The Boston Globe which broke the scandal of priest sex abuse in 2002 and really did a service to the Church in helping the Church to overcome secrecy and address the mismanagement of priests by bishops in the Church is owned by the New York Times. Several weeks ago I asked one of the reporters who writes editorials to send me similar stories they had written concerning the Boston school system and those who may have covered-up sexual abuse by teachers, coaches, etc in the Boston public school system, a scandal that could go to the very top, even governors, local mayors, school superintendents and law enforcement. I asked for information from the past 50 years. To date, Joan Vennochi (such a nice Italian name) has not responded, so I've sent her another email with even more questions for her. Do you think she will respond? In addition I'm asking her to answer questions about the current horrible reporting by the New York Times and Laurie Goodstein which is very amateurish and anti-Catholic. The New York Times owns the Boston Globe. It is sad to see a once great newspaper sink in quality. But I'm sure the blame can be laid much higher up, but who is the "higher up" at the New York Times. Hopefully Joan Vennochi can shed some light on it for us!
My email sent April 10, 2010:
Dear Ms. Vennochi,
I write a blog and a few weeks ago, March 21st to be exact; I sent you an email asking for some answer to questions. I know you must get a ton of emails and that you might have forgotten to answer mine. I do that quite often too. I’ve reprinted the original email below. But now I would like to ask you some further questions which I would like to post your answers on my blog concerning how the New York Times which owns you, has managed the reporting of the allegations against Pope Benedict when he was Cardinal Ratzinger.
If you haven’t read The Pope and the Press
Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Post Published: Thursday, April 08, 2010,
You can read it at my blog where I’m posting this email first, but below it: “In These Scandalous Times, Thank God for Other Internet Sources for News and Perspective.” www.southernorderspage.blogspot.com
1. With the scandal of inexcusable and very poor reporting by Laurie Goodstein (which makes me an amateur blush), your “sister reporter” at the New York Times, how many people working for your company, that is reporters, are this amateurish and complicit in promoting an “an ax to grind” against Pope Benedict and the Catholic Church? How rampant is anti-Catholicism amongst you and your colleagues? I know you may not want to “rat” on your fellow reporters, but this just continues the cycle of secrecy in your profession that so desperately needs to be broken and especially at the New York Times. In the past 50 years or so, how many reporters have been so slanted and unprofessional in their journalism? You know, your secular press compatriots really shouldn’t get a pass by not being critiqued especially unprofessional reporters such as Laurie Goodstein and her reporting on the pope prior to Holy Week, how would you respond to that?
2. Do you think the New York Times should have printed a front page apology concerning Goodstein’s inaccurate and sloppy reporting and that Goodstein should be fired and never allowed to report for anyone else again given the gravity of her erroneous reporting?
3. Given the fact that false reporting, poor reporting and down right malicious reporting and editorializing is so prevalent at the New York Times, going back 50 years or so, who would have been in charge at the New York Times, that is, where does the buck stop and have you done any reporting or investigative work on that? Who should be reported on since it has to do with management as well as the reporters? Currently at the company that owns you, where does the buck stop and when will you do stories on that person or persons? You can use my blog to do so, since your bosses probably wouldn’t allow you to comment on my questions in the Boston Globe.
4. Finally, given the fact that the Boston Globe did such great investigative work under “Paulson” whom I admire greatly, what are your feelings on the horrible state of slanted and unethical reporting of your paper, the New York Times and the main stream media in general is today? For example hasn’t the Boston Globe almost gone bankrupt in the last year and isn’t the New York Times heading in the same direction? Do you think the inaccurate, sloppy and down right wrong information in many stories in the Globe and the New York Times is simply a desperate attempt to boost readership and thus ads and to keep you from loosing your job if the company and their owners go out of business?
Again, I would appreciate answers not only to the questions above but also to the questions below. Perhaps you are still working on the ones below, since I am almost certain that the Boston Globe has tons of articles and corroborating documents and that you are having a hard time getting them all together for me. In addition I’d like all the stories from the Globe on the Boy Scouts/ Girl Scouts and now swimming coaches that you have done. I can’t wait to get those and post links on my blog.
In all seriousness, I really need to post your answers on my blog. God bless you.
Fr. Allan J. McDonald
www.southernorderspage.blogspot.com
________________________________________
From: Fr. Allan J. McDonald [mailto:frajm@st-joseph.cc]
Sent: Sunday, March 21, 2010 5:54 AM
To: 'vennochi@globe.com'
Subject: Church sex abuse editorial
In your editorial about sex abuse, you make some good points about “cover up” in the Church and secular society not giving the Church a pass especially by prosecuting those in Church leadership, like Cardinal Law. Since I don’t read your editorials too often, I am sure you must be consistent in your decrees by asking the same for public school personnel and the abuse that has happened there in Boston. Or has the Boston Globe put a spotlight on that going back fifty and sixty years? If not, why not? If you have please direct me to the links where I can find it on the Boston Globe. Thanks in advance. What government officials would be implicated, dead or alive? Just who would be prosecuted? What code of silence and secrecy is operative in Boston’s secular, governmental culture? Could you name names on who should be prosecuted? What governor; what senator; what representative; what mayor; what school superintendent; what principal? Has the secular press in Boston done investigative reporting on that? When will you publish the secular leaderships “Letter of Apology” and then criticize it for not being enough? Keep up the good work. I’d love to know how you have reported on the secular public school’s handling of sex abuse in their system going back 50 and 60 years ago. I can’t wait for the links you will send me from the Boston Globe. God bless you. Fr. Allan J. McDonald
4 comments:
Please do not hold your breath, Fr.
I am personally following with much glee the decline and loss of readership of the MSM. I understand the major networks are losing news viewers, too. Perhaps this means there is hope. Of course, all you folks with birds would miss the Times and the Globe and others of these rags. But, you could line your cages with our currency, which will be worth about as much in a couple of years.
Father, you may be "beating a dead horse". That the NYT, prestigious as it is, has been guilty of shoddy reporting is obvious, but the over-all agenda remains clear. I'm thinking that perhaps we ought to rise above the fray. As you so aptly put it: Thank GOD for Catholic blogs...
The best analysis I've read recently, comprehensive and yet concise is the the OSV this week:
http://www.osvdailytake.com/2010/04/troubling-conclusions-from-clerical-sex.html
Blessings on all you do in His Name (keeping in mind today's reading from Acts!)
Great questions Father, I commend you. All will be revealed. I like Fr. Z's new logo!
I hope we get back to the liturgy, this NYT stuff is already getting old..
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