October 4, 2013
From our Walt Whitman desk
Thursday’s Boston Herald featured yet another It’s All About Us story, this time with reference to a visiting Antonin Scalia.
Lede:
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who once made headlines nationwide after the Herald photographed him making what he called a “Sicilian” gesture with his hand under his chin, said in Medford yesterday he’s not afraid of the Boston newspaper.
“Can’t scare me,” the famously feisty judge told a Herald reporter yesterday in front of a laughing crowd at Tufts University. “I have life tenure.”
Funny, the Boston Globe Names column forgot to mention the big laugh line in its item headlined “Stars honored by Harvard University.”
Then again, the Namesniks also forgot to mention almost everything else about the Scalia event at Tufts.
Also funny: The Springfield Republican did mention the exchange, but forgot to mention that it was a Herald reporter who initiated it.
The 77-year-old New Jersey native and father of nine served up a number of quips that drew laughs from the audience.
“Can’t scare me,” he told a reporter who got on line with audience members to ask a question. “I have life tenure.”
No wonder our feisty local tabloid has to celebrate itself and sing itself.
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October 3, 2013
Boston mayoral candidate John Connolly has pushed opponent Marty Walsh to sign a People’s Pledge to keep third-party money out of the race. But – no surprise – the local dailies present Connolly’s initiative in very different terms.
From today’s Boston Globe editorial page:
Marty Walsh should join Connolly in rejecting super PACs
MARTY WALSH has more to lose by refusing to disavow super PAC support in the mayor’s race than he seems to realize. With every dollar of third-party spending that oozes into Boston to elect the Dorchester state representative, Walsh wastes an opportunity to stick up for clean elections and dispel doubts about his own independence. His opponent has agreed to a pledge to discourage spending by super PACs and other independent expenditure groups, and Walsh owes it to the city to do the same.
Then comes the to be sure graf:
Walsh has called the pledge . . . a gimmick. He points out that John R. Connolly, his opponent in the mayoral final election, flip-flopped before signing on. Connolly did reverse himself. But at least he landed in the right place, spurning the help of an outside group that was prepared to spend $500,000 on his behalf. Walsh has also flip-flopped, but in the wrong direction; he earlier indicated he’d sign the agreement.
Crosstown at the Boston Herald it’s a whole nother story, one not so understanding about Connolly’s conversion.
Connolly changes tune on ‘people’s pledge’
City Councilor John R. Connolly yesterday renewed his call for a so-called “people’s pledge” in the mayoral race, saying he wants to “level the playing field” by barring the windfall of union cash flowing in to state Rep. Martin J. Walsh’s coffers . . .
The “people’s pledge” was proposed by Councilor Rob Consalvo during the preliminary but Connolly, who at the time had an education reform group ready to back him, dismissed it as a “gimmick.” He later said he would sign it, if other candidates agreed, but that never happened.
Not gonna happen this time either.
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October 2, 2013
Go figure the way the local dailies cover the cash cache of the two Boston mayoral finalists.
Start with the Boston Globe’s Page One Metro piece.
It’s what left that counts, though.
“Thumbnail figures provided by Walsh’s campaign show he collected $381,647 in September, leaving him with $181,115 cash on hand, down significantly from the $700,000 he had in the bank at the end of August . . . Connolly took in $163,419 in September, leaving him with $191,473, far less than the $589,000 he had in his account at the end of August, according to his campaign.”
So, pretty much neck-and-neck, even-steven, whatever you want to call it.
Except at the Boston Herald, which calls it very differently.
Walsh drubs Connolly in campaign cash haul
Boosted by new infusions of union cash to his campaign war chest, state Rep. Martin J. Walsh is drubbing City Councilor John R. Connolly in their head-to-head fundraising clash, hauling in a staggering $381,000 in September — more than double the dough raised by his West Roxbury rival, both camps told the Herald.
Connolly and Walsh jockeyed for the top fundraising position throughout the preliminary race but last month was no contest as Connolly’s campaign reported raising just $163,000. Walsh beat that total in the first two weeks of September alone, when he raised $206,000, records show.
The piece focuses on “powerful unions — many of them out of state — [pouring] money into Walsh’s coffers.” Nowhere does it mention that Connolly now has more money on hand than Walsh does.
Doesn’t fit the Herald’s story line as well.
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October 1, 2013
Our feisty local tabloid is a regular fanzine for former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Elsewhere). Yesterday he hit the trifecta in the Herald. Today it’s the daily double.
First he gets the full-page treatment in his burgeoning feud with New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-Fundraiser).
The lede has Brown accusing Shaheen of casting “the deciding vote” on Obamacare. Oldest trick in the book: you can say the same of every one of the other 59 votes that got the Affordable Care Act passed.
Nut graf:
I think it’s shameful that she would do that … because I’m not a declared candidate, and for her to infer anything differently is misrepresenting me and her intentions to the people that are allegedly and supposedly giving her money,” he added.
Ten bucks to anyone who can diagram that sentence. And, not to get technical about it, he meant “imply.” Fortunately for Brown, a firm grasp of the English language is no longer a prerequisite for high office.
But wait – there’s more in the Boston Brown & Gazette. For the second straight day the Herald is acting as Brown’s co-broker in the sale of his Wrentham home.
And they say newspapers don’t carry classified ads anymore.
Crosstown at the Boston Globe, the story is less hyperventilating and doesn’t mention Shaheen deciding Obamacare.
But the piece did note that Brown arrived at the New Hampshire function hall “in a dented GMC pickup truck.”
To each his own, eh?
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September 30, 2013
The Boston Herald, which constantly asks itself What can we do for Brown?, scores a hat trick for former Sen. Barn Jacket in today’s edition.
Start with this page-twofer:
Then Hillary Chabot puts on the pom-poms.
Message to Brown: Give N.H. a shot
Be careful what you wish for, Jeanne Shaheen.
The New Hampshire senator and her fellow Democrats have spent the past few days crying wolf about Bay State Republican Scott Brown’s rumored run against Shaheen, blasting out fundraising emails ahead of Brown’s appearance tonight in Hampstead, N.H.
Brown’s former foe, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), chimed in on Friday, and yesterday even failed presidential candidate Howard Dean jumped in, crowing, “New Hampshire deserves a voice, not a Karl Rove pawn.”
Dean the Scream mocking you, Scott? That’s bad. So, Chabot says, “prove ’em wrong.”
Crosstown at the Boston Globe, Brown’s an afterthought sitting at the bottom of Page 3.
But it’s a whole nother story at the local dailies when it comes to Eugene Rivers. Rather than let him hijack the front page the way the Herald did last week, the Globe actually covers the prattlin’ preacher. From Adrian Walker’s Metro column:
He says vote, but doesn’t
The Rev. Eugene F. Rivers 3d struck such a forceful pose and tone on the cover of the Boston Herald Thursday, in a lament for what he viewed as the black community’s wasted opportunity in last week’s preliminary mayoral election.
In an op-ed column, the cofounder of the Boston TenPoint Coalition castigated black voters for a litany of sins, many of them related to the supposedly unsophisticated failure to coalesce around a single candidate of color.
To Rivers — an energetic advocate for former state representative Charlotte Golar Richie — his community’s failure led to the apparently heartbreaking result that two white Irish men are facing off in the final election for mayor of Boston.
Rivers was especially troubled by the fools who didn’t even bother to vote.
The punchline, of course, is that Rivers himself did not vote. Hasn’t for more than 10 years.
So who’s foolin’ who?
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September 30, 2013
(First in an occasional series illustrating the essential difference between the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald)
The Sunday Boston dailies provided a stark contrast in what they’re willing to devote major real estate to in their newsholes.
Start with the Boston Herald, which is obsessed with Puppy Doe, a pit bull that “was severely beaten, starved, burned and stabbed in the eye” after being adopted from the Craigslist pet section – and eventually euthanized.
Representative sample from a week ago:
Now comes yesterday’s two-page spread (complete with the Herald’s ever-present E-edition Random Little Green Numbers – because the feisty local tabloid apparently has Joe Cocker as its webmaster).
Crosstown at the Boston Sunday Globe, a very different tragedy occupied its attention.
Page One piece by Meg Murphy and Steven Wilmsen:
The jump is four full pages of heartwarming heartbreak about five-year-old Caroline Cronk’s battle with cancer .
Draw your own conclusions.
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Caroline Cronk, Craigslist, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, Joe Cocker, Kevin Cronk, Meg Murphy, Puppy Doe, Rachel Cronk, Steven Wilmsen, The Gospel of Calle, webmaster | Permalink
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September 28, 2013
As the hardreading staff noted yesterday, Thursday’s Boston Globe failed to mention the paper’s relationship to Red Sox principal owner and soon-to-be Globe owner John Henry in a piece about the Sox getting a sweetheart deal for rights to Fenway Park’s adjoining streets.
Friday’s Globe follow-up, however, came to Jesus.
Despite objections, Red Sox win rights to street use
Despite objections from residents and one board member, the Boston Redevelopment Authority on Thursday authorized a $7.3 million deal to let the Red Sox use two public streets near Fenway Park for gameday concessions and seating over the Green Monster.
The arrangement grants the Red Sox permission to close a 17,000-square-foot strip of Yawkey Way for concessions for as long as the baseball team plays at Fenway. It also gives the team air rights over Lansdowne Street to allow for seating over the ballpark’s famed left-field wall . . .
The principal owner of the Red Sox, John W. Henry, is purchasing The Boston Globe and related properties from The New York Times Co. for $70 million.
Better, yes?
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: Boston Globe, Boston Redevelopment Authority, Fenway Park, Green Monster, John Henry, Landsdowne Street air rights, Red Sox, Yawkey Way | Permalink
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September 28, 2013
Once again the Boston dailies have very different front-page approaches to the knee-buckling pay hike an arbitrator awarded Boston police patrolmen.
Boston Herald:
Boston Globe:
But wait! There’s more!
Today Rep. Marty Walsh issued this statement:
FOLLOW-UP: STATEMENT OF STATE REPRESENTATIVE AND MAYORAL CANDIDATE MARTY WALSH ON BOSTON POLICE ARBITRATOR AWARD
Many working families across the city have seen no raises, or have even seen drops in their family income over the past few years. I believe the raises awarded by the arbitrator are clearly out of line with the current economic environment and unsustainable for the City of Boston. Because Mayor Menino has chosen to pursue irresponsible negotiating tactics, he has put the City in the untenable position of choosing between an exorbitant arbitration award or reneging on the basic tenets of collective bargaining.
For that reason, I am calling today on Mayor Menino and the BPPA to come back to the bargaining table and jointly negotiate a deal that would better protect the taxpayers while addressing the concerns of our hardworking police officers who have gone years without a contract. As Mayor, the buck would stop with me and I would not leave the future of city’s fiscal health to an arbitrator’s decision. We need a resolution of this issue that protects taxpayers first, and the only way to do that is for the Mayor and the BPPA to return immediately to the bargaining table.
Councilor John Connolly, as far as we can tell, is still ducking and covering.
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September 28, 2013
From our Compare and Contrast in Clear Idiomatic English desk
Everything you need to know about the two Boston dailies is encapsulated in their front-page stories yesterday about the arbitration award of Boston police patrolmen’s pay.
Boston Herald:
Boston Globe:
Actually, the arbitration hike turns out to be a knee-buckling 25.4%.
The hardreading staff will detail today’s front-page rumpus shortly.
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: $125M Cop-Out, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, knee-buckling 25.4%, police pay hike, Tom Menino | Permalink
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September 27, 2013
(Two-Daily Town is proud to introduces this new feature tracking the Boston Globe’s disclosure of Red Sox principal owner John Henry’s Globe purchase)
The hardreading staff is, as you may have gathered, an eternal optimist. But this piece in Thursday’s Boston Globe gives us pause.
Nut graf:
Cahill said the BRA is attempting to “give away rights to a public street without reasonable public notice, without public advertisement, and without utilizing a public process.” There were no public hearings about the deal, though the board will vote during a public meeting.
Cahill also said the city should not sign a lifetime contract with the Red Sox and should seek a slice of the revenue generated by the team’s use of Yawkey and Lansdowne — a total of about $4.5 million annually, according to the team.
Sweet(heart), yeah?
The problem here isn’t the Globe story – reporter Callum Borchers does a perfectly reasonable job of examining both sides of the issue. The problem is, nowhere does the Globe disclose that Red Sox principal owner John Henry is the boss of them – something the Globe should absolutely overdisclose.
Crosstown, the Boston Herald is less, shall we say, nuanced.
Crying foul over Boston Sox deal
Watchdogs to review $7.3M pact
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino balked yesterday at intervening in a proposed $7.3 million deal between the BRA and the Red Sox for air rights over Lansdowne Street and game-day concessions on Yawkey Way as the state Inspector General’s office said it would review the deal and an independent watchdog group called it “financially irresponsible”
“Why should I?” Menino asked. “It’s a good deal. (The Boston Redevelopment Authority) got much more money than they got in the past. Think about what the Red Sox mean to the city: jobs, taxes, vitality, heads on beds.”
The Herald piece doesn’t mention the Globe’s opaque coverage of the story.
Not sure that will be the case for long.
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: Boston Globe, Boston Herald, BRA, Callum Borchers, John Henry, Landsdowne Street air rights, Matthew Cahill, Red Sox, Tom Menino, Two-Daily Town, Yawkey Way | Permalink
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It's Good to Live in a Two-Daily Town 