Oct 24
2012
Two University at Buffalo professors, including one who heads the city’s Environmental Management Commission, take issue with a state report that downplays the air quality concerns of residents living near the Peace Bridge. A report from Artvoice.
Oct 24
2012
These are about to be interesting times at the Buffalo News. I say this because for the first time in decades—maybe forever—the paper has gone outside to hire an editor. Margaret Sullivan, who started at the News as an intern, held the editor’s job for 13 years before leaving in August for the New York Times, where she works as the public editor. Her predecessor, Murray B. Light, held the top job for 20 years, plus a lengthy stretch when he split a shared editorship. The legendary Alfred Kirchhofer ran the newsroom for 39 years. Put another way, factoring out[...]
Oct 24
2012
By Jeremy Izzio More watchdog, less lapdog. That’s the prescription David Cay Johnston, president of Investigative Reporters and Editors, offered for American journalism Tuesday to an audience of about 140 people at Burchfield Penny Art Center. Johnston, a Pulitzer Prize winner and best selling author, headed a panel to consider “The State of Investigative Reporting” hosted by Investigative Post. “Government derives its power from the consent of the people,” Johnston said. “Government is a fiction we create to make our society work. But if the only people paying attention to the government are those who make money off it, it[...]
Oct 23
2012
A new ad airing today in the Binghamton and Elmira markets has people from Pennsylvania talking about the damages they have witnessed from hydrofracking and it urges Governor Cuomo not to approve the natural gas drilling procedure. Those markets are the focus because Cuomo has mentioned a pilot program for hydrofracking in five southern tier counties. The ad from New Yorkers Against Fracking leads with a frame of Gov. Cuomo and a voiceover saying that the governor is considering opening New York State to fracking — a decision the governor has certainly been very slow to make and one New Yorkers[...]
Oct 22
2012
ProPublica reports on how companies are building digital profiles of voters and selling them to campaigns. What are they tracking, in addition to party affiliation? “When you last voted and what contributions you’ve made … your estimated income, what you do for a living, and what you’ve bought at the local mall,” according to ProPublica.
Oct 22
2012
Investigative Post is hosting a panel discussion Tuesday evening on “The State of Investigative Reporting” at the Burchfield Penny Art Center. The panel features David Cay Johnston, a former Pulitzer Prize winner with The New York Times and president of Investigative Reporters & Editors. Other speakers include Jeff Woodard, news director of WGRZ, 2 On Your Side; Mary Pasciak, education reporter for The Buffalo News; Kevin Connor, director of the Public Accountability Initiative; and Jim Heaney, editor of Investigative Post. The panel will be moderated by Joseph Finnerty, a noted First Amendment attorney. Lee Coppola, a former investigative repeaters and[...]
Oct 22
2012
Larry Quinn, once a boy wonder, turned 60 earlier this year. He’s a couple of years removed by his tenure as managing partner of the Buffalo Sabres and membership on the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. During his carrer, he served as development commissioner under Mayor Jimmy Griffin and later oversaw the construction of what is now First Niagara Center. His tenure with the Sabres won him both praise for helping to rescue the franchise out of bankruptcy and implementing a number of innovations, and criticism for the loss of popular stars including Pat Lafontaine and Chris Drury. He’s now[...]
Oct 21
2012