Jan 27, 2022

The Morning Call's Marred Editorial Page

We who opine about local news agree that the Morning Call has about as censored an editorial page as there could be. Most obvious is the paper's use of its Go-To people. Whether for news or opinions, the same people appear in articles and op-eds, time and again. One of the longest standing Go-To regulars is Alan Jennings. Yesterday, his featured front and center editorial on freeing Ed Pawlowski might be a low point even for a newspaper that compromises itself on a regular basis. 

Jennings contrasted Pawlowski's incarceration with Donald Trump's freedom. It was of course a cheap parlor trick, trying to take advantage of our extremely polarized politics. For the Morning Call to permit such a tactic only degrades itself further. 

While Jennings' loyalty to his friend Pawlowski is admirable, his editorial itself was beyond being distorted. Jennings even questioned Pawlowski's guilt. While we give defendents the benefit of the doubt, Pawlowski was convicted on over 45 counts. Numerous people testified under oath about Pawlowski's schemes at the taxpayers' expense. 

Pawlowski's appeal rights will be determined by the court, not pleaded by a Morning Call Go-To favorite. Likewise, that court will decide the appropriateness of the sentence given.

The Morning Call should concern itself with examining their editorial page standards.

4 comments:

  1. I believe Pawlowski, while a corrupt politician, he is no more corrupt that most of the city politicians in this country. I seems he must have offended those superior to him in the democrat party and was targeted for exposure.
    This by no means questions his guilt or appeals for his release.

    As far as Trump is concerned he has been targeted by both democrat and republicans because of the fear of exposure of their own corruption, I have yet to see any evidence that Trump or his family has benefited financially from his service as president, even though he has had the full resources of Federal and several state investigations.
    We have yet to see any investigation into the financial benefits reaped by the Biden family from many of our national security threats. What a double standard.

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  2. Ray@8:33, beyond noting Jennings' using national politics as a gimmick, I have no interest in the Trump story in regard to this post. I disagree about Pawlowski's corruptness, his whole agenda was dispensing and receiving rewards. His legacy is way less than the best now entrenched in our city hall and other government bodies. His yardsticks were obedience and loyalty.

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  3. Our Justice system determined that Ed Pawlowski betrayed the public's trust for personal gain and Mr. Jennings questioning his guilt is disappointing. I disagree with the above poster that Pawlowski is no more corrupt than most politicians in the country. I chose to believe that there are many honest and trustworthy public officials for every self-serving, corrupt crook in elected office. Did Mr. Jennings express any sympathy for the City support staff and other elected officials who had their careers hurt and reputations damaged by reluctantly going along with Pawlowski's contract rigging? I can feel some sympathy for them. If Mr. Jennings was a loyal friend, he would have convinced Pawlowski to admit guilt, publicly apologize to City residents, resign from office and cooperate with law enforcement. My guess is that he would have already completed his prison sentence by now.

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  4. Alan Jennings betrayed the very people he claimed to serve. He turned his back on the city's poor when he turned his back on Allentown's voter approved, Systematic Rental Inspections program. Has the CACLV director Alan never protested when his friend Ed Pawlowski gutted the rental inspections program. As a result unsafe, substandard and illegal units proliferated across the city. How he can show his face in public is beyond me let alone pretend to be a credible voice in the community. Alan could have done the right thing and chose not to. He chose instead to side with evil. Thanks to Alan many disadvantage renters of Allentown are now living in rental units that are dangerous, sub standard, and hazardous to their health and safety. That is Alan's legacy.

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