| Author | Message | ||
     jayjay Citizen Username: Jayjayp Post Number: 106 Registered: 6-2005 |
I would like to suggest to you all that you read the editorial in today's News Record entitled: "Worth The Wait", paragraph 4...which I will take pains to type exactly as it appeared. Here goes. "The developer, Andrew Beifus of Beifus Motors, has admitted his own lack of experience, as well as his knoeldge in land issues, and has complicated things." This is the editorial. That part of the paper which presumably the editor has written. Are we supposed to take this publication seriously? I think they were arguing that the Beifus project was worth the wait. But its anybody's guess. What language are they speaking? | ||
| Rastro Citizen Username: Rastro Post Number: 1358 Registered: 5-2004  |
They should be arrested for assaulting the English language. | ||
| Just The Aunt Supporter Username: Auntof13 Post Number: 1905 Registered: 1-2004  |
HAHAHAHA!!! I logged on to mention the mistakes in the Editorial. We really need to somehow get another newspaper in this town. A REAL newspaper!!!  | ||
| galileo Citizen Username: Galileo Post Number: 189 Registered: 7-2001 |
Did you see the front page of today's paper? The headline was all about the terrible crime in Maplewood and especially South Orange.This newspaper is an absolute disgrace for communities such as ours.I guess the only way to get rid of it is not to buy it. | ||
| noracoombs Citizen Username: Noracoombs Post Number: 100 Registered: 8-2002 |
Don't forget that every hit on their website is another dime in their bank account, too. I stopped getting the paper after the 2003 election, and I haven't gone near their website since the 2005 "endorsement." | ||
| Kibbegirl Citizen Username: Kibbegirl Post Number: 225 Registered: 5-2003 |
Right on noracoombs! I too stopped getting this rag after the elections. Their journalism is extremely slanted and some of their "crime" stories would make potential home buyers in S.O. and M'plwood run for hills. There is crime in both of our towns, be we ain't the Bronx by a long shot! | ||
| Stuart0628 Citizen Username: Stuart0628 Post Number: 95 Registered: 2-2003 |
One of the articles (I'd tell you which page but I'm doing this from memory since my wife has hidden the paper) also suggested that the parking spaces would cost $1500 per space rather than $15000. The land footprint alone would be at least $3000 per space before you pave it or consider adding a deck. We can shave a couple of points off our blood pressure if we remind ourselves that what we read on those pages isn't actual "journalism". | ||
| ROGER Citizen Username: Roger Post Number: 36 Registered: 2-2005  |
I love the fact that the headline read "Violent Crimes on the Rise in South Orange" and then you go and read the article and it says that on a year to year comparison, violent crimes went up from 66 to 69. What a crock. | ||
| Stuart0628 Citizen Username: Stuart0628 Post Number: 96 Registered: 2-2003 |
Finally found the newspaper  The worst of it is, after the "reporter" cites the $1500 per space figure, she then does the "math" to report that our shortfall of 500 spaces can be funded by an investment of $750,000, when in fact a project of that scale would cost $7,500,000--and that assumes you could even find enough land to build 500 spaces. | ||
| sullymw Citizen Username: Sullymw Post Number: 751 Registered: 5-2001  |
The crime headline is a joke "SO Violent crime on the rise, declining in Maplewood". SO went from 66 to 69 violent crimes and Maplewood went from 84 to 81, but if you just looked at the headline you'd want to run from SO even though Maplewood is about 15% higher. This type of reporting is disturbing no matter which town you reside in | ||
| Parkingsux Citizen Username: Parkingsux Post Number: 50 Registered: 6-2005 |
The News Wretched continues to sux.  | ||
| ROGER Citizen Username: Roger Post Number: 37 Registered: 2-2005 |
Sully - it looks like the criminals that committed the additional 3 violent crimes have moved from Maplewood to South Orange!  | ||
| sullymw Citizen Username: Sullymw Post Number: 753 Registered: 5-2001 |
good point...now we can track 'em down | ||
| peteglider Citizen Username: Peteglider Post Number: 1339 Registered: 8-2002 |
Shoddy reporting and even worse editorial judgement. /p | ||
| Pdg Citizen Username: Pdg Post Number: 9 Registered: 5-2004 |
This "newspaper" really should hear from any offended/outraged residents!! The number for the Maplewood office of the News-Record is 973-763-0700. The editor's name is Tara Hayden (sp?) and her supervisor is Steve Proctor (sp?). I spoke to them both this morning. Ms. Hayden stands behind the article and the headline and apparently sees nothing wrong with them. (Even after I pointed out to her that in the third column, paragraph 2, the reporter made an error by using the word “by” instead of “to”, thus misstating the rape statistics for 2004 for both S. Orange and Maplewood!) She didn't agree that when a 4.5% increase in violent crime represents an increase of only 3 incidences that it is statistically insignificant to draw conclusions, or that it might be negligent and harmful to highlight the conclusions in a front page lead headline! (Many people simply read headlines and don't bother to pick apart all the numbers in a lengthy article, especially if they are not familar with the "journalism" of the News-Record!) This headline is now available to all prospective future residents who may decide to move elsewhere based on the perception of the increasing violent crimes in South Orange! I looked closely at these numbers in the actual report (pages 130 and 131 of the report found at this address - http://www.state.nj.us/lps/njsp/info/ucr2004/pdf/2004_section7.pdf). The numbers available in this report could have been used to prepare a report that actually made South Orange and Maplewood, the residents of which this paper is supposedly serving, look good, or at least not dangerous! I’ve lived in South Orange for over 8 years and although clearly there are concerns when there is any violent crime at all, I do not believe the numbers justify the paper choosing to lead with that headline. I don’t know what good it will do, but I also called the Township of S. Orange Village to discuss this matter with whoever was in charge of public relations for S. Orange, and was directed to the Village Administrator, John Gross. After telling the lady who answered his phone that I was calling regarding the headline, I was assured that the town has ‘already taken care of it” and had reacted to the article with the paper directly and that there will be some sort of editorial about it next week. I asked to be sent to Mr. Gross’s voice mail and left a message urging that he please publicly do something much stronger on behalf of the residents of South Orange. Obviously I am assuming there are more residents as outraged as I am, and unless Mr. Gross receives calls or emails about this matter, he won’t know for sure. Please join me in registering your reaction to the article by calling or emailing (973-378-7715, then press 2 or jgross@southorange.org). P.S. I, too, wish a competing newspaper would come put the News-Record out of business! It would be so nice to have a source of local news and events with professional standards that included proper spelling, grammar and cohesive, well-thought-out articles! I even welcome responsible and fair reporting of the BAD news in our towns!) (Thanks for letting me vent – I feel better) | ||
| Dave Supporter Username: Dave Post Number: 7025 Registered: 4-1997  |
Escapist headlines achieve outrage and readership. | ||
| growler Citizen Username: Growler Post Number: 733 Registered: 11-2001  |
Well that's a mouthful. | ||
| sac Supporter Username: Sac Post Number: 2387 Registered: 5-2001 |
Is it my imagination or has the N-R gotten even worse lately? | ||
| Nonymous Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 8661 Registered: 1-2003  |
pdg, thank you very much for your footwork. If the editor has such an abysmal grasp of statistics, there is no hope. And I don't have much hope for a competitor moving in. And I don't have much hope that a boycott would be effective. I just plan on living with this disgraceful writing and editing and ranting about it here on MOL. But I do appreciate your making those calls! Tom Reingold | ||
| Stuart0628 Citizen Username: Stuart0628 Post Number: 97 Registered: 2-2003 |
There is one other way to enforce editorial and journalistic accuracy and responsibility--I wonder if Worrall would listen to offers to buy their piece of ka-ka. I'd be willing to pony up a very high two-digit figure...think that would be enough? | ||
| Pdg Citizen Username: Pdg Post Number: 11 Registered: 5-2004 |
Thank you for your nice words, Tom! I know it was a "mouthful", but I had a lot of pent-up frustration with this paper for years. Hopefully I at least made it easy for a few people to pick up the phone or send an email and make themselves heard. Enjoy the day! | ||
| growler Citizen Username: Growler Post Number: 735 Registered: 11-2001 |
I believe that the editor is new. She has a lot to learn.... | ||
| Nonymous Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 8666 Registered: 1-2003 |
Growler, sorry to squash your tiny shred of optimism, but if she believes an increase from 66 to 69 is statistically significant and worthy of that horrible headline, I don't believe a few months or years in her chair will be the equivalent of an undergraduate course in statistics. If we're going to require basic knowledge of the US constitution in our schools (see the other thread on that), we should include statistics, as well. I'd be happy if we bumped calculus in favor of statistics. | ||
| Sheena Collum SHU Citizen Username: Sheena_collum Post Number: 326 Registered: 4-2005  |
Oh Stats Class is my favoriteeeeee (kidding). Did they also include a standard deviation? Which is normally +-3 points, lol. | ||
| Pdg Citizen Username: Pdg Post Number: 12 Registered: 5-2004 |
Hi Sheena- To be fair, the article in the paper didn't refer to percentage increases. I did during my phone call with the editor, while trying to get her to see that the increase in total violent crimes from 66 to 69 did not merit such a negative headline. But during that call, she actually rounded up my stated "4.54% increase" in her response, saying "a five percent increase IS significant." She totally missed the point. | ||
| Sheena Collum SHU Citizen Username: Sheena_collum Post Number: 328 Registered: 4-2005 |
Pdg, Keep it up!!! People like you who take initiative to contact those "in the wrong" obviously make things right. I think you should write a Letter to the Editor!!!! | ||
| susan1014 Supporter Username: Susan1014 Post Number: 874 Registered: 3-2002 |
And don't forget about the factor of 10 mistake on the cost of parking...editors need a grasp of spelling, grammer, statistics, civics, AND basic common sense. Not clear the NR editors have any of the above. Still trying to figure out if I can find other sources of local information (non-news) and let the d--n rag go when the subscription is up. | ||
| Just The Aunt Supporter Username: Auntof13 Post Number: 1915 Registered: 1-2004 |
Sac- No it's not your imagination. Believe it or not, it has gotten worse. | ||
| Rastro Citizen Username: Rastro Post Number: 1362 Registered: 5-2004 |
Since Shaun left, it's been all down hill. Not that the editorial content or quality of the paper was ever that good. but at least Shaun tried to get the facts of a story correct. These days, they almost seem to be gathering one or two facts, then making up a story around them. | ||
| Stuart0628 Citizen Username: Stuart0628 Post Number: 99 Registered: 2-2003 |
I'd settle for one or two facts. Count my vote for "getting worse". | ||
| Lizziecat Citizen Username: Lizziecat Post Number: 774 Registered: 5-2003 |
I didn't get my News Record this week--not that there's anything wrong with that. I wonder why not. | ||
| Just The Aunt Supporter Username: Auntof13 Post Number: 1919 Registered: 1-2004 |
The sad thing is most of us still read the thing. I like Millburn's and Livingston's papers much better... | ||
| something witty Citizen Username: Buckneja Post Number: 113 Registered: 1-2003  |
Perhaps a course in Media Literacy is in order? I don't mean for students or the "public at large" (though that would be WONDERFUL in any venue). One thing I'm grateful for is the fact that I have so much "fodder" for classroom examples of bad reporting-- even fact-based reporting as the editor would probably claim in confidence! We have to be wise consumers of media, but this one example (and others like it) clearly is an effect of irresponsible editing and reporting. I wonder if someone could print out this thread and pass it along as a hint as to the outrage the articles are stirring? Maybe a letter to the editor pointing out even the statistical errors? Who's gonna do it? Who wants to step up to the plate first? Or maybe we ALL should do it? What do you think? | ||
| SO Refugee Citizen Username: So_refugee Post Number: 648 Registered: 2-2005  |
But who would read it to them? | ||
| Camnol Citizen Username: Camnol Post Number: 70 Registered: 3-2005 |
When we first moved here, I called to subscribe to the N.R. We were excited about our new town and wanted to learn as much as we could. When I called to subscribe, I was given the subscription rate, but then was told that they were running a special--if I paid by credit card, I could receive 2 years for the price of one. 2 for one seemed like a good deal, so I said I would take it. The person I was speaking to sounded really surprised and concerned--"Are you sure?" she asked. "Have you read the paper? You won't be able to cancel." I said that I was sure and burst out laughing when I hung up the phone. I guess that little conversation should have clued me into the quality of the paper! | ||
| Dave Supporter Username: Dave Post Number: 7031 Registered: 4-1997 |
What's most odd is when blatant errors are made in stories, they're not even corrected in the web version.
http://www.localsource.com/articles/2005/07/27/news_-_record/news/local/doc42df1 3327b1d7998257345.txt | ||
| Just The Aunt Supporter Username: Auntof13 Post Number: 1928 Registered: 1-2004 |
Witty A number of us have complained to the Snooze Wrecker a number of times. They don't seem to care. They don't even care if you cancel. There's got to be another option! Dave- John Gross a Trustee? Not THAT's funny! We all know by now the staff at the paper are a bunch of fools!  | ||
| Montrose13 Citizen Username: Montrose13 Post Number: 14 Registered: 8-2004 |
Amen to this thread. The Snooze Record is only interested in Maplewood. I have cancelled my subscription after the latest idiocy. They may not care about the subscribers but if South Orange advertisers refused to advertise... | ||
| Stuart0628 Citizen Username: Stuart0628 Post Number: 100 Registered: 2-2003 |
I am trying to convince my spouse to do the same. The problem is that the one thing that this rag does well is to act as a clearinghouse for local information (kiddie soccer league sign-ups and what not). Can anyone recommend an approach for cobbling together all the local info we need without subscribing to this piece o'junk? P.S. Post #100--woo hoo! Do I get to act curmudgeonly now? | ||
| ROGER Citizen Username: Roger Post Number: 40 Registered: 2-2005 |
On Today's Front Page: "Bike plans could make travelling a ride in the park" Do they even bother running a simple spell check on the front page? |
