Editors finally focus on crisis in Aleppo, Syrian-Americans

In this map of Aleppo, Syria, published in August by the Carnegie Middle East Center, the Old City is in East Aleppo, right, where fighting to retake rebel-held areas and the humanitarian crisis have reached a crescendo in recent weeks.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Today, The Record's editors finally discover a local angle for reporting on the deepening humanitarian crisis in Aleppo, Syria.

Staff Writer Hannan Adely interviewed Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah and other Syrian-Americans who have lost touch with friends or relatives or know people who have been killed in the Syrian civil war (1A and 4A).  

This Page 1 story reminds readers of the one Adely wrote in November 2015 -- more than a week after Governor Christie announced that he wanted to bar all Syrian refugees from entering New Jersey.

Why the delay? Syrians have been immigrating to Paterson since the early 1900s.

In his column on Nov. 22, 2015, Staff Writer Mike Kelly called Christie "a crazy uncle" for saying he would not even allow Syrian orphans under the age of 5 into the United States.

His Page 1 column the day before was completely devoid of criticism or condemnation of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.

Putin and Trump

Until today, The Record has avoided reporting on the links between President-elect Donald J. Trump and Russia.

A story on 11A today traces Trump's "soft spot for Russia" to his desire to sell his luxury condos to wealthy Russians.

Trump, a major apologist for Vladimir Putin, also has dismissed reports from U.S. intelligence agencies that the Russian dictator tried to influence the outcome of the Nov. 8 election in favor of the New York billionaire.

You need a magnifying glass to read the legal notices in The Record.

Book deal, legal ads

Since Sunday, The Record's news editors and editorial writers have been consumed by what they see as an assault on the right of the press to profit from the publication of legal ads (1A, 8A and 16A).

One question isn't addressed: 

Does anyone actually read those legal notices, which are printed in small type?

Today's front page is dominated once again by a package of legislation that includes Christie's "book bill;" raises for his Cabinet, legislative staffs, judges, county prosecutors and others; and eliminating the long-standing law requiring local governments to publish legal notices -- such as budgets, ordinance changes and contracts.

"Motivation for pushing the bill, and tying it to action on salaries and book deal, said to be revenge by Christie against newspapers for their coverage of his administration," according to The Record.

Local news?

Still, readers of The Record have to ask whether the publication of budgets and ordinances gives the news staff an excuse to ignore important local news, such as the campaign by nine candidates in the April election for three Board of Education seats in Hackensack.

There was no discussion of the issues in The Record or Hackensack Chronicle.

Nor did the daily or weekly paper report any of the details of the proposed $104 million school budget before voters went to the polls to approve or reject it -- even though education accounts for 44% of every homeowner's property tax bill.

Another 'food crawl'

Have "food crawl" articles in Better Living replaced the weekly restaurant review, and is it a budget-cutting move?

Freelancer Shelby Vittek is back today with a "Polish Food Crawl" on 14BL and 15BL, although the out of focus cover photo of pirogis with sour cream doesn't look appetizing at all.
Elisa Ung, the restaurant reviewer who left the paper in November, likely blew $200 to $300 or more on two meals with a friend at every one of the fine-dining restaurants she reviewed.

When Ung was hired more than 9 years ago, The Record allowed the restaurant critic to treat three other people to two dinners at each restaurant.

When The Record introduced the "Informal Dining" reviews Ung did once a month, that cut the paper's expenses.

Now, if the food crawl has replaced all restaurant reviews, the additional savings would be significant. 

Amen to today's editorial: 'Trump cannot trump' free speech

This cartoon from Rayma Suprani is a reminder U.S. news media have reported President-elect Donald J. Trump's frequent praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but never reminded Americans that Putin's bombers are killing innocent civilians in Aleppo, Syria, and prolonging the civil war.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The negative reaction to an actor in "Hamilton" reading a prepared statement from the cast to Vice President-elect Mike Pence makes you wonder if we're still living in a country founded on free speech.

For example, among the letters to the editor of The Record today, Paul Ferrantino of Wanaque claims that "as a retired professional actor, I am embarrassed by the behavior" of the "Hamilton" cast (8A).

Though he doesn't name him, Ferrantino goes on to criticize actor Brandon Victor Dixon:

"Taking advantage of a captive audience, which included the vice president-elect of our United States, in this way was nothing more than a dirty trick, or at the least, an unfair way to espouse one's political views."

"Dirty trick" or "unfair"? No way.

Civics lesson

The Record's unsigned editorial on the brouhaha ends with the forty-five words in the First Amendment to the Constitution:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The First Amendment is a reminder that President-elect Donald J. Trump was wrong to tweet his demand for the actor to apologize.

Today's editorial puts it this way: 

"... No free pass is given on matters related to the First Amendment. The pun is intended. Trump cannot trump that. There is no [political] honeymoon for stomping on free speech" (8A).

Cast statement

The prepared statement from the hit show's cast "raised the concerns of people of color, of immigrants and of the LGBT community that the new administration may not do them right," as the editorial puts it.

"We truly hope," the actor told Pence, "that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us."

Good luck with that, given all the hate speech Trump indulged in during the campaign.

But who can blame the cast for seizing the opportunity to speak directly to the vice president-elect in the hope the message will be delivered to the Dictator-In-Chief?

What a paper!

The main element on Page 1 today demonstrates how U.S. Customs officials have bamboozled another reporter into writing a story on "banned foods" international visitors supposedly hide in their suitcases (1A).

"Hundreds of pounds" of contraband are destroyed each week at Newark Liberty International Airport, the story reports.

Is that really worthy of a front page that has only three stories on it?

Staff Writer Monsy Alvarado is no kid just out  of journalism school, but you won't find a word about any actual harm foreign pests or animal diseases have wrought in the United States.

Customs officers should concentrate on stopping illegal drugs and guns from entering the country, and not obsess over worms in Portuguese chestnuts.

Another big weakness in the story is Alvarado never explaining why visitors bother to stuff their luggage with foods that are widely available in supermarkets and specialty stores in ethnically diverse New Jersey.

Local news?

In Local today, Bergen County readers find stories from only seven of the 90 communities in The Record's circulation area, including three from Paterson and two from other Passaic County towns.

And many readers note with horror that error-prone Staff Writer John Cichowski -- aka Road Warrior or is it Road Worrier -- apparently decided not to follow the example of many other staffers his age who retired during last week's drastic Gannett downsizing (1L).

Monday's paper

If they read The Record, commuters who ride NJ Transit buses into the city don't know whether a new midtown bus terminal is on or off.

The latest episode in blow-by-blow coverage ran on The Record's front page on Monday, when Staff Writer Paul Berger reported on a "feud" between the Port Authority board chairman -- an appointee of Governor Christie -- and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (1A).

With actual construction of a new terminal many years away, wouldn't it be nice if Berger tried to explain why there are no rush-hour seats on NJ Transit buses and why officials don't add more exclusive bus lanes into and out of the Lincoln Tunnel.

9/11 hijackers, Jimi Nouri and a charity for Syria

Aleppo, Syria, in June 1978.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

Two seemingly unrelated stories in The Record today have one common element: South Paterson businessman Jimi Nouri.

On A-6, a 4-deck headline declares:

Neighborhood

in Paterson

was once home

to hijackers

It seems that more than 12 years ago, Nouri rented a one-bedroom apartment to two "Middle Eastern" men who turned out to be among the terrorists who flew American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

Nouri is quoted as saying he didn't know the men before they came to him, and he is identified further as "currently raising money to help Syrian children left orphaned by the civil war."

But readers aren't told about a second story on the fund-raising effort in another section of the paper.

Later, the A-6 story reports:

"One of the myths that spun out of 9/11 was that some Arabs in South Paterson were dancing in the streets after the planes hit the World Trade Center."

What's troubling about the story is the suggestion that all Arab-Americans in South Paterson are Muslim -- like the hijackers.

Readers aren't told Nouri is one of the many Syrian Christians whose families settled in Paterson to work in the silk mills in the early part of the 20th Century.

Readers can surmise that if they ever find a second story involving Nouri -- in another section of the paper (L-2):
 

Festival will raise
money to help
Syrian orphans
 
Clifton event to include food, music
 

Here, readers learn Jimi Nouri is president of Paterson's Aleppian Charity Society, whose 16 members mostly hail from Syria's largest city, Aleppo.

The charity, which dates to 1922, "now holds meetings and events at the Holy Face Monastery in Clifton," and its members come from three local churches, according to the story.

 

Balancing act in Aleppo, Syria, in June 1978.

The two stories in separate sections of today's paper -- with no reference between them -- and the clumsy editing are typical of the sloppy work by head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes and Production Editor Liz Houlton, two lifers who earn six-figure salaries.

See previous post:

More of the same old blah, blah, blah

Utterly alone in the courtroom

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

During the eight days my age-discrimination suit was tried in Superior Court, I sat alone at the table reserved for the plaintiff, and no one showed up to sit on the benches in a sign of support. I noticed the eight jurors watching me on occasion as I sat by myself, taking notes, looking for documents or just listening. Now, I wonder whether they drew any conclusions from my isolation.

The defendants were represented by Samuel J. Samaro, head of the employment practice at Pashman Stein in Hackensack; Dina L. Sforza, the in-house attorney for North Jersey Media Group; and Jennifer A. Borg, NJMG vice president and general counsel.

I objected to Borg's presence, because she was scheduled to testify and would gain an advantage from hearing other witnesses, but the judge said that as a defendant, she had a right to be there. Normally, witnesses are sequestered.

Samaro was hired during the discovery phase and took two of the three depositions I gave in my lawyer's office in Morristown. He acted tough at times, taking off his glasses, staring right into my eyes and  telling me I had to answer all of his questions. He joined the defense after NJMG apparently lost confidence in Sforza to see the case through to the end. Sforza didn't attend the entire trial.


Borg took copious notes, spoke to Samaro frequently, suggested questions and possibly motions, and made numerous calls to her office. At other times, she spoke to her fellow lawyers unselfconsciously about children, her nephews (Stephen Borg's four sons), her orange Land Rover sport-utility vehicle, which she referred to as an "Orange Beast" that attracts police like a magnet; her driving record, a speeding ticket she received and other subjects.

None of my former colleagues appeared in the courtroom (besides Patricia Mack and Aaron Elson, both of whom testified). Nor did Joshua L. Weiner, the attorney who helped me prepare for trial and who had represented me along with his father, Paul, since last summer. My 12-year-old son, Roshane, was off from school, but he threatened to shout out at the defendants' witnesses, "Lies! It's all lies!" He stayed home. A couple of times, I saw and spoke with Kibret Markos, the paper's courthouse reporter, but he didn't write a word.

When Stephen A. Borg testified in front of the jury, he wore a dark suit and tie -- in contrast to the wrinkled white shirt, open at the collar, and slacks he wore to his deposition on Dec. 7, 2009, at 1 Garret Mountain in Woodland Park. His hair was a mess. He spoke about his grandfather on his mother's side, Charles Agemian, who was born in Aleppo, Syria, and how he was writing a story about him for (201) magazine.

Of course, Stephen Borg wasn't aware that my both of my Jewish parents were born in Aleppo, or that the day of his deposition also was the anniversary of my mother's death in 1993.

At the trial, he testified that Dec. 7, 2009, was the first time he had met me, despite all the e-mails I had sent him for many months before I left The Record in May 2008, or as he put it, This is the first time I can pick him "out of a lineup." Asked to explain to the jury what he meant by lineup, he said it was merely a figure of speech.