Sunday, March 29, 2009

DISCUSSION: THE REPOSITORY FOLLOWS; THE STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT LEADS


In yesterday's online edition, The Canton Repository finally got around to doing some detail work in the contributions to the TeamHealy Committee.

To readers of the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) this indeed is "yesterday's" news. The Report receives many compliments from Stark Countians because The Report alone is in the lead with an insightful analysis of the "politics" involved in day-in, day-out Stark County local government decisions.

The reporters at The Rep do a pretty good job of reporting surface news. But investigatory reporting is almost not existent and The Rep's editors are as vapid as one can get and not nearly as "incisive" as The Report's material.

The Repository has enjoyed being a monopoly for some time now. Like most in a non-competitive situation, The Rep has stagnated and has not served the Stark County public well in terms of revealing the backroom political deals that affect the lives of everyday Stark Countians.

The Rep editors like to talk about "sunshine." But how much rolling back of the clouds of local political intrigue do they roll back to "let the sunshine in?"

Not much.

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT has no contracts with the city of Canton, the Jackson schools like The Repository does. There are likely others that pay revenue to The Rep for its publishing services. When these businesses and local government entities run afoul of the law or have ethical problems, can The Rep be trusted to report and editorialize candidly; especially, given The Rep never issues a disclaimer when so reporting or editorializing.

On national news and public opinion shows, one hears disclaimers all the time.

With The Repository, "what is good for the goose (others), is not good for the gander" (The Rep).

It is obvious that The Rep is having a difficult time to adjusting to the "the new kid on the block."

But, indeed, a new day has arrived in Stark County on penetrating, hard hitting political analysis.

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