I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
Today the local blogosphere is obsessed with two things: Swine flu and how to write about the investigation into Gov. Bill Richardson’s pay-to-play allegations.
Scot Key writes about our fear of swine flu and the absurdity of shutting down schools because of it. From the post:
There are just over 40,000 motor vehicle-related fatalities each year, a number that hasn’t changed much over the last decade. 41,945 for 2000. 41.059 for 2007. Pretty much statistical clockwork.
A study a couple of years back showed that around 17,000 U.S. schoolchildren ended up at the emergency room each year from school bus-related accidents. Reasons for injuries includes actual bus crashes, slipping on the ice getting on/off the bus and “roughhousing” on the bus.
Last time I checked, no schools had been closed due to the pandemic of motor-vehicle fatalities. I could find zero closures based on the concomitant pandemic of school bus-related injuries. The very recent death of a Rhode Island high school student run over by a school bus is terrible news, but I see no note of a school closure in the story.
I think you know where this is going.
Joe Monahan writes on the federal grand jury investigation into Governor Richardson’s CDR pay-to-play allegations.
Meanwhile, NMI’s Marjorie Childress writes on her own blog about Joe Monahan, saying, “Don’t let yourself get played by the alligators.” From the post:
Monahan is the blog of leaks. It’s the place that a certain sector of New Mexico’s political class leaks information. Monahan mixes anonymous perspectives of some in the political circles he runs with and the straightforward stuff he gleans from the on-the-record writing of the rest of New Mexico’s reporting/blogging class. And then he coats the information he brings with his own inclinations and political persuasion.
Problem is, the outcome can be highly irresponsible.
And on his own site, our Heath Haussamen writes about Marjorie writing about Joe Monahan writing about GRIPgate, saying “Journalism requires due diligence.” From his post:
And though I don’t usually get involved in criticism of Monahan, today’s posting on his site about the federal investigation of allegations of pay to play in the Richardson administration is fairly egregious in its cavalier handling of serious allegations that could have a big impact on people’s lives.
Monahan named two officials who are in some way connected to the circumstances the grand jury is investigating: Amanda Cooper, one of Richardson’s top political operatives, and Chris Romer, a Colorado politico who worked for one of the companies that’s part of the investigation.
Monahan reports that both have been given immunity by federal prosecutors.
The problem is, he doesn’t provide any context. If it’s true, what does that mean?
We’re sure Monahan will be delighted by all of the attention, even if it is critical. The bottom line is that journalists love nothing more than to dissect the way we, and our colleagues, work.
Super awesome intern Danielle Bauer contributed to this report.
