Because otherwise people might start wondering about a campaign that lies about its involvement in what Blue Mass. Group is calling KillerCokegate.
Andy at Mass. Revolution Now would love to hear Reilly address the issue:
Is it odd that the same day the Phoenix slammed Oliver Stone as a Republican sellout for failing to bash Bush in his new movie, it got the U.S. Marines to co-sponsor a free concert? Or that the Phoenix would get pissed when one of the bands objected?
Who does a better job of summarizing the arts coverage in the morning papers? Joel Brown on HubArts or WBUR's revamped (i.e., Bill Marx-less) Attitude?
Borderline looks at the Globe's new Westword blog, which covers the western suburbs and goes ick: It consists almost entirely of promotional blurbs for items already in the paper and has no comments. In contrast:
The Globe today has a nice feature on some guy who walks to raise money for diabetes work.
Dan Kennedy points us to a Salem News article from yesterday with the rest of the story: Most of the money he raises - 74% - goes to administrative costs, not diabetes research or care:
Former Globe columnist, dead at 80.
Dan Kennedy: Farrell epitomized the old-fashioned newspaperman as powerbroker:
... He surely would have been as well-known as fellow Globe staffers such as Marty Nolan, Robert Healy and the late David Nyhan if he had not left the paper more than two decades ago amid a scandal that seems quaint when measured by what has befallen the business in the intervening years. ...
John Daley supposes it's a good thing that the best the Globe can do today is write about how Boston city councilors/councillors can't agree on how to spell what they are (Ed. note: I used to write "councillor" until corrected one day by the immortal Don Warner Saklad, who I figured has way more time than I to figure this one out).
John Keith summarizes: And, in related news, The Boston Globe hired interns, this summer.
Real or faked? John Daley ponders the possibly alleged ceiling memo, including Howie Carr's Globe bashing, says it's all great fun but adds:
... But there's also the public interest, apparently lost in all the posturing and foaming at the mouth. Maybe the memo is real. Maybe not. It's an important question for how blame and liability will be assigned. Nothing happening in either newspaper now is contributing to getting the answer. ...
Mike Mennonno photographs the uberest of Newbury Street's uber-shoppers and wonders why the Metro (for which he writes) interviewed three white-bread kids from Allston in a "how do you feel about violence in the city" man-in-the-street thing:
... The WASPiest answer was "You just need to be smart about where you go and what time you go there." I think they left out the end of the quote, probably something like ...to buy your crystal meth and cruise for rough trade. ...
Dan Kennedy compares the contrasting coverage in the two dailies of that guy who died in an ambulance stuck in a tunnel traffic jam (he gives props to the Herald for the scoop; says the Globe is smelling Pulitzer), concludes the guy would have died anyway, but adds:
... Even though Olsen should have arrived at the hospital sooner than he did, he almost certainly didn't die because of the Big Dig. But unless the traffic problem is solved soon (unlikely, to say the least), someone will.
The Chief reports that of late, whenever Dan Shaughnessy predicts or asserts something, the opposite happens:
... He clearly has mystical powers. Like George Costanza, he must be realizing that whatever his gut says will happen is 180 degrees from what is destined to occur.
Jayniek describes a familar face at the Davis Square T stop:
There's this old guy who stands in front of the Davis T stop every morning and hands out the Metro. He looks kinda like what Grandpa Addams would look like if he lost 40 pounds, grew a few inches, and ditched the cape. ...
The Dig reports that Steve Mindich will be handing over his Phoenix empire to son Brad in early 2007 - and that editorial changes might be coming as well.
Speaking of the Dig, its long anemic Web presence looks to be getting a blogified makeover. The home page is pretty good looking; story pages get squashed by the all important Big Ass Square Ad without which no online media site is complete these days. One suggestion: Ditch the "send-to-a-friend" form with a link to a send-to-a-friend form. Not that I know what I'm talking about ...
David Scott wonders whether Ted Johnson still has a contractual deal with Channel 4, based on the softball questions gently lobbed him by Bob Lobel:
... Lobel ended the piece from the studio with a meandering, babbling public service announcement about the "moral of the story" and urging viewers to make a call if they feel threatened.
The WBUR art critic is getting canned; he writes his final 'BUR commentary:
Sean McCarthy looks at the schizo performances of our two dailies when it comes to bad words in recent days. "Shit" is OK in the Globe but not the Herald, while the Globe won't print "fag" but the Herald will.
... So are both papers showing inconsistencies? Or do these decisions make perfect sense? What do you think? What would you do? ...
My favorite expletive is, of course, frickin', but you don't see that much in the papers, either.
This is what Channel 5's investigative team has been reduced to: Janet Wu wandering around Boston like some crazed pediatrician with a throat-culture Q-tip, rubbing random objects in random public places (such as a single crossing button at a single, unidentified crosswalk) and having a lab determine whether they have bacteria on them.
Guess what? They do! Alas, Janet can't tell us if these are KILLER GERMS because she apparently spent so much on the swab sticks that Channel 5 refused to pay for real testing. But you never know:
John DePetro has 72 hours to sit in a corner for calling Matt Amorello a fag and a sissy boy.
David on Blue Mass Group: Hey, guess what John? You're an asshole. And no one can suspend me for saying so.
Aaron Margolis begs to differ:
... Shame on WRKO for caving in, and having such a spineless policy. Go screw, you bunch of sissies. ...
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