Mayor Transparency shrinks from the media

From the NY Times:

Since walking out of a news conference last month, Mayor Bill de Blasio seems to be embracing a new approach of “don’t ask, don’t answer.”

De Blasio shuns "unfriendly" press

Mayor picked two outlets - NY1 & NBC - and took only their questions, while other reporters kept at bay by barricades + security #safespace pic.twitter.com/0vIVQhvIgO

— Yoav Gonen (@yoavgonen) October 10, 2016

From the Daily News:

Hizzoner, who has come under fire recently for his attempts to curtail the press, on Monday handpicked two media outlets to take questions from while refusing to address any of the other media covering him at the Columbus Day Parade in Manhattan.

De Blasio addressed TV reporters with NBC and NY1, as frustrated journalists from other outlets including the Daily News were forced to watch from behind a police barricade.

Progress Queens has more.

Everything's a secret in de Blasio land

From the Queens Chronicle:

Did you know there was a meeting Tuesday night among representatives of the Department of Transportation, NYPD and Community Board 6 about how crowded Austin Street is and what might be done to make the strip safer and more workable for all?

You do if you’re reading this week’s Central, Mid or North Queens editions of the Chronicle, or visiting qchron.com. We don’t know if other papers have the story. We do know that if it were up to the DOT, we wouldn’t either.

No, no, no — that department’s press office was not at all happy to hear that we had learned about the meeting and had the gall to ask questions about it. The nerve of the press! In America, no less! True, we already had perturbed the office by contacting an actual decision-making official directly, at the recommendation of a knowledgeable source, so we had to get the old “You must go through us!” speech again. Yawn.

But eventually the DOT press people were quite helpful. When the Chronicle’s Christopher Barca asked what was discussed at the meeting, whether the agency would study traffic on Austin, and whether it has a plan going forward, we got this detailed response that was more than we could have hoped for in our greatest reportorial dreams:

“While DOT currently does not have a proposal to adjust traffic patterns on Austin Street in Forest Hills, we are aware of the community’s concerns related to congestion.”

The DOT is not alone in this by any means. This is rapidly becoming standard for city agencies. So why single out the transportation agency? Because it happened to be the one to try to cover up a newsworthy event this week. Luckily another well-placed source supplied the little information we got about the meeting. Like that it had taken place.

But most agencies and officials are getting less prone to answer the questions of a free press. That’s why you see so much “said in a prepared statement” in our stories. No interview allowed; take an email. That’s why the New York Press Club periodically writes letters reminding the mayor of the First Amendment, which then run in these pages. And that’s why Barca made a number of calls and sent several emails over two days to confirm that big secret: that a meeting had been held. Among public employees. On a matter of public interest. Expect a follow-up one day ... if anyone will talk.

Mr. Transparent puts his foot down

The mayor has changed his tune on how he deals with the press, but he's going to call the shots. (At least when he is in town.) Those FOIL requests will just have to wait.

DeBlasio will answer questions when he is good and ready

From CBS:

Mayor Bill de Blasio campaigned on a pledge to be the most transparent mayor ever.

But CBS2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer reported the mayor was aggressively trying to control the message Wednesday – taking reporters’ questions only about once a week on topics he has not pre-approved.

Kramer went toe-to-toe with the mayor’s press secretary about it on Wednesday.

Kramer reported that the late Mayor Ed Koch answered reporters’ questions as many as six times a day, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg did it three or four times a week.

She said she did not recall a mayor who said he was only taking “on-topic” questions one day, and went on to say, “Tomorrow, we’ll talking about other types of topics.”

But press secretary Karen Hinton vehemently defended the practice.

Precincts no longer allowed to release info

From DNA Info:

The NYPD has ordered the city's 77 police precincts to stop giving out any information to the media about crimes taking place in their neighborhoods, cutting off a long-standing source of information for New Yorkers.

According to a terse NYPD edict transmitted citywide, precinct commanders were instructed: “Any requests by media to view complaint reports be referred to the office of the Deputy Commissioner For Public Information.”

The NYPD's public information office, known as DCPI, typically disemminates only select major crimes such as murders, sexual assaults and grand larcenies, but often does not include lower level neighborhood crimes. Those complaints could traditionally be found at the precinct, a reliable source for information of interest for residents.

According to sources, the latest media restriction was sent last week to the precinct supervisors from their borough commanders, who received the transmission from the NYPD’s Chief of Patrol James Hall.

Meng lies about her relationship with Multimedia

Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:55:30 -0700
From: centerwny@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: Sexual exploitation of women in Queens
To: georgetheatheist@hotmail.com

Thank you for contacting me about the use of Grace Meng of the Multi=media company which is connected with the Queens Tribune.

If you have followed our Women's Center activities, you would know that we have had a campaign against the use of community newspapers for exploiting women and featuring ads that encourage prostitution.

I learned of the fact that Grace Meng is using this company through an editorial of the Queens Chronicle. Mark Weidler, the publisher, was the first one to cooperate with the Center's campaign to voluntary agree never to publish these ads!

I do not know if Grace Meng is aware of the connection with her campaign advisors and the Queens Tribune. I have left message for Assembly Meng today to talk to her in her district office. She is probably in Albany and it may take a day or two for me to reach her.

I respect Grace Meng and have heard her champion rights for women and I do not for a minute believe that she is aware of the connection. I do not want to harm her campaign and believe she has the right to be informed of the issues.

I appreciate your letter and your efforts. You can be of enormous help by sending your complaint to her. I can assure you that I will follow up. I am personally acquainted with all of the Democratic candidates for the Congressional seat. They all are very sensitive to the issue of sex trafficking and domestic violence and have concern for women's rights.

The issue needs to get public attention and we have to raise the public awareness of the exploitation of women for the sake of advertising dollars!

Let us see what her response will be. Thanks for your concern on this issue.

Ann Jawin
Center for the Women of New York (CWNY)
Queens Borough Hall
120-55 Queens Boulevard, Room 325
Kew Gardens, NY 11424
Phone 718 793 0672
Fax 718 793 0020
___________________________________________________

Subject: Fwd: Assemblywoman Meng & Sex-trafficking
From: gracemeng@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:08:04 -0400
To: georgetheatheist@hotmail.com

Multi media is not receiving any consulting fees from my campaign. They are printing some of our posters/fliers.

Thank you for inquiring.
Sent from my iPhone


___________________________________________________

What does that mean? Why exactly does Meng feel compelled to use Multimedia for her printing considering their seedy rep and connection to sex trafficking ads?

Let's recall the Queens Chronicle's March 29th editorial:

The Meng campaign just hired Multi-Media, the consulting firm the Tribune claims acts independently of the newspaper, even though it’s headed by the paper’s associate publisher, Michael Nussbaum.

So what does she get for hiring Multi-Media? Political advice, mailers and, just maybe, last week’s Tribune front page, which focused on Meng’s “making history” with her campaign (she’s Asian, you see), and relegated her competitors to inset-style photos.

And let's also revisit the first paragraph from a recent City and State article:

A spokesman for Assemblywoman Grace Meng’s congressional campaign confirmed this morning that its main campaign consultant, Michael Nussbaum, urged a Jewish state committeeman in Queens to run for the same congressional seat as Meng.

Why would someone who's "just a printer" be contacting other candidates and asking them to be vote splitters?

From City and State:

Assemblywoman Grace Meng unveiled her congressional campaign team today, which is notable as much for those involved as it is for those not.

Team Meng includes the following:

Multi-Media, Strategist and Consultant; Michael Nussbaum, executive vice president and associate publisher of the Queens Tribune, is the principle at Multi-Media. The Tribune was founded by Congressman Ackerman back in 1970.

GRACE MENG IS A TERRIBLE LIAR.

I threw in Jawin's "Grace must not know" response for comic relief. I could see how she could miss these ads in the Trib every week:


Why does this "women's group" have a boro hall office address unless they are an arm of the Queens Machine?

Local tweeders oppose federal property rights bill

Excerpts of a news conference held by Willets Point United Inc. on April 12, 2012 in support of the Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2012 (H.R. 1433), which would punish states that allow eminent domain to be used for economic development purposes. The bill passed the United States House of Representatives on February 28, 2012 by an overwhelming and bipartisan voice vote, and is now being considered by the Senate judiciary committee.

Congressmember Joseph Crowley is on record opposing this legislation. There is no doubt that his cousin, Elizabeth Crowley, supports the theft of private property to benefit private development. Yet, she opposes eminent domain for public park projects in her district.

Crowley's hand-picked party hack, er, congressional candidate, Grace Meng, likely feels the same way. Don't know what Rory Lancman thinks. It's not like anyone in the media will bother to ask any of them.

Highlights of the press conference:

WPU attorney Michael Rikon: "Passing the Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2012 will stop the condemnation of Willets Point, and it will stop eminent domain abuse in New York State."

State Senator Tony Avella: "I say to the U.S. Senate, 'Let's pass this legislation'. Let's have the President sign it into law."

City Council Member Dan Halloran: "Senators Gillibrand and Schumer are people who should understand the values of New Yorkers. … They have an obligation to make sure this bill gets to the floor."

Property owner Irene Prestigiacomo: "What Mike Bloomberg is trying to do here at Willets Point has now been deemed inappropriate by the United States House of Representatives."

Queens civic leader Ben Haber: "I am particularly upset by the prostitution of the time-honored concept of eminent domain."

Business owner Marco Neira: "Please stop harassing us. Let us work!"

Business owner Arturo Olaya: "Eminent domain is not supposed to be taking property from the people to give it to somebody else for favors."

Business owner's daughter Tana Quillupangui: "I just hope that the Senate approves of this."

Weiner's waste of time

Why is the media silent on challengers?

Here is the accompanying press release.

And guess what? YouTube sent Biviano a notice saying his video was hit with a privacy complaint from an NBC employee who appears briefly in the video.

And here is a story of another unholy alliance - Michael Nussbaum and a Queens incumbent senator, Shirley Huntley.