Saturday, September 03, 2005
Local Catch-Up
1) The Times' Saturday Metro section had this interesting feature on developer Bruce Ratner/Forest City Ratner's "Brooklyn Standard", an ersatz paper with a raison d'etre of boosting the downtown Brooklyn development project -- of Forest City Ratner!
The publication looks like a newspaper -- a cross between the daily freebies Metro and AM New York and, oh, The Onion.
Anyway, the FCR paper is a rah-rah Brooklyn-booster that happily glosses over controversial issues attached to the project -- like eminent domain, which I talked a little about over here. (John Cole talks about how Texas has swiftly moved to counter the ramifications of the Supreme Court's Kelo vs. New London decision.)
Ironically, some local activists believe that that is something it shares with, yes, the New York Times. The activists have put together an indepth report decrying what they believe is the NYT's falling down on critically reporting FCR's Atlantic Yards project.
Among the many detailed sins -- rarely mentioning that the FCR is building the Times' new midtown headquarters. And, no, there is no such disclaimer in the Saturday story! Ironically, at least "The Brooklyn Standard" identifies itself as a "Forest City Ratner publication"!
2) My latest Post piece connects the Katrina aftermath with the city's big West Indian Day Parade on Monday. After noting how the country paused after 9/11, I wondered about the contrast between thousands of black folks continuing to suffer in the South while millions will be partying on Eastern Parkway at the parade. Organizers and other locals share how they will address the ongoing tragedy.
3) The NYT endorses ex-Bronx Borough President Ferdinand Ferrer in the September 13 Democratic mayoral primary. Aside from the editorial's tepid tone, it's placement tells a lot about how the paper really feels -- on a Saturday (lowest circulation day) of a holiday weekend. If there is any better way to help minimize an endorsement's impact, I can't think of it.
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The publication looks like a newspaper -- a cross between the daily freebies Metro and AM New York and, oh, The Onion.
Anyway, the FCR paper is a rah-rah Brooklyn-booster that happily glosses over controversial issues attached to the project -- like eminent domain, which I talked a little about over here. (John Cole talks about how Texas has swiftly moved to counter the ramifications of the Supreme Court's Kelo vs. New London decision.)
Ironically, some local activists believe that that is something it shares with, yes, the New York Times. The activists have put together an indepth report decrying what they believe is the NYT's falling down on critically reporting FCR's Atlantic Yards project.
Among the many detailed sins -- rarely mentioning that the FCR is building the Times' new midtown headquarters. And, no, there is no such disclaimer in the Saturday story! Ironically, at least "The Brooklyn Standard" identifies itself as a "Forest City Ratner publication"!
2) My latest Post piece connects the Katrina aftermath with the city's big West Indian Day Parade on Monday. After noting how the country paused after 9/11, I wondered about the contrast between thousands of black folks continuing to suffer in the South while millions will be partying on Eastern Parkway at the parade. Organizers and other locals share how they will address the ongoing tragedy.
3) The NYT endorses ex-Bronx Borough President Ferdinand Ferrer in the September 13 Democratic mayoral primary. Aside from the editorial's tepid tone, it's placement tells a lot about how the paper really feels -- on a Saturday (lowest circulation day) of a holiday weekend. If there is any better way to help minimize an endorsement's impact, I can't think of it.
