Finkelstein Gets Criticism From Blog
BY BUDDYNEVINS
“Help Me Howard Finkelstein needs some rare PR help.
Finkelstein at his night job
Howard’s Public Defenders’ Office like Madonna and Shakira, most people just call him by his first name — got some unusual criticism today from my pal Dan Christensen on his Browardbulldog.com.
That the story was broken by a tiny blog and not one of the major media outlets says volumes about how information gets revealed about governments today. Or doesn’t get revealed.
Howard’s office screwed up. A 78-year-old grandmother landed in jail for driving on a suspended license.
The “missteps were largely, but not entirely, the result of Howard’s office the very office whose job it is to look out for indigents like (the grandmother), wrote Christensen.
Howard has ordered retraining for several attorneys who failed to do their jobs.
Seeing a critique of Howard’s public defenders is extraordinary in today’s Broward.
Howard leads a charmed public life. He is almost never attacked by the media.
That’s why this story by Christensen is so unusual.
The story shows something about Christensen. One of his major sources is Howard. That didn’t stop him from doing this story.
That dedication to doing the story makes Christensen one of South Florida’s finest reporters. Unfortunately he was let go by the Miami Herald as part of a wave of layoffs last year.
Once the newspapers were filled with reporters like Christensen, guys who use Howard as a source but wouldn’t refrain from attacking him when needed.
Today there are far fewer left among the financial wreckage of newspapers and local TV.
Contracts are being let in every town. Deals are being made. Lobbyists are doing their dirty deeds. Nobody is watching because there are not enough reporters left to cover most of the city halls and other governments.
Sure blogs like Browardbeat.com, Christensen’s Browardbulldog.com and Bob Norman’s Daily Pulp have broken some stories. But comparing the impact of blogs to newspapers and local TV is like saying a rowboat is the same as an aircraft carrier.
No local blog has anywhere near the readership among common folks as the general media. There are too many of them and the Internet is too fragmented.
Howard’s office got some unusual criticism in Christensen’s blog today. I’m sure they passed it around the courthouse. But did the voters who put Howard in office even know it was posted?
How do you reach everybody that should be reading some of these fine blog stories? That is a major unanswered question in the digital age. The answer has major impact for good government in the future.
January 11th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Lee Seidman comes off looking great in the blog entry.
January 11th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
Did she receive her medications so she wouldn’t die while she was locked-up?
January 11th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
At least the old lady’s lawyer didnt have to make a contribution the day of the hearing to get justice.
January 11th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Where is the RSS feed for this blog??????
FROM BUDDY: Thanks for your interest.
Send your e-mail address to Browardbeat@hotmail.com. I’ll be glad to add you to my list which sends an e-mail everytime a new story is posted.
January 11th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
@lawfirm man
yeah, I wonder who Christenson’s source for the story was, hmmmm.
January 11th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
@lawfirm man
yeah, I wonder who Christenson’s source for the story was, hmmmm. Could it be S***N?
January 12th, 2010 at 8:09 am
Why did Seidman let this lady sit for 15 days?
January 12th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Hey Buddy—there were/are many fine female writers too—not just “guys”…
FROM BUDDY: Absolutely true. Sorry.
January 14th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
This post is very accurate and timely, Nevins.
Earl just announced that 10 more reporters/editors would be laid off by March 1.
FROM BUDDY: I assume that the writer is referring to Earl Maucker, editor of the Sun-Sentinel.