by P.D. Lesko The AnnArborChronicle.com recently called out AnnArbor.com politics reporter Ryan Stanton for accepting an AP reporting award for a news piece that misinterpreted available data. In the same piece, the news blog also called out former AA.com Kontent King Tony Dearing for being ethically challenged. It’s uncommon for news sites to slam the [...]
In 2004, John Hieftje appointed a Blue Ribbon Panel to study potential changes to the city’s employee pension system. Among the recommendations, was the restructuring of the Board of Trustees to remove city managers and employees. In essence, city employees control the Board, and according to the report from the Blue Ribbon Panel, “Of the [...]
The Street Repair Millage is up for renewal in 2011, and the city staff want to ask for a tax increase to have the City pay for sidewalk repair, something Ann Arbor did for many years using, yes, the City’s own money. Then, John Hieftje’s administration got the bright idea that Ann Arbor citizens could [...]
On April 14, 2011, AnnArbor.com reported that John Hieftje said, “Ann Arbor has more police officers than most think. In addition to the 124 sworn officers in the Ann Arbor Police Department, he said the University of Michigan has 54 officers and they’re available to assist the city in emergency situations.” An official with the University [...]
Newspaper executives routinely exaggerate circulation numbers. They fib about pass along rates (how many people handle a single copy of a newspaper). Newspapers have a well deserved reputation of less than honest reporting when it comes to their own financial and circulation numbers. To counter this decades-long problem in the publishing industry, according to a piece published [...]
Headline: Small town monthly tabloid newspaper supported by advertising gets circulated free of charge to most homes in the city. Lots of human interest pieces, history, restaurant reviews, and peeks into the nooks and crannies of the town. It was a recipe for success cooked up by the Hunts (Don and Mary) when they launched [...]
Sometimes, other people beat A2Politico to the punch, and that’s perfectly fine. In fact, sometimes it’s a bit of a relief. The Weekly Whopper this time around goes to AnnArbor.com Kontent King (Chief Content Officer) Tony Dearing for his incredible assertion that the news site gave the heave-ho to close to one-third of its newsroom [...]
On March 3, 2011 Council member Christopher Taylor sent out an email to Ward Three constituents that purported to “explain” the extent and reasons for the city’s ballooning debt load. AnnArbor.com published Taylor’s assertions in its print version, and the next day followed up online with a piece that excerpted portions of Taylor’s email. Taylor [...]
The University of Michigan’s Athletic Director Dave Brandon (pictured, left) is a confused man who has, obviously, never understood that value for money means paying the least amount of money for the most value. In a January 7, 2011 entry about the firing of Rich Rodriguez I wrote this: I want to start with sports [...]
On February 3, 2011 A2Politico posted an entry that explained why Ann Arbor streets were being plowed so much more slowly than those tended to by the county and surrounding cities. In short, Ann Arbor’s Director of Operations, Sue McCormick, who directly oversees the plowing operations, had allowed the first five snow plows sent out [...]
