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.

Russ Stanton at the LA Press Club

The Los Angeles Press Club hosted "An Evening with Russ Stanton" last night to a 100+ crowd that included the likes of Jill Stewart, Mariel Garza, Chris Woodyard, Michael Goldstein, Luke Ford, Joseph Mailander and several other members of the 4th Estate. Video footage of the event will be made available in an update and you can also catch the new L.A. Times Editor at a Zócalo LA event next month.

Some tidbits from the evening:

• In a surprise to many, the Editor admitted that there have been a few internal memos that didn't end up on LA Observed
• He gave a shoutout to the Top of the Ticket blog
• He said the Times needs more diversity both in terms of age and ethnicity
• He talked about the recent "doozy"

We are human beings pulling off a daily miracle and that is not a perfect process by any stretch of the imagination. - Russ Stanton

(Full Disclosure - I am the Publicist for the Press Club)

Sunday Hotsheet First Edition

Mayor Villaraigosa has to be having buyer's remorse about appointing Jane Ellison Usher to the Planning Commission. Her pro-NIMBY memo screed will be exhibit A in Sandy Hubbard's lawsuit against SB 1818 - which is bad policy for another reason that I've discussed before. (By the way on a slightly unrelated note, here is an interesting article from almost 20 years ago about Usher's husband, Harry, a longtime LA power player. The story goes back to the days before Mayor Villaraigosa, even Mayor Riordan, Mayor Sam and the internet. Thought provoking to see what Usher thought LA's issues were in 1990.)

We posted it Saturday, even LA Observed covered it but crickets from the fishwraps of record, digital or otherwise, on the alleged anti-Semitic comments of Reverend Eric Lee, President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Los Angeles. Lee reportedly made the remarks during an event marking the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King at which Israeli-American philanthropist Daphna Ziman was honored for her years of activism on behalf of the poor. Blogger Ed Morrisey wondered "where the press was for this event. With the Mayor attending an event honoring King, one has to believe that the LA Times would have had at least a beat reporter there."

When a Westchester based blogger and Neighborhood Council member challenged DWP General Manager H. David Nahai as to why the utility transfered millions of dollars of revenues to the City of Los Angeles general fund instead of investing it in the Department's infrastructure, Nahai referred to the blogger as an "angry person." Glad to see Nahai gets it!

Captain Greg Nelson makes a good point about how developers can work with the community on their projects in order to blunt some NIMBY/BANANA/CAVE hysteria around their projects. I've mentioned this before, using the example of developer J.H. Snyder and his consultant Ira Handelman who did a beautiful job of engaging the North Hollywood community on several large projects that achieved significant and widespread community support.

The San Fernando Valley Democrats have another picnic-softball game next week. Tip to City Council Staffers: Don't drive your City owned vehicle to the picnic. Snoops will be watching.

Following Luke Ford's post that the Westside White Guy claimed credit for Pulitzer Prizes Ford believes he has no right to, David Markland had a brief interview with the blogger that Sherry (Shirley?) Bebitch Jeffee says is the only one she knows from Adam. Though he was discussing Ford's allegation, I guess the WWG decided it was an opportune time to lie about our blog and say "I don’t trust the accuracy or the ethics of anything at Mayor Sam, and I don’t know anyone in L.A. politics who does." Yea - sure Kev. That's why they all read it and that's why lots of send us tips, news and other items. What a waste of time to try to get stuff on a blog that no one reads or trusts.

Saturday Special Hotsheet

San Francisco has always been goofy but can you believe they are actually spending money to advertise to bring illegal aliens to the city to get government welfare services? The city is spending nearly $100,000 to advertise it's sanctuary city status. Does that include free bus fare for gangbangers? Lets give them some free advertising right here. We'd be glad to send folks up there.

I should probably blog this on Monday but a reader sent in a correction to our post about Luke Ford's story on Kevin Roderick's alleged lies about his Pulitzer Prizes. Seems I may have been a bit too charitable to the Westside White Guy. I said that Roderick was an editor on the stories that won the awards. According to our tipster, old Kev was an editor at the Times but did not edit the prize winning pieces. I guess that's like if you work at a TV station who has a show that wins an Emmy you could call yourself an Emmy winner. Our source told me that Roderick "is a fraud; at the very least his claim is bogus." Stay tuned.

Wacko Jacko has the thinnest kids and Bitter Bernie has the fattest. Someone has actually taken it upon themselves (with a hefty dose of your money) to do a study on childhood obesity by Council District. Of course, they're probably going to recommend all kinds of government programs. I have a program that works - its called personal choice. If you don't put the shit in your mouth, you lose weight. It's amazing folks, I can tell its absolutely true.

The Foothill Cities Blog has an interview with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton with the Presidential candidate giving some amazing answers.

That wacky dude who is allegedly the voice behind Captain Jack, Greg Nelson, has a piece in the latest edition of Citywatch celebrating NIMBYs. Captain Jack, uh, I mean Greg compares folks who oppose new housing as well as those who fought freeways we could have used now to American revolutionaries. Me thinks Greg be having a bit too much of the grape, savvy?

Kevin Roderick A Fraud?

That's what the email in my inbox said. Allegedly.

I've been hearing about this for a while but Luke Ford has bit and published (and yes I know he published it a few days ago, who cares) a piece taking to task LAObserved blogger, the lovable Westside White Guy, Kevin Roderick himself.

It appears that, according to Ford, Roderick has claimed credit for a handful of Pulitzers he didn't actually win.

To be fair, WWG worked as an editor on the LA Times stories he claims the prize for, but the byline and award went to others according to Ford.

I have a friend who won an Emmy and I took him out to dinner. Maybe I should claim that I've won an Emmy?

Its not the end of the world but given how much Roderick often unfairly slams other journos we couldn't resist.

Weekend media roundup

Mickey Kaus continues to file reports for a broader audience on the latest developments in our sizzling summer soap, joining Mayor Sam’s Joseph Mailander, Saturday, in questioning the motivations behind a strange LAT write-up on Telemundo reporter Mirthala Salinas.

Elsewhere on the 'net, Luke Ford has posted audio of a recent KABC appearance by Eric Longabardi of ERSNews. Longabardi claims a member of Mayor Villaraigosa’s security detail was allowed to bypass the normal recruitment process, and he'd like to know why.

By the way, Ford is right: ERSNews rocks. When Longabardi’s exclusive story of a secret rendezvous between the Mayor and Ms. Salinas found its way into the mainstream news rotation Friday, I realized I was very, unfashionably late to the Longabardi party; the man has solid sources and is to be taken seriously.

Speaking of secret dinner dates, others are now questioning the Mayor's use of public resources in relation to his private escapades, but I've had an evolution of opinion on this, and I would love to know how my take jives with yours.

My guess is, most of us would agree that running around on your wife accompanied by taxpayer-funded security crosses some undefined ethical line. On the other hand, would we have preferred the Mayor cruise the mean streets of L.A. unprotected, as he is reported to have done the night of the Ameriquest jet ride?

At a minimum, it was unfair of him to put us in the position of pondering this issue, but now, with the Mayor officially separated from his wife, is it not completely appropriate—if not the responsible thing—for security to escort LA's favorite new bachelor on dates with his girlfriend?

I say it is.