Not at all surprised that the noisy, newsy, nosey Bullet News will soon disappear from the internet. On December 31, 2015, the noise will stop forever. The news and nosiness will also not be missed. The Bullet began five years ago amid great hope that a news source would finally provide real investigative reporting and the truth of what goes on in Niagara.
Alas, that was not to be. The Bullet became a disappointment fairly early on despite a talented editor, a refugee from big corporate media where the truth is buried under advertisers' dollars. I guess it's too much to expect that an independent news source would tackle the sacred cows and expose the corruption that is everywhere, including the Niagara area.
I was inspired many years ago by the story of Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward who, with their editor's blessing, exposed the Watergate Scandal that eventually brought down the presidency of Richard Nixon. They were my heroes. I always hoped that some day I could expose corruption as they had done. Well. I tried. LOL.
Lately, I have been hoping to see the new movie, Spotlight which is the story of reporters who exposed the abuse and cover-up of sexual abuse of young boys by Catholic priests in Boston, Massachusetts. That story intrigues me as I know full well the power of the Church as a witness to a massive cover-up of a scandal in my own parish in Buffalo. I knew that I could not report what I knew because there was no local media source that would touch the story. Of course, the Church hierarchy closed ranks very quickly to conceal the scandal, but many knew. All these years later, it remains hidden, the "guilty parties" were reassigned and protected by the hierarchy. All is forgiven and forgotten, yet I remember and so do a very few others, This scandal was not about abuse of young boys, but it was a direct insult to the teachings of the Church. It is still frustrating to know that they got away with it.
I'm still angry that the local "connected ones" got away with subverting democracy in their plan to eliminate four duly-elected men from Fort Erie's Town Council. Too bad the local media, especially Bullet Media did not see fit to report the story fully. It is all there for all to see, yet no one had the guts to follow the money to its obvious conclusion.
No, I am not surprised that Bullet Media went under. Too bad it didn't have the balls to expose the corrupt underbelly of local politics.Guess they didn't want to upset their noisy advertisers.
I wasn't aware that Bullet News was closing down. I was very very disappointed that they didn't print the court transcripts of the Conflict of Interest charges against the four.
ReplyDeleteSworn testimony would have enlightened the town.
The voters would have read the truth of the despicable plot and voted differently, I am sure.
I had high hopes for the Bullet News when they first published but was rapidly disappointed when a former Times Editor and major cheerleader for all that is wrong locally was hired. He toned his rhetoric down likely because he had to and then some the chief ol boys began advertising there.
ReplyDeleteGame Set Match, the ol boys had perverted another way of getting the truth out. The LAST THING some of these soft criminals that run things around here want. Too bad as the Bullet Editor has tried on occasion to wake the populace up to what really goes on around here and taken major crap for it from a duped and dumbed down electorate that votes against their own best interests due to ignorance and deliberate misinformation(read lies).
It`s up to The Post now and James Culic to expose this behavior that costs us so much so a few can profit. The Times will never do it as the TOFE is the major advertiser and those with the silver spoon in their mouths at town hall will freak if the truth comes out. The rest of us can just get by with plastic cutlery or none at all.
Unfortunately, you are so right re: Bullet News. Even its backer, Bob Gale, seems to have forgotten why he was elected to regional council. I thought that the attitude he brought in his fight to expose the Niagara Parks Commission would carry over to his on-line newspaper. John Robbins knows where the bodies are buried and he had possession of the transcripts from the conflict of interest suit against The Four. In those depositions, it becomes patently clear that it was a plot to unseat the four duly-elected councillors. The complaint regarding fired town solicitor, Heather Salter was just a ginned-up excuse to go after the four. Certain people lied on the depositions. Lied their asses off. Tim Whitfield was the "straw man" as per Doug Martin's own admission. Current members of council lied or were financial backers of the harassment of The Four.
DeleteAnd the Bullet remained silent through it all. As to the cub reporter, turned editor: it pays to be an off-spring of one of the old guard. He was a fortunate son to land such a job at his home town newspaper with minimal experience and talent.
Someone said it the other day and I agree: this town needs a complete overhaul of its power structure - new blood, people who were raised and educated outside this town. People who have achieved their positions through their own hard work and sacrifice - not through "connections" and birth. People who care about the future of this community, not their own selfish goals.
Bullet news? Was that one of the free papers we see (or used to see) at the checkout in the grocery store? One with the indepth hard hitting column with a byline photo of a chimp on a chair? Now how is a publication like that not going to fall apart after a few years(?) of.... well, nevermind. A free paper pandering to its bill paying advertising clients? Now where have we heard that song before?
ReplyDeleteThat monkey on the stool sure looked better than that wierd picture of J Culic in the Post. We would have taken anything that primate might have written over that drivel Kulutz writes. He mentioned he attended U of Ottawa. What a blight on the old school. Wish he wouldnt associate his name with an otherwise great school, or maybe go back and take some sciences instead of those lame journalism courses where the diploma comes on rolls like paper towels. It just shows too clearly.Leave the writing on the level of a ten year old to a real ten year old and get a real job.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to all!! (even those who abuse this town for profit. May you see the error of your ways.)
ReplyDelete