Herald Scribe Cohen Goes CNNuclear on Cruz Spox

March 26, 2016

The Boston Herald’s normally ignorable columnist Adriana (Trumpless GOP Can Kiss Me Goodbye) Cohen, who is almost as big a Trump Chump as her work husband Howie Carr, caused quite a rumpus on CNN yesterday when she went Chernobyl on Ted Cruziac Amanda Carpenter over his alleged extramarital affairs – including with Carpenter.

Via Mediaite:

Trumpkin Accuses Ex-Cruz Aide of Affair on CNN

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A leading member of the Trump fan club derailed a CNN segment Friday afternoon by accusing former Ted Cruz spokeswoman Amanda Carpenter of having an affair with the Texan senator. Asked by CNN anchor Kate Bolduan whether she thinks Trump is “ready to move on” from sexualized attacks on Cruz’s wife, Boston Herald columnist Adriana Cohen responded: “Oh, absolutely I think we should move on. Where we should move to is The National Enquirer story that was reported that Ted Cruz has had affairs with five mistresses, including you’ve been named as well, Amanda.” An incensed Bolduan shot back: “I don’t think that’s ‘moving on’ at all.” Unfazed, Cohen repeated the allegation, and then pointedly asked Carpenter: “Will you denounce this story or will you confirm it?” Carpenter called the allegations “smut” and said they were “categorically false.”

 

First of all, Trumpkin?

Excellent!

Second of all, let’s go to the videotape.

 

 

Yow.

In today’s Herald, Cohen says . . . nothing.

But we have high hopes for tomorrow.

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Skunk Already at the Prouty Garden?

March 21, 2016

 

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When we last left the tug-of-war over demolition of the Prouty Garden at Boston Children’s Hospital three weeks ago, it was pretty much in limbo.

There was a hearing before representatives of the Massachusetts Public Health Council, which has final authority over the project to replace the garden with a billion-dollar expansion.

And Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey had “declined a request by opponents to block Boston Children’s Hospital from building an 11-story addition where the beloved Prouty Garden currently sits,” according to a Boston Globe report.

And then . . . nothing.

Except this, yesterday, from splendid reader SFR:

The skunk at the party is the chainsaws that have ALREADY started taking down trees and bushes in the Prouty Garden, before the new building is even approved; this shows beyond a shadow of a doubt there is a very strong and real desire to destroy Prouty, whether a building goes up or not. The “Friends of Prouty” failed to anticipate this, and did not get a restraining order against the hospital to prevent this destruction. Even if the new building is denied by DPH, by the time the decision is made, what’s left of Prouty will be dirt and saw dust.

 

This is the way the Prouty Garden ends? Not with a bang but a whimper?

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BostonGlobe.com Search Engine a Total Trainwreck

March 19, 2016

Interesting Page One compare ‘n’ contrast in today’s Boston dailies: The Globe front-pages a story the Herald doesn’t have at all, and vice versa.

 

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Initially, we went to the papers’ respective search engines to double-check our first impression. Plug “Owen Labrie” into the Herald search box and you get this:

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It’s a bit of a jumble – the most recent story is listed fourth. But it’s the Library of Congress compared to what pops up in the Globe when you plug virtually anything into its search box. The Framingham rape from the Herald front page gets no hits, but plug in, say, “David Ortiz” and you get this:

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Click on that first link and you get a hockey story at the bottom of which is this:

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So, to recap: One search, two clicks, still no David Ortiz.

Try it for yourself. It’s crazy-making.

And entirely crazy: a non-searchable newspaper website.

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Human Rights Group to Boston: Qatar It Out!

March 17, 2016

Yesterday Qatar Airways launched nonstop flights between Logan International Airport and Doha, the capital of Qatar. So yesterday a human rights group launched an ad campaign in the Boston Globe calling for a boycott of the airline.

 

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The Alliance for Workers Against Repression Everywhere, or AWARE, began running local radio spots last week “denouncing alleged human rights violations against workers by the airline and the State of Qatar, which owns it,” according to a Globe report.

The group’s press release is here. Ditto #boycottqatar.

Qatar Airways, meanwhile, seems blissfully unAWARE of the boycott.

Just another fly-by protest, eh?

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Boston Globe Keeps ‘Spotlight’ Off Its Own Reporters

March 16, 2016

As the hardreading staff has previously noted, Boston College spokesman Jack Dunn – among others – vociferously protested the portrayal of him in the movie Spotlight. As Boston Globe columnist Kevin Cullen wrote last November:

After seeing the film at the Loews theater across from Boston Common, [Dunn] stepped onto the sidewalk and threw up.

The movie sickened him because he is portrayed as someone who minimized the suffering of those who were sexually abused, as someone who tried to steer Globe reporters away from the story, as someone invested in the coverup.

 

Dunn’s lawyer subsequently “sent a letter to the filmmakers, demanding that the offending scene be deleted from the movie.”

Well, that hasn’t happened, but this has, as Mark Shanahan reports in today’s Globe:

B.C. dialogue fiction, ‘Spotlight’ studio says

Open Road Films, the studio that distributed the Oscar-winning film “Spotlight,” issued a statement Tuesday acknowledging that dialogue attributed in the movie to Boston College spokesman Jack Dunn was fictional.

When “Spotlight” was released last fall, Dunn expressed outrage, saying that he was depicted as someone who downplayed the suffering of people who were sexually abused by priests. He enlisted a lawyer to contact Open Road and demand the removal of a scene in the movie in which his character discusses whether previous administrators at Boston College High School were aware of sexual abuse there.

 

At issue was a scene depicting Dunn in a 2002 meeting with Globe reporters Walter “Robby” Robinson and Sacha Pfeiffer (played by Michael Keaton and Rachel McAdams). The topic: Allegations of sexual abuse at BC High. The offending dialogue from the character playing Dunn: “It’s a big school, Robby, you know that. And we’re talking about seven alleged victims over, what, eight years?”

The Globe piece includes this statement from Open Road Films:

“As is the case with most movies based on historical events, ‘Spotlight’ contains fictionalized dialogue that was attributed to Mr. Dunn for dramatic effect. We acknowledge that Mr. Dunn was not part of the Archdiocesan coverup. It is clear from his efforts on behalf of the victims at BC High that he and the filmmakers share a deep, mutual concern for victims of abuse.”

What the Globe piece does not include is Robinson’s and Pfeiffer’s previous backing of the movie version (tip o’ the pixel to splendid reader Ember2378 for the link). But the Boston Herald’s Jack Encarnacao helpfully fills in the details.

The [studio’s] statement comes after both the Globe’s Walter Robinson and Sacha Pfeiffer said the scene in the movie captured Dunn’s “spirited public relations defense of BC High” during their first Spotlight team interview with him in 2002 during the paper’s probe of clergy sexual abuse.

 

Robinson and Pfeiffer did not respond to the Herald’s calls seeking comment. We’ll see if anyone else has better luck.

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Herald Fails to Deliver on Globe Meltdown Finale

March 10, 2016

As the hardreading staff has dutifully noted, the Boston Herald has resolutely refused to cover the Boston Globe’s Chernobylesque home delivery meltdown over the past three months.

And that includes the lately local broadsheet’s white flag in yesterday’s edition.

Globe ends deal with delivery company

Subscriptions lost in transition debacle

The Boston Globe is cutting ties with the home delivery company whose problem-plagued takeover of service Screen Shot 2016-03-10 at 1.19.47 AMless than three months ago left thousands of angry customers in Greater Boston without newspapers.

Globe officials said Tuesday that ACI Media Group will soon no longer handle any of its routes. The Long Beach, Calif., company had retained part of the Globe’s business after the delivery debacle and after the newspaper’s decision to give many routes in the area to its previous vendor, Publishers Circulation Fulfillment Inc.

 

“Transition debacle” should be mother’s milk to the thirsty local tabloid, but . . . nothing.

Yo, Heraldniks: What the hell’s wrong with you?

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Boston Herald Hoodwinks Readers with Ad-itorial

March 9, 2016

The Boston Herald has never been shy about mixing promotion and news content, as the hardreading staff has routinely noted. But the stealthy local tabloid is getting bolder and sneakier about it at the same time.

Page 10 of today’s edition:

 

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Notice especially what’s discretely tucked away upper left.

 

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Obviously, U.K.-based intimate apparel retailer Rigby & Peller bought a twofer from the Herald: that print piece and an interview on Boston Herald Radio, a streaming audio service that up to dozens of people hear each day.

(The dicey local tabloid did much the same for the Massachusetts State Lottery last month, renting out both radio and print for a Frosty Cashword promotion.)

(To be fair graf goes here)

To be fair, the Q&A is labeled Sponsored Content, as is the website version. But . . . on the Herald homepage it is not labeled.

 

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We’re guessing the radio interview wasn’t tagged as a paid promotion either. So awkward.

Not to mention convenient.

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Boston Globe Won’t Reveal Groups That Got Free Ads

March 8, 2016

As the hardreading staff noted the other day, the Boston Globe’s GRANT program, which is headed by Boston GlobeSox owner John Henry’s wife Linda Pizzuti and which “enables readers to support New England’s non-profits by choosing which ones are given free advertising space in The Boston Globe,” has always struck us as more sizzle than steak.

After its launch two years ago, the program pretty much dropped off our radar screen – until last week, when Thursday’s edition of the Globe featured this ad for Boston Catholic Appeal (which ranks #160 on the GRANT Nonprofit Leaderboard with a whopping $255 in GRANT Vouchers – hardly enough to pay for the two column (3.79″) x 3″ ad).

 

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It struck us that we hadn’t really seen many GRANT ads over the past two years, so we wrote to the GRANT folks and asked if there might be a list of groups who received free Globe advertising in exchange for their vouchers.

Today we received this reply from a marketing coordinator in the Globe’s Circulation department:

Thanks for reaching out to us here at GRANT! If you would like information about a certain non-profit, then please let me know. I am not at liberty to send a list of all the organizations, dates and examples. Thanks.

 

Always loved that “not at liberty” formulation; we’ve used it ourselves on more than one occasion.

Regardless, in this case it means mind your own business.

In our research travels checking the GRANT program out, we did notice a couple of non-profits – the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and Project Bread – that had issued pleas to their members to participate in the voucher system. (No doubt there are others who did the same – those are just the two we saw.)

They’re our next stop on this madcap adventure. As always, we’ll keep you posted.

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The Boston Globe’s Come-to-Jesus GRANT Grant

March 6, 2016

As the hardreading staff has previously noted, there’s something hinkey about the Boston Globe’s GRANT program.

GRANT – which stands for Globe Readers And Non-profits Together – “enables readers to support New England’s non-profits by choosing which ones are given free advertising space in The Boston Globe.”

The initiative debuted two years ago with this full-page ad in the stately local broadsheet.

 

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That would be Linda Pizzuti Henry, wife of Boston GlobeSox owner John Henry.

Whatever.

From FAQs:

How does it work?
1. If you are a Globe subscriber, you will receive a GRANT voucher via mail or email.
2. Select a New-England-based 501(c)(3) you are passionate about. Click here to view last year’s selected charities.
3. Go to BostonGlobe.com/GRANT by April 30, 2016 to submit your voucher on behalf of your favorite non-profit organization. (You will need your Subscriber Number.)
If you received a mailed voucher: Write the name and address of your charity on your voucher and mail it to The Boston Globe using the envelope provided by April 30, 2016
4. Stay up-to-date on all non-profits that were selected by visiting our 2016 Leaderboard

 

The GRANT grants resurfaced a few days ago with this pitseleh ad in the Globe’s Thursday edition (see middle left).

 

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For the pitseleh-impaired:

 

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Interesting, since Boston Catholic Appeal comes in at #160 on the GRANT Nonprofit Leaderboard with a whopping $255 in GRANT Vouchers.

 

 

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By the way, 2 Corinthians 9:7 says this:

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

 

Clearly, the Boston Globe loves a cheerful giver as well.

At least one of them.

There are hundreds of non-profits listed on the 2016 Leaderboard with “GRANT Vouchers Redeemed” amounts ranging from $8,595 to $25. The rules for redeeming vouchers are these:

What are the redemption rules and restrictions?
• All awarded ads must include a GRANT header/footer (this will be provided).
• Non-profits will be asked to report the impact of their GRANT ads.
• Organizations will have until April 2017 to use awarded ad space.
• GRANT ads may not run with a paid campaign.
• Organizations with smaller redemption amounts will have a dedicated contact who will help them order and (if necessary) write their ad.
• Existing advertisers may not use earned ad space in place of previously scheduled campaigns.
• Paid ads will run first.
• GRANT ads may not appear on the front page, on inserts, or in the Globe Magazine.

 

And this: “Non-profits who have been selected by a minimum of seven subscribers but who have not earned enough to receive a stand-alone ad will appear in a full-page non-profit directory ad.”

Here’s the thing: The hardreading staff gets the Globe every day, and we can’t recall ever seeing a GRANT ad before. Which doesn’t mean none have run. But which does mean we’re gonna ask.

Keep you posted as always.

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Boston Globe Says ‘Suffolk U’ to Boston Herald

March 5, 2016

The slapfight at Suffolk University between president Margaret McKenna and the school’s board of trustees continues apace, as Laura Krantz reports in today’s Boston Globe.

PR firm is hired at Suffolk to help repair trustees’ image

Suffolk University trustees have hired public relations firm Rasky Baerlein to help repair their image after a three-week standoff between the board and President Margaret McKenna, a board member said Friday.

The firm will work exclusively for the board and will be paid by the university, according to trustee Jim Morris. He said the goal is to repair the board’s image and make sure the trustees’ side of the story is told. He said he did not know the cost of the arrangement.

 

Morris also told the Globe, “It’s not to declare war against her or anything like that. Everybody wants to calm this thing down. I think we’re on the verge of detente.”

No detente between the local dailies, though. Nowhere in the piece does it mention that Boston Herald columnist Joe Battenfeld had the story yesterday.

 

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C’mon, Globeniks – credit where credit’s due, yeah?

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