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| Image by Anthony Quintano via Flickr What would The Record do without The Star-Ledger sending over stories to fill columns in the Woodland Park daily? |
The Record's continued slide into tabloid journalism may sell papers, but readers lose out when editors avoid exploring the big issues of our time.
You won't find any reporting on how Tea Party Republicans have paralyzed Congress, the unprecedented shift of wealth away from the middle class, the corrupt campaign-finance system, the obesity epidemic and many other compelling issues.
Interim Editor Douglas Clancy, head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes and others at the Woodland Park daily share a short attention span with many other journalists.
Their immediate concern is filling space -- anything will do, whether it's from their staff, The Star-Ledger or the wire services. There are six stories from The Star-Ledger on A-4, A-5 and A-6 today.
Unanswered questions
Today's front page is dominated by the funeral of Malik Williams, a 19-year-old Garfield man who was shot and killed by police after he fled their custody on Dec. 10.
Nearly two weeks after the shooting, the assignment desk still doesn't know what kind of tools Williams "had armed himself with," even though police cited the tools to justify firing five bullets at him.
Another front-page story -- on how tax-exempt houses of worship are hurting the city of Passaic -- fails to examine the broken system of financing local government through property taxes.
Wake up, please
In Local, Road Warrior John Cichowski presents his umpteenth column on the use of cellphones while driving, but he's never explored why manufacturers don't make a hands-free, headset-free Bluetooth system standard equipment in every car (L-1).
One of two Hackensack stories today reports the postponement of suspended Police Chief Ken Zisa's trial (L-2).
In Better Living, Restaurant Reviewer Elisa Ung found the service so bad at the Stony Hill Inn in Hackensack she gave it the same 2-star rating she awarded a couple of years ago to a faux Caribbean chain restaurant on the highway in Wayne.
Maybe the owner, contractor Joseph M. Sanzari, should stick to fast-tracking highway projects.
