NJ Spotlight Features Christie Whitman – On Christmas Eve No Less

What the Hell Were the Editors at NJ Spotlight Thinking?

Some prefatory quotes with which we agree . Although they pertain to photo image interpretation and criticism, we share them regarding what we see as our similar role here at Wolfenotes. We respond to our critics in a very similar way:

What is essential to understand about our role is that we are critics, not reporters.  …To that extent, what we’re concerned with at BagNews is not the integrity of a person but the integrity of the image and as well as the titles, captions and any other attendent information presented in the elaboration or justification of that imagery.

… our concern for the visual literacy of the media consumer and the integrity of the news image is something we don’t take lightly in practicing the art of critique and we look forward to reading the pictures along with our committed readers for many years to come. – Bagnews

This is not an argument between a photographer and a blog. We are not reporters. While it is easy for the photojournalism establishment to tag us with a requirement to give Mr. Pellegrin a chance to respond in the name of objectivity, we do believe that’s because they fundamentally misunderstand our mission: subjective analysis. Not dishonest analysis, but a subjectively analytical argument as to what is behind the photograph….

… The issues the post raised are still vital, however, and it is incumbent on publications, editors, academics, photographers, bloggers and photo contests not to be distracted from this important discussion. –Bagnotes response to controversy

I planned to take a few days away from here for the Holidays, but after reading Bill McKibben’s piece last night (“Obama and Climate Change: The Real Story” –which kept me awake half the night) and just now reading Christie Whitman in NJ Spotlight, that is impossible.

Go read the Whitman piece yourself, if you can stomach it (I couldn’t finish it).

[Readers unaware of Whitman’s environmental record, see the Sourcewatch background piece.

see also this Whitman profile at PR Watch.]

Here is my stream of consciousness reply to Whitman I posted as a comment – printed here before the NJ Spotlight censors take it down (reformatted, typos corrected, revision citing Bergen Record award winning 13 part series):

Dear Ms. Whitman –

Perhaps you’ll remember me.

I’m the guy who blew the whistle on you and DEP Commissioner Bob Shinn’s blatant attempt to cover up NJ’s problem and the public health risks associated with high levels of mercury in freshwater fish?

Do you recall that episode?

Where you not only got caught in a cover up, but then dug in and lied and defended the coverup? And with comments like (paraphrase) “We don’t want to scare the public based on flawed science like the environmentalists did with the pesticide Alar, which caused needless economic harm to the apple industry”.

Do you remember any of that?

Or how about your rollbacks of NJ regulations that protect public health, under your “Open for Business” policy? (and the Bergen Record’s award winning journalism exposing that policy. I’m proud to say that I was a major contributor to that effort).

Or what about your EPA legal Counselor, Bob Fabricant, who wrote a legal opinion that concluded that greenhouse gases were NOT regulated pollutants under the Clean Air Act? (Importantly, Fabricant’s opinion reversed the Clinton Administration’s legal opinion that had laid the groundwork for EPA regulation of GHG emissions.)

You brought Bob to Washington from your Trenton Office.

Bob’s opinion was repudiated and reversed by the US Supreme Court in the “Massachusetts” case.

The effect of Bob’s opinion, under your direction as EPA Administrator, stalled EPA action on climate change by over a decade.

Do you recall any of that? Are you proud of that?

And what about your notorious comments post 9/11 that the air in southern Manhattan was “safe”.

A federal judge found those comments “shocked the conscience”.

Emergency responders are still dying as a result of your words.

Do you recall any of that? Are you proud?

Well, think about it, and you have a Merry Little Christmas, OK?

Wolfe

PS – To NJ Spotlight editors: What the hell were you thinking?