans who control Congress have begun the process of repealing the health-care law, which provides coverage to 20 million Americans who didn't have insurance.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>But Trump and Republicans have been careful to avoid saying just how many of those Americans are black and Hispanic or what will replace the health-care law.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Medicaid expansion</u></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>In The Record today, the last two paragraphs of an Associated Press story on 6A reports the law "steered billions of [federal] dollars to states [including New Jersey]" to expand "the Medicaid health program for the poor."</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"The health care law does have problems, but independent experts say it's an exaggeration to call it a total failure," according to the AP.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Record and other media have found it far easier to quote critics of the health-care law than to actually do any reporting about the coverage.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>My experience</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>More than eight years after I left The Record, I am paying slightly less for health insurance for my wife and son, purchased on the federal marketplace, than I did in the years after I became eligible for Medicare -- not Medicaid, as I had written.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>I had to purchase their coverage from North Jersey Media Group until I was able to buy policies for them under the Affordable Care Act.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Food confusion</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>On the Better Living cover today, a headline declares:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Most Anticipated Restaurant</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b> Openings in 2017"</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But readers turning to the centerfold find only five restaurants listed, which would mean no other restaurant opening in the next 11 months is among the "most anticipated" (10BL and 11BL).</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Meanwhile, the headline over the story is totally different:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">"New Restaurants To</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Look Forward To In 2017"</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">To add to the confusion, the dish pictured on the cover isn't identified, as it usually is, on 2BL, where readers are told:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">"On the cover: There have been plenty of new restaurants that have opened in North Jersey in the past few months."</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">All of this sloppy work appears under the byline of The Record's food editor, Esther Davidowitz.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></b></div>
Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-11292899652702944942017-01-12T13:19:00.003-05:002017-01-13T10:10:25.421-05:00Christie wants better health care for addicts than rest of us<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Today's New York Post cover on President-elect Donald J. Trump's reaction to rumors the Russians have compromising information about him.</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">A Daily News front page from October. Just think. In eight days, the man who said this about women will be sworn in as president of the United States.</span></b></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">By VICTOR E. SASSON</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Record's short memory for how Governor Christie tried to sabotage the Affordable Care Act in New Jersey is a disservice to readers.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Today's Page 1 story on Christie demanding that health insurers cover treatment of drug addicts for up to six months ignores how he refused to set up a state exchange when the federal health-care law took effect a few years ago (1A).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>That reduced New Jersey residents' choice of insurers, compared to New York and other states where governors set up exchanges for the purchase of health policies.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>New Jersey residents, along with those in more than 30 other states with Republican governors, were thrown into the overburdened federal marketplace, leading to confusion and delay. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Trumped-up charges</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>At a news conference on Wednesday (1A), President-elect Donald J. Trump refused to answer a question on whether anyone connected to him or his campaign "had any contact with Russia leading up to or during the presidential campaign," as The New York Times put it.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"The country needs a clear answer," The Times said in an opinion column today.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Meanwhile, a Record editorial on President Obama's farewell address to the nation from Chicago lists only the Affordable Care Act among his accomplishments in office (8A).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Take a look at a list from Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat who noted "all of this was accomplished in the face of unprecedented obstruction from Republicans bent on ensuring his failure."</b></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Last night, President Obama reminded us just how much we have accomplished working together during his administration:</b></span><br />
<ul style="background-color: white;">
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Bringing our economy back from the brink of a great recession</b></span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white;">
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Saving the auto industry</b></span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white;">
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Guaranteeing marriage equality for all</b></span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white;">
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Providing health insurance for 20 million more Americans</b></span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white;">
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Restoring relations with Cuba</b></span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white;">
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Addressing climate change with the historic Paris Agreement"</b></span></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<u style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Local news?</span></b></u></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Staff Writer John Cichowski, whose grip on reality has been the subject of speculation for years, continues to stray far from his commuting beat (1L).</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The so-called Road Warrior begins his column with a man whose enormous Cadillac Escalade broke down on the New Jersey Turnpike, but who rolled up a $1,500 storage bill because he waited two weeks before he went to get it.</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Then, the column devolves into a quiz, including a question on which New Jersey city runs its own subway. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>None of this helps North Jersey commuters, who fight over rush-hour seats on trains and buses into Manhattan or face increasing traffic congestion at the Hudson River crossings.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
</div>
Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-27783363699366211622017-01-11T11:10:00.000-05:002017-01-11T19:39:50.694-05:00Governor Christie as leader, his evil twin -- all in one place<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLKS1lbJh2YKFaO5c-CNhcS_pLFgd6JmZg_1PAv2LW9wjHKKU6C2QNKhrbNyRGAwGBN6x5FSfRZKchDrAu7gFCWiw-WqyM21LOesin07rhqOZJGULe8ccYgDEo71RknR3M8SNcIY14cM/s1600/58756ce2bb521.image+Christe+state+of+state+2017+Mel+Evans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLKS1lbJh2YKFaO5c-CNhcS_pLFgd6JmZg_1PAv2LW9wjHKKU6C2QNKhrbNyRGAwGBN6x5FSfRZKchDrAu7gFCWiw-WqyM21LOesin07rhqOZJGULe8ccYgDEo71RknR3M8SNcIY14cM/s400/58756ce2bb521.image+Christe+state+of+state+2017+Mel+Evans.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>In a photo by Mel Evans of The Associated Press, Governor Christie pauses during applause at his State of the State address to the Legislature on Wednesday. Evans is a former staff photographer at The Record.</b></span></td></tr>
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<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By VICTOR E. SASSON</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>I can't recall another front page of The Record that showed the two faces of Governor Christie so starkly -- a radical anti-tax politician who thinks nothing of destroying the middle class, and a compassionate leader against drug addiction.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Today's top story discloses a settlement that "exposed private meetings in which unnamed allies of ... Christie planned to divert almost $2 million" from a project to dig two new Hudson River rail tunnels so he could use the money to fix roads and bridges (1A).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>That allowed Christie to avoid raising the gasoline tax in late 2010 or 2011 for those repairs, but set back the expansion of mass transit for middle class commuters more than a decade.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>But the biggest element on Page 1 today is an upbeat report on Christie's pledge during his final year in office "to combat the plague of heroin and opiate abuse," and expand treatment (1A).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Our friends are dying. Our neighbors are dying. Our co-worker are dying. Our children are dying. Every day. In numbers we can no longer endure" Christie said during his State of the State address on Wednesday.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Sloppy coverage</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>There is so much missing in today's news and Editorial Page coverage of the $400,000 settlement with the Port Authority, and Christie's seventh State of the State address (1A, 8A, 9A and 10A).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Nowhere do Record reporters or the paper's Editorial Board recognize that Christie's conservative war against tax hikes, including a surcharge on millionaires, while doling out billions to businesses and other special interests, have wrecked the state economy.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>And he's balanced the state budget year after year only by grabbing leftover Hudson River rail tunnel money from both the Port Authority <i>and</i> NJ Transit, under-funding the state employee pension system and using other voodoo economics. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>In a preview of the State of the State speech on Tuesday, Dustin Racioppi buried key paragraphs:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Christie possesses tremendous power over the budget, over appointments and with his veto pen," the State House Bureau reporter wrote.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>But Racioppi long ago stopped counting Christie's more than 500 vetoes, which surely set a record for any New Jersey governor, or chronicling the damage they've caused to working and middle-class residents.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Also on Tuesday, he wrote:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Property taxes in New Jersey remain the highest in the nation, despite a 2 percent cap," and "New Jersey's pension system is now the worst-funded in the country, with $135.7 billion in unfunded liabilities, according to Bloomberg."</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>None of those issues are raised in today's news story or political column, which is yet another Charles Stile rehash of Christie's "reputation" and "standing with voters" in the wake of damaging Bridgegate trial revelations (1A).</b></span><br />
<br /></div>
Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-73347327124895902102017-01-10T13:26:00.001-05:002017-01-10T13:26:06.109-05:00Christie's State of the State address is no longer Page 1 news<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKuFs9zNRjktI34lK1EoLzQOEY-KaEk-76zdqLbnjUsr9_hUy7-0Ltg1StwOzAciaad5cIhnAaCx5faskPowdWKjYQ9qzH5tDNchYYQdlV9D-EXftPr_1v4L6foN7mg7E_xLYjMF-vcUY/s1600/189815+by+Steve+Sack+Trump+Hackers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKuFs9zNRjktI34lK1EoLzQOEY-KaEk-76zdqLbnjUsr9_hUy7-0Ltg1StwOzAciaad5cIhnAaCx5faskPowdWKjYQ9qzH5tDNchYYQdlV9D-EXftPr_1v4L6foN7mg7E_xLYjMF-vcUY/s400/189815+by+Steve+Sack+Trump+Hackers.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">"Trump Hackers" from cartoonist Steve Sack. New York businessman Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as president of the United States in just 10 days.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">By VICTOR E. SASSON</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Did you miss the teaser at the bottom of The Record's front page today on Governor Christie's State of the State address?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>From the State House Bureau, Dustin Racioppi tries to predict what mood Christie will be in when he delivers his annual address to the state Legislature today (3a).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Most of the focus is on whether the GOP thug will be "combative or compassionate," not on such issues as the "worst-funded" public employee pension system in the country.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>By the time the actual speech hits The Record's front page on Wednesday, it will be old news to anyone who watches the TV coverage or follows the governor on Twitter (@GovChristie).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>How's that again?</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The editors made a mess of Staff Writer Christopher Maag's overwrought story on the 100th anniversary of "one of the largest acts of foreign sabotage ever committed on American soil" (1A).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The man shown in the big photo on Page 1 isn't identified by name, though he's called "Bergen County Fire Marshal" in the caption.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Bryan Hennig of Lyndhurst is planning to celebrate the heroism of Tessie McNamara, who stayed at the telephone switchboard of the exploding Kingsland munitions factory on Jan. 11, 1917, to warn others to evacuate.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>No one died, so readers are not sure why so much space is devoted to this anniversary. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Judging from the dull headlines, the copy editor must have been lulled to sleep by the overly long story, and forced to write the main headline minutes before deadline:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>"ANNIVERSARY</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>OF SABOTAGE"</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>In the story, Hennig is identified as a 35-year veteran of the Volunteer Fire Department in Lyndhurst, but not as a county fire marshal (6A).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The reporter stops short of comparing the German attack on the Lyndhurst shell factory to Russian sabotage of the 2016 presidential election.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Local news?</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>In his 14th year as the so-called Road Warrior, Staff Writer John Cichowski continues to give the cold shoulder to all of those long-suffering NJ Transit commuters and even drivers stuck in growing congestion at the Hudson River crossings.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>I'm not sure what anyone's reaction to painting a blue line in the street to honor police departments has to do with transportation (1L).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Page 3L of today's Local section speaks volumes about the poorly executed redesign of the print edition by Gannett editors holed up in the Neptune design center.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The page is a mass of type, with only a thumbnail photo and a few headline words to break it up.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></td></tr>
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-80537657676436053592017-01-08T10:49:00.000-05:002017-01-08T10:49:54.714-05:00Christie, convicted ex-aides should be forced to guard GWB<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZUf8m12nqJ6IA4XmA1dUZ5aJgoEVE2FSmvd0r7FxhNySUaClUjEvR9OQSMtXbBDUAeGxRYp_VbIX-YM0kBxrFk2eIvprTtMRfqm8YVp2DX22-9xfWjH17hg6Dab7I51bfWdh7Uav9Ig/s1600/ZmFiNjM1Nzk1NiMveDdxX3RwemkwZFR4QzR6QmlNLTRZS0RtcVljPS81N3gyMzM6MjY2OXgzNDA4LzYyMXg3NTUvZmlsdGVyczpxdWFsaXR5KDcwKS9odHRwOi8vczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9wb2xpY3ltaWMtaW1hZ2VzLzQyandjY2dmcGR5Y2ZoejR3bWJudG51cXZybXNucTN6eWZpa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZUf8m12nqJ6IA4XmA1dUZ5aJgoEVE2FSmvd0r7FxhNySUaClUjEvR9OQSMtXbBDUAeGxRYp_VbIX-YM0kBxrFk2eIvprTtMRfqm8YVp2DX22-9xfWjH17hg6Dab7I51bfWdh7Uav9Ig/s640/ZmFiNjM1Nzk1NiMveDdxX3RwemkwZFR4QzR6QmlNLTRZS0RtcVljPS81N3gyMzM6MjY2OXgzNDA4LzYyMXg3NTUvZmlsdGVyczpxdWFsaXR5KDcwKS9odHRwOi8vczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9wb2xpY3ltaWMtaW1hZ2VzLzQyandjY2dmcGR5Y2ZoejR3bWJudG51cXZybXNucTN6eWZpa.jpg" width="526" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">In this photo from Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images, the label R13 showed a cheeky dress during New York Fashion Week in September, when Donald J. Trump was the GOP presidential nominee. What would the label say on a dress for Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration? How about, "We're f----d"?</span></b></td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>By VICTOR E. SASSON</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Today's Page 1 expose in The Record suggests Governor Christie and three convicted former aides should be forced to guard the George Washington Bridge, and relieve themselves in empty water bottles.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The former associates -- David Wildstein, Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni -- were convicted in federal court of conspiring to close access lanes, triggering gridlock in Fort Lee on five mornings in September 2013.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The politically inspired Bridgegate scandal also put the kibosh on Christie's White House bid and a major post in the Trump administration.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The GOP thug, who knew about the lane closures as they were happening, was convicted in court of public opinion.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"One guard was almost hit by a suicide jumper falling from 200 feet above," Staff Writer Paul Berger says in the lead paragraph of a story on the harsh working conditions facing bridge security guards (1A, 8a and 9a).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>So, community service as unarmed and unpaid security guards at the GWB would be fit punishment for Christie and the trio of former associates who triggered the lane closures.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>In view of the governor's prodigious appetite for beer and pizza, he'd need a bucket or something larger in which to relieve himself.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>More Christie</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>If Saturday's front page didn't give you enough of a political perspective on Christie's future, Columnist Charles Stile is back today with another column that will bore you to tears (1A).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Then, brace yourself for yet another column on Christie, this one by Mike Kelly, who goes on and on about "the rust of his battered political career" (Opinion front).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Local news?</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Stories about a small number of the 90 or so towns in the circulation area appear in today's Local section (1L to 8L).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Wayne, Hawthorne (two stories), Montclair, West Milford, Ridgewood and Ringwood are represented, but not the three biggest communities in Bergen County -- Hackensack, Teaneck and Englewood.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>John Cichowski's Road Warrior column on "misleading road signs" is probably the 20th he's written on the same subject since taking over the beat in late 2003 (1L).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The best read in the section is Jay Levin's obituary of Michael Smith, 53, of Waldwick, a quadriplegic who spent 35 years in a wheelchair working on behalf of the disabled (1L and 7L).</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>All in all, today's paper is just another thin Sunday edition from the payroll-slashing folks at Gannett.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-16990694251193878772017-01-06T10:49:00.001-05:002017-01-07T20:22:37.889-05:00PA to commuters: Wait 20 years for better bus, rail service<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>This cartoon from Mike Lukovich equates GOP repeal of the Affordable Care Act with terrorism against the American people.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>By VICTOR E. SASSON</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Staff Writer Paul Berger of The Record has been so busy chronicling the transportation war between New York and New Jersey he buried the lead today on funding of a new bus terminal in Manhattan.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Deep in his Page 1 report on Thursday's meeting of Port Authority commissioners, Berger quotes the board chairman as saying a new midtown bus terminal may take as long as 20 years to complete (6A).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Yikes! Does that mean the 230,000 bus commuters who pour into Manhattan every day, most of them from New Jersey, won't see any relief until then?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>And does that also mean they'll be fighting over rush hour seats for another 20 years, because The Record isn't prodding Port Authority officials to expand service immediately by adding more exclusive bus lanes into and out of the Lincoln Tunnel?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The bi-state agency's capital plan also includes billions to double rail capacity between New Jersey and Manhattan, but Berger provides no estimate of when those tunnels will be finished.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>And as I understand it, when the new Gateway tunnels are finished, the old ones, or at least one of them, will be shut down for repairs, so service might not "double" for another 20 years.</b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Food Editor Esther Davidowitz of The Record.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Food crawl</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>When Friday rolls around at the Gannett-owned Record, it's time for another "food crawl" (Better Living).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>This one focuses on only four of the many great food businesses in Englewood, but the author is none other than Food Editor Esther Davidowitz, who warns readers "this is not your low-cal, low-carb, low-fat, sugar-free crawl" (10BL and 11BL). </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Well, it could have been, if Davidowitz didn't completely miss the restaurant-quality Meals To Go at Jerry's Gourmet & More, her fourth and last stop on the South Dean Street crawl.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>These take-out dinners -- with seafood, chicken, pork or beef, plus pasta or potatoes and vegetables -- are at $7.99 a sane alternative to Jerry's $12-a-pound stuffed eggplant or $17 a pound poached salmon.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9OaxyOYH6EAs_Z_z8KbTw-sz7yZRRl9ZEr6-xjHpPZ4qxR6OBJsJrTuEaZ2u7kSS_Il0DSIIBRqueQSGcD0QVWI-ezqsClM5uUOr8cPC7or2wE_vgWV316W7HqvkpRTLS7i7_r5gugc/s1600/IMG_3235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9OaxyOYH6EAs_Z_z8KbTw-sz7yZRRl9ZEr6-xjHpPZ4qxR6OBJsJrTuEaZ2u7kSS_Il0DSIIBRqueQSGcD0QVWI-ezqsClM5uUOr8cPC7or2wE_vgWV316W7HqvkpRTLS7i7_r5gugc/s400/IMG_3235.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Fish, linguine with white clam sauce, and broccoli were just three of the items in one of Jerry's Meals To Go -- complete, restaurant-quality take-out dinners for $7.99, below.</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">If the freshly prepared store-made dinners aren't sold out at 4 p.m., they are marked down to $5.99.</span></b></td></tr>
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-10205210046883163952017-01-05T15:20:00.000-05:002017-01-05T15:28:08.985-05:00Rising local property taxes a scandal editors refuse to tackle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Rainbow Castle Preschool building at 142-48 Main St. in Hackensack has been boarded up, months after the structure was evacuated and declared unsafe. The two-story building was damaged by a pile driver at the construction site of a 14-story residential-retail project at Main and Mercer streets, a major part of the city's downtown rehabilitation plan.</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The preschool building was declared unsafe last July 27, and work on the apartment projet was suspended. The owner is negotiating with the builder for compensation. The Record has completely ignored the story.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By VICTOR E. SASSON</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR </u></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Who was responsible for the unflattering photo of Freeholder Mary Amoroso in The Record today?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Amoroso spent many years as a reporter and editor in the paper's feature department before she ran for office.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>She's pictured on the Local front today with her mouth agape and right hand raised, and two men and a baby aren't even identified.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Of course, there is a lot more wrong in the story about the Bergen County Board of Freeholders, and reports on the makeup of town councils and school boards that have been running since the first day of the year.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Today, Steve Janoski, Philip DeVencentis and other reporters focus solely on politics -- which party gained the upper hand in the Nov. 8 elections.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Issues, such as the scandals of rising taxes and the burden of tax-exempt property, are totally ignored, as they have been for years.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Hackensack</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>In Hackensack, for example, the City Council says a property revaluation in 2016 managed to cut or stabilize taxes for two out of three homeowners.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Yet, the city still hasn't found money to pave streets that have been torn up for utility and sewage work, including two major thoroughfares, Main and State streets.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Despite delivering financial stability, the council and county seat remain behind the eight ball -- saddled with tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars in tax-exempt property owned by Bergen County, Hackensack University Medical Center, Fairleigh Dickinson University and others.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Those non-profit or tax-exempt entities shift the tax burden to homeowners and businesses.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>And the budget of the Hackensack Board of Education, which accounts for 44% of a resident's tax bill, was higher than the entire city budget for at least the second year in a row.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Record didn't even bother covering last April's election for three board members and the binding referendum on the budget.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Port Authority</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Today's so-called Page 1 expose of a "$30 billion tug of war between New Jersey and New York" is another sensational report on an agency and resources the two states have fought over for nearly 100 years.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Record's endless stories on this colossal patronage war allow editors and reporters to ignore the sad state of bus and rail transit under Governor Christie, whose first major act was to cancel a pair of Hudson River rail tunnels.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>PA dates to 1921</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>When New York and New Jersey signed a compact in 1921 to create The Port of New York Authority -- giving it a mandate to develop and modernize the entire port district -- New Jersey was left out of the name.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>In fact, the battle of the states over jurisdiction rights on the mighty Hudson River dates to the early 1900s.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The agency took over Port Newark in 1948, but the name wasn't changed to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey until 1972.</b></span><br />
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-12747581990081395602017-01-04T10:49:00.000-05:002018-01-04T10:43:16.055-05:00Editors somehow miss plan to fell 100 trees in parking lot <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">In 2009, North Jersey Media Group and The Record newsroom moved to 1 Garret Mountain Plaza in Woodland Park, above, from 150 River Street in Hackensack.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>By VICTOR E. SASSON</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Gannett Co. executives were so busy redesigning The Record's print edition and website, as well as laying off staff, they missed a controversial story unfolding in the parking lot.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>According to Page 1 of The Record today, editors failed to report that Mountain Development Co. applied for a permit to cut down more than 100 trees in the parking lots of their building, 1 Garret Mountain Plaza, and two other office towers in Woodland Park. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>That means the public and environmental groups didn't have a chance to comment on a plan to remove the trees to make way for solar panels to power two of the three buildings.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>A photo caption on 1A today shows a tree service worker removing a tree "last week."</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The story also reports the building operators paid $3o,000 so Woodland Park can plant 100 trees elsewhere in the borough.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Bruce Springsteen</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen's comments on President-elect Donald J. Trump should have been on Page 1 today (3A).</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"I mean, they're lies, they can't occur," Springsteen said of building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and other "Trump exaggerations," as the USA Today story puts it.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The story doesn't mention Springsteen refused to perform at the 2010 inauguration of one of his biggest fans, Governor Christie.</b></span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Food reporting</span></u></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Record appears to have given up all pretense of critical reporting on restaurants, food and nutrition.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The weekly restaurant review ended with the departure of Elisa Ung in November, more than nine years after she was hired.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Since then, editors have published "food crawl" stories that read like advertising.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Today's Better Living front focuses on "the best fireplace restaurants in North Jersey" or what the article calls "cozy local spots" (1BL).</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Baby, it's cold outside," writes Joanna Prisco, a freelancer who also owns a culinary business. "But inside these restaurants, the fire is blazing and fine food is cookin'."</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Cheesy promotion</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Most of Monday's Better Living front was devoted to Lisa Dosch, who has won "Best Cheesecake" at the New Jersey State Fair five years in a row.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Her cheesecakes, which happen to be served at her family's restaurant in Nyack, N.Y., cost $35 to $1,200 (with gold flake).</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The enormous headline declared her, "Queen of Cheesecake." </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>From a nutrition standpoint, that should have been, "Queen of Cholesterol."</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Tens of thousands of readers watching their weight, cholesterol and sugar intake likely stared dumbfound at this promotion.</b></span><br />
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-76917137108370516752017-01-02T14:04:00.000-05:002017-01-03T13:42:59.495-05:00AARP appeals to political editors, columnists and reporters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins, who in 1980 was a voter outreach worker for the Ronald Reagan campaign (photo by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders).</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>By VICTOR E. SASSON</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins has a message for columnist Charles Stile and every other Record staffer obsessed with keeping political scorecards in Trenton and Washington.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"When policy is debated only in terms of political gains and defeats, the American people lose," Jenkins wrote in the AARP Bulletin.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Although her column didn't mention the media, her message could be aimed at The Record and other news outlets.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Instead of solutions, we get stalemates," she noted, describing what has happened so many times on important issues since Governor Christie took office in early 2010. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Let's unite behind our shared goals," was one of the headlines on Jenkins' column in the December issue of the monthly publication from the former America Association of Retired Persons.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Practical solutions</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Regardless of whom you supported in November, we share many of the same concerns," she wrote.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"How can we get our leaders [and newspaper editors and reporters] to put political partisanship behind them and come together?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"How can we as a country bring civility and public discourse back to our democracy? How can we disagree and still find common ground around the big issues that matter so much in our country?"</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Bipartisanship does not mean that Republicans and Democrats must agree on every issue," Jenkins noted. "But it does mean that they must be able to work together to find [practical] solutions."</b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Political Stile Columnist Charles Stile of The Record.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"But partisanship has reached such an uncivil extreme [in Trenton and Washington] that it is dividing our nation and prohibiting leaders from both political parties from coming together to do the people's work," Jenkins said.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Far too often the politician's goal is not practical solutions, but political advantage."</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Politics and news</u></b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Think of all the columns Stile has written about who gained the upper hand politically in the recent debates over Christie's book deal and removing the requirement for legal notices to be printed in newspapers.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The latter bill was designed to "punish state newspapers," The Record claims once again in an editorial today (7A).</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In fact, this is another attempt by Gannett and other wealthy publishers to distract readers from an unwarranted government subsidy of millions of dollars for public notices no one reads.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>See the politically slanted headline on 3A today:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Congress sees mandate</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>to undo Obama's agenda"</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Of course, for years, headline writers for The Record and other newspapers politicized universal health care as "Obamacare."</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>And why did an AP reporter who covered the opening of the long-delayed Second Avenue subway (8A) report a speech was given by "Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo?"</b></span><br />
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-18250349579413276592017-01-01T15:19:00.000-05:002017-01-01T15:37:12.051-05:00When journalism and politics collide, readers are big losers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Cartoonist Dave Granlund speaks for tens of millions of people across the United States.</span></b></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By VICTOR E. SASSON</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>In a major disservice to readers, Columnists Charles Stile and Mike Kelly of The Record aren't giving up their focus on partisan politics.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Stile's front-page piece discusses the coming political battles over a number of issues in Trenton and Washington, ignoring which outcomes would be good for the state and the nation (1A).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>On the Opinion front, Kelly tackles Governor Christie's declining popularity, and such compelling questions as "can the Democrats [who control the state Legislature] find their mojo?"</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>'One nation'</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Record is part of Gannett's USA Today network, which explains why a woman in far-off Virginia is the first "exceptional American" featured in a new series, "One Nation" (1A and 1O).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The series will focus on someone "who unites, rather than divides, our communities" -- an apparent reference to the hate speech that got President-in-Waiting Donald J. Trump elected on Nov. 8.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Past and present</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Today and Saturday, editors and reporters looked at the past year in "Remembering North Jerseyans we mourned in 2016" and forward in "17 people to watch in 2017."</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>On Friday's front page, an article discussed the medical basis for concluding that Debbie Reynolds died of a broken heart one day after the death of her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>But when Teaneck Mayor Lizette Parker died at 44 in 2016, as noted on Saturday's front page, The Record never attempted to explain in medical terms why she and so many other African-Americans die in their 40s and 50s.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>'Oh shoot!'</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>In November, when Gannett launched an unannounced redesign of The Record, production of the paper was shifted to Neptune from Woodland Park.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>As a result, errors have soared to a new level, especially in photo captions.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>On Saturday, probably because of the enormous amount of space devoted to a fire in a garbage compactor chute in Paterson, one error jumped out.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Chute" was spelled "shoot" in the caption for an enormous photo showing firefighters in front of a high-rise on Presidential Boulevard (3L on Saturday).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>A second photo caption that day, this one on 6L, apparently was taken from NorthJersey.com, because it is in the present tense: </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"A wrong-way accident <i>is </i>causing traffic problems on Route 21 ....[italics added]." </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Also, the day of the accident is given as "Friday morning on Dec. 30, 2016." </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Group of the day</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The editors continue to run Page 1 stories on groups:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>On Thursday, a so-called Analysis declared environmentalists are "optimistic" about 2017. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>On Friday, adoptees were said to be looking forward to Jan. 1 and a new state law calling for the release of their birth certificates, which could identify their mothers.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Food crawl</span></u></b><br />
<b style="font-size: x-large;"><u><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></u></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Ridgewood and Englewood are two Bergen County towns known for their restaurants, but Friday's "food crawl" in the Better Living section suggested readers jump into their cars for a much longer trip to Nyack, N.Y.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The article carries the byline of Liz Johnson, and guess what, she is the former food editor at a Gannett newspaper who lives in Nyack, and helped conduct a similar food crawl in the town last summer.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">How convenient for her, and how inconvenient for Bergen County readers.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Another problem is that Johnson provides no prices for any of the dishes she sampled at four restaurants.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-80887867521486210222016-12-29T11:36:00.001-05:002016-12-29T11:54:12.677-05:00Gannett compares N.J. criminal-justice reform to Monopoly<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Let's see how this works once Republican con man Donald J. Trump is sworn in as president of the United States on Jan. 20, 2017.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>By VICTOR E. SASSON</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u><br></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>You'd expect Staff Writer Jim Norman, a former New York Times reporter, to do a good job explaining the many complex changes in New Jersey's criminal justice system to readers of The Record today.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>But imagine the dilemma of a faceless Gannett editor holed up in a production center in Neptune, where he or she had to come up with a Page 1 headline that is both bright and right.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Well, the headline certainly is bright, if not downright sensational:</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Get out of</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>jail free,</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>or court</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>reform?"</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">What an abomination, not to mention inaccurate.</span></b><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Get out of jail free" sounds like a reference to Monopoly, the board game, but the phrase also strongly suggests that convicted criminals will go free once the changes go into effect on Jan. 1.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Unfortunately for the inept headline writer, all of the people who will remain free while awaiting trial are innocent until proven guilty, a bedrock of our legal system.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Numerous errors</u></b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Since Gannett's drastic November downsizing of North Jersey Media Group, publisher of The Record, bad headlines and errors seem to have increased.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Today, for example, a photo caption on 4A refers to the "Bronx section of New York," when everyone knows the Bronx is one of New York's five boroughs.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>On 2BL in Better Living on Wednesday, a story on the expected opening of Azucar Cuban Cuisine in Closter says you'll be able to spot the restaurant easily by a "black 1950 Chrysler parked in front (pictured)" -- except no photo of the car appears with the story.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Also on Wednesday, the lead news story on Page 1 carried a totally meaningless headline:</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Court</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>fight</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>reveals</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Christie's</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>planning</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Details on PATH station</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>ceremony offers glimpse</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>of governor's preparation"</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The reaction of most readers: </b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>So what?</b></span><br>
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-47972623586458203422016-12-28T11:24:00.000-05:002016-12-29T11:15:22.754-05:00With Trump, Americans must renew struggle for equality<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>From Jimmy Margulies, the Sunday cartoonist at The Record of Woodland Park.</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>In "Half the nation was shocked" by cartoonist Daryl Cagle, the losers on Nov. 8 are all people of color. They have the most to fear from the policies of Donald J. Trump, who will be sworn in as president of the United States in 23 days.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>By VICTOR E. SASSON</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>With billionaire Donald J. Trump poised to take the oath of office in only 23 days, millions of Americans are worrying about losing freedoms they have taken for granted.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>They also worry about a nuclear war, accelerated climate change and trade battles with other countries.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>And many of us fear Trump will eclipse George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan as the worst president in the history of the republic.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Christie focus</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>At The Record, editors have been focusing on their nasty fight with Governor Christie over a book deal and his bid to end payment of millions of dollars for legal notices published in newspapers.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Today, the lead Page 1 story recalls the morning of Aug. 13, 2013, when Christie appeared at a groundbreaking ceremony for renovation of a PATH station.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Most readers are clueless about why the story by Dustin Racioppi is on the front page or just what point the Trenton reporter is trying to make.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Racioppi says details of how the governor's appearance at the groundbreaking was stage managed by his staff were obtained "through a public records lawsuit by The Record" (1A).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>And on Tuesday's front page, another Racioppi story reported judges ordered state officials to pay attorneys for The Record and others who won such lawsuits more than $900,000 in fees. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>'Group of the day'</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Today's front-page feature on an 8-year-old transgender boy from Secaucus who was barred from a Cub Scout pack is a departure from recent "group of the day" features.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>However, a related story on 8A compares Joe Maldonado's struggle with the former plight of "gay scouts and gay Scouting leaders."</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>On Tuesday's 1A, so-called Dreamers were the "group of the day" -- 23,500 illegal immigrants in New Jersey who may lose protection from deportation when Trump takes office.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>On Monday, the front page focused on "faith groups" -- churches, synagogues and mosques that are helping refugees to settle in New Jersey, despite opposition from both Trump and Christie.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>From frying pan ...</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>No one at The Record seemed to question moving a family of four refugees from Afghanistan into an apartment in Paterson, parts of which are more dangerous than their native country.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Sunday's Page 1 focused on wealthy suburbanites who volunteer to feed the homeless at soup kitchens.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>On Saturday, the focus was on knitters; last</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Friday, it was holocaust survivors; and on Dec. 18, Staff Writer Lindy Washburn did a takeout on women who undergo medically unnecessary cesarean sections.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Washburn reported Hackensack University Medical Center performed more of the risky C-sections than any other hospital in the state.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The story was a departure from The Record's usual policy of showering praise on doctors and administrators at the medical complex.</b></span><br />
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-91291641464918285392016-12-25T11:43:00.000-05:002016-12-25T12:54:55.881-05:00Editors testing readers' patience for unlimited holiday cheer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix29qXdTHMMtEHh6RqzXWLYixEVCQRiz0GKJ7IRaWHLgK3LWSIaPXtIUiRxprdGrcXnE_SQud7aCCD9pdqwSRik_xnU1m2YIn7TE8VqPIuByfnb5PuV_jES4XA9qyT1OSH2-50Au2u4J0/s1600/189233+John+Cole.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix29qXdTHMMtEHh6RqzXWLYixEVCQRiz0GKJ7IRaWHLgK3LWSIaPXtIUiRxprdGrcXnE_SQud7aCCD9pdqwSRik_xnU1m2YIn7TE8VqPIuByfnb5PuV_jES4XA9qyT1OSH2-50Au2u4J0/s400/189233+John+Cole.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>"Refugees" is from cartoonist John Cole. The Record and many other news outlets continue to ignore the carnage of the Syrian civil war, which began in March 2011; the role of Russia in keeping the regime in power and whether Russian President Vladimir Putin helped Donald J. Trump win the U.S. presidential election.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>By VICTOR E. SASSON</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>We have much to celebrate during Christmas and Hanukkah, but the holidays aren't easing our nationwide anxiety with a Trump presidency just 26 days away.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Meanwhile, the Sunday edition of The Record is laying on the holiday cheer with upbeat columns and stories on nearly every section front, even though many of them are flawed.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>For example, on Page 1, the enormous amount of space devoted to Nora Renzulli, a Wayne woman who volunteers to serve meals at Eva's Village in Paterson, ignores thousands of others who are just as dedicated (1A).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>On the Local front, Road Warrior John Cichowski so-called Wish List for Santa is so heavily focused on drivers that he becomes a Road Scrooge for the tens of thousands who commute by train or bus (1L).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>His lone reference to the midtown Manhattan Port Authority Bus Terminal as "a sardine-can relic" is inaccurate.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Nor does he know enough to call for more exclusive bus lanes to the Lincoln Tunnel as a way of providing immediate relief until a new terminal is built.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>2016 election</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>An Associated Press story reports that polling after the November election found that "nearly two-thirds of voters described the [strong] economy as 'not so good' or 'poor' (16A).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>But the AP ignores whether racism and misogyny were among the real reasons they voted for Trump.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>On the Opinion front, a long piece by Merrill Brown, director of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University, argues a Trump administration will test news organizations as never before (1O).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>However, Brown doesn't discuss how the news media's intense focus on state and national politics -- as opposed to policies, issues and what's good for the state or country -- is the biggest possible disservice to voters. </b></span><br />
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-74744654617095059132016-12-23T11:01:00.001-05:002016-12-23T11:14:05.010-05:00Who lied more during nasty campaign, Trump or Conway?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">"Puppies for Putin" is from cartoonist Stacey Fairrington. You can see more political cartoons on <a href="http://www.cagle.com/?mc_cid=886af995d4&mc_eid=dd8a61580a">Cagle.com</a>. I guess the cartoonist thought better of showing President-elect Donald J. Trump and Exxon Mobil CEO Rex W. Tillerson kissing the Russian dictator's ass.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>By VICTOR E. SASSON</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>During the nastiest presidential campaign in memory, the news media rarely challenged Donald J. Trump or GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway as the streets ran red with their lies.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Now, the president-elect has named his former campaign manager as White House counselor, according to a Page 1 story in The Record.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Trenton reporter Salvador Rizzo, whose byline misspells his first name, calls Conway "the first woman to manage a winning campaign" (1A).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The appointment suggests voters are so gullible they will elect the presidential candidate who lies the most, lies about those lies and puts his campaign in the hands of another enormous liar.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Christie and press</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>After a lull in a war of words, Governor Christie again lashed out at New Jersey newspapers for lobbying against a bill that would cut into their revenue (4A).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Just another special interest feeding like pigs at the government trough" is how Christie described newspapers on his monthly radio show.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The GOP bully should know all about special interests, as Rizzo reported in a front-page story last Sunday.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"At a time when New Jersey lawmakers are rushing a bill to end what they call 'corporate welfare' for the news media, Gov. Chris Christie's administration this month surpassed $7.4 billion in tax subsides awarded to hand-picked businesses and nonprofits."</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Who is right?</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Still, isn't Christie on the right side of the issue?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>A requirement that towns, banks, law firms and even homeowners facing foreclosure publish notices in newspapers amounts to a subsidy of millions of dollars to publishers who are supposed to remain independent.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The New Jersey Press Association portrayed the proposal to drop that requirement as a "free press issue."</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>But the legal notices, published in type so small few people read them, are in no stretch of the imagination a public service or a free-speech issue.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Anyway, the bill didn't come up for a vote, but isn't dead, and is expected to be proposed again in the new year. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>So, we can look forward to Christie once again bashing what he calls the "billionaire bosses" at Gannett, the payroll-slashing owner of The Record and six other dailies in New Jersey.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Where to eat</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Better Living readers in search of a restaurant review find instead a list of restaurants, bars and even a dinner cruise that will serve "a sumptuous holiday repast" on New Year's Eve (12BL-13BL).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Freelancer Joanna Prisco, who also owns a "pop-up" culinary business, suggests spending up to $280 per person at venues in Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Her reporting sounds more like promotion or advertising. Here are examples:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Ring in 2017 with style at Esty Street, "stay up late with the fun folks at Chakra," "the sexy, Asiatic restaurant will offer two seatings" and "the same Neapolitan-style pies that put Asbury Park back on the culinary map are being slung at ... Porta."</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Gag me with a spoon.</b></span><br />
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-38672996434899926602016-12-22T15:01:00.000-05:002016-12-24T18:47:20.382-05:00Cartoonists are having a field day with Trump transition<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxg1YkPDdEHFlDwAUKfjRZ0jvcRqqBgrC8bhcujU2E36_nePLqXjGovs6hSwQuKebKV7NQzNK9YLQFb8qA7q7OKTlY6CxoOcr4nPpSDLwx5gwkGYJSljCx3TBEA9Kj_0LtchGqircAFi4/s1600/188935+R.J.+Matson.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxg1YkPDdEHFlDwAUKfjRZ0jvcRqqBgrC8bhcujU2E36_nePLqXjGovs6hSwQuKebKV7NQzNK9YLQFb8qA7q7OKTlY6CxoOcr4nPpSDLwx5gwkGYJSljCx3TBEA9Kj_0LtchGqircAFi4/s400/188935+R.J.+Matson.png" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">President-elect Donald J. Trump's nomination of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State raises potential conflicts in Russia and other countries where the oil giant does business. This cartoon, "Scrabble Connection," is from R.J. Matson. Go to <a href="http://www.cagle.com/">Cagle.com</a> to see this and many other political cartoons.</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeklSgGoPLvFE72CXn4fWC_u6uG4AIqg7Fr1fN-b3me2weYWze6HhQCBJqJ4SKwyFdh3wRMNVgjwgK9eWeCE-go55rgM1BJFLEz_IKVONIztpks_6zxQovlNmYEbQ3FWHwrc9xINdVOeo/s1600/188771.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeklSgGoPLvFE72CXn4fWC_u6uG4AIqg7Fr1fN-b3me2weYWze6HhQCBJqJ4SKwyFdh3wRMNVgjwgK9eWeCE-go55rgM1BJFLEz_IKVONIztpks_6zxQovlNmYEbQ3FWHwrc9xINdVOeo/s400/188771.png" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>"Nyet" is from cartoonist Dave Grunland.</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCK6CwTXfRCi9t3gum6v4MldsbA-mUqer2_cH-PDlS2UdLTTdjVjREbSLg2s2bv5fYYe9PWuph_D0_SGOqmWdsYt3CNwmq4MZ0tM3wmxelex5LRpx5mjW_J0ED7du_qvOu4-fQkPK1PwI/s1600/trump-cabinet+Daryle+Cagle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCK6CwTXfRCi9t3gum6v4MldsbA-mUqer2_cH-PDlS2UdLTTdjVjREbSLg2s2bv5fYYe9PWuph_D0_SGOqmWdsYt3CNwmq4MZ0tM3wmxelex5LRpx5mjW_J0ED7du_qvOu4-fQkPK1PwI/s400/trump-cabinet+Daryle+Cagle.png" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>"Trump's Cabinet Picks" is from cartoonist Daryl Cagle.</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>"Rex and Vlad" is from cartoonist Taylor Jones.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>By VICTOR E. SASSON</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u><br></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Now that the nasty battle with Governor Christie over public notices has subsided, The Record returns to peddling front pages filled with soft news.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Meanwhile, the transition of President-elect Donald J. Trump continues to set a record for potential conflicts of interest, but readers have to search the paper for them (7A). </b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Bergen County readers looking over the Local front today find that three out of four stories are from Passaic and Hudson counties (1L).</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>USS Ling</u></b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br></u></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Stephen A. Borg, former publisher of The Record, is denying any moral responsibility for saving the USS Ling from an ignominious end.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>An editorial and a news story allow Borg to bow out of any role in saving the World War II submarine, which is literally stuck in the mud of the Hackensack River (8A today and 1A on Wednesday).</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Borg -- whose grandfather negotiated the 1974 deal to lease land to the New Jersey Naval Museum for $1 a year -- ended the arrangement this year, apparently in anticipation of selling The Record and other North Jersey Media Group newspapers to Gannett. </b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Borg family reportedly received $40 million for NJMG, but retained the publishing company's retirement and pension funds, as well as nearly 20 acres along River Street in Hackensack, where the Ling is tied up.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Abandons Hackensack</span></u></b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The younger Borg has formed a new company, Fourth Edition, and calls himself a developer. </b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The land, which is believed to be worth more than $20 million, is in a flood zone.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Nevertheless, the city of Hackensack has approved it for apartments and possibly a hotel as part of a sweeping downtown rehabilitation plan.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>After he took over from his father, former NJMG Chairman Malcolm A. Borg, Stephen Borg worked quickly to cut The Record's ties to Hackensack and the USS Ling.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Borgs always first</u></b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Still, the younger Borg made sure to line his own pockets with a $3.65 million NJMG mortgage for a Tenafly McMansion, and drew a salary of about $350,000 a year.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>He moved printing of The Record and Herald News to Rockaway Township nearly a decade ago.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>In 2008 -- several months after he received the $3.65 million mortgage -- he put into the motion the biggest newsroom downsizing in the paper's history.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>And in 2009, in a royal F.U. to Hackensack, he closed NJMG's headquarters, moving the newsroom to Woodland Park. </b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Record had prospered in Hackensack for more than 110 years.</b></span><br>
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-4663107773401526612016-12-21T11:15:00.001-05:002016-12-26T11:50:44.949-05:00Christie trashes Gannett's 'billionaire bosses' on Twitter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Governor Christie's Twitter page, above and below, has been filled with criticism of "billionaire newspaper owners" demanding a government subsidy in the form of payments to publish legal notices. This week, the state Legislature deferred action on a bill to remove that requirement, which Christie claims would save taxpayers $80 million a year.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>By VICTOR E. SASSON</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u><br></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/GovChristie">@GovChristie</a> has been flailing away on Twitter at "billionaire newspaper owners" who "demand Gov't subsidy from taxpayers but refuse to open their books to show how much tax $ they already take."</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The GOP bully just suffered an embarrassing defeat when he tried to get the state Legislature to enact what he calls "a commonsense piece of legislation" to "reform an archaic practice requiring taxpayers and private businesses to pay for costly legal notices" in newspapers.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>But the bill isn't dead; action was deferred until the next session in the new year.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Hidden revenue</u></b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Record of Woodland Park, now owned by Gannett, disputed the $80 million in savings Christie cited, if the new law offered the option of posting public notices online.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>But nowhere in the week-long blitz of news stories, columns and editorials attacking Christie did The Record mention that, according to a message from the governor posted on Twitter:</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"In the case of foreclosure, every family going through that trauma is charged an average of $910 just for the legally required newspaper notice.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"That is unconscionable, and in response to the advancing legislation the New Jersey Press Association proposes to increase those charges.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"As a result, required legal notices earned newspapers approximately $14 million for the 12-month period ending in October 2016," Christie says.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Today, there are more than 65,000 foreclosures currently pending in New Jersey. That's $59 million in potential revenue going to private media outlets that can instead be saved by citizens experiencing foreclosure.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"For government entities, hundreds of millions of dollars of future resources to be spent on legal notices could now be made available ... for municipal and county services...."</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>One of Christie's Tweets refers directly to the layoffs at North Jersey Media Group after the publisher of The Record and other newspapers was purchased in July by Gannett Co., which now owns seven dailies in New Jersey.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Attacks Gannett</u></b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Reporters blindly defend their billionaire bosses and their $80m subsidy while Gannett lays off their colleagues in Bergen," the governor tweeted, in an apparent reference to The Record, once known as The Bergen Record.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Of course, the paper's Hackensack headquarters were shut down in 2009, and the newsroom moved to Woodland Park.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Record and Herald News have been printed in Rockaway Township for about a decade.</b></span><br>
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-57964813982146469092016-12-20T14:49:00.000-05:002016-12-20T17:49:00.702-05:00Legislature stops Christie, gunman avenges Syrian slaughter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Moments after pumping several bullets into the back of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov on Monday, a Turkish police officer shouted, "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!" This photo and others from Associated Press photographer Burhan Ozbilici, who was covering the event at an arts center, are certain to be nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.</b></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By VICTOR E. SASSON</span></b><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u><br></u></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Governor Christie is down but not out after the state Legislature killed a bill that would have allowed him to cash in on a book-publishing deal while giving hefty raises to his Cabinet officers, judges and legislative aides.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>But a separate bill -- to drop the requirement that public notices be published in newspapers -- survived, and will be debated again next year (1A and 6A).</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>For the biggest piece of fiction in today's paper, see the third paragraph of the Page 1 news story:</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"It was a stunning turn of events for Christie, who was once regarded as a master of cutting deals with New Jersey's Democratic political bosses and muscling the bills through the Legislature" (1A).</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Christie hasn't made deals for years; instead, he's unleashed more than 500 vetoes to get his way with the majority Democrats -- vetoes that have hurt the working and middle classes in New Jersey.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>And shame on Charles Stile for yet another front-page column on what Christie once was and what he is now -- amounting to a rewrite of every piece under the byline of the burned-out Trenton reporter since the GOP bully abandoned his White House dreams last February (1A).</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Defending profits</u></b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Record and other newspapers, as well as the New Jersey Press Association, portrayed the battle over legal notices as a "free press" issue.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The NJPA ran a full-page ad on the back of The Record's Local section claiming Christie is trying to "hide ... vital information" from the public, including "government contract bids, air and water pollution emergencies, and meetings of legislative bodies" (8L on Sunday).</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>But the substantial revenue generated by publication of the notices amounts to a questionable subsidy to newspapers, which are supposed to be independent.</b></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Finally, the notices are of little use to taxpayers, because they are printed in small type and poorly organized. </b></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>In Hackensack, the City Clerk's Office spends about $1,000 a month on publishing the legal notices, an official said on Monday.</b></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The city's Board of Education also publishes its own meeting schedule and budget, but spends less than the City Clerk's Office.</b></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Christie apparently exaggerated the savings to government and business as $80 million a year, if the notices were put online.</b></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>'Don't forget Aleppo'</u></b></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Every time the news media reported Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Tump's praise for Vladimir Putin, few editors reminded readers of the Russian bombers that were pulverizing Aleppo to keep a dictator in power.</b></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>On Monday, a Turkish cop fatally wounded Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey, avenging all of the deaths of innocent civilians during the civil war struggle for Syria's biggest city.</b></span><br>
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392667231013508141.post-59863053056034721042016-12-18T16:07:00.000-05:002016-12-18T16:12:05.526-05:00Years too late, The Record keeps up the assault on Christie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">After the 2013 George Washington Bridge lane closures, Governor Christie became the butt of jokes for cartoonists across the country, including Clay Bennett of the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Tennessee.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>By VICTOR E. SASSON</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>EDITOR</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>An editorial in The Record today urges the state Senate on Monday to override a Governor Christie veto of "a bill that would ensure women receive the same pay as men for the same work."</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Apparently, the veto occurred seven months ago, but this is the first time The Record has reported on an override attempt or what the editorial board is calling "legislative action on a bill of great importance to women across the state" (2O).</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Can you imagine how many other issues of importance to taxpayers, low-wage workers, environmentalists and others the Woodland Park daily has consistently ignored?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Christie has vetoed more than 500 bills since he took office -- surely a record for any New Jersey governor -- but The Record's Trenton reporters long ago gave up counting them.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Focus on politics</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Record's editors and columnists rarely come to bat for those hurt by Christie's vetoes, because their work has been tightly focused on politics, not issues.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>In the past week, only the GOP bully's last-minute proposed book deal; pay raises for legislative aides, judges and other state employees; and pulling public notices from newspapers have whipped them into a frenzy of coverage.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The headline over today's editorial:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Fighting for a free press"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Fighting for a profitable press" might be closer to the truth.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Today's editorial says that removing public notices from newspapers "would have a radical impact on our bottom line and the bottom lines of other newspapers across New Jersey.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Some publications may fold and hundreds of Jersey-based jobs will be lost."</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Sadly, Gannett Co. and the Borg family, the previous owner of The Record, have used publication of budgets and other public notices as an excuse to reduce the coverage of local news, even though the type they are printed in is so small hardly anyone reads them.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Christie coverage</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>For all of Christie's first term and the first half of his second term, The Record treated him uncritically, and portrayed the Republican governor as a compromiser who could reach across the aisle and make deals with Democrats who hold the majority in the state Legislature.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Of course, every veto and every unilateral action, such as killing the Hudson River rail tunnels and grabbing leftover funds to fix roads and bridges, gave a lie to that portrayal, but they were ignored.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Even after the paper broke the story of the politically motivated Bridgegate scandal, the editors kept on insisting there was no proof the governor knew about the plot.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>All that came undone in September and October, when witness after witness testified in federal court Christie knew about the conspiracy as it was being executed, causing five mornings of gridlock in Fort Lee.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>That unleashed many critical columns and editorials, and no love was lost when President-elect Donald J. Trump passed Christie over for an important post in his administration.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Trump coverage</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>During the presidential campaign, The Record and other news media reported every one of Trump's racially motivated attacks on President Obama without any reference to his accomplishments on the economy, health care, the environment and so much more.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>That's because, as with Christie, the relentless focus was on partisanship, not policy; and insults and lies, not issues. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>In a column for the Daily News on Saturday, <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/stasi-thanks-obama-prez-brought-best-article-1.2914546">Linda Stasi</a> wrote about the coming "neo-nasty era" of a Trump presidency:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"The Obamas represented not just the best of black people, but the BEST of all people -- white, black, brown and everything in between.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"The Obamas are a credit to the race all right -- the human race.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Yet, President Obama, the most honest, decent President of my lifetime, who leaves with a 56% approval rating, is, if you listen to the right wing's very mainstream media, a man loathed and hated."</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>After reviewing the president's many accomplishments, Stasi concludes, "Maybe, just maybe, the most decent president of modern times ... is hated simply because he's black, a black President in a white country. Likely.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Hidden racism in America is as rampant as blatant racism."</b></span><br />
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Victor E. Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07920237909721053423noreply@blogger.com0