Please read the following review AFTER you have viewed the Gibney film on Abramoff. The author of the review is also a self-proclaimed liberal, but he has quite a different view of some of the personalities and events Gibney portrays in the film.
A Disappointing, One-Sided, Unobjective Analysis of a Complex Political Scandal, September 3, 2010
By Gary S. Chafetz
I recently watched Alex Gibney's "Casino Jack" in a virtually empty movie theater, the new documentary about Jack Abramoff. (Gibney won an Oscar for Documentary Feature in 2008.) "Casino Jack" simply regurgitated the story the media had already conveyed about "evil" Abramoff, and thematically repeated a Bill Moyers documentary several years ago. Gibney's film would have been far more insightful and compelling had it been even-handed.
Disclaimer: Even though I found his Abramoff documentary tendentious and flawed, I admire and respect Gibney's work very much. Politically, we are hard-core liberals. Because I was writing a book about Abramoff (and secretly interviewing him before and during his imprisonment,) Gibney and I have been occasionally meeting and talking about the Abramoff scandal for the past three years.
There are so many disappointing things with this documentary I don't know where to begin. My overarching problem was that Gibney made no attempt to be objective, and that he omitted a plethora of important information that might have afforded the audience a chance to draw a more balanced, nuanced, and more informed conclusion about this complex scandal.
Gibney knew what his conclusion would be long in advance. Presumably for that reason, he did not interview anybody who defended Abramoff or anyone who argued that this scandal was far more convoluted than the simplistic, black-and-white narrative that has been repetitiously presented to the public and now by Gibney.
The film opens with footage of the 2001 mob murder of Florida businessman Gus Boulis, even though Abramoff had met Boulis only once and had nothing to do with his murder. (Boulis had just sold SunCruz casinos to Abramoff and his partner Adam Kidan.)
Soon, there is footage of the casinos operated by Abramoff's tribal clients. Clearly, these casinos are on par with those in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. And clearly, these thriving casinos, earning hundreds of millions of dollars a year, belong to Indians who are well-to-do, not bumpkins that just fell off a log. They can afford the best consultants, lawyers, accountants, and lobbyists. Hence, these particular Indians-for whom Abramoff was the lobbyist-were hardly unsophisticated, which I doubt anyone in the audience have grasped. Gibney should have made this point clear.
(A large part of the virulent antipathy toward Abramoff was fueled by our collective guilt over the genocide our European ancestors committed against the Native Americans. In 1892, there were wild celebrations across the nation. In New York City, for example, a statue was erected of the Great Navigator in an area re-named Columbus Circle. But in 1992, there were essentially no national or regional celebrations to mark a stellar numerical anniversary: the quincentenary of the European discovery of the New World. The reason? We were too ashamed.)
Yes, the public was infuriated with Abramoff. Here was this white man-(that he was an Orthodox Jew only made matters worse)-stealing candy from these poor, unsophisticated Indians. The Washington Post, which broke this story, exploited this undercurrent of shame brilliantly and cynically. I feel it was disingenuous of Gibney not to make clear that these particular Indians-whom Abramoff was accused of defrauding-were not your stereotypic unemployed Indian, boozing it up on a hard-scrabble reservation. In the end, these Indians proved to be far more sophisticated than Washington uber-lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
The other impression Gibney, The Washington Post, and Sen. John McCain, (former chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, which also investigated Abramoff,) wanted to impart was that not only had Abramoff defrauded his clients, but he had been a lousy lobbyist. In other words, they wanted the public to believe that all these gullible, unsophisticated Indians had not only been bamboozled into paying Abramoff gargantuan sums, but had received nothing in return.
This is untrue. Abramoff was perhaps the most effective Indian lobbyist who ever lived. It would have been fair if Gibney had at least made that clear. But he did not. Apparently, Gibney preferred Abramoff's iconic image as the indelibly vile pariah, Indian exploiter, and corrupter of the democratic process.
TAXING TRIBAL CASINOS
The most compelling example of Abramoff's lobbying magic was his successful efforts for three successive years to defeat Republican-controlled congressional legislation that would have taxed tribal casinos. (Federally recognized Indian tribes are "sovereign nations" and are supposedly exempt from federal and state taxes.) Had that legislation passed, tribal casinos would have been required to pay about 33% of their profits to the US Treasury. By killing this legislation, Abramoff has cumulatively saved Indian Country about $30 billion for the past 12 years and counting, exponentially more than the relative pittance he charged them for his services. But once again, Gibney omitted this Abramoff triumph from his film.
THE CHOCTAWS OF MISSISSIPPI
Gibney describes how Abramoff, (remember, a lobbyist advocates for and protects his clients as does a lawyer), protected the interests of his client, the Choctaw Indians of Mississippi, so that its casino could keep making money. If a nearby casino opened up, it would hurt his client's revenue stream. So Abramoff worked hard to kill all competing casinos. (This is precisely what anyone hiring a lawyer/lobbyist wants done-the American Way, for better or worse.)
The Choctaws ran a lucrative casino near the Alabama border. The Jena Tribe, also located nearby in Mississippi, wanted to open its own casino, which would have put a big dent in the Choctaws' profits. But first, the Jena Tribe needed federal approval. With the help of Tom DeLay and other Republican lawmakers in Washington, Abramoff blocked the Jena's casino. But Gibney made it seem that Abramoff's successful efforts were somehow sleazy. Perhaps they were. But that's not the point. Abramoff did his job. He may have charged a lot, but he did save the Choctaws many hundreds of millions of dollars-far in excess of what he charged his client. Gibney should have pointed that out.
Gibney also completely omitted another far more spectacular Choctaw success Abramoff engineered. He somehow stopped a referendum in next-door Alabama that would have led to the opening of Indian casinos in that state. Since most of the Choctaw casino clients came from Alabama, the passage of that referendum would have probably put their casino out of business. Again, Abramoff saved his client hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars, something Gibney did not to mention.
THE COUSHATTA TRIBE OF LOUISIANA
Gibney omitted another impressive Abramoff lobbying coup involving the wealthy Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, which also operated a casino and resort.
The Louisiana Coushatta had applied to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in 1927 for permission to purchase about 9,000 acres of land "in trust" to add to its reservation. For nearly 75 years, the BIA did nothing but sit on that application. It was Abramoff, with the help of Tom DeLay, who forced the BIA to grant the Coushatta's request. Again, Gibney made no mention of this.
Abramoff's biggest lobbying coup for the Louisiana Coushatta was shutting down a casino east of Houston, Texas, that may have put his client's casino out of business. It may seem hard to believe, but a complicating factor involved his also shutting down the casino of a tribe 1000 miles away in El Paso, Texas.
THE TIGUA TRIBE OF EL PASO, TEXAS
Gibney focused much attention on the Tigua tribe of El Paso. This pivotal and controversial episode in the Abramoff scandal is the one which reporter Susan Schmidt of The Washington Post, (whom Gibney interviewed extensively in the film), manufactured so that Abramoff appeared to be the most deceitful villain to have ever slithered out of the slime.
Schmidt claimed that Abramoff had secretly shut down the Tigua's casino simply so he could appear the next day to persuade the tribe to hire him to get its casino reopened! The ultimate sleazebag, right? Well, not quite. It was Schmidt who was sleazy-some would say dishonest-in how she manipulated the facts. Her little work of fiction created such a firestorm of public fury against Abramoff that it helped her win a 2005 Pulitzer Prize, (which, in my opinion, should be rescinded.) What's more, it was also the final straw that made Abramoff's imprisonment inevitable.
The problem is that Schmidt withheld a crucial bit of information from her story. Here are the facts. (Please bear with me.This is a bit complicated.)
Back in 2001, there was one tribal casino in Texas, and it was being operated illegally (something Gibney neglected to mention) by the Tigua Tribe in El Paso. There was a second tribe preparing to open its own illegal casino 700 miles away, east of Houston. That second tribe is confusingly called the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas. A pending bill in the Texas state legislature would have legalized both tribal casinos. Abramoff's client-the Louisiana Coushatta, (who had just purchased 9,000 acres of land thanks to Abramoff and DeLay), operated a very lucrative casino near the Texas border-felt threatened. Most of its gamblers drove three hours from the Houston area to play slots and blackjack in its casino. Had the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas opened its own casino east of Houston, Abramoff's client, the Louisiana Coushatta, might have been forced out of business. (Why drive three hours to gamble when a new casino has just opened minutes away?)
Here's the point of this complex-sounding story. Abramoff needed to stop that Texas bill which would have legalized the two tribal casinos, even though only one of them-the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas-threatened his Louisiana client. Obviously, Abramoff had absolutely no interest in shutting down the Tigua casino, because it was located in El Paso, 1000 miles from (and therefore no threat to) his client in Louisiana. But, yes, if Abramoff could find a way to kill the bill, the Tigua casino would also be shut down.
In another brilliant lobbying coup, (which Gibney once again failed to point out), Abramoff managed to derail the Texas bill. (The bill had already passed in the Texas House by an 83-vote margin. It would have easily passed in the Texas Senate by an even greater margin, but Abramoff was able to stop the bill from reaching the Senate floor for a vote! Hence, the bill failed to become law; both tribal casinos were shut down.)
But The Washington Post's Susan Schmidt never mentioned the part about the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas in her story! She claimed that Abramoff's sole purpose was to shut the Tigua's casino so he could persuade them to hire him to get it reopened. She completely omitted the fact that the casino of another tribe-the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas-was the only one he was interested in shuttering. Did Schmidt know that the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas even existed and that it was a threat to Abramoff's client in Louisiana? Indeed, her name had appeared on a recent story in which those two facts were identified by her! Hence, it would appear that Schmidt deliberately omitted this key bit of information simply so her story would make Abramoff's behavior seem so reprehensible.
I discussed this complicated story a number of times with Gibney. He didn't seem as outraged as I. But he did end up conceding in his film that Abramoff's shuttering of the Tigua casino was "collateral damage." Schmidt, on the other hand, never used the term collateral damage-or any similar term, because that would have undermined her fairy tale of righteous indignation. She simply omitted the name of the second tribe and, most importantly, that the second tribe was Abramoff's real target. Given Schmidt's previous reporting, she knew that the real reason for Abramoff's actions were not what she reported, but rather to protect his Louisiana-based casino client.
In the film, Gibney did not call Schmidt on the carpet for her journalistic transgression or question her on this matter at all. Why he gave her a free pass I find puzzling.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN
Let's take a look at the illustrious Sen. John McCain. Although Gibney was well aware that there was bad blood between McCain and Abramoff, he failed to mention this in his film. First of all, Abramoff was an arch conservative, allied with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, anti-tax activist Grover Norquist, former Christian Coalition chairman Ralph Reed, right-wing ministers James Dobson, Pat Robertson, and others. They all loathed "maverick" John McCain, who then touted himself as a moderate Republican.
Secondly, Abramoff had inadvertently funded the notorious and scurrilous "black baby smear" campaign that had helped to sink McCain's presidential bid in the South Carolina Republican primary of February 2000. So it could be argued that McCain's investigation of Abramoff was in large part motivated by personal vendetta. Gibney omitted this.
Although Gibney did mention that McCain had suppressed many of Abramoff's subpoenaed emails, Gibney did not provide a readily available and widely known specific numerical percentage. Straight-talk McCain suppressed 99% of Abramoff's emails! In other words, he only released 1% to the public. This highly selective release of emails allowed McCain to paint Abramoff in the worst possible light, especially since Abramoff foolishly decided not to defend himself during the hearings. (On advice of counsel, he exercised his Fifth Amendment right, which led many to conclude he was guilty.)
Gibney did point out that McCain suppressed many of Abramoff's emails, but that he did so to avoid injuring his fellow Republicans. That was only partly true. The tiny fraction of emails McCain released had been selected and taken out of context in order to generate the greatest possible damage to Abramoff. Gibney knew this, because we discussed it many times, but did not mention it.
SUNCRUZ CASINO
Regarding the purchase of SunCruz casino, Abramoff had been indicted for wire fraud, involving a forged $23 million wire transfer, supposedly the down payment for the $147.5 million purchase of SunCruz casino. Abramoff, however, knew nothing about this phony wire transfer. I interviewed Adam Kidan, Abramoff's SunCruz partner, for over 100 hours. I asked him if Abramoff knew about this forged wire transfer. Kidan repeatedly told me that Abramoff knew nothing about it. Since I had told Gibney this fact and since Gibney also interviewed Kidan for the film, I was quite surprised that Gibney did not mention it.
So why did Abramoff plead guilty to wire fraud in the SunCruz matter if he knew nothing about the concocted $23 million wire transfer? Here's another key issue that Gibney chose not to address in his film.
WHITE-COLLAR GUILTY PLEAS AND HONEST-SERVICES FRAUD
Like many defendants, especially white-collar defendants, Abramoff pleaded guilty, because he was afraid not to. (The New York Times reported that over 25% of convicted and imprisoned rapists and murderers, later exonerated by DNA evidence, had pleaded guilty!) The truth is that Abramoff was intimidated and pressured into pleading guilty, even though he didn't think he was guilty. First, his legal fees were becoming astronomical. Second, federal prosecutors threatened to sentence him to 30 years in a maximum-security prison with violent offenders. Abramoff was told, however, if he agreed to plead guilty to whatever they told him to plead guilty to, his sentence would be reduced to four years and he would do his time it in a cushy prison camp close to home, conveniently allowing his wife and five children to visit him. Again, Gibney failed to mention this.
What exactly was Abramoff guilty of? Bribing congressmen? He never did that, (although he did plead guilty to it.) Tax evasion? Doubtful, (although he did plead guilty to this. Even some of the federal prosecutors who worked on the case disagree on this tax-evasion charge.) Wire fraud? Definitely not, (though he did plead guilty to this too.) Defrauding his tribal clients? Well, now we've now arrived at the crux of the criminal matter, which centers on the "kickback" scheme involving Abramoff's public-relations colleague, Michael Scanlon.
THE "KICKBACK" SCHEME
Gibney prominently mentions that Abramoff took "kickbacks" from Scanlon. The Post and McCain contend that Abramoff should have informed his tribal clients that he was getting a "kickback" from Scanlon, whom they hired at Abramoff's behest. But there is nothing criminal in not informing his clients. And calling it a "kickback" is a misnomer. It was a perfectly legal referral fee, something that orthopedic surgeons, lawyers, and mortgage brokers engage in everyday without informing their clients. Federal prosecutors knew it wasn't a crime, but had to conjure up something to charge Abramoff with so he could appear to plead guilty to defrauding his tribal clients. The conjured-up was "honest-services fraud," a nebulous felony impossible to define. In fact, the U. S. Supreme Court recently declared this controversial law unconstitutionally vague...and yet Gibney did not choose to mention anything at all about the storm swirling around the honest-services fraud statute and its pivotal effect on the Abramoff scandal.
THE GUILTY PLEA OF REP. ROBERT NEY
Gibney extensively interviewed former Ohio Congressman Robert Ney, who spent nearly a year in prison as a result of the Abramoff scandal. For a long time, Ney had stubbornly refused to plead guilty, claiming he had done nothing wrong. And in my opinion it is unlikely that Ney would have ever been indicted, never mind found guilty of any charge related to the Abramoff scandal. What cooked Ney's goose, however, was not Abramoff. Ney was caught accepting a $50,000 cash bribe from a Syrian businessman who asked Ney's help in obtaining spare parts for Iranian military jets, something Abramoff had nothing to do with. With that little incriminating tidbit, however, federal prosecutors were able to tighten the screws on Ney until he squealed guilty to the Abramoff charges as well, in return for a reduced sentence in a cushy prison camp. Gibney knew all about that fat Syrian businessman, but did not to mention it.
Gibney also mentioned that Ney had placed at Abramoff's behest two statements in the Congressional Record-one that disparaged SunCruz owner Gus Boulis and a subsequent one that praised Adam Kidan. Well, this isn't exactly true. Those statements had not been placed in the Congressional Record, but in the Congressional Records Extensions, an obscure publication that essentially no one reads, in which lawmakers insert statements praising local boy-scout troops; honoring a constituent's birthday, marriage, graduation, or death. Gibney made a big deal out of that frivolous favor. Frivolous comments made in an obscure publication pale in comparison to helping the terrorist state of Iran and sworn enemy of the United States obtain spare parts for its aging American fighter jets. But Gibney said nothing about this.
FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER TOM DELAY
As for Tom DeLay, former Republican House speaker and Abramoff's most valuable asset, Gibney makes it clear how much he loathes his politics and his tactics-and so do I. And I can't stand Abramoff's politics as well, (even though he tried to change my mind during the 100 hours I interviewed Abramoff). Gibney did his best to make DeLay, who was extensively interviewed in the film, look hypocritical and sleazy. Gibney even included clips from DeLay's embarrassing appearance on the TV show "Dancing With The Stars." This was gratuitous and only served to make DeLay look foolish, which I thought was unfair. No matter how unsavory Gibney tried to make DeLay appear in the film, there is one incontrovertible fact that Gibney failed to concede. DeLay would never be indicted for anything related to the Abramoff scandal. Indeed,the Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced that it had dropped its six-year investigation of DeLay. (And Abramoff, who has been cooperating with federal prosecutors for nearly six years, repeatedly told me how badly the DOJ wanted to indict DeLay.)
ADAM KIDAN
Even minor things were not dealt with even-handedly in Casino Jack. For example, Gibney interviewed Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW (Citizens For Responsibility and Ethics in Washington), a liberal, non-profit watchdog group. She stated that Adam Kidan, Abramoff's SunCruz partner, had been disbarred for fraud. But Gibney chose not to give Kidan a chance to respond or defend himself. It just so happens that those charges were brought by Kidan's stepfather, the controversial owner of adult video stores. They were embroiled in a business dispute. However, the stepfather later wrote to the authorities withdrawing his complaint. (These letters are archived and readily available in Brooklyn and Long Island courthouses.)
Furthermore, Naomi Seligman, former deputy director of CREW and one of Sloan's dearest friends, used to date Kidan. Perhaps this was not worth mentioning in the film, but Gibney knew this.
THE EELEMOSYNARY ABRAMOFF
In the tradition of Orthodox Judaism, Abramoff had been an extraordinarily generous person. Essentially, he gave away much of his money, often anonymously, mostly to Jewish charities. He never even paid off his own home mortgage. And yet Gibney didn't mention any of this at all. It's as if he went out of his way to avoid saying anything that might cast Abramoff in a positive light.
CONCLUSION
Gibney ends the film decrying lobbying. He cites how banking and financial lobbyists are preventing the government from reigning in and controlling derivatives, such as credit-default swaps, which recently nearly triggered an economic depression. He also cites the recent Supreme Court decision, allowing corporations to spend as much as they want on lobbying. And somehow he compares those cataclysms to the alleged crimes of Jack Abramoff.
What crimes did Abramoff actually commit? He got Rep. Bob Ney to insert frivolous comments in the frivolous Congressional Records Extensions. Abramoff gave lawmakers and their staff free meals, drinks at his restaurant and free seats at sporting events, and subsidized a few golf trips. And what did he get in return? He helped his tribal clients' casinos remain profitable. He wangled an audience with President George W. Bush for the prime minister of Malaysia. So what? This is inconsequential compared to the great evils perpetuated by the financial-industry lobbyists, the health-care lobbyists, the tobacco lobbyists, the National Rifle Association, etc. And for these petty gems of sleaze and corruption, Abramoff is sent to federal prison for four years? Seems to me like much ado about nothing.
What Gibney did not mention in his film is that lobbying-the right to petition Congress-is protected by the very First Amendment to the Constitution. Sure, every liberal wants elections to be publicly financed, but it will never happen because of something called the "incumbency advantage." Incumbents get reelected about 90% of the time, thanks, in part, to the money that lobbyists funnel into their reelection campaigns. (Yes, the "bad" lobbyists include Exxon Mobil, the National Right to Life Committee, and the National Rifle Association, as well as the "good" lobbyists like the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP and the AARP.) It's doubtful that current lawmakers are going to pass legislation that would make it easier for their opponents to take away their jobs.
When Abramoff stopped the Republican-controlled Congress from taxing Indian casinos, do you know how he did it? He didn't do it with free drinks and meals at his restaurant, free tickets to sporting events at his skyboxes, or golf trips. What those freebies got him was access to the lawmakers and their staff, so he could present a compelling argument. And what was that compelling argument that killed the bill? He told Republican lawmakers that they should vote against this bill because it was a tax, and Republicans were supposed to be anti-tax fanatics. It worked, but people who see the documentary won't know that, because Gibney didn't mention it.
Oh yes, I almost forgot. Remember those naïve, unsophisticated Indians that Abramoff bamboozled? Well, they all sued the law firms that Abramoff used to work for. And guess what? They all won huge settlements, so that in the end, they got Abramoff's phenomenal lobbying services for a pittance...Gibney forgot to mention that too.
Someone of Gibney's caliber should not have resorted to such transparent tendentiousness.
Gary S. Chafetz is the author of The Perfect Villain: John McCain and the Demonization of Lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Crowley Removed as State Dept. Spokesman
Crowley out as State Department spokesman
By: CNN Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry
Washington (CNN) - P.J. Crowley is abruptly stepping down as State Department spokesman under pressure from the White House, according to senior officials familiar with the matter, because of controversial comments he made about the Bradley Manning case.
Crowley will step down as early as Sunday afternoon, the officials said, because White House officials are furious about his suggestion that the Obama administration is mistreating Manning, the Army private who is being held in solitary confinement in Quantico, Virginia, under suspicion that he leaked highly classified State Department cables to the website Wikileaks.
Speaking to a small group at MIT last week, Crowley was asked about allegations that Manning is being tortured and kicked up a firestorm by answering that what is being done to Manning by Defense Department officials "is ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid."
Crowley did add that "nonetheless, Bradley Manning is in the right place" because of his alleged crimes, according to a blog post by BBC reporter Philippa Thomas, who was present at Crowley's talk.
But Crowley has told friends that he is deeply concerned that mistreatment of Manning could undermine the legitimate prosecution of the young private. Crowley has also made clear he has the Obama administration's best interests at heart because he thinks any mistreatment of Manning could be damaging around the world to President Obama, who has tried to end the perception that the U.S. tortures prisoners.
Nevertheless, Crowley's political fate was sealed on Friday when Obama was asked at a White House news conference about his comments regarding Manning.
Obama revealed that he had asked Pentagon officials "whether or not the procedures that have been taken in terms of (Manning's) confinement are appropriate and are meeting our basic standards."
In a comment that drew howls of protest from liberals, Obama added that Pentagon officials "assure me that they are. I can't go into details about some of their concerns, but some of this has to do with Private Manning's safety as well."
Manning's treatment has become a flashpoint for liberals, with Amnesty International noting he has been confined to a windowless cell for 23 hours a day, is stripped down to his boxers at night and is not given pillows or blankets.
Manning's lawyer also says the young private recently had to sleep in the nude because defense officials thought there was a suicide threat and decided to take away his boxer shorts.
Crowley is highly respected on foreign policy matters, dating back to his time as National Security Council spokesman under then-President Bill Clinton. He has been the Obama administration's public face on many international stories as the daily briefer at the State Department for Secretary Hillary Clinton.
But he has not had a completely smooth relationship with officials in the Obama White House, and eyebrows were raised several months ago when White House aide Mike Hammer was sent over to the State Department to serve as Crowley's deputy. Hammer is now expected to replace Crowley as the assistant secretary for public affairs.
A little-known factor in Crowley's comments about Manning was revealed Saturday by April Ryan, a White House correspondent for American Urban Radio who covered Crowley in the Clinton White House.
Ryan wrote on Twitter that Crowley "dislikes treatment of prisoners as his father was a Prisoner of War."
While it's true that Crowley's father was imprisoned during World War II, people close him downplay that as a major factor in his comments about Manning, saying the biggest factor is simply that Crowley believes what he said.
Asked to comment on Crowley stepping down, Tommy Vietor, spokesman for the National Security Council, referred questions to the State Department.
Friday, March 11, 2011
So. Bend Tribune Discusses Media Mix
It might surprise you, given all the pessimism about newspapers in recent years, to learn that The Tribune has more readers than ever before.
That's because even though there are fewer print subscribers than when the newspaper was essentially the sole source for news, our web audience has grown exponentially.
Digital page views for our sites were up 20 percent year-over-year at the end of 2010.
Those of you who follow SouthBendTribune.com regularly know there are reasons for those numbers. We're the leading news site for north central Indiana and southwestern Michigan; our coverage of high school and college sports, weather, and business and economic development is unmatched. And readers come to us from all over the globe to read about the University of Notre Dame.
Now SouthBendTribune.com is taking another leap forward. We've switched this week to a new content management system that allows us to organize and present material more attractively and effectively.
For example, you'll find that the local news pages offer stories by category -- "government and politics," "crime and courts," "education, " etc.
Because our new system, Tribune Digital, links us up with a number of newspapers and television stations around the country, we'll offer you extra packages of articles, photos, and live streaming video that will help you make sense of the day's major stories. We'll have stories and photos, for instance, from The Los Angeles Times, the nation's leading source for news about entertainment and the TV/movie industry, and we'll have the last word on Chicago sports from The Chicago Tribune. There also will be more news from around the nation and world.
Most significant will be the improvements to our local news presentation. The new system also allows us to link up more effectively with our partners at WSBT-TV and WSBT Radio. All of us are owned by Schurz Communications Inc., which is in the process of converting all of its properties to Tribune Digital.
With all three news operations able to share information seamlessly, we'll bring you even faster breaking news, weather and traffic reporting and more video and audio to complement our writing and photos.
In January, we launched a new Classified website that gives visitors more information and easier ways to search for what you are looking for. New features include an easier way to sort information, maps to locate real estate, garage sales, and auctions, and "Contact the Seller" button where you can ask the seller a question via anonymous email.
We know that more and more of our readers get at least some of their news from our digital products. With our new system in place, your visits to SouthBendTribune.com will bring you deeper, wider choices than ever before.
That's because even though there are fewer print subscribers than when the newspaper was essentially the sole source for news, our web audience has grown exponentially.
Digital page views for our sites were up 20 percent year-over-year at the end of 2010.
Those of you who follow SouthBendTribune.com regularly know there are reasons for those numbers. We're the leading news site for north central Indiana and southwestern Michigan; our coverage of high school and college sports, weather, and business and economic development is unmatched. And readers come to us from all over the globe to read about the University of Notre Dame.
Now SouthBendTribune.com is taking another leap forward. We've switched this week to a new content management system that allows us to organize and present material more attractively and effectively.
For example, you'll find that the local news pages offer stories by category -- "government and politics," "crime and courts," "education, " etc.
Because our new system, Tribune Digital, links us up with a number of newspapers and television stations around the country, we'll offer you extra packages of articles, photos, and live streaming video that will help you make sense of the day's major stories. We'll have stories and photos, for instance, from The Los Angeles Times, the nation's leading source for news about entertainment and the TV/movie industry, and we'll have the last word on Chicago sports from The Chicago Tribune. There also will be more news from around the nation and world.
Most significant will be the improvements to our local news presentation. The new system also allows us to link up more effectively with our partners at WSBT-TV and WSBT Radio. All of us are owned by Schurz Communications Inc., which is in the process of converting all of its properties to Tribune Digital.
With all three news operations able to share information seamlessly, we'll bring you even faster breaking news, weather and traffic reporting and more video and audio to complement our writing and photos.
In January, we launched a new Classified website that gives visitors more information and easier ways to search for what you are looking for. New features include an easier way to sort information, maps to locate real estate, garage sales, and auctions, and "Contact the Seller" button where you can ask the seller a question via anonymous email.
We know that more and more of our readers get at least some of their news from our digital products. With our new system in place, your visits to SouthBendTribune.com will bring you deeper, wider choices than ever before.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Pulitzer Winner Broder Dies
Washington (CNN) -- David Broder, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post political columnist, died Wednesday from complications relating to diabetes, the newspaper said.
He was 81.
Broder, known as the "dean of the Washington press corps," won the Pulitzer in 1973 for his coverage of the Watergate scandal. He covered every national political convention since 1956, according to the Post.
"David spent his professional life with political leaders at all levels of society, from precinct captains to presidents, on Capitol Hill, and in State Houses and City Halls in all fifty states," Broder's family said in a statement posted on the Post's website.
"His greatest admiration and respect were always for the voters themselves, who would answer a knock on their door, let him into their homes, and share their observations on the issues of the day. Their passion for this country and its possibilities mirrored his own. To the countless thousands who ... inspired his curiosity and informed his reporting, we offer our thanks."
President Barack Obama issued a statement praising Broder's reputation as "the most respected and incisive political commentator of his generation."
"Through all his success, David remained an eminently kind and gracious person, and someone we will dearly miss," the president said.
NPR's CEO Resigns
Washington (CNN) -- National Public Radio CEO Vivian Schiller resigned Wednesday, according to NPR.
Schiller's resignation comes a day after Ron Schiller, NPR's former senior vice president for fundraising, was shown in an undercover video calling the Tea Party "racist" and "scary" and questioning whether NPR needs federal funding. Ron Schiller, no relation to Vivian Schiller, issued an apology Tuesday night and said his already-announced resignation would be effective immediately.
Dave Edwards, chairman of NPR's board of directors, said in a statement on the NPR website that the board accepted Vivian Schiller's resignation "with understanding, genuine regret and great respect for her leadership of NPR these past two years."
Edwards said he recognizes "the magnitude of this news -- and that it comes on top of what has been a traumatic period for NPR and the larger public radio community. The board is committed to supporting NPR through this interim period and has confidence in NPR's leadership team."
Joyce Slocum, NPR's senior vice president of legal affairs and general counsel, was appointed as interim CEO under a succession plan the board adopted in 2009, Edwards' statement said. The board will establish a committee "that will develop a timeframe and process for the recruitment and selection of new leadership," he said.
Edwards credited Vivian Schiller with bringing "vision and energy" to NPR and leading it back from "the enormous economic challenges of the previous two years. She was passionately committed to NPR's mission and to stations and NPR working collaboratively as a local-national news network."
NPR spokeswoman Anna Christopher said she could not confirm reports that Vivian Schiller was forced out.
Filmmaker James O'Keefe said Tuesday the video featuring Ron Schiller was part of a sting operation. He said the idea stemmed from an incident in October when NPR fired analyst Juan Williams after Williams said he got scared when people wore Muslim garb on airplanes.
"My colleague Shaughn Adeleye who posed as one of the members of the Muslim Brotherhood was pretty offended with what happened with Juan Williams and he suggested looking into NPR after that incident back in the fall," O'Keefe told CNN's Brian Todd on Tuesday. "My other colleague, Simon Templar, came up with the idea to have a Muslim angle since Juan Williams was fired due to his comments. So we decided to see if there was a greater truth or hidden truth amongst these reporters and journalists and executives."
Williams has since been hired full-time by Fox News.
O'Keefe gained notoriety for posing as a pimp and secretly taping damaging conversations with employees at the Association of Community Organizations for Reform (ACORN). He was also involved in a failed plot to embarrass a CNN correspondent on hidden camera.
Ron Schiller and another NPR executive are shown on the video having lunch with potential NPR donors, who were really working for O'Keefe undercover. In the video, they pose as representatives of a Muslim organization considering making a $5 million donation to NPR.
"Tea Party people" aren't "just Islamaphobic, but really xenophobic," Ron Schiller says on the recording. "I mean basically they are, they believe in sort of white, middle-America gun-toting. I mean, it's scary. They're seriously racist, racist people."
He went on to say, "The Tea Party is fanatically involved in people's personal lives and very fundamental Christian. I wouldn't even call it Christian. It's this weird evangelical kind of move."
In the video, Ron Schiller says that NPR, which is partially funded by government money, would be "better off without federal funding."
"The problem is that if we lost it now, a lot of stations would go dark," he said.
Late Tuesday evening, Ron Schiller issued an apology through NPR.
"While the meeting I participated in turned out to be a ruse, I made statements during the course of the meeting that are counter to NPR's values and also not reflective of my own beliefs," Schiller said in a statement. "I offer my sincere apology to those I offended. I resigned from NPR, previously effective May 6, to accept another job. In an effort to put this unfortunate matter behind us, NPR and I have agreed that my resignation is effective today."
NPR spokeswoman Dana Davis Rehm on Tuesday condemned Ron Schiller's remarks, saying they "are contrary to everything we stand for ... and we completely disavow the views expressed."
"NPR is fair and open minded about the people we cover," Rehm said. "Our reporting reflects those values every single day -- in the civility of our programming, the range of opinions we reflect and the diversity of stories we tell."
Rehm also decried Ron Schiller's statement that NPR would be "better off without federal funding," saying it "does not reflect reality. The elimination of federal funding would significantly damage public broadcasting as a whole."
Schiller's resignation comes a day after Ron Schiller, NPR's former senior vice president for fundraising, was shown in an undercover video calling the Tea Party "racist" and "scary" and questioning whether NPR needs federal funding. Ron Schiller, no relation to Vivian Schiller, issued an apology Tuesday night and said his already-announced resignation would be effective immediately.
Dave Edwards, chairman of NPR's board of directors, said in a statement on the NPR website that the board accepted Vivian Schiller's resignation "with understanding, genuine regret and great respect for her leadership of NPR these past two years."
Edwards said he recognizes "the magnitude of this news -- and that it comes on top of what has been a traumatic period for NPR and the larger public radio community. The board is committed to supporting NPR through this interim period and has confidence in NPR's leadership team."
Joyce Slocum, NPR's senior vice president of legal affairs and general counsel, was appointed as interim CEO under a succession plan the board adopted in 2009, Edwards' statement said. The board will establish a committee "that will develop a timeframe and process for the recruitment and selection of new leadership," he said.
Edwards credited Vivian Schiller with bringing "vision and energy" to NPR and leading it back from "the enormous economic challenges of the previous two years. She was passionately committed to NPR's mission and to stations and NPR working collaboratively as a local-national news network."
NPR spokeswoman Anna Christopher said she could not confirm reports that Vivian Schiller was forced out.
Filmmaker James O'Keefe said Tuesday the video featuring Ron Schiller was part of a sting operation. He said the idea stemmed from an incident in October when NPR fired analyst Juan Williams after Williams said he got scared when people wore Muslim garb on airplanes.
"My colleague Shaughn Adeleye who posed as one of the members of the Muslim Brotherhood was pretty offended with what happened with Juan Williams and he suggested looking into NPR after that incident back in the fall," O'Keefe told CNN's Brian Todd on Tuesday. "My other colleague, Simon Templar, came up with the idea to have a Muslim angle since Juan Williams was fired due to his comments. So we decided to see if there was a greater truth or hidden truth amongst these reporters and journalists and executives."
Williams has since been hired full-time by Fox News.
O'Keefe gained notoriety for posing as a pimp and secretly taping damaging conversations with employees at the Association of Community Organizations for Reform (ACORN). He was also involved in a failed plot to embarrass a CNN correspondent on hidden camera.
Ron Schiller and another NPR executive are shown on the video having lunch with potential NPR donors, who were really working for O'Keefe undercover. In the video, they pose as representatives of a Muslim organization considering making a $5 million donation to NPR.
"Tea Party people" aren't "just Islamaphobic, but really xenophobic," Ron Schiller says on the recording. "I mean basically they are, they believe in sort of white, middle-America gun-toting. I mean, it's scary. They're seriously racist, racist people."
He went on to say, "The Tea Party is fanatically involved in people's personal lives and very fundamental Christian. I wouldn't even call it Christian. It's this weird evangelical kind of move."
In the video, Ron Schiller says that NPR, which is partially funded by government money, would be "better off without federal funding."
"The problem is that if we lost it now, a lot of stations would go dark," he said.
Late Tuesday evening, Ron Schiller issued an apology through NPR.
"While the meeting I participated in turned out to be a ruse, I made statements during the course of the meeting that are counter to NPR's values and also not reflective of my own beliefs," Schiller said in a statement. "I offer my sincere apology to those I offended. I resigned from NPR, previously effective May 6, to accept another job. In an effort to put this unfortunate matter behind us, NPR and I have agreed that my resignation is effective today."
NPR spokeswoman Dana Davis Rehm on Tuesday condemned Ron Schiller's remarks, saying they "are contrary to everything we stand for ... and we completely disavow the views expressed."
"NPR is fair and open minded about the people we cover," Rehm said. "Our reporting reflects those values every single day -- in the civility of our programming, the range of opinions we reflect and the diversity of stories we tell."
Rehm also decried Ron Schiller's statement that NPR would be "better off without federal funding," saying it "does not reflect reality. The elimination of federal funding would significantly damage public broadcasting as a whole."
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Summer Internships Available
Friends:
A number of my colleagues and associates have told me they are looking for interns this summer, and have asked me if I could "pass along" this need to folk in my network.
I thought the most efficient way to honor this request would be to create this email. Below are a number of opportunities. If you're interested, please don't contact ME, please contact the person listed next to the opportunity.
The exception to this instruction would be if you're interested in an internship with WORLD. We have a number of opportunities. If you are interested in an internship with WORLD, just hit the reply button, attach your email, and I'll get it to the right person.
Cordially,
Warren
Doubleday Religion, an imprint of Random House, Inc.
Location: 1745 Broadway, between 55th & 56th streets, New York, NY 10075
Hours: 24/week, Mon-Thurs 10AM-4PM
Duration: June-August 2011 (8 weeks, flexible on start date)
Qualifications: Must be currently enrolled as a student and arrange to receive college credit for internship.
Description: Doubleday Religion summer intern will be responsible for basic office duties and marketing and publicity support. Public relations activities to include research, updating and maintaining media lists, making new contacts within national and Catholic media outlets, documenting secured publicity for company knowledge, trafficking clippings, assembling press kits, and executing media mailings. Marketing activities to include web presence updates and social media engagement on behalf of the imprint. Must possess strong writing abilities and proficiency with Microsoft Office programs. Attendance at regularly held editorial, packaging, marketing, and sales meetings is encouraged, and opportunities will be available to observe acquisitions and participate in the editorial process.
Send Resume or questions to: ImageBooks@randomhouse.com
Summit Ministries
Web Design Interns: Seeking summer, fall, and spring college interns to work with the development, design, and upkeep of summit.org. Applicants should possess knowledge with at least some of the following languages: HTML, PHP, and CSS. Those applying will also be expected to learn the Expression Engine CMS and X-Cart store platforms. This internship is virtual office, and thus does not require relocation. Please submit resume and sample work to joey@summit.org.
Graphic Design Interns: Seeking summer college interns to work on promotional and advertisement projects. Applicants should possess knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and In Design software. This internship is located in Colorado Springs but could also be done by virtual office. Please submit resume and sample work to jason@summit.org.
Video Production Interns: Seeking summer college interns to work on promotional, product, and curriculum projects. Applicants should possess knowledge of Final Cut Pro Vegas, or Premiere Pro software. This internship is located in Colorado Springs. Please submit resume and sample work to joey@summit.org.
Social Media Interns: Seeking summer college interns to assist with promotion via social networks. Applicants should have intimate knowledge with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr. This internship is virtual office, and thus does not require relocation. Please submit resume and sample work to jason@summit.org.
Research Interns: Seeking summer college interns to assist with gathering and organizing online materials, such as: essays, debates, videos, website links, and media reviews. Applicants should possess exceptional research and organizational skills. This internship is virtual office, and thus does not require relocation. Please submit resume and sample work to jason@summit.org.
Writing Interns: Seeking summer college interns to assist with writing curriculum materials, video and essay synopsizes, and advertising materials. Applicants should possess exceptional writing and communication skills. This internship is virtual office, and thus does not require relocation. Please submit resume and sample work to jason@summit.org.
A number of my colleagues and associates have told me they are looking for interns this summer, and have asked me if I could "pass along" this need to folk in my network.
I thought the most efficient way to honor this request would be to create this email. Below are a number of opportunities. If you're interested, please don't contact ME, please contact the person listed next to the opportunity.
The exception to this instruction would be if you're interested in an internship with WORLD. We have a number of opportunities. If you are interested in an internship with WORLD, just hit the reply button, attach your email, and I'll get it to the right person.
Cordially,
Warren
Doubleday Religion, an imprint of Random House, Inc.
Location: 1745 Broadway, between 55th & 56th streets, New York, NY 10075
Hours: 24/week, Mon-Thurs 10AM-4PM
Duration: June-August 2011 (8 weeks, flexible on start date)
Qualifications: Must be currently enrolled as a student and arrange to receive college credit for internship.
Description: Doubleday Religion summer intern will be responsible for basic office duties and marketing and publicity support. Public relations activities to include research, updating and maintaining media lists, making new contacts within national and Catholic media outlets, documenting secured publicity for company knowledge, trafficking clippings, assembling press kits, and executing media mailings. Marketing activities to include web presence updates and social media engagement on behalf of the imprint. Must possess strong writing abilities and proficiency with Microsoft Office programs. Attendance at regularly held editorial, packaging, marketing, and sales meetings is encouraged, and opportunities will be available to observe acquisitions and participate in the editorial process.
Send Resume or questions to: ImageBooks@randomhouse.com
Summit Ministries
Web Design Interns: Seeking summer, fall, and spring college interns to work with the development, design, and upkeep of summit.org. Applicants should possess knowledge with at least some of the following languages: HTML, PHP, and CSS. Those applying will also be expected to learn the Expression Engine CMS and X-Cart store platforms. This internship is virtual office, and thus does not require relocation. Please submit resume and sample work to joey@summit.org.
Graphic Design Interns: Seeking summer college interns to work on promotional and advertisement projects. Applicants should possess knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and In Design software. This internship is located in Colorado Springs but could also be done by virtual office. Please submit resume and sample work to jason@summit.org.
Video Production Interns: Seeking summer college interns to work on promotional, product, and curriculum projects. Applicants should possess knowledge of Final Cut Pro Vegas, or Premiere Pro software. This internship is located in Colorado Springs. Please submit resume and sample work to joey@summit.org.
Social Media Interns: Seeking summer college interns to assist with promotion via social networks. Applicants should have intimate knowledge with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr. This internship is virtual office, and thus does not require relocation. Please submit resume and sample work to jason@summit.org.
Research Interns: Seeking summer college interns to assist with gathering and organizing online materials, such as: essays, debates, videos, website links, and media reviews. Applicants should possess exceptional research and organizational skills. This internship is virtual office, and thus does not require relocation. Please submit resume and sample work to jason@summit.org.
Writing Interns: Seeking summer college interns to assist with writing curriculum materials, video and essay synopsizes, and advertising materials. Applicants should possess exceptional writing and communication skills. This internship is virtual office, and thus does not require relocation. Please submit resume and sample work to jason@summit.org.
Since We Just Discussed NPR . . .
NPR exec shown slamming the Tea Party
By: CNN's Kevin Liptak
(CNN) - National Public Radio says it is "appalled" with a senior executive at the organization after he was caught on undercover video slamming the Tea Party movement as "racist" and "scary," and saying that NPR would be better off without federal funding.
NPR spokeswoman Dana Davis Rehm singles out Senior Vice President for Fundraising Ron Schiller in a statement: "The fraudulent organization represented in this video repeatedly pressed us to accept a $5 million check, with no strings attached, which we repeatedly refused to accept. We are appalled by the comments made by Ron Schiller in the video, which are contrary to what NPR stands for."
The videos were produced by conservative activist and filmmaker James O'Keefe, who gained notoriety for posing as a pimp and secretly taping damaging conversations with employees at the Association of Community Organizations for Reform (ACORN). He was also involved in a failed plot to embarrass a CNN correspondent on hidden cameras.
There are two NPR executives in the video, identified as Schiller and Director of Institutional Giving Betsy Liley. Neither executive works in NPR's news division. They are shown having lunch with potential NPR donors, who were really working for O'Keefe undercover. In the video, they pose as representatives of a Muslim organization that is considering making a $5 million donation to NPR.
Schiller, who announced last week that he is leaving NPR, makes repeated criticisms against the Tea Party, saying the group is racist.
"Tea Party people" aren't "just Islamaphobic, but really xenophobic," Schiller says. "I mean basically they are, they believe in sort of white, middle-America gun-toting. I mean, it's scary. They're seriously racist, racist people."
He goes on to say, "The Tea Party is fanatically involved in people's personal lives and very fundamental Christian. I wouldn't even call it Christian. It's this weird evangelical kind of move."
In the video, Schiller says that NPR, which is partially funded by government money, would be "better off without federal funding."
"The problem is that if we lost it now, a lot of stations would go dark," Schiller said.
Schiller's remarks come only one day after NPR President and CEO Vivian Schiller (who is unrelated to Ron Schiller) told an audience at the National Press Club that federal funding for NPR was essential.
"Government funding is critical because it allows taxpayers to leverage a small investment into a very large one," she said, according to prepared remarks. "It is seed money. Station managers tell me that 10 percent plays a critical role in generating the other 90 percent that makes their broadcasts possible."
A movement to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps subsidize NPR along with the Public Broadcasting System, is making the rounds among some Congressional Republicans.
Tea Party representatives were quick to decry Ron Schiller's remarks, using his suggestion that NPR would be better off without government money as an opportunity to call for defunding the organization.
"Mr. Schiller himself candidly admits in the video that NPR doesn't need federal funding, and welcomes the opportunity to slant their reporting without the oversight of the taxpayer," said Mark Meckler, national coordinator for Tea Party Patriots, in a statement. "At a time when the country is upside down by more than a trillion dollars, can we really afford to provide huge subsidies to entities that openly state that they don't need the money? Let's take his advice and pass legislation that would defund the clearly biased news organization that is out of touch with Americans across the country."
– CNN Political Producer Shannon Travis contributed to this report.
By: CNN's Kevin Liptak
(CNN) - National Public Radio says it is "appalled" with a senior executive at the organization after he was caught on undercover video slamming the Tea Party movement as "racist" and "scary," and saying that NPR would be better off without federal funding.
NPR spokeswoman Dana Davis Rehm singles out Senior Vice President for Fundraising Ron Schiller in a statement: "The fraudulent organization represented in this video repeatedly pressed us to accept a $5 million check, with no strings attached, which we repeatedly refused to accept. We are appalled by the comments made by Ron Schiller in the video, which are contrary to what NPR stands for."
The videos were produced by conservative activist and filmmaker James O'Keefe, who gained notoriety for posing as a pimp and secretly taping damaging conversations with employees at the Association of Community Organizations for Reform (ACORN). He was also involved in a failed plot to embarrass a CNN correspondent on hidden cameras.
There are two NPR executives in the video, identified as Schiller and Director of Institutional Giving Betsy Liley. Neither executive works in NPR's news division. They are shown having lunch with potential NPR donors, who were really working for O'Keefe undercover. In the video, they pose as representatives of a Muslim organization that is considering making a $5 million donation to NPR.
Schiller, who announced last week that he is leaving NPR, makes repeated criticisms against the Tea Party, saying the group is racist.
"Tea Party people" aren't "just Islamaphobic, but really xenophobic," Schiller says. "I mean basically they are, they believe in sort of white, middle-America gun-toting. I mean, it's scary. They're seriously racist, racist people."
He goes on to say, "The Tea Party is fanatically involved in people's personal lives and very fundamental Christian. I wouldn't even call it Christian. It's this weird evangelical kind of move."
In the video, Schiller says that NPR, which is partially funded by government money, would be "better off without federal funding."
"The problem is that if we lost it now, a lot of stations would go dark," Schiller said.
Schiller's remarks come only one day after NPR President and CEO Vivian Schiller (who is unrelated to Ron Schiller) told an audience at the National Press Club that federal funding for NPR was essential.
"Government funding is critical because it allows taxpayers to leverage a small investment into a very large one," she said, according to prepared remarks. "It is seed money. Station managers tell me that 10 percent plays a critical role in generating the other 90 percent that makes their broadcasts possible."
A movement to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps subsidize NPR along with the Public Broadcasting System, is making the rounds among some Congressional Republicans.
Tea Party representatives were quick to decry Ron Schiller's remarks, using his suggestion that NPR would be better off without government money as an opportunity to call for defunding the organization.
"Mr. Schiller himself candidly admits in the video that NPR doesn't need federal funding, and welcomes the opportunity to slant their reporting without the oversight of the taxpayer," said Mark Meckler, national coordinator for Tea Party Patriots, in a statement. "At a time when the country is upside down by more than a trillion dollars, can we really afford to provide huge subsidies to entities that openly state that they don't need the money? Let's take his advice and pass legislation that would defund the clearly biased news organization that is out of touch with Americans across the country."
– CNN Political Producer Shannon Travis contributed to this report.
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