So, there I was last week, in an email back-and-forth with Miami Herald editor Casey Frank; trying to get him to man up and admit he had erred when he allowed the Herald's 2,300 word
My question for Frank was simple: "How can some at the Herald, in good conscience, complain about others ripping off its material, when the Herald does the same?"
Frank responded:
Yes, I definitely know of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune's story. Which is why we mention the Herald Tribune in Julie's story and credit them with the photos. I think that was handled appropriately. This was not a clip job. It is a story of interest to our readers. So we reported it, wrote it and published it. I'm not sure we are going to see eye to eye on this one.
Sure, the Herald mentioned the Sarasota Herald-Tribune story....in the 46th paragraph.
But it didn't link to the original story which is standard Internet practice.
(Two newspapers rewrote the Herald's piece for their online editions. Ironically, both mentioned the Herald and linked to its story. Here and here.)
 |
| Julie Brown |
It wasn't long before Brown sent me this: "Please remove my name from your email blasts."
And then, an hour later, she followed that email with, "I don't consider you a journalist."
Oh, really? Let's check some of Brown's **cough cough** "journalism."
Miami Beach may promote No. 2 cop to police chiefThat's right...Brown doesn't consider me a journalist...that is, unless, she needs to
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
By JULIE K. BROWN AND LUISA YANEZ jbrown@MiamiHerald.com
After vowing to bring in fresh blood to clean up Miami Beach’s much-maligned police department, the city is now deciding whether to hire someone from outside the department — or to promote an insider as its new top cop.
Rumors swirled Tuesday about whether City Manager Jorge Gonzalez was meeting with Ray Martinez, who was deputy under retired chief Carlos Noriega, to offer him the job. Another potential candidate, Hialeah Police Chief Mark Overton, was also still under consideration, sources close to the city said Tuesday evening.
[...]
In September, Miami Beach Commissioner Ed Tobin said: “The present candidate for chief, the assistant chief, [Ray Martinez] has been here for 10 years and I would say that I think the police department needs some fresh blood for a lot of different reasons.”
“I am fed up with the continuing revelations about our police department,” Commissioner Jerry Libbin wrote in a Facebook post back then, according to the Random Pixels blog. “That’s why I have been adamant about the need for a new police chief who is committed to dealing with these issues and restoring confidence in the department. This means bringing in someone from the outside, as opposed to promoting from within.”
[...]
Martinez, whose selection was first reported by Random Pixels, said he loves working in Miami Beach.
(Note: Brown's original Herald story never mentioned Random Pixels. It was only after I sent an email to the editors complaining, that the story was edited to include mention of my blog.)
This sort of double standard is not a new thing at One
Last April Miami Herald columnist Fabiola Santiago used the pages of her newspaper to slime and smear respected Miami filmmaker Billy Corben.
And, within the last week or two, Herald columnist Fred Grimm went on Corben's Facebook to page attack Corben and this blog.
Grimm, Brown and Santiago belong to be a small, panic-stricken band of Herald staffers who would like you to believe that because they work in a building that houses a huge printing press, their words are much more important than those of you who blog or Tweet.
What else is there to say except... It's time to cue the Fat Lady!
The thin skin worn by some (many) in newsrooms never fails to amaze.
ReplyDeleteYou would think that people who often critique others for a living would be able to take some criticism, learn from it and do better the next time. (And, naturally, it's almost always true that the thinnest newsroom skins belong to the least talented of the bunch.)
They buried the acknowledgment in the 46th paragraph because they wanted to bury it. It's that simple. The proper, professional behavior here was simple, painless and would have avoided all of this unpleasantness.
Simply begin the 4th or 5th paragraph like this: Bosque's unusual case file was first reported by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in December.
Now, The Herald has learned.... And then on with your story. Problem avoided; professional practices observed; integrity preserved. No harm to the Herald; no foul to the Sarasota paper.
Good job, Bill. (And, yes, you ARE an illuminating, informative journalist. Let there be no doubt.)
ReplyDeleteThank you, sir!
ReplyDelete