On Aug.31, the paper ran a one-third of a page ad by Turkey Hill featuring both a pitch for four brands of cigarettes, and an offer of free candy with a soft drink. The ad shows boxes of Sundance, Marlboro, Camel and Newport brand cigarettes. The "Surgeon General Warning" was too small for most to read without a magnifying glass.
WATCHDOG: We are surprised that a family publication would carry cigarette advertisements, especially one obviously directed at young people. We are also critical of Turkey Hill for sponsoring such an ad.
Does Marv Adam want his daughter Abigail reading "Cigarettes Lowest Price Allowed by Law On all major brands" above "Sweet Deal, Free Reese's with 44 oz. fountain or slushey purchase" ? Isn't there an implied relationship about the enjoyableness of the products?
Running an ad for cigarettes, especially in the family oriented Sunday News, seems irresponsible on their part to us, no matter how desperate the Lancaster Newspapers, Inc. is to forestall their plummeting advertising revenue.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
INTELLIGENCER JOURNAL
The Aug. 28 "Letters to the Editor" contains one headed "Who's the next keynoter?" and which criticized Ted Kennedy as follows: "This is the same great American who, about 40 years ago, drove off a bridge with a young female passenger in his car, got himself out and left her to drown. He failed to report the accident for eight hours - probably had to sober up."
WATCHDOG: We do not object to the Intell publishing the letter, even though over time subsequent reports have cast doubt about whether Kennedy was at fault as initially reported. What we do abhor is condemning a person for one horrible accident (perhaps he was indeed drunk) that took place four decades ago, thus ignoring all the accomplishments of a lifetime.
Perhaps the author has lived an exemplarily life, never having made a serious mistake. Or is there something in the Lancaster water that so often combines narrow mindedness with mean spirit?
WATCHDOG: We do not object to the Intell publishing the letter, even though over time subsequent reports have cast doubt about whether Kennedy was at fault as initially reported. What we do abhor is condemning a person for one horrible accident (perhaps he was indeed drunk) that took place four decades ago, thus ignoring all the accomplishments of a lifetime.
Perhaps the author has lived an exemplarily life, never having made a serious mistake. Or is there something in the Lancaster water that so often combines narrow mindedness with mean spirit?
Sunday, August 24, 2008
SUNDAY NEWS
The Aug. 24 editorial "Do the math" concerning the cost of health care concludes "In the end, the real answer probably lies in comprehensive health insurance reform, possibly a universal single-payer system; without it, the economy will continue to be crippled by an insurance bureaucracy that has made a mockery of 'managed care.'"
WATCHDOG: NewsLanc columnist Phil Starr reached the same conclusion in "One Payer Solution to the Health Care Insurance Crisis" published on July 24th and available under Health and Parenting, the last of a series on the cost of health care.
WATCHDOG: NewsLanc columnist Phil Starr reached the same conclusion in "One Payer Solution to the Health Care Insurance Crisis" published on July 24th and available under Health and Parenting, the last of a series on the cost of health care.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
LANCASTER POST
An editorial of August 15 entitled "Fair Trial, Free Press, and the Constitution" criticizes District Attorney Craig Stedman for jeapordizing Michael Roseboro's rights to a fair trial by making prejudicial statements concerning the case before the media, thus tainting the objectivity of any jury pool. It concludes "Mr. Stedman's evident and alarming affection for the camera and the sound bite bodes ill for those coming before his office seeking justice."
WATCHDOG: We wished we and the Lancaster Newspapers had made those observations.
We are delighted that the Post is finding its bearings and beginning to live up to its full potential. We will all benefit from its presence.
WATCHDOG: We wished we and the Lancaster Newspapers had made those observations.
We are delighted that the Post is finding its bearings and beginning to live up to its full potential. We will all benefit from its presence.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
SUNDAY NEWS
An editorial of August 17 describes the many laudable things that a 2.6 mile, ten minute interval, street car loop will achieve for downtown Lancaster. They anticipate a quarter million riders annually.
WATCHDOG: We proposed such a loop many months ago, so we can hardly disagree. But we differ in two significant ways:
1) More of our current trolley buses could do the job without the huge initial costs and without clogging our streets, since trolley buses can pull over to pick up and discharge passengers.
2) We proposed that the trolley buses be free so that they would be heavily used. Right now they only average about eight passengers per hour (not enough to even pay the driver!), and there is no reason to believe that fare charging trolleys will do any better.
Vintage trolley cars is simply another dumb and avaricious proposal by the benighted vested interests that want to gobble up state and federal funds and then, when they run short, tap local governments. The public both pays for it at the outset and then forever and a day afterwards in the form of subsidies.
WATCHDOG: We proposed such a loop many months ago, so we can hardly disagree. But we differ in two significant ways:
1) More of our current trolley buses could do the job without the huge initial costs and without clogging our streets, since trolley buses can pull over to pick up and discharge passengers.
2) We proposed that the trolley buses be free so that they would be heavily used. Right now they only average about eight passengers per hour (not enough to even pay the driver!), and there is no reason to believe that fare charging trolleys will do any better.
Vintage trolley cars is simply another dumb and avaricious proposal by the benighted vested interests that want to gobble up state and federal funds and then, when they run short, tap local governments. The public both pays for it at the outset and then forever and a day afterwards in the form of subsidies.
Friday, August 15, 2008
INTELLIGENCER JOURNAL
Jeff Hawkes column headed "Opportunities disguised as a shelter crisis" informs us that , after fifteen years of service to "men down on their luck", Crispus Attucks is converting its shelter for 20 of the homeless to other important purposes. Appealing to our pragmatic side, Hawkes goes on to say "Failure to act may mean more people sleeping on benches. As the city prepares to welcome guests of the soon-to-open Marriott and convention center, the timing could not be worse."
WATCHDOG: Well said! We laud our celebrities, sports heroes, and other successful people, but we ignore that there are those who simply cannot survive on their own, be it for mental limitations, health or emotional problems.
Unless we are prepared to shoot them in the streets as some South American police do orphans (and which NewsLanc is not suggesting!), we had better make some provisions to shelter them.
So what is Mayor Rick Gray and others doing about this?
Perhaps Penn Square Partners, sponsor of the Marriott, will organize and fund a replacement shelter. Ironically, they have the most to lose!
WATCHDOG: Well said! We laud our celebrities, sports heroes, and other successful people, but we ignore that there are those who simply cannot survive on their own, be it for mental limitations, health or emotional problems.
Unless we are prepared to shoot them in the streets as some South American police do orphans (and which NewsLanc is not suggesting!), we had better make some provisions to shelter them.
So what is Mayor Rick Gray and others doing about this?
Perhaps Penn Square Partners, sponsor of the Marriott, will organize and fund a replacement shelter. Ironically, they have the most to lose!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
INTELLIGENCER JOURNAL
Editorial of August 14, concerning John Edwards states: "The return of Elizabeth Edwards' cancer coupled with her husband's infidelity makes this a particularly sad story. For him to show her such disrespect is beyond comprehension."
WATCHDOG: Such moralizing makes us wretch. The Intell has no idea of what were the conjugal circumstances of her illness. And are they so lacking in virility as not to appreciate the extraordinary sexual drives innate in middle age males, especially when separated for long periods from a mate and suffering from loneliness and stress?
We don't condone extra marital relations; we oppose all sin. Frankly, the only sex life we care about is our own. What we seek in our leaders is competence and commitment to the public good.
Furthermore, we are mindful of the extra marital relations of presidents during our publisher's life time: FDR - Yes; Harry Truman - probably not; JFK - Oh my!; Lyndon Johnson - Yes; Richard Nixon -probably not; Gerald Ford - unknown; Jimmy Carter - he only "lusted after women"; Ronald Reagan - Yes (during his previous marriage); George H. W. Bush - unknown; Bill Clinton - Yes; George W. Bush - he might be less bellicose and we might be better off if he did.
May we have a show of hands among the press corps of how many men (and women) have had extra marital relationships?
WATCHDOG: Such moralizing makes us wretch. The Intell has no idea of what were the conjugal circumstances of her illness. And are they so lacking in virility as not to appreciate the extraordinary sexual drives innate in middle age males, especially when separated for long periods from a mate and suffering from loneliness and stress?
We don't condone extra marital relations; we oppose all sin. Frankly, the only sex life we care about is our own. What we seek in our leaders is competence and commitment to the public good.
Furthermore, we are mindful of the extra marital relations of presidents during our publisher's life time: FDR - Yes; Harry Truman - probably not; JFK - Oh my!; Lyndon Johnson - Yes; Richard Nixon -probably not; Gerald Ford - unknown; Jimmy Carter - he only "lusted after women"; Ronald Reagan - Yes (during his previous marriage); George H. W. Bush - unknown; Bill Clinton - Yes; George W. Bush - he might be less bellicose and we might be better off if he did.
May we have a show of hands among the press corps of how many men (and women) have had extra marital relationships?
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
LANCASTER POST
An editorial of August 8th in part states: "The record overflows with example after example of [Gibson] Armstrong, Lancaster Newspapers, at the command of money-man, power broker, S. Dale High, and a few others, lording over the county as if it was their own personal fief.
"Did any one vote for a convention center? How about the insipid trolley idea? Or, the F&M rail yard re-location? And High's coming-soon Crossings shopping mall?...
"When you have a monopoly press in pocket, you can say whatever you want and know the other guys at the other paper won't call you on it. Sorry fellas, no longer."
WATCHDOG: Well said.
"Did any one vote for a convention center? How about the insipid trolley idea? Or, the F&M rail yard re-location? And High's coming-soon Crossings shopping mall?...
"When you have a monopoly press in pocket, you can say whatever you want and know the other guys at the other paper won't call you on it. Sorry fellas, no longer."
WATCHDOG: Well said.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
SUNDAY NEWS / GIL SMART BLOG
In a blog entitled "The value of book lernin’", Gil Smart leads "Interesting mini-debate going on over at NewsLanc regarding our local libraries, in relation to this Era piece yesterday about how the number of people using the Duke Street library in particular has soared - up 15 percent in the first six months of the year."
WATCHDOG: Smart writes from past research and his own family's recent experiences about the value of libraries and how and possibly why they are under supported locally. The article can be read here.
WATCHDOG: Smart writes from past research and his own family's recent experiences about the value of libraries and how and possibly why they are under supported locally. The article can be read here.
Monday, August 11, 2008
NEW ERA
According to an August 11 article: "The Lancaster Public Library, 125 N. Duke St., has seen a 15 percent increase in patronage from January to June as compared with last year during the same months. It saw between 1,500 and 1,700 people walk through its doors on a typical July day, up from 1,000 per day last July."
WATCHDOG: We are glad the New Era pointed out the ever growing importance of libraries, and especially the immense service the downtown Lancaster Public Library provides to the public. The Duke Street library has as many patrons in a day as many large city libraries that are several times it size. And Lancaster libraries are without the large government subsidies typical elsewhere.
Guess what local item in the State budget did not get funded this year? If you said funds for renovation and expansion of the Duke Street library, you were right.
$170 million plus for a convention center but not a cent for a library that serves about 1500 people from throughout the county each day! Go figure.
(Full disclosure: NewsLanc's publisher has a family member associated with the Duke Street library.
WATCHDOG: We are glad the New Era pointed out the ever growing importance of libraries, and especially the immense service the downtown Lancaster Public Library provides to the public. The Duke Street library has as many patrons in a day as many large city libraries that are several times it size. And Lancaster libraries are without the large government subsidies typical elsewhere.
Guess what local item in the State budget did not get funded this year? If you said funds for renovation and expansion of the Duke Street library, you were right.
$170 million plus for a convention center but not a cent for a library that serves about 1500 people from throughout the county each day! Go figure.
(Full disclosure: NewsLanc's publisher has a family member associated with the Duke Street library.
INTELLIGENCER JOURNAL
The Intell carried an extensive op-ed entitled " A wrongful prosecution" by attorney Ira Wagler suggesting prosecutorial excess on the part Attorney General Tom Corbett's office in regards to the prosecution and conviction of Levi Stoltzfoos.
WATCHDOG: Kudos to the Intell for publishing the column.
As we have seen nationally and on the local level, too often law enforcement officials lose sight of the object of the law and seek convictions, no matter what harm they are doing to the individual and the spirit of the law. The Stoltzfoos conviction and sentencing seems to be such a case.
WATCHDOG: Kudos to the Intell for publishing the column.
As we have seen nationally and on the local level, too often law enforcement officials lose sight of the object of the law and seek convictions, no matter what harm they are doing to the individual and the spirit of the law. The Stoltzfoos conviction and sentencing seems to be such a case.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
SUNDAY NEWS
A Letter to the Editor objecting to the housing of sex offenders in Marietta states "As for you, a politician, why should the people take you at your word, jeopardizing their children for your fetish."
WATCHDOG: Given that the prime psychological meaning of "fetish" is "Any object or nongenital part of the body that causes a habitual erotic response or fixation" (Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 2001), NewsLanc would have excerpted that sentence as being an unsubstantiated and unwarranted accusation. NewsLanc would have permitted the writer's later comment "Defending this type of person is a fetish" because its meaning is clearer.
WATCHDOG: Given that the prime psychological meaning of "fetish" is "Any object or nongenital part of the body that causes a habitual erotic response or fixation" (Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 2001), NewsLanc would have excerpted that sentence as being an unsubstantiated and unwarranted accusation. NewsLanc would have permitted the writer's later comment "Defending this type of person is a fetish" because its meaning is clearer.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
LANCASTER POST
The Post's August 8 front page shows an elderly lady holding up an eviction letter to the camera and the headline cries out "Landis Homes, Serving One Another, to 92 year-old resident: LEAVE!"
WATCHDOG: The article goes on to mention that Margaret Rombach is behind in payments by$67,903.31 as of May 31, and yet gave gifts amounting to $22,000to her daughter over the past two years. Furthermore, by making the gifts, Ms. Rombach forfieted her eligibility for a government subsidy that would have underwritten her monthly fees.
Seems to NewsLanc that someone is trying to improperly enrich themselves at the expense of Landis Homes. How is Landis Homes to provide for the charitable needs of residents if children of the elderly are consuming funds that are needed for the parent's upkeep?
If the Post were to investigate such practices, it would have a far better story.
WATCHDOG: The article goes on to mention that Margaret Rombach is behind in payments by$67,903.31 as of May 31, and yet gave gifts amounting to $22,000to her daughter over the past two years. Furthermore, by making the gifts, Ms. Rombach forfieted her eligibility for a government subsidy that would have underwritten her monthly fees.
Seems to NewsLanc that someone is trying to improperly enrich themselves at the expense of Landis Homes. How is Landis Homes to provide for the charitable needs of residents if children of the elderly are consuming funds that are needed for the parent's upkeep?
If the Post were to investigate such practices, it would have a far better story.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
SUNDAY NEWS
The central article on the front page of the August 3rd edition is headed "Tom Armstrong believes sex offenders have become the 'lepers of our society.' He believes men like the three he invited into his Marietta home can change. His words can't convince those protesting out front. Wednesday, he faces a zoning board. UNDER SEIGE." Below is a photo of a contemplative Armstrong.
WATCHDOG: Articles like this makes us proud of the Sunday News. Carefully and haltingly, it manages to maintain a large degree of independence and integrity.
We hope such praise does not get the editors in trouble.
WATCHDOG: Articles like this makes us proud of the Sunday News. Carefully and haltingly, it manages to maintain a large degree of independence and integrity.
We hope such praise does not get the editors in trouble.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
LANCASTER POST
In its August 1st edition, the Post criticizes the Lancaster Newspapers for publishing game summaries provided to all media by Dave Collins of the Lancaster Barnstormers as "Special to the Intelligencer Journal."
WATCHDOG: We second the Post's award of its "Puff Piece of the Week" award to the Intell "for so shamelessly ripping off the talented Mr. Collins."
WATCHDOG: We second the Post's award of its "Puff Piece of the Week" award to the Intell "for so shamelessly ripping off the talented Mr. Collins."
LANCASTER POST
In its August 1st edition, the Post editorial is headed "Lancaster Newspapers Steals from Itself." In reference to the reproduction of an Intelligencer Journal article in the New Era and vice versa, it states "It is called 'plagiarism,' but let us call it what it really is: stealing."
WATCHDOG: The most recent Webster Unabridged Dictionary defines plagiarism as "The unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work." Since both the Intell and the New Era have common ownership, the dual use of an article is clearly authorized. And unless a byline was given to a reporter for an article previously published and not written by the reporter, there is no misrepresentation.
What the Post charges is stealing, others would view as legitimate economizing.
WATCHDOG: The most recent Webster Unabridged Dictionary defines plagiarism as "The unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work." Since both the Intell and the New Era have common ownership, the dual use of an article is clearly authorized. And unless a byline was given to a reporter for an article previously published and not written by the reporter, there is no misrepresentation.
What the Post charges is stealing, others would view as legitimate economizing.
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