O’Reilly recently mentioned what a horrible outfit Newsday is, for their distortion or outright lies. Looks like this is a fine example of what he was talking about.
“O’Reilly recently mentioned what a horrible outfit Newsday is, for their distortion or outright lies”
Newsday Strong-Arm Allegations Nothing New
Christopher Twarowski 12/22/2005 12:01 am
Even after you spank ‘em on the nose, old dogs will get back to old tricks.
At a press conference this week, a Nassau County legislator made the serious allegation that Newsday is still using its bully pulpit to bully local officials. Legis. Lisanne Altmann (D-Great Neck) publicly charged that Newsday Editorial Page Editor James M. Klurfeld had been threatening legislators who support Legis. Roger Corbin (D-Westbury) in his efforts to oust current Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs.
The alleged tactic was no surprise to readers of the Long Island Press, which two years ago reported similar efforts on Klurfeld’s part to wield political influence. And last year the Press reported additional allegations concerning the Newsday editor’s strong-arm tactics.
In 2003, Suffolk Democratic Party Chairman Richard Schaffer told the Press that Klurfeld tried to bully him over the party’s candidate of choice for Suffolk county executive [”Levy Wins Despite Newsday’s Threat,” Sept. 11, 2003]. Schaffer and the party supported Steve Levy, while Klurfeld and Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi were promoting William Cunningham in his primary against Levy. According to Schaffer, when he told Klurfeld the party would stick with Levy, the editor responded: “Then we’re going to be enemies, and this is war.” Levy won in a landslide, despite Newsday’s vigorous support for his opponent.
Last December, as Newsday’s fraudulent circulation scandal continued to unfold [”Newsday: Game Over,” Dec. 30, 2004], the Press reported that Klurfeld had successfully pressured legislators to approve a contract to operate Nassau’s Cradle of Aviation Museum. Former Newsday Publisher Ray Jansen happened to serve on the board of trustees of the group that won the contract. Journalistic ethics experts across the country found the actions troubling.
But that, apparently, hasn’t stopped the Newsday editor from throwing his weight around. In this latest instance, although Altmann herself did not receive a threatening phone call from Klurfeld, she tells the Press that Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick) told her that he had. Questioned by the Press, Denenberg denied it.
Others who say they’ve received such calls in the past, including Minority Leader Peter Schmitt (R-Massapequa), say they no longer communicate with Klurfeld, but that the slant of Newsday’s editorial page is still blatantly apparent.
“Why is it that consensus government in Suffolk County, bridge building, all that, is so good to Newsday?” asks Ed Ward, Schmitt’s spokesman. “Yet when it’s attempted in Nassau, Newsday immediately has a problem with it. Anything the Republicans do, Newsday has a problem with it.”