We cannot in good conscience hold back any longer. We have waited more than three weeks. The time to wake up is now.
Where is the Courier-Journal on the Robert Felner scandal at the University of Louisville? Why is the newspaper of record and the largest publication in the Commonwealth of Kentucky ignoring this huge, multi-million dollar scandal? I mean, we’ve literally been hand-feeding the paper. Doing the leg work for the C-J day in and day out. And nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Deadening, suspicious silence.
After yesterday’s revelation by WHAS11′s Adam Walser, Kenosha News’ Gary Kunich and this website the Courier-Journal’s education reporter is still silent on the issue. We have no reason to believe the C-J is in collusion with UofL on this matter and we have no reason to believe the paper has been silenced.
But it’s a good idea to mention this: After the CW Louisville was afraid to let us discuss the Felner scandal on television because the station management had gotten its feathers ruffled, we called every news room and reporter in Louisville (except WAVE3– the news director has way too much of an attitude with us) to find out if Felner’s attorney (now attorneys, plural) or anyone else had attempted to silence the story.
Everyone we spoke with assured us they had not been pressured and no one had expressed concern to them about reporting on or investigating the Felner scandal. The only red flag was Nancy Rodriguez of the C-J, who did, it must be noted, tell us that she had not been pressured. But she was very nervous about receiving a call re: Felner. It could have been because Rick is a big, bad, terrifying media critic but let’s get real. It’s likely because she didn’t want to put her tight relationships with UofL’s administration at risk and it doesn’t take much for people from all walks of life to assume as much. Nancy’s a good person and a great journalist, but enough is enough.
What’s Nancy writing about that keeps her too busy to focus on Felner? Why, writing fluff pieces about President Jim Ramsey’s decision to turn down his $113,000+ bonus for the year. It’s mighty admirable of Ramsey to turn down the giant bonus (Lee Todd at UK certainly didn’t), but he’s already making a $331,918 base salary in addition to at least $124,213 he receives from the university foundation. So we’re pretty sure a paltry $100K is chump change to him.
From Nancy’s story today:
At his own request, University of Louisville President James Ramsey won’t receive a raise or a bonus this year under a recommendation expected to be approved today by the university’s Board of Trustees.
Ramsey — who asked trustees not to give him additional money in light of tight budget constraints at the state and university level — will instead receive a lump-sum payment of $700, which other full-time faculty and staff members are receiving under this year’s university budget.
-SNIP-
“I don’t want this to be about me,” Ramsey added. “I don’t want this to be about what I get paid. I want this to be about the Univer- sity of Louisville and being what people expect it to be.”
We’re becoming more and more disappointed in the Courier-Journal each and every day. And there’s no reason to believe the same thing isn’t happening with the general public because subscriber rates are dropping like crazy and staff cuts are happening all over the place.
Where is the journalism our major newspaper is supposed to produce? Where is the investigation? Where is the openness and honesty about what is happening right before our very eyes? What is with this complacency?
15 responses so far ↓
1 Yellow Dog // Jul 10, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Why anyone still expects actual journalism from Gannettoids is beyond me.
The Courier-Journal died in April 2006, when Gannett bought it and turned it into a toilet paper factory.
You’ll see FUXNoise endorsing Dennis Kucinich for president before you’ll see an inch of real journalism in the Courier.
2 Yellow Dog // Jul 10, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Shit. April 1986, not 2006.
3 bzt // Jul 10, 2008 at 5:29 pm
This is what you get when news media staff gets thin. The CJ (along with other media properties) cannot afford to tick off companies, institutions or city government. Why? Because if they do, they’ll have to WORK HARDER. They’ll have to work harder because these folks won’t call them for press conferences and feed them stores. They might even have to work as hard as a blogger! And they just don’t have the staff to work harder.
So they wallow. And they print press releases.
4 TJ // Jul 10, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Ha. Now you know why the conservatives in this state get so frustrated over the CJ’s cover-up, ball-drop editing. It usually helps the Dem cause. But it’s just bad journalism.
5 Bilked // Jul 10, 2008 at 5:35 pm
On a happier note, LPGA super hot babe, Paula Creamer, birdied nine of the last 11 holes, including the final three, for a course-record 60 over the par-71 Highland Meadows layout
6 BHG // Jul 10, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I’m glad you’ve brought this up, Jake. Why isn’t the C-J looking at it via open records requests? I know U of L is not going to comment citing the federal investigation (and though that drives you mad that is exactly what I would advise U of L to do if I were its general counsel), but there is no need for the C-J to be spooked. And there’s really no need to be afraid of U of L because they are still going to call the reporter to spin all the good things they do.
I have an alternate theory, though — perhaps she is meticulously gathering info and documents working on a major investigative story that will be splashed in a Sunday edition a few weeks from now and was nervous because she didn’t want you to find out sometime she knows but you don’t so she can get some sort of scoop.
7 jake // Jul 10, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Nice theory.
Too bad it’s not the case.
If that were the case, then the C-J would have initially taken the story when I offered it to them– because I thought it was too big for me to deal with.
8 ed // Jul 10, 2008 at 9:17 pm
You’re like Woodward and Bernstein rolled into one. Looking at what you’ve uncovered to date, I can’t imagine the hours you’ve put into this. Way to go, man. This is my first experience with a blog, but I can’t believe there are many like yours.
9 Not My Real Name // Jul 10, 2008 at 10:04 pm
You’re pissed over the Felner story. Lots of conservatives are pissed at both big papers in Kentucky for ignoring the compromised makeup of the Fletcher Inquisition grand jury and not doing any investigation into who was actually accusing Fletcher of crimes or why they were doing it.
10 jake // Jul 10, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Are you kidding?
I’m pissed at more than the Felner story.
So is Rick.
It’s literally something that comes up in every public conversation I’m involved in and has for a year.
11 ed // Jul 10, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Hey Not My Real Name, I thought they took all your computers.
12 Not My Real Name // Jul 11, 2008 at 9:55 am
Ed, obviously you haven’t heard that one of the grand jurors is married to one of the members of Stumbo’s goon squad a/k/a the Kentucky Bureau of Investigation. If that’s not a jury-tainting conflict of interest, I don’t know what it.
13 Tirnstile // Jul 11, 2008 at 10:51 am
On the C-J comment section after yesterday’s story, somebody actually applauded them for their investigation. NOPE!
That individual obviously hasn’t been turned on to this site. Keep up the good work!
14 jake // Jul 11, 2008 at 10:58 am
Thanks for the kind words.
But it’s not just this site. While I will freely take credit for breaking the story, there are a couple mainstream media types out there in the world who are legitimately investigating (now). Adam Walser of WHAS11 and Gary Kunich of Kenosha News are the two who immediately come to mind.
Unfortunately, even after Nancy’s piece in the C-J yesterday, I still can’t say that she’s investigating. Her story tried to spin things to make it seem like everything was centered on one $694K grant– and that’s just not the case.
Something is definitely up at the C-J with UofL. Otherwise the major story I broke– and offered to the paper– wouldn’t have been shrugged aside by everyone I met with at the paper… before I ended up writing the piece myself.
15 WC // Jul 11, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Ed, you are hilarious. Thanks for all your comments. I nearly spit out my falafel reading your last post.
Jake, what exactly do you think is “up” with the C-J? Think someone at the paper is involved in the scandal? Think Nancy is trying to protect UofL? What? Speculate.
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