I watched a panel discussion on mainstream news, which placed the blame for George Santos on the declining size of the press. The panel did note that a small weekly paper on Long Island had investigated Santos' fabrications, but the story was never picked up by larger venues. Their premise was if the current larger papers still had larger staffs, Santos would have been exposed before the primary elections.
As a longstanding observer of the Morning Call, third largest paper in important Pennsylvania, I take issue with that panel's conclusions. I saw a corrupt mayor evade Morning Call scrutiny for over a decade. I see a very questionable development plan (NIZ) not only not scrutinized, but even promoted! The Morning Call has always ridden with the local establishment, never upsetting the local sacred cows. Just like the larger papers in New York didn't acknowledge the small weekly that reported Santos' misrepresentations, the Morning Call has no use for local bloggers and the stories we break.
While the Morning Call is much smaller than years ago, their ego remains large.
former Morning Call building shown above
Does anyone actually work in the Morning Call building any longer ?
ReplyDeleteanon@4:42: the morning call complex was purchased by NIZ czar J.B. Reilly. The building was included in the original NIZ map, although it was across Linden St. from the rest of the district. Only this blogger questioned the map at that time. The paper's city reporter at that time (Matt Assad), wrote one promotional piece after another for Reilly's new buildings. Only this blogger noted the overlap of news and promotion.
ReplyDeleteThe paper's reduced staff writes from home, and the paper is produced from computers in Chicago, which drive presses in Jersey City. I've been informed by the editor (Mike Miorelli) that the local distribution takes place in a truck bay of the former complex, after being delivered from New Jersey. Mr. Miorelli resents this blog (and blogger) for revelations appearing here.
The former newspaper building itself is being used for wholesale cigarette distribution, and add on by Pat Browne to the NIZ revenue stream. The state taxes from the cigarettes now goes to Reilly.
The Morning Call supposedly recently, finally, asked from questions about the NIZ, but have been so far stonewalled.
The questions are ten years too late.
I remain barred by the newspaper.
If you want to look for sacred cows that are being protected by the Call, look no further than police stories.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I wrote late, on a different post, that I find it revealing that the Morning Call has written numerous articles about a murder of 4 people in Idaho. At the same time, I have yet to see an article following up on the shooting of 4 people outside a local youth center in the Valley's largest city.
Now you would think a follow up article (or articles) would be fairly easy and involve only a phone call to the Allentown Police Department. So why isn't that article being written?
Is it because it might remind suburbanites that there is crime in the city, and endanger (in the minds of those left at the Call) the "renewal" supposedly taking place in the city? Is it because they don't want to embarrass local democrat leaders by focusing on crime in the cities they run? Is it because they don't want to draw attention to national policies endorsed by democrats (like "defund the police") that have made our cities LESS safe?
I could speculate all day about local crime "coverage" (or lack of it), but I would argue that beyond the lack of a simple follow up article on a local shooting, why not write articles on the following as well:
Articles comparing the violent crime numbers in Valley cities and major townships?
Asking for a comment from the Allentown Police Chief about how he feels about $1.5 million that could have gone to his understaffed department instead going to Promise Neighborhoods to supposedly reduce crime?
A comparison of violent/dangerous incidents in our school districts. Most people that work in the Allentown School District will tell you that the incident a few months ago that began in West Park is not the first time that a gun has made it into Allentown schools, and those working in other districts will tell you it's not a problem that's unique to Allentown.
So where are those articles? And that's just on the subject of crime. You rightfully mention the Pawlowski corruption story and the NIZ as two other stories the Call has come up short on.
I would love to understand why the Call doesn't seem interested in stories like this that actually greatly affects people living in the Valley - their readers or potential readers. Personally, I think it has to do with wanting to cover only stories that support the STORY they want to tell.
So why would people want to subscribe to papers to get the stories that papers want to promote instead of the actual news? I suspect that if George Santos had been a democrat, there'd be a lot less concern or interest in the media about what the local papers there "missed".
anon@6:48: with me, things are even more onerous with the morning call. they refused to print my piece concerning Wehr's Dam, claiming it was only my opinion...imagine submitting an "opinion" piece to the opinion page? SWT is now paying $300,000 more to refurbish a low hazard dam because of back door shenanigans by sacred cow Wildlands Conservancy. For "opinion" they keep using the same three writers... Cunningham, Jennings, and Iannelli, knowing they will follow the company line.
ReplyDeleteMike, Republicans generally carefully vet their candidates because we know the Democrats will and if they find something they will use it in the campaign. I can't believe the Democrats missed this and didn't use it to beat Santos? By the way, over time we have found some questionable claims in the resumes of several local Democrats resumes. We knew the media wouldn't be interested in it so we sat on it.
ReplyDeleteOur so-called “local paper,” the Morning Call, has been instructed to fully support and promote the liberal/socialist agenda. They are not about to step out of line by producing content that depicts a decline in quality of life in majority Democrat controlled communities.
ReplyDeleteThere was a time when I read the opinions of both Muschick and White. But, no more. I don’t find designed ignorance and political bias attractive while America is being taken down right before our eyes.
What really cracks me up is that I believe Muschick and White both used to claim that they were Republicans. Yet somehow their articles seldom would hardly ever criticize democrats.
DeleteMy experience is that actual republicans have plenty to complain about regarding the democrats (and vice-versa).
Maybe they've since given up that charade, but what morons they must have thought their readers were.
My favorite outcome of the demise of the Morning Call?? How a bunch of their downsized editors and reporters secured journalism teaching jobs at local colleges and universities. That cracks me up.
ReplyDeleteHere's my little MC story. There's no longer a carrier working our area, so we can no longer take advantage of their bargain promos. In fact, the last time we signed up we ended up having beg someone in the Philippines for our $13 back. I think $4 for a Sunday paper is overpriced, but I can get one at the local Dollar Tree for $1.25. Well, this last weekend, they couldn't finish a story on Sunday; they were making you buy Monday's edition to read the second half. Imagine my shock when I went to the local drugstore and saw that a weekday paper is also $4. I turned around and walked out, figuring my article wasn't worth that much. Sad, what our local paper has become.
ReplyDeleteOriginally most local newspapers had a local private owner, I think the Miller family originally owned the Morning call their morning paper and the Evening chronicle their afternoon edition.
ReplyDeleteOver the years we have seen the consolidation of all the local papers into either outright ownership or affiliation with big city newspapers or combines. This is the same as what has happened to the major media, it has been bought up by entertainment companies who are not much more than tabloid entertainment.
It is interesting that although the readers and watchers are sometimes slow to comprehend what has happened, eventuality you see the decline and the future demise of all these organizations.
I am sure at least some of us remember when CNN was owned by Ted Turner, It had a reputation of excellence and credibility.
The demise of newspapers is here now, the demise of many of the other media is on the near horizon, unless they can find a way to be subsidized by the government, which may have already been happening behind the scenes.
Ray@7:14, perhaps a new phenomenon will occur...wealthy people buying media, instead of sports teams, i.e. Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk
ReplyDeleteIn my many attempts to understand how America has fallen so fast, I conclude our nation has lost its sense of ethics and fairness. Essentially, there is no longer any shame in the practice of telling LIES.
ReplyDeleteSeems everyone is willing to lie, deceive, and steal whatever they want, even if at the expense of others. This is a moral decline that appears to affect everything from personal relationships, politics, information media, corporations, healthcare, and even our schools.
The Morning Call is loaded with half-truths, deceptions, and censorship. Journalism is dead there.
I have not lived in Allentown for several decades. Although it has always been my "home", and where my family lives. Over the years at first I would subscribe to the Morning Call though a newspaper subscription.
ReplyDeleteIn ancient times, before the internet. I would receive the paper maybe a week or so late, but at least I knew somethings about what was going on in the city. About 1995/1996 the Morning Call began their online edition, and it was free. It was not like actually reading a newspaper, as the online edition then was basically summaries of the printed articles. The online edition improved over the years and when it became a pay website, I picked up the subscription.
I dropped my online subscription about 5 or 6 years ago because even though the pdf version of the paper, which was identical to the newspaper print version, just really wasn't interesting or informative. By then a bevy of Allentown websites had come online and I learned much more from them than the Morning Call.
If you want to see how the newspaper has declined, go to the newspapers.com website for a free trial subscription. Look at the paper for any day, say Jan 5th for years going back say 5 years apart. They have all of the print subscriptions scanned. About 2000 forward you'll see a lot of fluff, from 2000 back, you will still see what it used to be.
anon@8:52, There hasn't been a city beat reporter with institutional knowledge of Allentown for many, many years. In today's paper they misidentify the Central Railroad station of New Jersey as Lehigh Valley Railroad. Then again, so few readers would know or care about the difference.
ReplyDelete