May 16, 2008
Ace Lancaster New Era reporter Bernie Harris' attentionsnatching
article, "$1,500 streetcar buy puts wheels under
a dream" is the Post "Puff Piece of the Week."
Ignoring any impulse for thorough or balanced reporting,
Harris "reports" on the Trolley issue by opening wide for a spoonfeeding
by Trolley mouthpiece, Jack Howell. Howell is top dog
at the Lancaster Alliance, the Lancaster Newspapers-controlled
(check the board of directors) "non-profit" organization.
Through indefatigable questioning and research, Harris teases
out of Howell that The Lancaster Streetcar Company bought a
1946 trolley in a Brooklyn dump, and plan on spending a few
hundred thousand dollars getting it ready to "rumble" down the
streets of Lancaster.
The Pulitzer people will want to know about this high-quality
watch-dogism coming from Lancaster Newspapers:
"Like the streetcars that operated in Lancaster
until the late-1940s, the proposed electric streetcar
system would operate on rails embedded in the
street. Unlike the old system, which was in place
before automobiles were common, the rails will
be on one side of the street. That would allow
automobiles to pass in the other lane."
Wow. It does sound good. But aren't there any dissenting
voices objecting to tearing up already congested streets to clog
them further by constructing a mode of transportation outdated
half a century ago? Nope. If we are to believe the tireless seeker
of truth, i.e., reporter Harris, there isn't anyone who thinks this
is a bad idea. Congratulations, Bernie Harris (!) and the editors
at the New Era for earning this great honor. We'll see ya again
next week.
May 9, 2008
Choosing a puffy item of the week from our competitors
is very much like having a bunch of presents to open on
Christmas morning and not knowing which to open first.
So many choices. Our selection this week comes from the May
6th Lancaster New Era, with Chad Umble's hard-hitting, incisive,
deep dig into the performance of the County Commissioners.
Here's a taste:
County Commissioners Dennis Stuckey, Scott
Martin and Craig Lehman took office four months ago
vowing to change the tone in [sic] the fifth floor of the
county courthouse.
(Click to read more)
May 2, 2008
Sometimes our competitors at Lancaster Newspapers
publish such uninspired puff and fluff that we have
to point it out.
On Monday, April 29, the front page section of the Intell
was 12 pages and contained 27 items. How many were written
by Intell staff? Three! The rest, stale wire stories anyone with
a dial up modem could've gotten the day before. Now, that's
puffery.
Way to dig, guys.
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