Tag: Paid Shills

So I hear my ears shudda been burning last night: A periodic examination of the media and journalism in the public interest

A few weeks ago I asked the Slabbed Nation exactly how much independent news and commentary was worth. This is not a one and done conversation by any stretch as I absolutely intend to continue having it with those of you that have exhibited the courage to hit the “Post Comment” button and the thousands of you guys that stop here everyday satisfying the need to know what is going on in this area.

So yup, my ears should’ve been burning last night but they weren’t (more on that later) but the events again begs the question exactly how much is independent news and commentary worth? Today, the PBS show Frontline provides the backdrop because I was too riveted by excellent TeeVee journalism last night for my ears to burn as we again examine that question. First we start with this gem I’ve been holding for a few months:

N.F.L. Pressure Said to Lead ESPN to Quit Film Project ~ Ken Belson and James Andrew Miller

On Thursday, ESPN, which has spent heavily in recent years to build its investigative reporting team, abruptly ended its affiliation with “Frontline,” a public affairs television series that was weeks from showing a jointly produced two-part investigative project about the N.F.L.’s contentious handling of head injuries. The divorce came a week after the N.F.L. voiced its displeasure with the documentary at a lunch between league and ESPN executives, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation.

It is a fundamental law of the media industry that when you add advertisers you add sacred cows aka topics that will never be covered because of those sacred cows. Throw in other contractual relationships like the one between ESPN and the NFL and the conflict between journalism in the public interest and $$$$$$$ becomes acute.

Frontline is donor funded and while that can also lead to conflict between journalism and the (new) Benjamins typically any strings are attached on the front end of the journalism thus the potential for conflict is less. It shows in the reporting. Continue reading “So I hear my ears shudda been burning last night: A periodic examination of the media and journalism in the public interest”

Garlandfill on my mind: A matter of trust

A billboard featuring Garland Robinette off the Pontchartrain Expressway in late 2011. Photo by Michael DeMocker, The Times-Picayune

Lifers here know the deal but for you newbies I’ll point out that Slabbed broke Garland Robinette’s subpoena to the federal grand jury investigating political corruption way back in November, 2010 with a tease and straight out in March, 2011 (if memory serves). The gang over at the Times Picayune picked up the ball and did some excellent reporting on same as Garland Robinette’s opinions are evidently for sale to the highest bidder.

A few nights ago Fox 8 carried the latest developments with a 100% Team Garlandfill sourced report that rankled some of my readers. In the interest of presenting a complete picture I’d like to present yesterday’s story from the new NOLA Media Group on the same topic by Manuel Torres.

I’m not sure why Robinette wants to continue fleshing this topic out frankly because all the gyrations about there being a “loan” between him and Heebe are based solely on his unsupported assertions and I personally don’t believe a word the man says, especially since St Tammany Parish land and mortgage records did not indicate a mortgage was ever officially filed.

Finally Robinette’s self-serving rationalization about taking the money to build an art studio smacks of the exact type of self-entitled, pompous mindset we regularly skewer here at Slabbed.  In Robinette’s case he violated the public’s trust.

If you’re a newbie I’d encourage you to run Garland Robinette’s name through the search box on the right sidebar to access Slabbed’s prior coverage of this portion of the massive political corruption scandal in metro New Orleans.