Record and Ledger combine State House bureau

by: Jason Springer

Sat Feb 21, 2009 at 02:24:26 PM EST

The editors said the new arrangement made sense in an age when budget cuts, even before the current recession, have forced newspapers around the country to dramatically reduce reporting staffs. In December, several Star-Ledger reporters left the Trenton bureau as part of a sweeping buyout program.

"At a time when newspapers have had to cut back news staffs, this cooperation allows us to pool resources and better serve all our readers," said Jim Willse, the editor of The Star-Ledger, in a prepared statement.

Frank Scandale, editor of The Record, said, "Sharing coverage while maintaining two distinct news operations is a common-sense response to the changing media landscape."

While the move creates the largest Statehouse bureau in the nation, it further reduces the competition on Press Row that once drove coverage of state government news.

The Ledger and The Trenton Times, both owned by the Newhouse family, had previously combined their Statehouse bureaus. The New York Times recently shut its three-person bureau. Gannett, which owns the Asbury Park Press, The Courier Post, The Home News Tribune and The Courier News, reduced its Statehouse bureau to two from six.

Al Doblin burns the Torch

by: Scott Weingart

Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 09:57:34 AM EDT

Being lectured on meanness by the likes of Bob Torricelli is akin to Amy Winehouse leading a rehab retreat for substance abusers.

Zing! Was Torch seriously expecting us to forget about the time he threatened to emasculate a fellow senator?

Later in the piece, Doblin takes another jab at the hypocritical Torricelli:

You wrote: "I won't be shedding any tears for [The] Record. Bergen County will be a better place without it, but I regret what it did to itself. It didn't have to be."

It's an interesting reference, Bob, the crying and all that. As I recall, the only one who cried when you announced that you were leaving the Senate was you. So please save your tears, Bob. You need them for yourself.

The Dilbertization of The Record Continues

by: Steven Hart

Mon Jun 30, 2008 at 03:55:30 PM EDT

The Record of Hackensack, N.J. is planning to vacate its main headquarters and move staff to the site of its sister daily, The Herald News of West Paterson, according to a staff memo from Publisher Stephen A. Borg. The memo declared: "We must re-invent ourselves."

The memo stated that the move could save about $2.4 million per year. Borg confirmed the memo and said that most of the news staff would actually become mobile journalists, working from the field, while others would also relocate to one of the paper's eight weekly newspaper sites.

"The number one objective is more mobile journalism," Borg, who said the paper has about 30 such "mojos," who report from laptops and cell phones, told E&P. "And to take advantage of our other offices."

Borg said the move has not been scheduled, but added, "I wouldn't want it to occur any later than January '09. Advertising has already moved. In the last six weeks."

The memo refers to Record relocating to Garret Mountain Plaza, an office building in West Paterson that houses several operations for parent company North Jersey Media Group, including the Herald News. Borg said The Record would occupy some of that leased space. "We are working on the logistics," he said. "But reporters I want out in the field, the vast majority of them."

Ferriero's slush fund

by: Juan Melli

Sun Jun 22, 2008 at 10:42:44 AM EDT

Joe Ferriero dipped into a private, unregulated campaign stash to pay for automated robo-calls, slick fliers and other expenses in his lopsided June 10 reelection victory as Bergen County Democratic Organization chairman.

The Ferriero for County Chair account is a little-known arm of the Ferriero fund-raising machine. It is stocked, in part, by contributions from companies that have lucrative contracts with the Democratic-controlled county government and agencies, state records show.

Donors include Maser Consulting of Red Bank, which earned more than $450,000 on a variety of public works and services for Bergen County from 2005 to 2006, according to records filed with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission. Maser contributed $2,500 to the Ferriero fund in May 2006, records show.

The Secaucus-based law firm Waters McPherson McNeill PC, which earned more than $1.2 million as general counsel to the Bergen County Utilities Authority during the past two years, contributed $5,100 in 2006 and 2007. [...]

Donors are free to cut Ferriero a check for any amount they want - contribution limits imposed on other candidates do not apply. In theory, Ferriero can spend the money on anything, including personal expenses. The account is just as exempt from public scrutiny as the new crop of legal defense funds for legislators facing federal corruption charges. These funds allow legislators to raise and spend without any regulatory oversight.

A county police officer racked up more than $1,000 in overtime while chauffeuring Bergen County Democratic boss Joseph Ferriero to Yankees games and to an Atlantic City casino, Police Department records show.

Only after he got caught by The Record did Ferriero say he was "sorry" for abusing the taxpayers and promised to return the money. The Record is doing their job by shedding light on the situation. Are Bergen County voters paying attention?

The Record endorses Lautenberg

by: Juan Melli

Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 01:05:12 PM EDT

Much has been written about Lautenberg's perceived betrayal by Andrews, who, like the six other New Jersey Democrats in the House, had pledged not to challenge the senator this year. Andrews was free to change his mind, though, and that the others did not is their problem, not a concern for voters.

What should concern voters is whether a compelling argument has been made that Lautenberg should be replaced. It has not.

The campaign to oust Lautenberg has focused on the senator's age and effectiveness. Lautenberg will be 90 in the last year of another six-year term. That is a formidable age, but no case has been made that Lautenberg's age impairs his abilities.

The senator has never been an eloquent speaker. But Lautenberg appears more vigorous now than he did six years ago, when he reentered politics after Sen. Bob Torricelli withdrew from a reelection bid.

At the outset of the Iraq war, Andrews was a louder supporter of the invasion than Lautenberg was. But today, neither man wants to continue the failed strategies of the Bush administration.

There are few substantial policy differences between Lautenberg and Andrews. But New Jerseyans can depend on Lautenberg to be a consistent advocate for mass transit and equal rights.

For all his rhetorical skills, Andrews has failed to make a case for replacing the incumbent. Age is not enough. And "effectiveness" is subjective.

We also did not hear a credible argument for the decision to make Andrews' wife, Camille, the placeholder candidate for his South Jersey congressional seat.

Editorial Boards to Lautenberg: Come Out of Hiding

by: Martin

Thu May 15, 2008 at 04:41:38 PM EDT

Like the Red Knot, another native species, the frankus lautenbergus, has also become a rare commodity in the state, so much so that even editorial boards are calling for the organism to return to his state for some face time.

Kidding aside, multiple editorial boards have all but called Lautenberg a coward for not agreeing to multiple debates in multiple formats (the 3 a.m. equivalent on NJN notwithstanding) and for being generally absent from the campaign trail.

Latest NJ Poll: Clinton: 48%, Obama: 23%

by: Juan Melli

Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 11:01:18 AM EST

In a poll conducted by The Record on Wednesday and Thursday, Clinton held a 25 point lead over Obama:

The Record poll (by Research 2000, Jan 9-10, MoE +/-5%)
Democrats
Clinton: 48%
Obama: 23%
Edwards: 11%
Undecided: 13%

Republicans
Giuliani: 34%
McCain: 18%
Romney: 11%
Paul: 8%
Undecided: 17%

Overall, The Record's poll found 73 percent of Democrats and 61 percent of Republicans said they were not likely to change their minds before the primary. More Obama voters than Clinton voters said they could change, but the poll also found that in recent weeks more voters had switched from Clinton than from Obama.

"My take is Democrats want to vote for him but they want to be absolutely sure he can win," said pollster Del Ali of Rockville, Md.-based Research 2000, who conducted The Record Poll.

Our Lazy Media

by: Juan Melli

Sun Nov 05, 2006 at 09:08:32 PM EST

The outcome of the race could help determine which party will control the Senate. It has been dominated by negative charges, with Menendez linking Kean with President Bush and Kean portraying Menendez as a corrupt politician.

God forbid they actually examined those two claims and gave us the objective facts. That might require them to do some work, otherwise known as their "job".

It's so easy to point out the lazy reporters since there's so many of them, but it's equally important to recognize the good ones. We're lucky in New Jersey to have a couple who stand far above the rest by simply doing their jobs. Two of those are Josh Gohlke and Herb Jackson who have been writing the Reality Check series for The Record. It's a rare objective analysis of claims made by both campaigns. They deserve recognition for doing the work most of their colleagues are too lazy to do.

The Record Endorses Paul Aronsohn

by: Juan Melli

Wed Nov 01, 2006 at 11:40:23 AM EST

Voters in Rep. Scott Garrett's district should take a good look at his record. Chances are they would be amazed. Chances are they would find the views of Democratic challenger Paul Aronsohn more in line with their own.

Republican Garrett is not a conservative in the true sense of the word, as one who seeks to uphold traditions and institutions. He is radical.

He was the only House member from the Northeast to vote this year against extending the Voting Rights Act. He was the only House member from New Jersey -- Republican or Democrat -- to support a significant weakening of the Endangered Species Act. He calls for making abortion illegal even when a woman is a victim of rape or incest.