Media

Quotations

Leave a comment

Somewhere on this blog I detailed why I do not speak to the press these days. I have been misquoted often. Being a precision-learner, I do not desire words and nuances attributed to me that I did not say. Even so, that has still continued. A couple years ago the local paper stated I felt a certain way without having interviewed me.

It’s no wonder why I shun the press. Perhaps someone who was at the Millville City Commission meeting can correct me if I am wrong (I did not attend). At each meeting, the few guys who cover local politics for the area newspapers sit at a table directly in front of the five commissioners during the meeting.

Earlier today I read Jason Laday’s account of Commissioner Parent’s farewell for the Bridgeton News. Just now I read Joel Landau’s bit for the Daily Journal of the same thing. Both reporters quoted fellow Commissioner Tim Shannon.

Laday quoted Shannon as saying:

“I’m going to miss my right-hand man here; I can only hope I do half as good a job as he has.”

Landau quoted Shannon:

“I can only hope I’ve done half the job you’ve done,” said Commissioner Tim Shannon.

These are not the same thing. “A minor change,” some may say. “This time,” I retort. They sat five feet away and did not get it correct.

These are more quotations from Parent last evening.

Laday has these quotations:

“I’m not the smartest guy, but I surround myself with smart people.”
“When you’re elected, not only are you elected but so is your family,” he said. “Try to remember that.”

Landau these:

“You have to surround yourself with smart people. We really have that in this city,” he said. “This is not an easy task. It’s so important if you sit on these seats that you know not only are you elected, but so is your family.”

Again, it’s possible these Commissioners stated all of this. I suspect not. Rather, I suspect each reporter formulated the quotation in the context he needed to fit the piece he wrote. Accuracy was discarded for expediency. The public is not served with this.

Mark Krull often records these meetings. I will wait to see if he posts these. If not, I’ll try to remember to record the broadcast later.

Also blogged on this date . . .

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *