Comments on: Plain Dealer plays it safe in Michael Connell article

By: Jill Miller Zimon

Jill Miller Zimon — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:33:37 +0000

Rich, a week ago Monday I spent four hours crying at the most devastating funeral I’ve ever attended. And the deceased was not even a very close friend. I’m sure that there is sadness and concern as well as unanswered questions of all types within the Connell family. I know at the funeral I attended the children expressed a lot of anger and the Rabbi and others addressed a lot of questions about God’s role in all this. This is all universal when death touches us. I wish the family great strength.

By: Jill Miller Zimon

Jill Miller Zimon — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:30:23 +0000

There’s no question that news outlets will continue to follow the litigation and investigations. Whether the PD steps up to the plate to cover it as well, seeing as how it has to do 1) with Ohio and 2) elections and 3) Ohioans, remains to be seen.

By: james aka ADAP2K

james aka ADAP2K — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:55:21 +0000

CBS News: Michael Connell was told NOT TO FLY and that his plane may be SABOTAGED !

http://adap2k.blogspot.com/2008/12/connell-crash-plane-dead-gop-it-guru.html

By: John Ettorre

John Ettorre — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:35:19 +0000

My bar is reasonably high on such conspiracy theorizing, simply because so few of these kinds of things pan out when you take a hard look at them. But obviously you need to make some reference to the underlying stuff. And Crain’s, as often is the case, finds just the right balance, while still remaining properly skeptical. I like that they also included a link so that I could check it out myself. In other words, it treats its readers as adults, which the PD sometimes doesn’t.

By: Jill Miller Zimon

Jill Miller Zimon — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:27:31 +0000

Thanks, John for that link and comment. I know maybe sometimes I might be aggressively critiquing but this just seemed really really like a no-brainer – the guy is an Ohioan, the lawsuit is serious and the focus is Ohio elections, and he did work for or was connected to work with Blackwell and the ORP. I just don’t see how that isn’t mentioned in a PD story.

Crain’s did do a much better job of canvasing what’s out there without getting all OCD about it – which is wise given the nature of how circumspect it all is at this point.

By: John Ettorre

John Ettorre — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:25:17 +0000

Sorry, I really meant to say “coverage.”

By: John Ettorre

John Ettorre — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:22:28 +0000

Pitiful, even disgraceful, coverage by the PD. Crain’s does a much better job:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20081222/FREE/812229967/1022

I remember interviewing him by phone and writing a little about him almost a decade ago. He had been an aide to then-Representative Martin Hoke, and seemed like a straight shooter who just happened to understand how the web would transform politics and campaigns before most others did.

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:38:17 +0000

Seek therapy for BDS. So classy!