Last week’s post included a complaint about the latest Buffalo News rate increase for its subscribers. I have purchased the newspaper for decades. It bothers me that I am regularly being asked to pay more for a diminished product.
The News has many hard-working, dedicated reporters. They cover their beats well. They know their stuff. The issue with the newspaper is its ownership.
I get it that the newspaper business in general is struggling these days. The folks who may read online publications but also like to get their news on the printed page are a declining group. What we have in this country, beyond the behemoths with the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post are an ever-growing group of papers owned by the Alden Group or the Buffalo News’ owner, Lee Enterprise, that are looking to squeeze every possible buck out of the properties while not really caring about the product they produce or the community that is intended to be served.
There are 44 municipalities in Erie County along with 29 school districts. Extend the count throughout Western New York and there are hundreds of public agencies doing the public’s business and spending the public’s money plus a large variety of public authorities. There are many businesses and public service organizations that have a great impact on local residents. Most of the time most of these governments, businesses, and organizations do well and don’t create any problem that will affect the people living here. But sometimes some of the organizations go off the rails and can affect many lives. That’s where journalism comes in.
Mr. Dooley, the creation of late 19th century humorist and journalist Finley Peter Dunne, famously said “the job of the newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” That’s true now more than ever.
I only rarely write on this blog about national politics even though I am familiar with the players and subjects and have a great interest in all that. While the blog is not dependent on subscription or advertising income, I pay attention to what seems to most interest the readers of Politics and Other Stuff. The volume of clicks is highest when the subject is local. National news can be found in hundreds of places, depending on the preferences of the reader. Local news, however, has a lot less competition.
The News has a great enterprise team. Local TV stations employ investigative reporters. Resources to cover big stories, however, are limited.
And then, in Western New York, we have Investigative Post. It was created and is guided by former News reporter Jim Heaney and has been in business for more than ten years. They breaks stories and cover them in great detail. The stories are on subjects essential to this community.
The organization has had an impact on a myriad of subjects. Here is a brief summary:
- Extensive reporting on the awarding of Buffalo Billion contracts to politically connected companies that prompted a federal investigation led by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and eventually to the conviction of senior state officials and developers who had contributed to Governor Andrew Cuomo.
- Coverage of malfeasance at the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. which triggered critical audits conducted by the New York State Comptroller, an ongoing investigation by the FBI and reform legislation passed by the state Legislature.
- Stories about high lead poisoning rates among inner-city children in Buffalo that prompted city and county officials to revise procedures and policies to better target high-risk neighborhoods.
- Coverage on the unconstitutional practices of a Buffalo Police Department street crime unit that resulted in the mayor and police commissioner disbanding the force.
- Reporting of pollution in Scajaquada Creek which triggered action by local and state officials to step up their efforts to stem the flow of sewage and runoff into the creek.
- The ongoing financial problems of the City of Buffalo.
- Campaign financing issues about how politicians raise and spend money.
- Quality of life issues such as the noise, dust and rodents that came from a concrete crushing plant in Buffalo, leading to action by the State Attorney General to close the facility.
I have had the opportunity to occasionally collaborate with the folks at Investigative Post on some of their projects. Most of my work has been with their exceptionally talented reporter, Geoff Kelly. The whole crew is professional and tenacious about the stories they are chasing.
Investigative Post has for many years had a close working relationship with WGRZ-TV which carries video productions of many of the Post’s projects. Both organizations benefit from the association.
The Buffalo News’ product continues to diminish but there is still a great need for news – local news. Covering day-to-day activities in the community is important, but hard-hitting investigative reporting is also greatly needed for a community that should be informed about the big things that matter and affect peoples’ lives. The Alden and Lee Enterprise activities hurt the business of keeping people informed. The future depends on enterprising activities like those at Investigative Post.
Investigative Post is a non-profit organization that depends on grants from foundations and public donations. You can help keep the future alive by donating. Here’s a link: Donate – Investigative Post : Investigative Post
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