Media regurgitate nominee Trump's empty promises, lies

This photo from Getty Images shows Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump delivering his acceptance speech to close the party's national convention on Thursday night in Cleveland. Pretty scary, don't you think?

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

A big, black headline dominates Page 1 of The Record today, reporting wacko racist Donald J. Trump "promises [a] safer, more prosperous nation."

The Republican presidential nominee's speech was little more than a pack of empty promises and lies from a member of the 1% who is at the root of all of our problems (A-1).

The Daily News fact checked Trump's Republican National Convention speech: Six major things Trump got wrong.

Editor Deirdre Sykes of The Record, on the other hand, was too busy editing a daily update polishing Governor Christie's image from Columnist Charles Stile, the paper's chief apologist for the GOP bully (A-1).

What else would you expect from Woodland Park, home of the only major New Jersey daily that didn't demand Christie's resignation after he endorsed Trump?

Nor does Editorial Page Editor Alfred P. Doblin's opinion column on A-17 suggest Christie should be "locked up" for those missing emails and texts related to the Bridgegate scandal.

And shame on Doblin for today's editorial listing Lincoln in the long line of Republican presidential nominees leading up to the disgraceful Trump.

"These are troubling times" is all Doblin can say about today's mean-spirited Republican Party (A-16).

Why four days?

Covering the four-day Republican National Convention seems to have sucked all of the energy out of The Record newsroom, judging from another local-news section dominated by police, fire and court news (L-1, L-2, L-3, L-5 and L-6).

Why all of this blanket coverage of what amounts to little more than a political pep rally, and why are the Republican and upcoming Democratic conventions four days long when only one day is devoted to the actual presidential election?

Seafood pasta 'disaster'

A pricey seafood pasta was "a total disaster" ($22), with watery sauce and "could-have-been-fresher calamari rings," and the spaghetti and meatballs came with "mushy" pasta and a "bland" tomato sauce ($16). 

Yet Della Cucina in Hillsdale gets 2.5 out of 4 stars from Restaurant Reviewer Elisa Ung, who swoons over the "great desserts" (BL-12).

Does the restaurant serve "great" salads or fresh fish besides all of the mystery chicken, veal and pork dishes she liked? 

Readers don't have a clue.

The first two paragraphs of the review are devoted to a history of the year-old restaurant, and a discussion of two Italian-American families that own the place.

If you want to know whether the meat and poultry were raised naturally, you're out of luck.

Wacko racist and demagogue set to accept GOP nomination

Republican Ted Cruz refused to endorse wacko racist Donald J. Trump, because the nominee trashed the Texas senator's family during their nasty primary battle, according to the New York Post. You may recall Trump also said Governor Christie is guilty in the George Washington Bridge lane closures, but now the GOP bully is hoping to become the next U.S. attorney general. (Photo credit: New York Post)

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

One of the few human interest stories in The Record today is the Page 1 interview with Adele Dunlap, a Jersey girl who at 113 holds the title of Oldest American, but remains coy about her age.

Besides that, all Editor Deirdre Sykes can offer is to continue to polish Governor Christie's image as Donald J. Trump's attack dog, and seemingly related coverage of the Just Pups pet store chain (A-1, L-1).

Tonight, the wacko racist New York businessman, who has been compared to Hitler, is set to formally accept the Republican Party's presidential nomination. 

Trump is a true demagogue: a political leader who gains power by appealing to passions, prejudices and ignorance rather than by using rational argument.

Local news?

You won't find much human interest news in Local, where profiles of prominent residents don't appear until after they die.

The only humanizing touch on L-1 is a large photo of Kayden Kinckle of Englewood at Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital in Hackensack. 

Otherwise, L-1 today is filled with court, council and water commission news, plus the gripping account of an environmental cleanup in Ridgefield.

If you miss the Law & Order news you usually find on the Local front, don't worry.

There is plenty of it on L-2, L-3, L-5 and L-6.

Clinton has 76% chance of winning election, Times reports

HARD-LUCK ROW: A small American flag flies on this row of long-vacant storefronts on Main Street in Hackensack. Gold Ray Jewelers, the only operating business, closed in June, below. Across the street is C.J. Lombardo Co., where Jerry Lombardo also serves as chairman of the Main Street Business Alliance, which has been trying to polish the image of the city's forlorn downtown.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Despite all the bluster from Governor Christie -- who served as Donald J. Trump's attack dog on Tuesday night -- Democrat Hillary Clinton has a 76% chance of winning the November election.

"Our elections model suggests Hillary Clinton is favored to win the presidency, based on the latest state and national polls," The New York Times reports today.

On Tuesday night, wacko racist Trump was formally nominated at the Republican National Convention as the party's presidential candidate, The Record reports on Page 1 today.

Christie called Clinton a "deeply flawed candidate whose use of private email has disqualified her for the presidency" (A-1 and A-8).

But the GOP bully didn't mention his own emails and texts were erased, and his cellphone went missing for about two years in the Bridgegate scandal.

Local news?

Editor Deirdre Sykes again devotes an enormous amount of coverage to the Republican Party's suicide mission in the November presidential election (A-1, A-5, A-7 and A-8) -- much of which will never be read.

Most newsroom workers at the Woodland Park daily haven't seen a raise in years, but Sykes wasted scarce resources to send Columnist Charles Stile to Ohio, where the political reporter proves he is as boring to readers on the road as he is at home (A-7).

If you are looking for local news today, you're out of luck.

The gee-whiz collapse of a crane onto the Tappan Zee Bridge is on A-1 today as Sykes and Road Warrior John Cichowski continue to ignore worsening traffic congestion in North Jersey.

Puppy update

See the front of Local today for the latest update on the puppy mill controversy (L-1).

A feature on the healthy, sustainable food grown on Fresh Roots Farm in Mahwah is welcome (L-1), but readers turning to the Better Living section will find a completely different message.

Jersey blueberries

On BL-4 today, freelancer Shelby Vittek mars the New Jersey blueberry by providing recipes that add artery clogging butter, and cream and ricotta cheeses, as well as cups of sugar, to the glorious fruit.

The headline -- "Birth of the Blues" -- sounds clever, but the blues are all about heartbreak and misery, so the play on words doesn't work here (BL-1).

Unless that's a reference to getting heart disease from a steady diet of sugary Ricotta Cheesecake with Blueberry Compote washed down with a Blueberry Smash Cocktail.

And another feature claims a new Park Ridge restaurant, 103 Prime at Valentino's, has added "more healthful fare," but leaves readers in the dark on whether the pricey restaurant serves grass-fed beef and other naturally raised or grown food (BL-1).

Trump compared to Hitler, Joe McCarthy, segregationists

Monday morning rush-hour traffic in Englewood was tied up in knots when police closed Woodland Street for repaving. Detoured drivers encountered delays of 30 minutes or more.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Democrats are pointing to a report by veteran TV newsman Tom Brokaw on Donald J. Trump's promise to ban all Muslims from the United States, if he is elected president.

In the report, Brokaw compares such a step to the internment of Japanese citizens in the United States during World War II, Hitler's attempted extermination of the Jews, anti-communist Sen. Joe MaCarthy, and the brutal segregation of African-Americans in the South. 

See: Why every American should be terrified

And in an interview with People magazine in 1998, Trump called Republicans "the dumbest group of voters in the country.... I could lie and they would still eat it up. I bet my numbers would be terrific."

Today's paper

Editor Deirdre Sykes of The Record publishes thousands upon thousands of words on Page 1 and inside the paper today on the opening of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland -- and the vast majority of the coverage will never be read.

WNYC-FM, on the other hand, needed only a few sentences: 

"The evening started off with a stirring rendition of the national anthem by a blind girl. What followed were three hours of rage, racially polarizing language, calls to put Hillary Clinton in jail, and Rudy Giuliani talking about Syrian refugees coming to kill us. Then Melania Trump took the stage and talked about saving the poor and taking care of women."

See: WNYC@RNC


Local news?

In another case of Sykes' poor news judgment, the death of Peter G. Banta, one of the most prominent First Amendment lawyers in North Jersey, is being upstaged today by a 24-year-old murder case and a high jumper on A-1, and three stories about animals in the so-called local news section (L-1 and L-3).

The paper's editor continues to mishandle local news, as she did for years when she was head assignment editor, and duck her responsibility to readers who want to know how well or how poorly their towns are being governed.

The obituary for Banta, who represented The Record for many years, is conveniently buried on an obit-local news page (L-5) -- just above a long Dean's List.

Christie grows fat at our expense

Governor Christie won't tell the lie of "The Jersey Comeback" on Tuesday at the Republican National Convention in Florida.

It's all there in today's paper, but don't expect the editors of The Record to connect the dots and expose their favorite governor of all time.

Governor Christie has dropped all pretense of sparking "The Jersey Comeback" amid an unprecedented drop in middle-class incomes and concentration of wealth at the top, according to two of today's Page 1 stories.

To find out how the GOP bully feels about all of this just turn to the A-6 photo of an obese Christie laughing it up with Senate President Stephen Sweeney, who is about half of the governor's size.

High legal fees

In the only A-1 story not related to Christie, the editors give readers a rare glimpse of how lawyers always make out like champs in legal settlements -- this one for a former Little Leaguer from Wayne.

More than $4.7 million of the $14.3 million settlement will be going to lawyers for the man, who almost died when he was hit by a ball in 2006 and remains "nearly blind and in a wheelchair."

Bogota rules

In head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes' Local section, there are two major stories from Bogota (L-1 and L-2), but only one from Hackensack (L-2) -- the fourth straight day of coverage on legal fallout from Ken "I Am The Law" Zisa's years as police chief.

Staring out the windows of the Woodland Park newsroom, the assignment desk -- run by Sykes and her deputy, Dan Sforza -- appears to be at a loss on how to direct Hackensack reporter Stephanie Akin to cover anything but Zisa and the city's Police Department.

  

Related articles

• Christie's 'Jersey Comeback' goes belly up
• Christie to reporter: 'Are you stupid?'
• Business editors blow Christie -- again

 

Eye on The Record will return soon

 

Republicans set to attack obesity epidemic

With an obese Governor Christie in the ascendancy, an elephant seems to be an appropriate symbol for the Republican Party.

If Governor Christie is going to deliver the keynote address at next month's Republican National Convention, his selection might signal a major GOP offensive against the obesity epidemic.

Who better to serve as a poster official for the epidemic than New Jersey's own GOP bully, whose out-of-control eating is on display in every photo The Record publishes?

Today's lead story on Page 1 of the Woodland Park daily cites "well-placed Republican sources." I can cite only "unusually tasty sauces."

Another big error

The major element on A-1 today is a surprisingly straightforward Mike Kelly column on the scheduled deployment to Afghanistan of a National Guard unit at the Teaneck Armory.

Kelly's effort is ruined by Editor Liz Houlton -- the Queen of Errors -- whose news copy editors wrote an incorrect A-1 photo caption: "They were leave for Afghanistan today."

But in the fifth paragraph on the front page, Kelly clearly says the unit is going to an Army base in Tennessee for two months of training before leaving the country.

That Army base must be in Kabul, Tenn. Even the headline is misleading; the unit won't "deploy" until late September.

Zisaville 'news'

Some readers welcomed Kelly's account on Wednesday of how then-Police Chief Ken Zisa ordered Hackensack cops to shoot at computer hard drives at a firing range in 2009.

But the columnist, the Hackensack reporter and their editors to continue to ignore what's going on in the city now, especially the calls for City Attorney Joseph Zisa to resign.

Zisa, cousin of the disgraced and convicted former police chief, has recused himself from defending the city against numerous civil suits.

That led the city to hire another lawyer and spend tens of thousands of extra dollars on legal fees -- with no end in sight.

Staff Writer Stephanie Akin covered the Hackensack City Council meeting on Tuesday night and came away with nothing more than a short story on street paving (L-3).

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