Katz and hypocrisy
Sen. Roger Katz demonstrates breathtaking hypocrisy in his OpEd “Is Sussman a media threat?” (BDN, Feb. 22).
First, while he finds many “this could happen” faults with Mr. Sussman’s public, transparent and job-saving investment in Maine newspapers, Sen. Katz supports a Republican policy agenda that seeks to hide the names of political action committee supporters who could influence his and other legislators’ actions. I read no such concerns in his column for potential legislative conflict of interest or influence against the public interest.
Second, Sen. Katz criticizes Mr. Sussman’s free-market decision to invest in a business, a recent charge laid by other Republicans against Mitt Romney. But Sen. Katz represents a political party that appears to put corporate interests over individual interests, so I fail to see why this is a problem for the senator.
Third, while Sen. Katz voices personal admiration for Mr. Sussman and concern for freedom of the press and newspaper job-holders, the column appears to be a tortured rehash of the personal attacks on Mr. Sussman, and by inference the man’s successfully elected (Democratic) wife, that Mainers have endured from Republicans for years.
Mr. Sussman is wealthy. Ms. Pingree is an elected congresswoman. Get over it. The column is another example of personal and unwelcome partisan politics as usual. I for one have had enough of this, and will work to elect Maine politicians with far more concern for their constituents, and far more awareness of their own hypocritical behavior.
Michael Sirota
Searsmont
Schenck: keep open mind
Regarding the BDN’s Feb. 17 article “Superintendent: Is it time to close Schenck High?” — as a Schenck High graduate, former East Millinocket school board member and a East Millinocket Board of Selectmen member, here are a few comments.
I do not know Superintendent Quenten Clark. I have attended meetings where Clark spoke on important matters to the school and town. Clark seemed very capable and forthright with the facts he presented. I admire the courage of Clark in writing this article.
Over the past decade the Millinocket School System made several overtures to the schools in School Union 113 (East Millinocket, Medway and Woodville) to send our high school students to Stearns High school. To date, School Union 113 has voted to keep the status quo of our high school.
In the past, we looked and voted mainly for reasons to keep our high school. Now we are in crunch time and should look for reasons to merge our high schools. The facts that Clark presents are spelled out clearly in his article and we can’t continue to ignore them indefinitely. It seems that the quality of the education our students are getting should always be the prime concern of our towns’ parents and residents.
We should listen to Clark and the school committees with an open mind and seriously consider any solution the would better the education of our students.
Paul Baker
East Millinocket
I have yet to hear a Republican complain about Rupert Murdoch owning conservative Fox News and a number of right wing papers, like the New York Post, Boston Herald and the Enquirer, or the Rev Moony’s ownership of the Washington Times, another right wing newspaper.
Then again none of those newspapers or TV networks are considered places of sound journalism and news.
When Rupert’s wife is running for office in any of those footprints we will complain.
Totally irrelevent. Murdoch and Rev. Moon already use their media outlets to intimidate and influence politicians and policies for their political gain.
I have nothing against Sussman owning newspapers all over the country and using the outlets to justify his causes. It doesn’t pass the straight face test when he has direct influence over what gets printed in local newspapers within his wife’s district.
I agree. If there is something negative happening with Pingree, will those papers print it?I suspect the BDN should prepare for its first break on a political scandal. The competition has been bought out.
And you don’t think BDN hasn’t???
Why do you read it?
Your assumption is that it will operate like all the RW newspapers and not report fairly.
You have yet to see how the paper is going to be run once ownership changes.
You’re assumption is that it will act like all the RW newspapers do and not be a sound journalistic endenver. But, then again, unless it constantly attacks all things Pingree and the Democratic Party then you will consider it a liberal rag.
FOX—- FAIR, OPEN MINDED, and XTRA balanced reporting. The only news that matters is FOX news.
For those who like their news and opinions spoon fed to them Faux News is just the ticket.
All US national news stations are heavily biased in regards to their political outlook. You have to take what any of them say with a grain of salt and filter through that particular network’s agenda. I like the worldwide perspective of the BBC, usually they have a unique way of describing things.
Seven different studies have shown that the viewers of Faux News are the most likely to be misinformed. The listeners of NPR (which carries the BBC) are the least likely to misinformed. Some of the myths still believed by substantial numbers of Faux News viewers are that (i) we found WMD in Iraq; (2) Saddam Hussein was behind 9/11; (3) a majority of scientists disbelieve that global warming is caused by human activity; and (4) President Obama has raised their current year taxes.
It is not by accident that Faux News viewers lead the pack in being misinformed. The network intentionally disinforms its viewers. It should not be lumped with the other networks as “all being biased.” The difference between the Faux News bias and that of the other networks is significant. I don’t quarrel that there is bias built in to any reporting endeavor as a matter of human nature. With Faux News it is a matter of design.
That you call it Faux news speaks volumes about your objectivity, Canard.
Doesn’t it? I admit I do listen to National People’s Radio, too.
I don’t pretend to be objective. It is Faux News that falsely claims to be “fair and balanced.”
You mean the “News Network” that can’t even get the party affiliation right when a Republican is caught doing something wrong?
The only news that matters is factual news, and that takes Fox News out of the equation.
When the tsumani hit Japan which news network was most watched, Fox News or CNN? It wasn’t “The only news that matters is FOX news”, if youwere wondering.
Is Rupert Murdoch the husband of a US Congresswoman? I thought not.
mere straws in an otherwise liberal haystack of journalism
Senator Katz can’t stomach the thought that a wealthy man such as Mr. Sussman might place loyalty to his country over loyalty to his class. This is the same critique Republicans leveled at FDR. The more things change the more they remain the same.
LMFAO Why would you think that Sussman is anything but a shill?
Because he supports Liberal causes while making billions producing nothing.
If this guy was a Republican you would be screaming foul all the way to your local OWS encampment.
You understand neither the First Amendment nor the history of the country. Wealthy men have used the media since the nation’s founding to advance causes and candidates. In the election of 1800 there was no such thing as a neutral newspaper. Publisher William Randolph Hearst successfully ginned up nationalistic fervor in the months leading up to the Spanish American War. Most newspaper publishers vehemently opposed FDR.
Rupert Murdoch is running Faux News as a propaganda arm of the Republican Party and has employed former presidential or vice presidential candidates such as Palin and Huckabee as on-the-air personalities. This is all legal and I have never criticized a system that allows wealthy, usually conservative, white males to grab the megaphone that comes with newspaper ownership. The First Amendment gives them that right and the only response to biased news is more debate, not suppression.
Katz, as a lawyer, surely knows this history. He then pens an op-ed that criticizes a single white Democratic male for becoming an investor in three small papers. Has Katz criticized Murdoch for trying to control political discourse in three countries? No, Katz is only concerned when the wealthy man might take positions with which Katz disagrees.
Only when Katz sees a wealthy man speak out for the working class, as Sussman has, does he express shock. Then he sees a traitor to his class.
So to boil this down, its okay for Sussman to influence the outcomes of elections, in favor of his wife using some of his billions to buy newspapers in the local media market of his wife a US Congresswoman. At least you are being honest.
Just as it is okay for Faux News to vilify President Obama. A free press means a free press. The answer to WVOM is WZON. Do you not understand the First Amendment?
As to the chance of Chellie Pingree being defeated, that simply won’t happen under any set of facts. It is as likely as a snowstorm in August in Maine. Chellie doesn’t need any help from Sussman (and probably won’t get it).
Don’t forget the President of Fox News using his channel to promote his cousins presidency.
Are you talking about John Ellis and George Bush? I didn’t think Ellis was president of Fox News, but he clearly worked for them and decided to “call” Florida for Bush although the results were total chaos at that point.
Michael Sirota–I don’t fault Senator Katz for taking the stand he did against Mr. Sussman–after all, he is a republican and everyone knows that republicans’ #1 job is demonizing democrats–that’s what they do. That being said, I agree with your closing sentence and hope I live to see the day when the majority of politicians are public servants as they should be, as Mr. Sussman’s wife is.
Buck up and combine the schools in the Katahdin region, after all, your sports teams can compete in a higher class again. It may even bring the towns closer together.
It will never happen as long as there are people in their 40’s and 50’s still holding on to the ‘ol letter jacket from days gone by. We all hold on to our glory days. I do. When they start controlling us and dictating our future, that’s when the problems start. .
As you have read the editorial, Millinocket has tried over and over again. It is not Millinocket. Several of us know the teams would be competing on higher levels, tell that to Medway.
Oh I know. It’s funny really. Where I live there has been rivalries going back decades. If a person spent just a little bit of time away, it would be easy to see that they really are the same. does 10-20 miles make that much of a difference? nope.
The sad thing is, is that nothing will get done this year, or next, or the year after that. Eventually everyone will end up with nothing and wonder what the “h” happened. Then of course the blame game will start with a vengence
Ture and the worse part it is less then 10 miles. I would think if Rumford and Mexico could do it then we could. I guess Medway is getting ahead of itself, now they want their own police dept. and paying someone almost a $1000. to look over fire chief applications. I wonder sometimes.
It is good for Portland Pravda to have brave man like the Donald.
ALL HAIL DONALD, COMRADES !!!!
TRUTH WILL BE PRINTED NO MATTER HOW MUCH COST!!!!!
Michael Sirota,
Instead of Susmann buying shares in the publications, would you be okay if Rupert Murdoch, the Koch Bros or the Maine Heritage Foundation purchased shares in these newpapers. Probably not would be my guess, once again demonstrating the hypocrisy of the left.
Bravo Michael. It is about the constituents not the corporations. Hope you can find a candidate that will actually represent constituents. You might check the facebook page Write-ME-In to see what that might look like.