Friday, April 2, 2010

Rochester Media: No Nose for News?

With the excitement of political show trials behind them, our local media need fresh news fodder for selling advertising time and newspapers.   Something to leaven their sprightly fare of shootings and lethal road accidents.   If they can overcome their political inhibitions, here are some current issues, just begging for investigation, that would sell lots of papers:

  Why was Mayor Duffy so keen on appointing as Fire Commissioner Mollie Clifford, whose only apparent qualification is that she knows how to light a match?

Is it related to the reason why unions would taunt the Mayor with a protest sign asking "Mollie Clifford for Superintendent?" when they picketed his fundraiser two weeks ago?   Duffy's insistence is the bigger question behind the pattern of deception and covering-up involved in this appointment.   Front-page stuff for months if a Republican had done it.


  Why did the the Monroe County Bar Association suppress the release of its own "Qualified - Not Qualified" ratings for Democratic candidates for Supreme Court Justice last year?

Do they plan to do it again?

  And of course:   What's behind the story that's all over legal circles, about how District Attorney Mike "Nifong" Green blew it for the Federal judgeship?

Those are our suggestions.   What are yours?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

How about why are the democrats stalling on setting the date for the special election for the 29th Congressional District? People living in those communities have absolutely no representation while major issues are being decided on and debated in this Country. If the election was called when Massa resigned we'd be a week away from having a Congressman for the people of the 29th District. This is bulls***.

Word is they're stalling because the Dems can't find a candidate. So the public gets no Representative in order for the Dems to have plenty of time to search for someone. And our media gives the Democrats a free ride while the poeple in the 29th suffer.

Even Dave Koon is pissed off at the process. He was interested in running but got shut out. He's a Democrat that wins in a Republican district and he wasn't even allowed to interview!

I'm no Dave Koon fan, but what the hell is going on here and why does our media continue to help hide it? I'm just gonna say it, our local press totally sucks!

Anonymous said...

How about them reporting on the rumors that Mayor Duffy will vacate his job for another position and that he, Dave Gantt and Joe Morelle are grooming City Council President and Gantt staffer Lovely Warren to take over as the next mayor. That's why Gantt wants mayoral control so bad. Then he'll control school admin jobs and lucrative school district contracts. I guess this helps with political campaign contributions. Don't know what's in it for Morelle though. Unless he's planning on running against Maggie Brooks next year. Or Congress after the new lines are drawn seeing as he pissed away taking the legislature last year. Why doesn't our paper, television and radio reporters ask these simple questions when we can come up with them ourselves. I'm not a freakin genius here ya know.

Anonymous said...

I got one. How bout someone in one of the press outlets giving Mustard Street the low down on the process of how the Democrats direct the media to write their stories? Does Morele/Gantt sit down with them in their offices? Is it a cellphone conversations? Do they meet in a parking garage after a sign is left for the reporter to see? It's have to be anonymous but I'm sure there'd be a detail shared that couldn't be refuted by the media claiming the expose is a hoax by you guys.

I don't need to know which stories are the ones the press runs for the Democrats. I just want to know a little bit about the process on how it works. Maybe there can be a follow up story about how it all began and how the relationship developed between the local media and the current Democratic leaders to make this set up possible.

Did someone in the GOP or Conservative Party really tick off one of the media bosses? Is it true those running and reporting in the media are (for the most part) raging liberals and that's what drives their stories? Or is it really the editors and station managers that force the reporters to write pro-Democrat stories and the reporters are helpless pawns?

Can you imagine if the public actually found out how this all works? The possibilities here are endless!!! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!! Someone in the press follow through on this!!!!

Anonymous said...

I want to know the truth behind the Eric Massa scandal. the Rochester media market beat the crap out of former Congressman Tom Reynolds over the Mark Foley text messages and Reynolds wasn't even accused of sexual misconduct. Foley hadn't even touched anyone from what I remember. That was because Reynolds is a Republican and he was running for reelection with a Democratic opponent. I'm not stupid.

Eric Massa admits he groped young male staffers but refuses to give details, stories come out about him making sexual overtures to men when he was in the Navy and the press gives him a free pass.

Our local media corps have a duty to report the truth fairly for everyone, regardless of party affiliation.

Anonymous said...

You won't print this, but what about big executive bonuses at the Republican-run Bus Authority. What public authority should be giving big bonuses?

Philbrick said...

11:28 -- We've taken a stab at looking at how the local press works when the rest of us aren't around. Check out The Empire Strikes Back, one of our featured pieces.