REP EXECUTIVE EDITOR JEFF GAUGER RIGHT TO CALL GOV. KASICH OUT ON "I DON'T READ OHIO NEWSPAPERS" REMARK. BUT HE DID NOT ADDRESS NEWSPAPERS' UNCRITICAL USE OF PRESS RELEASES!

On November 28th, Governor John Kasich revealed to Ohioans that he does not read Ohio newspapers.

A man who wants the rest of us to support "everything Ohio" for its economic benefit, and, of course, - when things pick up - make him look like some kind of genius at rebuilding economies.

Someone like Kasich does have his priorities.  Political power players like the governor first and foremost protect their own egoistic needs and when they go unmet by whomever (in this case Ohio's newspapers), then, they be damned!

Obviously, he cannot stand the criticism of his programs, policies and political whatnot that find their way into Ohio's newspapers.  Undoubtedly, if he refuses to read newspapers; he certainly does not read blogs.

Moreover, as governor, he likely requires that anyone in his inner circle tell him how wonderful he is on a 24/7 basis. 

Because he chooses to live in an insular world, he jeopardizes his ability to be in touch with Ohioans and the huge returns interactive exchanges could benefit his ability to govern effectively in the context of promoting some measure of trust between the governors and the governed.

Repository Executive Editor Jeff Gauger was right to criticize Governor Kasich (Hey Governor, I don't read your stuff either, December 6, 2011).

In a "tit for tat" sort of way, Gauger taunted the governor by rejoinding that he (Gauger) does not read the press releases from the governor's office which Gauger says can number five to six a day.  Like the governor, he has one of his subordinates, tell him when something important happens to find its way into a press release.

That to the SCPR such is irresponsible journalism as is Kasich's "I don't read Ohio newspapers" irresponsible leadership.

One commentator on the Gauger blog opined about Gauger's smart alecky retort being among Gauger's best.  Really?

What Gauger's blog did for yours truly was to reflect on the prolific use of press release material in the hard news of The Repository without the use of a disclaimer.

The SCPR is privy to the same press releases that The Rep deals with.  These releases for the most part of worth reading for a number of reasons.

Foremost should be to apply a journalistic trained critique on the release as a start up point for exploring the topic in an in depth fashion so as to produce journalism that is worthy of subscribers paying a price for the privilege of reading.

Presumably, among the best critical eyes at The Rep would be those of Executive Editor Gauger.  And, yet, he like Kasich turns a blind eye.  Hmm?

What does happen at The Rep that should disturb Stark Countians is to how much - if not wholesale - of a particular press release might show up as "hard news" in Stark County's only countywide newspaper, and, again - not disclaimed!

While Gauguer was right to call Kasich on his intemperate and myopic observation about Ohio's newspapers, he - since he brought the topic of press releases up - might want to do a follow up blog that is more reflective on the proper scrutiny and use of press releases by newspapers of general circulation?

His smart assing of Kasich is amusing but not particularly productive in a journalistic sense other than to show the governor to be an example of an all to common insecure public official who typically cannot bear to see themselves as others see them.

REP'S GAUGER: TRASH JOURNALISM, HERMAN - HEALY "MINISTER OF INFORMATION" TEAM UP TO UNDERMINE PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN CANTON'S FIREFIGHTERS?

 UPDATE:  01/12/2010

REFERENCE TO GAUGER PIECEl


CLICK HERE FOR LINK

ORIGINAL POST

Executive Editor of The Repository Jeff Gauger of The Repository reached a new low on Sunday.

He joined in on the Healy administration to trash Canton's firefighters.

Here is a man, who at the beginning of the Boccieri/Schuring race, for 16th district congressman, got on his "journalistic high horse" and pontificated how he was going to see to that the public discussion on the race be kept civil and elevated.

Hmm?

So in his Sunday "blog" (all bloggers should be insulted to be in the company of Gauger), he takes the Healy administration's "behind the scenes" line that some, if not most,  of Canton's firefighters are lazy goldbrickers.

And, if you read the the Gauger blog closely, you would think that Station 10 is a robust, up-and-running fire station.

But such is not the case.

So where does Gauger's association with Herman come in?

Well, the SCPR asked Herman about activity at Station 10 because The Report had been hearing that Station 10 was virtually shut down.

Here is Herman's response to the SCPR:

Hmm?

Sounds like Station is fully functioning, doesn't it?  So the SCPR went to work to get other perspectives.

One such other view is from a anonymous (for obvious reasons) Canton firefighter.

Here is what he has to say in response.

HERMAN POINT ONE:   Temporary close?


RESPONSE:

The SCPR's source quotes a former fire chief as once having said during a Creighton administration staffing problem, to wit:  "The station is not closed, it is just not open today."

When yours truly called the Canton Fire Department yesterday, that is essentially the answer that was given to the question of whether or not the station was open.

The firefighter then went on to describe how Station 10 was closed when the 15 firefighter cadets were let go, then reopened when the 15 returned and then closed again when the 28 were laid off in December.

Herman's "temporary" notwithstanding and Gauger's "implied" it open and running and "the place to be for goldbricking wannabes,"  is a case of semantics so says the SCPR's firefighter source.

If the station is closed, it is closed he says.  Call it temporary or whatever you want, but the result at the end of the day, in fact all days since the 28 were laid off is that it has been closed.

Chief Rich of the Canton Fire Department had a letter to the editor in The Rep today.

Some of his comments confirm the SCPR's firefighter source:

"Station 10 was closed for more than two months in 2009 due to a lack of manpower," he says.

It also puts Herman's "temporary" in the "Spin Zone" which is characteristic of Herman as Healy's communications director.

HERMAN POINT TWO:  Safety (implied) of Station 10's public not affected when the station is closed?


RESPONSE:

"When a call comes in for 10's district in the farthest areas, it takes Truck 9, Engine 6 and Engine 4 twice as long to get to the call as it would for Engine 10.  Fire doubles every minute.  The brain dies if without oxygen 6 minutes.  It takes Truck 9 over 6 minutes to get to Market and 55th N from the time of the call." (anonymous firefighter)

HERMAN POINT THREE:  A new configuration is in the works for Station 10?


RESPONSE:

The SCPR's firefighter source says that Station 10 has been a combo station since early 2009.  "What is this conversion talk (paraphrase)," he says.

The Report takes the Herman "will" to be an exercise to put the best face possible (PR spin) on a bad situation that clearly affects Canton's public safety.

GAUGER POINT:  Canton has goldbricking, long term firefighters who have found a haven at Station 10 and will be among the buyouts allowing Canton to get 20 of 28 positions back?


RESPONSE:

First from Chief Rich in his letter to the editor:

Second, from the SCPR's firefighter source:

Station 10 has a diverse assigned crew ranging in seniority from  12 years on the job to over 20 years.

As far as I know, not a single person from Station 10 is taking the buy outs (if [the proposed contract between Canton and the CPPA] ratified) as most of them do not have the amount of time or age to retire.

The statement made by the Repository [Editor Gauger] is uneducated and unfounded. A simple call to the Fire Administration would have made it clear that there is no one station in the City of Canton that is used to "Hide "the elderly employees.

All of the fire personnel work the exact same, even the officers, at an emergency scene.

In the opinion of the SCPR Herman is merely doing his job of "spinning for Healy.  And he does it very well.  Healy couldn't get from day to day without Adam Herman.  All William J. Healy, II cares about is his image - Canton be damned!

In the opinion of the SCPR Executive Editor Jeff Gauger is a blight on competent journalism.  As demonstrated by this blog written by yours truly, bloggers can do thorough work on a given topic.

In writing his Sunday piece insofar as it deals with the Station 10 matter, it is an insult to yours truly that Gauger calls himself a blogger.

It is obvious that the SCPR has far higher journalistic standards than a man that his spent his entire adult life in journalism.

The Stark County reading public now knows that everything that Jeff Gauger writes is highly suspect!!!

THE REP'S GAUGER DOES BETTER TAKING NEWS TIPS BASED ON RUMORS DISCUSSED AMONG TEN YEAR OLDS ON A SCHOOL BUS THAN HAVING A "LUNCHEON" EDITORIAL BOARD MEETING WITH CANTON MAYOR "SIR' WILLIAM J. HEALY "THE SECOND!"

One would think that Executive Editor Jeff Gauger of The Repository would get tired of being eaten alive by Mayor William J. Healy, II of Canton.

It seems that every time (yesterday? being the latest) The Rep editorialists meet with Gauger et al, the editors come out second best.  Healy, whether or not the meeting is his idea or The Rep's, must start salivating the instant a meeting is arranged between himself and the editors.

While Healy paying his parking ticket and taking furlough is of symbolic importance in the sense of Healy being amenable to the law as is every other Cantonian and in his participating in the pain of cutting the costs of Canton's government; that is exactly what these two "changes" that The Rep's editorial board is chortling about is:  "symbolic."  The serious problems of Canton go on - unabated.

The $4.5 million deficit remains and Canton is going nowhere fast in terms of economic development.

And The Repository editors want to dwell on parking tickets and furloughs?

The one extremely serious thing that the editors did bring up was the slowness of Canton's New York University Stern School of Business grad in identifying the coming financial/economic hard times and taking ameliorative measures from day one of his administration coming to political power on January 1, 2008.

But they didn't press him.  He effectively evaded them as he always done when these editors bring up significant and substantial matters which the SCPR thinks is rare indeed in and of itself.

How about the safety of Cantonians issue editors?  Twenty-eight firefighters laid off, Canton's homicide rate up 80% since Healy took office and on and on go the questions.

Mayor Healy has used the editors to spin his "repentant," "I have changed," spiel to the Canton public.  But he hasn't. 

Healy does have Gauger's number.

Mayor Healy reads The Rep.  He knows the quality of the executive editor's investigative side.  Healy had to break out in a smile when he read Gauger's revelation that he had taken a rumor from a ten year old heard on s school bus as something a major Ohio metropolitan newspaper (Canton is Ohio's eighth largest city) would deal with.

At the end of the day, with a mayor like William J. Healy, II and an editorial board headed up by Jeff Gauger, there doesn't seem to be much hope for Canton.

The next time The Report passes by The Repository offices at 500 Market Avenue, South what will be the scene?

A 800-pound gorilla likeness of Jeff Gauger pounding his chest screaming out:  "I showed that Healy.  He paid that ticket.  He's taking those furloughs.  All is well with the city of Canton because of the hard work of my paper - The Canton Repository!"

Hmm?

HEALY'S PROPAGANDA PIPELINE TO STARK COUNTY? THE CANTON REPOSITORY EDITORIAL BOARD!

Somehow Mayor William J. Healy, II has gained the confidence of The Repository Editorial Board.

When things are not going well for Healy and he needs to explain his actions to the public or he needs to prime the positive publicity pump, he has his communications director Adam Herman go into action with The Rep.

An example from a July 12th editorial by Executive Editor Jeff Gauger:\

Healy asked Tuesday to meet with The Repository’s editorial board to discuss annexation. In the meeting later that day, Healy expressed reservations about whether the annexation agreement was good for Canton, saying the city might give up too much or get too little. He said a “cost-benefit analysis” was needed to determine whether the city should proceed.

One can imagine the following conversation going down on the eight floor at Canton City Hall.

"Adam, Adam!" (Adam Herman, Healy's communications director and closest confidant)

"Yes, Mayor, what is it?"

"Call Gauger"

"Why, boss, why?"

"Cause we need to get the word out how I am one up on Bill Smuckler."

"What word?"

"Adam, I am surprised. You ask - what word. You know, you know."

"I was just kidding, boss. There isn't a thought that enters your mind that doesn't hit me. You know we have a "wireless relationship" - instant communication." "Yeah, your right. We know that Bill Smuckler is trying to upset your re-election apple cart. And your annexation plan is brilliant, simply brilliant."

"Yeah, Adam and I came up with it on my very own (snicker, snicker, snicker). And they call Sam Sliman 'Darth Vader to the townships'"

"Okay, boss, I'll give 'good ole Jeffy boy' a call. He's always good to make The Rep available - on call - to get our message out."

"Yeah, Adam, with Martin Olson at the Stark County Political Report telling it like it is with my administration, we have done good counteracting him by greasing Stark's only countywide newspaper.

You're right boss, but I have work to do with Olson.

What's that Adam?

"I need to find the leaks that we have here on the eight floor. It's frustrating. Olson keeps coming up with story after story that don't make us look too good."

"Frankly, Adam (Healy, sneering) I don't worry about Olson and his Stark County Political Report. He can take his report and stick it where the sun doesn't shine. We got The Rep folks right where we want them - at a beck and call."

"You're right again, boss. Take Olson's story about your new safety director. What a stroke of genius - that appointment. Wow, how do you do it! Ream will do nothing but fortify our good relationship with The Repository. Just outstanding, boss; simply outstanding. How do you come up with these ideas"

Well, Adam, thanks. But you know where my genius comes from. After all I didn't go to the New York Stern School of Business for nothing. And throw Jack DeSario in there too. DeSario has to be one of the very best political consutants in the US of A as Archie Bunker says.

"You know, boss. You are too good for Canton, Ohio. You have skills that could help the nation in these times of trouble."

"Aw shucks, Adam. What you say is true. But Canton needs me. You make me blush. Well, you know before Boccieri decided to run for the 16th district congressional seat the Democratic National Congressional Caucus offered to finance a Healy campaign to the tune of $1 million cool smackeroos. Did you know that Adam?"

"Oh yeah, boss. I hear that little ditty in my sleep. You gotta remember, we're wireless!"