Longbardi Questions Roderick's Latest Award
ERS News blogger Eric Longbardi is incredelous over a recent award won by West LA based blogger Kevin Roderick, chief correspondent at LAObserved.You might remember the story that Longbardi has been pushing, originally reported by blogger Luke Ford, that Roderick is allegedly falsely claiming credit for Pulitizer Prize awards won by his former employer The Los Angeles Times in recognition of stories that Roderick did not write but was a member of the team that produced them.
Longbardi is aghast that Roderick recently won recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists for his efforts by a journalist “who uses the new media’s unique characteristics and capabilities while striving to uphold traditional journalism’s highest standards of honesty, accuracy, responsibility and accountability.”
The ERS blogger holds that given his view that Roderick has been less than honest in the Pulitzer issue the LAObserved editor is not deserving of the SPJ award.
In the Thanksgiving Day post, Longbardi recaps the original charges against Roderick including deconstructing an interview by David Markland and former LA Voice blogger and Roderick's colleague at The Times at the same time Mack Reed's opinion that though he had a similar role in the stories and received the same "trophy" from the LA Times as Roderick, Reed does not consider that he himself "won" a Pulitzer.
Whether you agree with Longbardi or you support Roderick, all in all it presents an interesting story that perhaps journalists and some bloggers are way too obsessed with awards and that perhaps there are so many awards they are not as meaningful as they once were. It should be noted that many of these awards may be self-nominated and many of them require the payment of a fee or joining an organization in order to be considered.
Labels: eric longabardi, ersnews, kevin roderick, la observed, luke ford, pulitzer prize
Posted by Michael Higby @ 11/28/2008 07:00:00 AM
3 Comments:
Thank you for highlighting this important issue.
It is sad/interesting to watch how the Los Angeles Times each year puts together one or maybe two investigative series. Inevitably, these investigative series articles deal with some explosive topic most likely to interest the Pulizer jury. It has become painfully obvious that when the "annual" LA Times investigative piece rolls out on the front page, the Times is not so much truly committed to investigative reporting as it is gunning for another "Prize to Hang on the Wall".
Investigative reporting in Los Angeles is dead at the Los Angeles Times and on life-support at the LA Weekly, City Beat, and other alternative press. The Times just picks one or two lucky topics a year in its annual quest for a Pulizer so it can kid itself that it remains an "important" newspaper.
There are appalling cases that cry out for investigation in Los Angeles and they remain buried. The Los Angeles Times is often aware of scandal about the Mayor, Councilmembers, and certain business leaders, but unless some other media "scoops" the Times, it refuses to dedicate investigative resources. As a result, the City festers in anger as elected officials and corrupt business-as-usual undermines the quality of life. The Los Angeles Times reinforces the City's power structure -- and such behavior is an appalling violation of the ethical obligations of journalists. Until the Los Angeles Times distinguishes itself as committed to year round investigative reporting, the City spirals downward and the annual Times investigative series looks more and more like the joke it has been for a number of years.
Thank You David Z for another great story on the corruption on City Hall. Its about time they get Alatorre. He's best friends with Huizar, Villaraigosa, Alarcon, Cardenas and Reyes. All the Mexican Mafiaosos. Get them all.
LA Slimes....Los Angeles County D.A. scrutinizes lobbying activity by two former L.A. officials
Investigators are looking into whether former Councilman Richard Alatorre violated city laws by failing to disclose lobbying activities.....Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley has opened an inquiry into the lobbying work of former Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alatorre and whether he violated city laws by failing to disclose those activities, several sources said...Cooley's Public Integrity Division, joined by investigators with the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, also have been seeking information about any lobbying work by former city commissioner Leland Wong, who was sentenced last month to five years in prison.
Alatorre has resurfaced as an informal advisor to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and a consultant with a lucrative lobbying practice. Ethics Commission forms show that he reported receiving $207,000 from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30 for his City Hall lobbying work and $12,000 during the same period as a consultant to the city's housing authority.
Mayor .. I guess you didn't read the story.
I never saw this post until now.
Roderick was NOT a member of the team that won the Pulitzer in either case that he claimed he was.
You can check that simple proven fact with the Pulitzer Awards yourself.
He was an editor at the LA Times at the times he claims he won 2 Pulitzers. He has never won one and his lies about having done so were exposed in my exclusive stories at the time.
In actual journalism .. especially investigative journalism .. provable fact actually make a difference.
Just thought your blog readers would like to know.
Also .. ERS News was not a blog -- and neither is its newer relaunched version TheEnterpriseReport.com (TER)
LAO is a blog.
TER is not.
Cheers,
-Eric Longabardi
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