Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The Times is failing us

The East Boston Times political coverage this week is atrocious. I try not to constantly harp on the local weekly, but we are in election season and our neighborhood newspaper is NOT doing what it should: presenting the candidates and the issues so that voters can make informed decisions.

First, it is inexcusable that the Times has not mentioned this evening's mayoral debate at the East Boston Social Center. Clearly, the paper is completely in the tank for the incumbent, Tom Menino, who has decided to skip tonight's forum. Hey, that's his right, but how can the local weekly not mention that it is taking place? That is a misuse of the public trust.

Then, in a front-page "story" AND in an editorial-page piece, the Times dismisses the current controversy about deleted city emails that the Globe -- a real newspaper -- broke and has been following. "Ah, we all delete emails," is the Times' argument, ignoring that it is against the law for city employees to do so and that a state judge issued a court order last year ordering the city not to erase electronic communications. One would think that a newspaper would be on the side of those advocating transparency in government and the free flow of information.

And speaking of the front page story, one email that I received today described it as "an obituary about the other three candidates," and that's what it is. The same goes for the story on the District 1 City Council race. "[Christian] Kulikowski has made some good arguments," the Times says, "but with less than a week left...[he] is still virtually unknown to the voters [in East Boston]." Gee, why is he unknown in Eastie? And what are those good arguments? You wouldn't know from reading the local weekly. Kulikowski is running against incumbent Sal LaMattina, and we know that the Times cannot resist fawning all over any of our elected officials.

(FULL DISCLOSURE: I personally know LaMattina, State Rep. Carlo Basile and State Sen. Anthony Petruccelli, and I do some work for the councilor. I think highly of each of them, but that doesn't mean I think they, or any elected official, should get a free pass from any media organization.)

As an intelligent, engaged citizenry, we need to demand more from the East Boston Times. We should expect objective reporting and coverage of events, people and issues based on how they interest and affect neighborhood residents, rather than the personal likes and dislikes of the newspaper. If we don't insist on this, then we deserve what is getting served up now.

Update (9/19): The Independent Newspaper Group, which owns The East Boston Times and eight other weeklies, has finally upgraded the Times web site, improving it and some of its other sites to the level that the readers of their Revere Journal have enjoyed for more than two years. It's not great, but stories are archived, the print edition can be viewed and comments seem to be allowed. I'm not sure when new issues are published online, but there does seem to be a delay between the printed and online versions.

60 comments:

John said...

Good point Jim. I've got to say it was rather unbecoming of the Mayor not to show for tonight't debate. They did however save him a seat had he decided that East Boston was worth his time. I guess he thinks we're all in the tank for him.

In the North End when the Regional Review was so blatantly in the tank for the local officials a new paper by the people for the people was started. Today it has stories that matter to ALL residents in the North End and its been expanding to include the West End as well. Maybe someday the Times will have some competition.

Anonymous said...

I agree that competition is the only hope (and a slight one at that given how the newspaper business is going). I think it is fine for you to keep calling out this paper, Jim, but you would save a lot of energy if you gave up your hope for change. The owners and decision-makers of this "newspaper" are not going to change their minds and delivering news is certainly not their goal--look at the other newspapers they own. I stopped getting angry about it and just stopped looking at the paper. I can understand why you would have a harder time doing that since you have cared more about the paper than I ever did, though...

On the Eastie debate, I am certainly not for the mayor, but the organizing body for this debate is not exactly the League of Women voters. They have a fairly biased agenda and if I was the mayor I wouldn't have shown up either. I might have looked for a more fair venue for an Eastie debate, but then again, it's not like every neighborhood is getting their own debate is it? Or is it true that he is only going to neighborhoods where he is afraid he might not have enough votes and we should assume he thinks we are all "in the tank" for him.

snapflux said...

Can we all just agree that the East Boston Times sucks, and move on? I think calling it a newspaper is being a little generous. Demanding more from them is like treating the local little league team as if they're the Red Sox and expecting more wins.

Anonymous said...

Spot on. The EBT is more of a comic than a newspaper.

Mary Berninger said...

I want to thank Michael Flaherty, Sam Yoon and Kevin McCrea for coming to East Boston last night. Contrary to what the East Boston Times-Free Press obviously thought was an unimportant event not worthy of news coverage, the candidates' forum provided an opportunity for important questions to be asked of men who desire to lead our city.

Concerns about schools, city services, employment, and crime were just some of the topics discussed. Each candidate was given more than ample time to give the crowd a sense of how his administration would tackle the tough issues facing the residents and businesses of Boston. It will probably be reported by the Times next Wednesday, after the preliminary election. This neighborhood deserves better than that by its local paper.

Mayor Menino's conspicuous absence was quite telling. His newspaper didn't feel it was an important event and he didn't feel it was important enough to come to East Boston. Well, both were wrong and the morning after headlines attest to that. Instead of attending a "gala" with Newbury Street divas, Menino should have been here. It's that simple.

Where were our other elected officials and those who do their bidding? Did they receive marching orders from Kineavy not to attend?
Yes, he has a lot of credibility these days, don't you think?

Anonymous said...

The fact that Joe Mason asked the first question at last night's "debate" said it all. He is the most prominent individual in the community with the most pressing concerns? And you people were surprised that the Mayor decided not to show up to this circus? The fact that Joe Mason was even there should have made everyone leave! In my opinion, he is what is wrong with East Boston.

Note to Mary B. and Jimbo: I knew all about the debate because I read about it in the "Eastie Watch" September 9th edition which has 10 paragraphs about it - your credibility is declining when you say things like there was no coverage. Let me guess, you wanted the Times to put out a special Thursday edition to cover the story. While there is no pleasing you people - at least be honest.

Anonymous said...

The Times has no credibility left.We are fortunate to have forums like this to discuss events,and comment on subject matter not even covered by our local press.
The political"coverage" such as it was this year by them,basically sums everything up.You are right on target Mary.

Anonymous said...

"I want to thank Michael Flaherty, Sam Yoon and Kevin McCrea for coming to East Boston last night. Contrary to what the East Boston Times-Free Press obviously thought was an unimportant event not worthy of news coverage, the candidates' forum provided an opportunity for important questions to be asked of men who desire to lead our city."

Mary,

Now I don't know if you have some ax to grind because we did not run one editorial by you or what but I take offense to what you are writing on Jim's blog about me and the newspaper.

First of all, I don't know who ran last night's event but it is not my job to search around and twiddle my thumbs and hope to be invited and that is exactly what happened. Joe Mason and Co. tried their damnedest to keep the Times (and I'll go out on a limb and suggest the Mayor as well because Pedro Morales is not a Menino supporter) out of the debate. The Herald and Latino papers (nad candidates) were given a lot of notice about this event. I know because I talked with them and they were sent a memo at the beginning of August. I was finally sent sent a one paragraph release by Perfiles Publishing Group on Tuesday afternoon, Septemeber 15 (far too late to get it into Eastie for the next day) after sending a dozen or so emails requesting information and interview with the organizer/s. I did, contrary to your belief, think it was an important event and was there to cover it.

"An e-mail sent to Perfiles Publishing Group, the debate's lead sponsor, asking when the mayor was invited opposed to other candidates was never answered," was how the Page 4 Eastie Watch ended.

And several subsequesnt emails for the next week were never answered.


By the way there was 10, yes 10 paragraphs on the event in the Sept. 9 Eastie Watch of Page 4 giving the date, time, etc.

So when Im sandbagged by event organizers, kept out of the loop by event organizers and then accused of being in the bag with Menino I take offense. Do my stories tend to lean towards Menino? Yes.
Now, if there was editorial after editorial about how 'wonderful' Flaherty is in the Times you'd be singing a different tune. You guys on there are Flaherty loving Menino and Times haters, okay I get it but don't spread disinformation. Mary, I thought you were better than that.
I'll be honest, I've worked for this newspaper for nearly a decade now and have only seen Michael Flaherty in this community when he's running for re-election and don't say he's here all the time because he's not. That is a fact. When he was council president I use to get his public schedule sent everyday and we'd be lucky if he came by twice a year in an off election season.

-John Lynds

Mary Berninger said...

That's right, John, Josh et al. There was a buried article about how some were blasting the mayor for not wanting to come. Not a real press release, mind you, or even a mention in the community calendar section, just more pontificating by your staff. Don't let the truth get in the way.

FYI: Feel free to come to my house this Saturday from 2:30 to 4:30 for a rally for Michael Flaherty.

I'm proud to host he and his supporters, and I'm proud to endorse his candidacy.

Jim said...

I don't have any reason to disagree with John Lynds' observation of Michael Flaherty, and maybe, as an earlier post said, the debate organizers were clearly aligned against Menino. As I said, the mayor is certainly within his rights not to attend, but how could the event go off last night -- six days before what is arguably the most important mayoral election in 10 or 15 years -- without a word in yesterday's Times?

I would've expected a front-page story that said, "This is what's happening tonight and this is why the mayor isn't here." Instead there is a story that basically mocks the three challengers and says they are wasting their time. John Lynds writes in his comment above, "Do my stories tend to lean towards Menino? Yes." Why? Shouldn't the Times offer some unbiased reporting?

The overall coverage in the Times of Menino, LaMattina, Basile and Petruccelli would lead one to believe that these guys walk on water. The paper acts as a campaign vehicle for each of them. Some people at the Times are just too close to the local pols and too enamored of the proximity to power that their jobs afford them.

Anonymous said...

Jimbo, So if all's fair in good journalism--would you say the Herald's story today was good?

-John Lynds

Anonymous said...

John Lynds in ten years you have never,repeat NEVER written an article critical of Menino,Sal Lamattina,or Anthony Petruccelli. Thats not reporting.Thats butt kissing.You were asked in this blog months ago to produce just one article and we didnt hear from you for months.So you are clearly biased. Yes The Herald did a great job today of covering the event last night,including the photo of your hero hanging out on Newbury Street.

Anonymous said...

Hello Jimbo

To the loser who said that the fact that I asked the first question ,and that I was in the room was reason enough for the Mayor to not show. Your an idiot,and as usual not to proud of your name.

As far as the Times goes "IT IS NOT AN EAST BOSTON PAPER"!

NOW TO THE FACTS!

Heres where the Mayor went, A-to dine with Wolk gang Puck,B-Sit for an interview with wgbh ,and C-pose with some hot looking chicks.


The people who ran last nights debate did an excellent job of keeping it open to the public,and political free. The Times should try it,as well as the Mayor.

He said they had no knoledge until last Friday,well I have cell phone records over 3 weeks old of HIS campain mgr. calling me,yes he called me.

I forwarded the events schedule to the Times ,as well as the Mayors office ,called his henchman in Eastie Albano,the second I found out,plus its been up on Jimbos blog,www.eastboston.com,with all of the event organizations for about a month. Nice try though.

Guess what they were telling people, it was a Land Use Council run event-IT WAS NOT-That I was running it -I DID NOT.

I was a spectator,and sat next to the President of the Orient Heights Neighborhood Council.

Now as far as being called first,although I was,it was simply because the 5 people who signed before me decided not to speak.They have all of the sign in sheets.

I was caught off gaurd,and didnt have my question sheet ,so wrong again.

I can just see next weeks Times "Mayor wins Eastie Debate !LOL

Hey John Lynds,how come you left after only one hour?The debate was 2 hours,and 40 minutes.How are you going to do a full story?

Jimbo ,in my opinion,and as I told the Times owner Mr.Josh Resnick,they should take the name of our great city EAST BOSTON,off their paper,as "In my opinion"they do not in any way shape or form represent Eastie.

A special thanks to Mr.Luis Bravo,and Mr.Pedro Morales for running a class act debate !

The Mayor,and the Times must be going nuts,as they no longer have me to blame,bash,or use as a battering ram,to spin for Menino !

The Mayor is a coward,and he gave away a ton of votes last night.
All for a dinner with the Wolfman.

A Proud EastBostonian
Joseph J.Mason

Anonymous said...

Need I say anymore. Look no further than Joe Mason's last comment and tell me why we should take anything he is involved with seriously. Sure, the Times seems biased in favor of the Mayor. But you mean to tell me Mason (and just about every other critic of John Lynds) is not biased against the Mayor? Oh, and Pedro Morales was the organizer Joe? (The same Pedro that likes to pick fights with everyone in the town who tries to work with the Latino community?) If Pedro was the organizer, then why were you so intent on calling the Mayor's campaign (as you admit) to confirm if he was coming or not? Why not just leave it to Pedro then and you be an attendee? It's because you can't help yourself and can't wait to get inject yourself in the middle of this. Maybe if it did not appear like you were organizing this and were not so hostile and harassing towards the Mayor (love to see the cell phone records of the number of calls you made) he would have felt welcomed and maybe showed up? Did you ever think of that Joe. I wouldn't want to be in the same room with you either...so who could really blame him?

Brian Glassborn, Trenton Street and proud new East Boston Resident

Anonymous said...

This blog is a joke. Mason is an embarassment. Mary couldn't even get 200 votes for herself. When the Mayor wins it will all be forgotten. Mason has been tearing apart Drago, Forbes, and Albano with his lies. They are three of the kindest most gentlest men I have ever met. Mary I hope Flaherty enjoys talking to the four people at your party.

PS Jim Correale is voting for Yoon.

Anonymous said...

Joe you are wrong again the Mayor's campaign manager is a woman. So who did you talk to? Maybe you made everything your sayng up. Maybe you made up the story about harassing phone calls. You say phone records dont lie so lets see them. Or maybe you wont show those records becuase they will show all the calls you make to 900 numbers. Joe Mason on the front page of the herald. This is what the rest of the world will assume East Bostonians are like. Thanks alot. I can tell you it doesnt matter who wins becuase no matter who wins people like Joe Mason will still be here and still ruining East Boston. You sign your rants, "proud East Bostonian", well I can tell you, you do not represent the proud East Bostonians i know. Like the ones that actually work for a living, or pay taxes, and bring something positive to this town. If you need a definition of proud east Bostonian her it is, its the John Whites of the world or its the many Latino shop owners that you have tried to stop from opening with your land use council.
nuff said

Jim said...

"Mary couldn't even get 200 votes for herself."
When's the last time you took the initiative to run for office and put yourself out there? We can't tell because you haven't signed your name.

"PS Jim Correale is voting for Yoon." Interesting you'd know that because I honestly haven't decided who to vote for. I do believe that it's time for a change, so I've narrowed the field by one.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm. I was at the "debate" which was amateur hour at best. The moderator spoke more than the candidates, repeated himself over and over, and then gave a total of 6 minutes for the candidates to answer the questions from the crowd. It was like watching paint dry. As far as Mason goes, I'm not so sure he had the first question because "it was simply because the 5 people who signed before me decided not to speak" the moderator made an announcement that he had to tend to his medical condition and needed to ask a question first before leaving. Mason then sat there for another 20 minutes listening to the next three questions.

JohnW said...

Hey, regardless of who people support/detest/want to run out of town, can we all please do ONE thing? See the blue button down below that says "PREVIEW"? Try it out. Read over what you have written. Better yet have someone else look it over.

The surest way to get people to think you're an idiot would be to post an extreme rant (Menino is a saint/Satan, John Lynds deserves a Pultizer AND a Nobel or is slightly above slime mold, whatever) completely riddled through with spelling and grammar errors.

As far as the candidate forum went, they convinced me that it's time for a change, but none convinced me that he is the one to bring that change. So I'm still left with the same question, is the potential change better than the status quo?

Damned if I know. We should have had the three of them participate in a spelling bee...

N.starluna said...

This blog posting was about the Eastie Times, not about Joe Mason. The attacks on Joe (regardless of who started it) are irrelevant to the discussion about the coverage of the candidates in the East Boston Times.

Mr. Lynds - your explanation of why there was little discussion of the Wednesday forum in the East Boston Time appears contradictory. First you say that you had enough materials to write 10 paragraphs in the Eastie Watch section of the paper on September 9, but you didn't have enough information to inform readers about the time and location of the event on September 16? This contradiction begs a fuller explanation.

I will admit that I don't get a chance to read the Times very often. I don't avoid it. I just can't find it. I do most of my shopping on the weekends and the paper is gone by the time I get to Shaws or Kappys. Perhaps if it was located in the T stations I might get a chance to form an opinion of the coverage.

Anonymous said...

I patched togther 10 paragraphs from the info I could gather on my own without any help from event organizers. Now if they thought it was soooo important to have in Wednesday's paper they should have returned 'all' of the dozen or so emails I sent thorughout the week leading up to the debate. It is not my job to chase people down.
If you are having an event and send a press advisory we will put it in the newspaper like we do for Piers Park Sailing, Zumix, Health Ceneter, schools, etc.
It seemed to me the event orgainzers didn't want coverage in the paper.
The Times is taking a hit here with everyone saying we didn't think it important enough to put in the paper (including Jim) but where are the rants about event organizers not reaching out to the Times for coverage--can't put any blame on them can you Jim?

Jim said...

"It is not my job to chase people down."

I disagree. That is, in fact, a key part of any reporter's job. All the news doesn't come wrapped in a press release.

Anonymous said...

Not when it comes to an event and its organizers--I did 'try' and chase them done so why don't you lay some blame at thier doorstep?

-John

Anonymous said...

Why did the Times ridicule the charges that e-mails were deleted by a top Menino operative? It(your coverage) was designed to make the challengers look ridiculous.Obviously this is a major event in this race. The Globe,Herald,and talk radio shows are all doing extensive coverage. Yet the Times skimmed over it,obviously to protect the Mayor.The fact that there was a debate in Eastie that night warranted front page coverage,and you didnt do it.For obvious reasons. You know why,and so do we. Nice try on the spin,but its not working.

Anonymous said...

Is Mr. Resnik busy? Could he help you with those mundane details of chasing leads and stories? He only writes the small Mr. Boston column for the East Boston paper. Where, oh where, is Cary Shuman? We miss him.

Anonymous said...

Hello again Jimbo

Heres a news flash for the cowards who refuse to sign their name.

The demise of a dredful thing calling itself a newspaper ,IS NOT MY FAULT,GET IT !

Just now I opened my e-mails ,and low and behold I got a threatening e-mail from Mr. Josh Resnick,about having me arrested,and suing me.

I will forward it to Jimbo,and he can decide if he wants to postit on here.

Its all because I stuck a tape recorder in John Lynds face as he was rushing towards me yelling,and swearing,about him over hearing a conversation,I was having about the LACK of coverage about the date,and time of the debate.

I explained to him that in deed the Times did know weeks in advance,and that I re-sent the info,after the weeks edition before this Wednesdays paper came out because there was no ad,so I called complaining about no actual BLOCK AD about the debate,and resent the info.

So they are dead wrong about not knowing,I unlike EVIL KINEVIL do not delete my e-mails,I save them.

The reason for the recorder was all the death threats I got once the debate was announced.So on advice of an atty,I now carry one.

Mr.Lynds was furious that I told this guy the truth,and pushed his way about 15-20 feet to get to me. I stuck it in his face ,and warned him John your being recorded do you see the tape recorder,he replied that he didn't care. So then as he continued his rampage I reminded him 3 more times,keeping it about 1 inch from his face.

All he had to do was shut up,and walk away the second he saw it,and was told he was being recorded.

He just lost it,big time.

To all you anons a recent Mass Superior court finding was in favor of forcing both blog owners,and service carriers ,are not immune from having to turn over all information on posters,and the anons were identified,and are now being sued.

Jimbo its time I told you ,and them.
I have been saving everyone of the nasty Anon postings since the first time I blogged here.

After my last operation in November we are going after 3 specific anons who are more than,not the same person.

To all of you who are smart enough to know its not a Joe Mason thing ,but that they use that as a deflecting tool,so you won't take a look at the real problem.

That being we no longer have a real East Boston Paper.

I will never use them together.

They have finally shown the regular folks what they are all about. MR.. THOMAS A.MEMNINO.

In my opinion,they did it for 2 reasons,one the Mayors in control,and 2 it was being run by a bunch of Latino groups,who have never had a voice in that paper.

A PROUD EASTBOSTONIAN
JOE MASON

N.starluna said...

JohnW - I love the idea of a spelling bee. Or maybe something like the Granite State Challenge that they do on NHPTV. That would have made the forum really interesting.

JohnW said...

As long as this discussion is going to keep dragging out, could I ask Joe why he was so dead-set against letting William Leonard, the socialist party candidate for Mayor, up on the podium when Flaherty invited him?

Joe's was the only voice that rang out with a strong opinion "No!" I don't think anyone cared, including Leonard, if he was up there or not, but it seemed really odd to have one person's opinion shouted out and drive the whole decision. Why not let Luis Bravo call that shot since he was the organizer of this thing, right?

It's not a big deal but it does make the event (which I greatly enjoyed and appreciated) seem more like Joe's chance to complain about the Mayor and his cronies, which is what the Mayor and his cronies were calling this thing.

Whatever. It was a worthwhile event and I hope we have more things like this in the future, but with maybe less agita.

Anonymous said...

so apparently we are supposed to believe that Joe Mason drove the Mayor away and not the fact that he was trying to avoid questions about the e-mail scandal? Who drove him away from the Massvote forum the following night? Menino is avoiding the press trying to ride out the storm till after Tues where they are hoping the lead holds up in the polls, and the scandal hasnt caused permanant damage.Thats insulting the voters intelligence.

Tom Berninger said...

In response to Anonymous from September 17 at 5:00 PM.

It doesn't matter how many votes Mary got because the votes were from people who could think independently, without being led around by a collar on their necks, as you clearly have around yours. If you want the correct number of votes, it was actually a little less than 200.

To be able to have the ability to stand on your own two feet and give an honest, well thought out answer when asked a question (like in the 2007 Representative's debate) is refreshing. Instead, we have a group of elected officials who follow each other like a group of waddling ducks, unable to have a fresh thought in their heads.

To be able to be honest and stand up to give an opinion when asked, to write a response about an issue and put your name at the end takes courage and integrity, which you clearly lack.

The worst crime done to this community is its newspaper's inability to have a journalist who will write independently on issues, instead of being told how the issue is to be framed or is told to be silent on a issue.

I think I'll always vote for the person who has intellectual capability, courage and integrity.

Anonymous said...

The times and the Mayor had every right to avoid attending or mentioning that so called "debate". The reason being is it was a gathering of fools who mean nothing to bash our Mayor. It wasn't fair because Italian Unita was a sponsor-Flaherty supporter. The moderator was Pedro-Yoon supporter. And finally the PR person was Joe Mason-lunatic. Mason is a joke. He spreads hate and hate is what he gets back in return. The Mayor has given eastie: High School millions of dollars for a new gym and computer lab, New EB stadium and playing fields, newly paved streets, planters with flowers, expanded street cleaning, put out the first Main Streets for the businesses, and fought the 14/32 runway for us with a private lawfirm. You people including Jim are pathetic. At least have the decency and the respect to admit the forum was biased and a set up. Flahery brought 35 people, yoon 20 people, and only 20 people were latino for a latino event. What a joke.

Anonymous said...

Mary you have no group of voters how can you publicly support anyone? Are you kidding me.

Anonymous said...

Hello Jimbo Im going to try to reply to a few questions /irritations ,but

WOWO ! !Did you see todays Herald ?

Yes again the Empty chair Menino ad campain ad was in full effect last night as it was in East Boston.

The chair was EMPTY last night at yet another Mayoral debate . EMPTY

It was at English High School.

Mr. Nowhere Man does it again. Ducks the public !

First
Who did I speak to at MOWHERE Mans camp.
It was Mr. Nick Martin,who if you read yesterday,and todays Herald is mentioned as his manager/advantage Mason

Second
To Mr.Trenton Street man
I will say a prayer for you,as I always say Hate ='s Fear.
How you can Hate anyone you DO NOT KNOW,NEVER MET? Im serious !/Advantage Mason

Third
Something about Pedro Morales the guy who was the moderator.

As Jimbo has posted the link on the Blog section Mayoral Debate-The Mayor
It was a bunch of concerned voting Latino groups who ran the event.

They have a God given right to be heard,and they "VOTE"no matter how you feel !
The anger I see here,and on other posts about the East Boston debate ,appear to be angry that it was run by Latinos.
So the attack machine said sig the dogs on Mason,light the fuse,and everyone will jump on board.

To me,and in my opinion its border line racisist.

FOURTH
As of today I have got 60 e-mails supporting me asking that question,so once again/Advantage Mason

FIFTH
To the question about the guy who decided to hijack the Debate.
If he was a registerd candidate NO ONE had a right to exclude him from being on stage.

I objected because he IS NOT a registered candidate,but an OPPORTUNIST,who tried to get 15 seconds of fame at our expense.
The people running the event knew,and he was not allowed from day one because he could not produce papers showing he was a Candidate/Advantage Mason

Whew Jimbo,not for nothing but they are so Ill informed.Im tired.

Jimbo good luck here but I am serious,the Supreme court sided with a person being attacked on a Google blog,ordered all info to be given to the Feds,and the Anon is no longer Anon,but a Defendant in a Civil,and Criminal case.
Not the Blog owner,the Anon poster.

SIXTH
NOT running,and never will Definite Advantage Mason!!!!!!!!

SEVENTH
Yes dude unlike you I sign my name!

A PROUD EASTBOSTONIAN !!!!!!!!!!!
JOSEPH J. MASON

Anonymous said...

Joe,
I can't wait to see your supreme court decision to see all the anon names. I think you will be shocked to see how many people actually dislike you and what you have turned the land useless council into. I shouldn't get my hopes up though because its doubtful the SJC will waist its time with you. The other issue I would like to discuss with you is why you recorded John Lynds. You distinctly said your lawyer advised you to do this. Why would any lawyer advise you to illegally record someone. They didn't because you are lying about having a lawyer. You need to have money to have a lawyer and I doubt you could budget that out of your monthly cookoo check, aka "disability check". I think you would have been better off pretending you were still sick with that imaginary cancer. So take that to the SJC and your lawyer.
I know alot about your secrets and if I were you I would not be threatening anyone with legal action.

Anonymous said...

Joe Mason is a liar pure and simple. I did not rush over to Joe, he came and stood next to me so that's lie number one. I called him an idiot and told him to go sit down and stop bothering me. Ask the officer that was standing beside me. He obviously lives in some fantasy world and I'd even guess that he doesn't even have a lawyer.
Because if he did his lawyer would have suggested he did not record our conversation;
For the law in Massachusetts reads;

It is a crime to record any conversation, whether oral or wire, without the consent of all parties in Massachusetts. The penalty for violating the law is a fine of up to $10,000 and a jail sentence of up to five years. Mass. Ann. Laws ch. 272 , § 99.

Disclosure of the contents of an illegally recorded conversation, when accompanied by the knowledge that it was obtained illegally, is a misdemeanor that can be punished with a fine of up to $5,000 and imprisonment for up to two years. Civil damages are expressly authorized for the greater of actual damages, $100 for each day of violation or $1,000. Punitive damages and attorney fees also are recoverable.

For example, in Com. v. Hanedanian, 742 N.E.2d 1113 (Mass. App. Ct. 2001), the appellate court held that a defendant’s conduct of intentionally making a secret tape recording of oral communications between himself and his attorneys, without consent, violated the statute, even though the defendant was a party to the conversation.

However, the First Circuit, applying the holding in Bartnicki v. Vopper, 532 U.S. 514 (2001), held in 2007 that a woman who accepted from a source a recorded tape, that she had reason to know was recorded illegally by the source, could not be punished for publishing the tape on her website. The court held that the woman had a First Amendment right to publish the tape she received. Jean v. Massachusetts State Police, 492 F.3d 24 (1st Cir. 2007).

An appellate court has also held that the recorded conversation or communication does not need to be intelligible in order for the interception to violate the wiretapping statute. Com. v. Wright, 814 N.E.2d 741 (Mass. App. Ct. 2004).

So in closing Joe, I hope you did not share that recording with anyone because we will have a serious problem.

-John Lynds

Jim said...

I am not taking sides on the Mason/Lynds quarrel, as I wasn't there and I already seem to have stirred things up enough. However, I do want to clarify the law about recording. It is illegal, according to the chapter and section that John Lynds cites (and which I just read) to "secretly" record someone. If the recording device is in plain sight and a conversation ensues, then there is implied consent by the person being recorded. That's not to say that he or she should be recording others without their OK, only that it doesn't seem to be illegal.

Anonymous said...

Jim,

12 states require the consent of all parties to a conversation. Those jurisdictions are California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington.

I never gave my consent to be recorded by Joe.

-John Lynds

Jim said...

Sorry John, but you're wrong.

In Commonwealth v. Michael J. Hyde -- you may remember the 2001 case where a driver SECRETLY recorded a police officer during a traffic stop -- the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled against the defendant, but said that:

"The problem here could have been avoided if, at the outset of the traffic stop, the defendant had simply informed the police of his intention to tape record the encounter, or even held the tape recorder in plain sight. Had he done so, his recording would not have been secret, and so would not have violated G.L. c. 272, § 99."

N.starluna said...

I have made it clear that I was leaning towards Yoon before the event and have decided to support Yoon in the preliminary for reasons posted elsewhere.

I have also stated elsewhere that I do believe that Mayor Menino has done many good things for the city, and even East Boston. But it has been uneven, there is way too much patronage in this administration, and frankly I believe that 4 terms is quite enough time for any but the most extraordinary individual to be mayor of any city.

With that on the table, I will say that the Menino supporters here are not doing their candidate any favors by making implicit and explicit racist remarks, engaging in personal attacks against neighbors, and generally acting like thugs and goons.

Yoon, Flaherty, and McCrea have made the mayor's record a signature issue in their campaign. Well, duh. If you are going to go against one of the most entrenched politicians outside of Chicago, you have to do that. And frankly, the mayor should be judged on his record. If you are in office for 16 years, you better damn well make sure that our high school has a computer lab (we are in the 21st century), some park space (given the environmental burdens we shoulder to the benefit of the rest of the city), and share some of the pretty flowers that other neighborhoods never seem to have to fight for.

If the mayor's decision to go to Newbury Street rather than the East Boston forum on Wednesday because it was hosted by a coalition of primarily Latino focused organizations, then I believe we really do need a new mayor. If the Eastie Times decided not to cover the event simply because Joe Mason made it his purpose in life to advertise the event, then I guess I'm not missing out on much.

The only thing that is going to ruin East Boston is neighbors attacking each other because they support different candidates, or have a different ethnic background, or haven't lived here by some unknown and arbitrary standard of "long enough." Guess what people? We live on this island together. I don't care who you support or how long you or your family have been here. We are all neighbors. Can we at least act like it?

Anonymous said...

John Lyndes, there is an old saying: "You can't argue with a fool". Joe is a fool - so you can't argue with him! Don't cite cases or case law to him because he will surely have some other case (that he wont name or cite) to suit his needs after he talks to his imaginary lawyer. Trust me I have heard it all before.

I think Jimbo is right on the recording statute - it deals with secretly taping conversations without the consent of all parties. Recording people's conversations, especially in public forums is always allowed. So, while what Mason did to you might not have been illegal, it was pretty typical of his idiotic paranoid behavior. What lawyer in their right mind would sit there and waste his or her time at $250+ an hour (that Joe isnt paying) to listen to his random "recordings" of people from the neighborhood? This is so silly I can't even stand it! My husband works for a lawyer and they laughed at the idea for about 6 minutes.

Anyway, I was at the debate and saw Joe Mason stick the tape recorder in Mr. Lyndes face and you are right John he was clearly antagonizing you. But you just have to do what everyone else does - ignore him. Eventually he will go away and find someone else to bother like his neighbors.

Finally, to Joe - I do know you. and yes - we have met - and I am not afraid to sign my name.

PROUD NEW EAST BOSTON RESIDENT (and here to stay)
Brian Glassborn, Trenton Street

Anonymous said...

Thank you Brian.

-John Lynds

And to Jim, thanks for mentioning the 12+ candidate profiles I did for the At-Large race. Oh wait, that's right you didn't mention it but you seem to have an opinion all the time on our political coverage. Must of missed it again Jimbo, we ran 2 a week all summer. Everyone has equal space in out newspaper but its up to the candidates to use that space and return emails and invitations for interviews. Aparently you think, minus the Mayor, the other three walk on water for showing up to a debate in Eastie Jim but at least the mayor has the courtsey of returning a phone call to the paper of record. I'm sorry to say the other three must think they are above speaking to the local press. So stop blaming the local paper Jim because the coverage of the at-large race was more than fair and unbais. That's the type of reporting I and the Times do--provided the candidate feels its important enough to call us back.

-John Lynds

Anonymous said...

Hello
To the truth about John Lynds!
I am an atty.

I was standing about 15 feet behind John Lynds,and I swear to God he rushed towards Joe,so I followed.

Joe was talking to a guy with a Yoon sticker on his jacket about 20 feet away from John Lynds there is no way he could of seen Lynds.So thats apx 35 feet John went to get in Joes face.

It was clear to me Lynds did not like Joe talking about the paper.

But make no mistake about it,and as much spin as you want to put on it,John Lynds rushed towards Joe.

Joe then retreated backwards towards the gym door,and John followed.

Joe stuck the tape recorder 1 inch from him,and warned him several times he was being recorded,and guess what folks John Lynds allowed him /gave him permission,by saying,and I quote "I dont give a fk if you tape me." Joe reminded him at least 3 times infront of about 20-30 people,each time he replied the same.
At no time ever did Lynds say dont record me,or stop recording me!

John you were the agressor,I am an Attorney who has already given a sworn statement to his atty for safe keeping.

Joe I don't know much about you but right is right,and wrong is wrong.

Joe you must of had good advice ,because you did it to the letter of the law.

Don't worry Joe everyone hates us attys,but in the end we win.

Mr.Lynds a point of reminder on recording people without their permission!

November 22nd,2002 in the exact spot,where was your tape recorder,when you were recording Joe?
Not in plain view ,thats for sure!

Hes a smart man,and keeps everything John.

I was amazed at the files he has,you guys have been trying to destroy him for years !

I read the Times both weeks,and the coverage of such a monumental event was puke to say the least.

The edition on 9-16-09 the night of the debate should of had 6 inch letters across the front page.

MAYORAL DEBATE TONIGHT
Then a real story !

Hey Joe ,if you read this that Trenton street guy is a tad bit off the walls,watch out.

His hate sounds like he may attack you,and since you don't seem to know him,he has a big advantage over you on a sucker punch type of incident.

You need to find anyone who knows him,and get a physical I.D.on him,so you can avoid him.

Nice Blog Mr.Jimbo,but the anon stuff is an invitation for disaster !

God Bless Everyone
Atty J.L.

Jim said...

“And to Jim, thanks for mentioning the 12+ candidate profiles I did for the At-Large race.”

I’m sorry that I don’t write about the Times every week. Sometimes you guys do OK, and sometimes you don’t. When I feel like there’s something egregious to point out, I do. Sometimes I even cut the Times some slack, as when I was tempted to blog about the headline atop page 6 on Sept. 9 that said, “Officer Leonard survives a harrowing accident on Constitution Beach.” I was unaware that the beach had been moved to the corner of Chelsea and Marion streets.

“Everyone has equal space in out [sic] newspaper…”

Did you really keep a straight face while typing that?

“Aparently [sic] you think, minus the Mayor, the other three walk on water for showing up to a debate in Eastie…”

Why would you imply that you know what I am thinking? I don’t recall praising the three challengers for showing up to the Eastie debate –- or really for anything else.

“…at least the mayor has the courtsey [sic] of returning a phone call…” ... “That's the type of reporting I and the Times do--provided the candidate feels its important enough to call us back.”

A candidate’s courtesy is no way to decide how much coverage to provide of him or her. The fact that you’ll report only on people who are nice to you or who make your job easier is rather dispiriting.

“the paper of record.”

I’m sorry. Did you really just write that?

“So stop blaming the local paper Jim…”

This isn’t about blame. I am just stating opinions and backing them up with facts. Sometimes my interpretation is right and sometimes not. When people disagree or challenge what I write I post the comments because I’m not threatened by criticism or even attacks. The Times seems to think it’s beyond criticism.

Anonymous said...

I certainly hope that the person who is signing his/her name, John Lynds is an imposter. I wouldn't want to call back this person either. He sounds a little mean.

(And I'm taking this impression from the posts signed "John Lynds", not the descriptions of him from people such as the anonymous lawyer who signs his name JL and whose post sounds suspiciously like a Joe Mason post--this blog is great entertainment.)

I can certainly see how some of the comments here could piss off the real John Lynds, but please tell me that he would react in a more professional way. These posts also make him sound really lazy and from what I can imagine from being familiar with a few other neighborhood papers where the management has striped the actual staff of the paper down to the bone, the real John Lynds must be more hard-working than the John Lynds posting on this blog appears to be.

Anonymous said...

AS an avifd blogger/meaning I know little.My gand kid showed me this.

I can say with truth that I have known Joe Mason,and his family for over 40 years,and he is a great man.
He gave up his life when his Mom got bed ridden sick from a stroke,and broken back while his brothers wanted to put her in a nursing home.
Let me tell you Joe fought all of them,and filled his Moms wish to live out her life in the home she grew up in.Day in,and day out.
For seven years he stayed by her side,and took care of her ,and sacrificed his life,as any good son should,while his other two older brothers lived the high life.
None of you people know him esp that Lynds guy who works for that poor excuse of a paper.
On top of all of that he fought Lung cancer all of 2008,and then in December of 2008 took a Heart attack,and a Stroke at the same time.So you must feel good attacking without a name.
Hes had 7 operations to be able to walk again,and fights everyday to do what the doctors tell him to do.

I find the hate on this blog mind boggling,and insane.
As I said none of you know anything about him,and the atty is right that trenton street guy sounds very dangerous ,Joe watchout.
Joe we Love you,and always will.

The Mills Family
Marion Street

Anonymous said...

To Tom Beringer: You say that Mary had the guts to run and yes she did but so didnt Ross Perot! I don't want to be disrespectful but i had to answer you comments.
We have our elected officials who work very hard for us and who all give up their personal time with their families to fight for us.
Mary is a passionate woman who loves her family but at the same time she isn't a listener, she is all about her conservative views which is fine but it doesnt mean she should shove them down someone's throat. The 200 or less votes do mean something Tom, it means voters are smarter than you think. Stay well all and good job Jimbo

Anonymous said...

Mason, are you kidding me? That was not an attorney, that was you. It is in the same style of non-sensical, one sentence paragraphs. You also used similar words that only you use,i.e. "Mr. Jimbo". Then you went on to write the piece signed by the Mills and it was also in your style of writing. This is a new low for you. Its also sad that you have to lie about people defending you and that no one in their right mind would defend your non-sense. Again, I can not wait to see you bring this to the supreme court. This is how it would go. Joe Mason: "Your honor, I request that you order the Hubster Blog to release the names of all anons." Judge: "Why should I do that?" Joe Mason: "Your Honor, because they make fun of me." Judge: "I have come to a decision, Mr. Mason, please get a life."

Anonymous said...

To all: We can all agree that Joe Mason is a trouble maker and yes he doesn't make much sense but for the greater good of this blog lets use it to have intelligent, informative conversations.
I know Jimbo used this blog as a way for people to share ideas and discuss whatever the day brings forth. So please I knoe Joe can be annoying but is this blog about one person who doesn't make sense?
Again, lets be informative to one another. Great job with blog Jimbo, people are talking

Anonymous said...

Im sorry Megan about misspelling your last name but it still doesnt take away that Mary is becoming a Joe Mason with her controversial manners.
And Mary your endorsement means how many votes? Just the facts Jimbo is all I'm pointing out.
Good luck to all the candidates

Anonymous said...

what is the obsession that the Times has with this guy Joe Mason?
The article is about the papers not reporting on the mayoral debate,and belittling a serious federal investigation.The article was about how the paper never reports anything negative about our elected officials.The article is about the credibility of John Lynds,Times employee,not some guy on the land use council. Yet Lynds has gone on endlessly about an encounter with this man.Why wont he just answer why he is a pawn for these office holders? Is it because his brother has made alot of money being around the Menino camp? Thats the real story here.

Anonymous said...

Hello
Here we go again;

**Alert*The truth ,Jimbo did I say the Blog owner gets in trouble NO !Just the anons who Slander,and Defame in that case.They cant read

First Thank You Mrs.Mills !

You know my writing style?
Am i righty,or Lefty?
What hand do I use to wipe?

What a joke you are.

Dude go back and read her post,She is not my atty,just a person who told the truth.

As far as the attacks on Mary B. they are also a joke.She is an awesome lady who unlike some of you cares about her community,and gets involved.

Jimbo these people are sick,and in my opinion are furious that a bunch of Latino groups pulled off a great debate.
MINUS "THE NOWHERE MAN"
(Boston Herald front page!)

Speaking of that Jimbo,maybe if you put that other Posts link to their lists that you have a little further down on the blog. Called Mayoral debate-minus the Mayor.Then maybe they would see it was not an L.U.C.Debate.

Hey maybe since I got more postings than the Mayor Debate post,I should run for Mayor !LOL

These people as the other poster said are consumed with me,and not the title of this post.A deflection

What makes me sick to my stomach is people say on here
"I wouldn't be caught in the same room as Joe Mason"!
Then come on here,and say what I did(never telling the truth)at the debate ??????????????????????

Good Luck to all the good people,and remember if you dont vote,dont cry.

Get out ,and vote for anyone but Mayor Thomas A. Menino

Joseph J.Mason
Proud EastBostonian

Anonymous said...

Menino ignored the social centers debate all togeather, while that was happenning he was on meridien st eating a mutadella w/ tomatos, and cobagole, Sub. Well crime has increased in eastie, shootings gangs breaking and entering, streets are clean i give him credit for that, i feel sorry for the young kids who attend public schools in boston, school drop out rate is high, it will show young married couples who want to stay in boston to forget about living here all togeather, is menino moving boston backwards, i think he should consider writing a farewell speach. Potential future mayor doug bennett " watch out for him"

Anonymous said...

To Joe Mason, you are the joke!
I really wish that you can change and be a nice person. by the way Joe, if your land use council is so real then why are we told NOT to go there? because we don't have to!
All I'm saying Jimbo is that Joe says one thing and does another. Jimbo look at all his posts he is the one filled with hate.
Although you are hateful Joe I still say have a great day and be well ans serve one another.
Jimbo good job with your blog as it grows!!!!!!!1

Anonymous said...

Why do people like you stay away ?

How do you think you got that DENIAL at the Board of Appeals,and are now spending a fortune APPEALING the DENIAL in Suffolk Superior Court on atty bills,where you have to name the Mayor,and the B.O.A.members as defendants.

"You shouldn't work WITHOUT PERMITS ",
and you should show up for Inspector Court dates in Boston Housing Court.

I know exactly who you are,and you are right where you belong.Paying
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ for atty fees,instead of just doing it right.

At least at L.U.C. we could of helped before you got clobbered. You listened to the wrong people,and on this one I am happy !

I can just hear the atty now,Oh dont worry ,"Its all set I talked to the powers.Problem is they dont vote!
Then reality set in,you were asked by the B.O.A.if you met with the community group,said No,and DENIAL !
In my opinion for A-disrespecting the Permit process,and
B-for disrespecting the community process.

I can't wait to see your face when you get the final Legal bill,and what SKS is you can spend up to 2 years in court ,spend 15,to 25 K,and still have a Judge,or Jury DENY you anyway!

If you dont pay the bill,they will file a lien on your house.


A Very Happy & Proud
Joe Mason

Anonymous said...

Again Jim, Joe points out his hatred! Dear Joe, you are the one who is mad that we don't have to come up in front of that silly board. You really don't get it, the city tells us that it would hurt us if we do because the L.U.C is not recognized to be credible.
You are just mad for those reasons, get over it.
Again, thank you Jim for letting us express our disagreements with your blog!

Anonymous said...

N-starluna you are foolish because you do not know what the Mayor has done for this city. In sam yoon's tenure what has he done for eastie? He never even comes around. You are just prejudiced against Italians.

Anonymous said...

Nstarluna can vote for whoever she wants.Whats being Italian got to do with anything?Look around East Boston,and if you think we are better off with Menino,you are either a city employee or just a total and utter buffoon. You're getting screwed by your own kind.Menino dont care about you,are you one of those clowns that has the Italian flag on their car or the horn on thre rear view mirror?--sounds like you are a real gavone.That means idiot in Italian by the way.

Anonymous said...

Hey Mason

You Rock,the Times still is afraid to show our community how few papers they print,while robbing the poor Eastie idiots that advertise in it thinking it reach's tens of thousands of people.

If you break the paper down ads from outside of Eastie out number Eastie places apx 4-1.Clearly showing even the business community in Eastie knows the Times is a joke.

Come on Lynds,Resnick step up,and print in your paper a copy of the last 12 months,month by month showing how many papers are printed,and where there printed.

An Ex advertiser who caught on to you last year.You dont deposit my money anymore !

Good Luck Mason ,take care of your health,dont pay any mind to them.

Anonymous said...

To Joe, you are being absolutely insane again. The times prints 5k copies a week for eastie. You make no sense, they print what is being reported just like Jim does so don't be mad that LUC isn't acknowledged. Keep your rants to a minimum because its sometimes sad and foolish the things you throw out there

Anonymous said...

Why is it that the East Boston
Times manages to print what is
happening at NEGLAA, The New England Gallery of Latin
American Art. A diamond in Bostons
cultural landscape, yet every
time I write them to remind them
that they never include the
location they ignor it. Back in
7th grade they taught us where,
when,who, what, where.The paper
is such an embarassing joke.
This wonderful museum is located
at 182 Cottage St.