Low power radio making a comeback?
Here’s a nice New York Times story about the rise of low power radio, filling in the gaps where the big conglomerates have failed. There’s hope for more small stations, which do what radio promised…
Courant punishes six for blatant plagiarism, including top two editors, Levine and Hazell for permitting wholesale stealing of stories from small competitors
After pretending for weeks that there were no unusual ethics issues in stealing hundreds of stories from small competitors, The Courant announced today that six employees were being punished. Richard Graziano, the publisher of both…
Courant complaint: national journalism society blasts Courant for blatant theft of others' stories
INDIANAPOLIS – The Society of Professional Journalists’ Ethics Committee released the following statement regarding the Hartford Courant’s recent admission of and apology for using other newspaper’s stories without duly attributing credit. The statement issued by the committee is as follows:
The Hartford Courant has acknowledged using stories from other Connecticut newspapers recently without giving them credit. The director of content has apologized and vowed the mistake won’t be repeated.
The Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists plainly exhorts newspapers and journalists, “Never plagiarize.” When a newspaper invests reporting and editing time to produce a story, that story should not be used by another outlet without permission and without informing readers who actually did the work.
Many media outlets aggregate information online, summarizing a story and then linking to the original. The Courant failed to carry the credit from its online version to its print version.
“However it happened, the Courant violated fundamental standards,” said Andy Schotz, the chairman of SPJ’s Ethics Committee. “This was theft.”
Integrity and credibility, two of the most important values in journalism, demand that all media outlets be clear about the source of stories they did not produce. Failure to follow that guideline results in plagiarism, taking credit for someone else’s work, as it did in this case.
Pfizer agrees to pay record-setting $2.3 billion to settle fraud allegations
Pfizer, a major Connecticut employer, has agreed to pay $2.3 billion to settle allegations that it marketed drugs for unapproved uses and paid doctors to promote and prescribe certain medications. The company will pay nearly…
Pfizer Inc. to pay record $2.3 billion fine, news services report
Drugmaker Pfizer Inc. will pay a record $2.3 billion fine for how it marketed Bextra and other drugs, Reuters and the Associated Press reported this morning. The agreement, which is still under seal, is to…
Courant hides most serious charge made by Shelly Sindland: that Fox 61 traded news for ads
As the Courant continues to be under the “Ethics” microsoft, it might useful to see how the largest newspaper in Connecticut handled the incindiary charges filed by a veteran television reporter at The Courant’s sister TV station – Fox 61.
Television personality Shelly Sindland filed a sex and age discrimination against Fox 61 and Richard Graziano – who is publisher of both The Courant and the TV station – on July 7. The Tribune, owner of both The Courant and Fox 61, has until Friday to respond.
It was reported that day by several news outlets, including ctnewsjunkie.com, where you can see her actual complaint.
Hartford promises to reform towing policies, pay tens of thousands in restitution and $100K in legal fees
Copyright © 2009, CtWatchdog.com In a major victory for Connecticut consumers, the city of Hartford has agreed to drastically revise its towing policies: ending its policies that took advantage of those whose cars were stolen or whose cars…
Courant apologizes for wholesale plagiarism, raising question of who is minding the store
 Late last night The Courant – in a copyrighted statement - apologized for its blatant, and wholesale plagiarism of other newspapers.   Some questions come to mind:   This has been going on for weeks, it…
Scrappy JI accuses Courant of blatant, systematic plagiarism, joining other papers in blasting state's largest news outlet
Newspaper editors and reporters across the state are noticing a new trend: Their local coverage is being copied daily by the Hartford Courant.
In most cases the Courant has been attributing the reporting to the newspapers being copied, which include the Journal Inquirer, Bristol Press, New Britain Herald, Torrington Register-Citizen, and Waterbury Republican-American.
In some cases the Courant appears to have lifted information from the other papers in its entirety without any attribution.
But either way, editors say, the Courant is using for free and making money from a product other papers pay to produce, and they want it to stop.
Conn Indian Casinos and Attorney General reach $25 million settlement
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Paul A. Young, executive director of the Division of Special Revenue (DSR), today announced identical settlements with the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Tribes that would provide $25 million in slot revenue to the state, as well as future payments.
CTWatchdog On CNN, accuses top Courant/Fox 61 managers of damaging media’s integrity
See the video and read the transcript of George Gombossy’s appearance Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009 on CNN’s Reliable Sources.
Fired Courant Editor Speaks out in NYTimes on Ethics issue
To the Editor: As the editor in charge of the content of The Hartford Courant’s print and online editions until my departure in May, I never gave an advertiser a “heads-up†about a pending story,…
Bristol Press and Courant duke it out in columns
THE FOLLOWING IS A RICK GREEN COLUMN IN THE COURANT OVER THE LAST WEEKEND COMMENTS FROM READERS FOLLOW Gotcha! Press/Herald editor Smith takes a swing at his old paper By Rick Green on August 23,…
Courant-Fox 61 accused of bending over backward to please key advertisers to increase revenue, forsaking ethics
The managers at the nation’s oldest newspaper of continuing circulation and its sister television station in Hartford are being accused by me and a television personality of trading in journalistic ethics in the past year…
Investing: Look into ETFs and Vanguard
When you decide to invest in the market, stay away from individual stocks. You never know when something terrible will come out about any one company, no matter how good it looks now. And you…
Courant trying to salvage reputation by publishing Sleepy's investigation column
Embarrassed by public disclosure that Courant management – for the first time in its history – is holding up a story of a state investigation into one of its prime advertisers, the nation’s oldest newspaper…
Courant Editor Hazell fabricates conversations, claims to be at meeting she wasn't, sends out emails giving instructions on how key advertisers are to be treated different
I have no idea what is going on with Courant editor Naedine Hazell – who not long ago was a well respected journalist by many of the staff at the oldest continuosly published newspaper in…
Courant Publisher Graziano and Editor Hazell have good reason not to debate the Watchdog in public
Today was the first time I had the honor to appear on “Where We Live,” WNPR’s daily news-talk show, where we had nearly an hour to discuss in-depth many of the issues involved in my firing…
Courant Spin on Watchdog departure
From: Hazell, Naedine Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 12:37 To: Courant News Staff Subject: Staff update
New Britain Herald Editor backs CtWatchdog (of course he is a friend)
Story: JAMES H. SMITH: One fewer, Courant staffers soldier on George Gombossy, who spent his entire, sterling 40-year career at The Hartford Courant, went out swinging 10 days ago. The New York Times wrote about…