Investigation clears Asbury Park cops who arrested APP reporter during BLM protest

As police officers wrestled Gustavo Martinez Contreras to the ground while clearing out protesters in Asbury Park last month, newly released video shows he repeatedly tried to tell them “I’m a reporter” through his face mask.

Martinez Contreras, a reporter for the Asbury Park Press, was charged with failure to disperse — accusations that were later dropped.

But a report released Wednesday by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office found the officers who arrested him “had no knowledge they were apprehending a reporter,” clearing them of wrongdoing.Videos released Wednesday provide new details of … Read the rest of this entry »

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Repairing the Asbury Park Press’ Conservative Insufficiency

By Tom DeSeno

The Asbury Park Press is the only daily paper targeting two New Jersey counties.  If that sounds small, consider those two counties have a larger population than eight U.S. states. They double the population of Washington DC. That makes the AP Press important not only as a courier of news, but considering its monopoly, as a sculptor of opinion in our great national debate.

Owned by media giant Gannett, the largest newspaper publisher in America and parent of USA Today, there exists available resources to publish a product that mirrors the Press’ considerable responsibility (if Gannett is willing to open the spigot on resources, that is).

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Shameful fake news: The Asbury Park Press targets local officials with personal problems

By Art Gallagher

On a website promoting his novels, the Senior Regional Content Strategist for The Asbury Park Press says “he gives thanks everyday to New Jersey’s long-line of corrupt officials.”  On another website, the content strategist (Gannett’s 21st century term for “editor”) claims “he has exposed political corruption, insider deals, deadly medical mistakes, bureaucratic bumbling, and wasteful government spending.”

That’s important work.

But lately there must be a shortage of corruption. The Asbury Park Press has taken to publicizing the personal financial problems of municipal officials instead. There has been no evidence reported that those local officials did anything criminal or corrupt while experiencing those financial problems or as a result of them.  In the two recent stories of elected officials’ personal finances, the problems have been going on for years and agreements have been made with the creditors for the successful resolution of the personal issues.

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Doherty thumbs his nose at the Court, lies to the press

Pringle: “What is Doherty hiding?”

Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty told The Asbury Park Press that he would disclose all donations to his campaign for Monmouth County Freeholder under the amount of $300, but only those donations received after July 13.  July 13 was the date that the Doherty administration filed the 12 year old pay to play ethics ordinance with the state.

“I’m going to follow the ordinance and the state statutes to the letter.” Doherty told app.  It’s disappointing that the reporter let him get away with that Clinton speak.

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Anatomy of a Media Fabricated News Story – Gannett Style

By Tom DeSeno

This morning (March 2^nd 2016) people in the shore area in the central part of New Jersey woke up to an editorial in the Asbury Park Press, the only daily newspaper that serves two large counties, viciously attacking Governor Christie and demanding his resignation.

“Wow” the people of Monmouth and Ocean counties must have thought.   “This editorial staff must have really put a great deal of independent thought into this, to be this hard on the Governor,” they must have thought.

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Asbury Park Press Calls For Christie To Resign

graphic via writerbeat.com

Calling Governor Christie an embarrassment and a disgrace, The Asbury Park Press  and five other Gannet newspapers in New Jersey, called The Donald’s new backdrop to step down in an editorial posted last night.

While the APP has captured the sentiment of much of New Jersey, Christie resigning is about as likely as Senate President Steve Sweeney giving Judge David Bauman a confirmation hearing for his nomination to the State Supreme Court.  It’s not going to happen.  The only way Christie gives up the perks of his office voluntarily before the end of his term is if he is elected or appointed to a senior position in the Trump Administration.

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Asbury Park Press Endorses Hanlon For County Clerk

Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon

The Asbury Park Press endorsed Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon for her own five year term.

Hanlon became Acting Clerk on April 1st upon M.Claire French’s retirement and Clerk on May 18 when the New Jersey State Senate unanimously confirmed her nomination. Except for incorrectly referring to Hanlon as still Acting Clerk, APP nailed the endorsement.

Our endorsement goes to Hanlon, 47, of Ocean Township, who during her short tenure has made the office’s services more convenient to the community through satellite offices and a mobile facility. She also has improved the clerk’s website and more widely disseminated information about the clerk’s role. She deserves a full term.

APP correctly noted that Hanlon’s education and distinguished legal career makes her more suited for the position than the background of her opponent, Freehold Councilman Kevin Kane.  Kane is the operations manager of his father’s janitorial service.

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Even the Asbury Park Press Advertises on MoreMonmouthMusings!

The Asbury Park Press wants their readers back so bad that they are advertising on MoreMonmouthMusings!  Their ad sneaked in this morning through a national syndicate we participate in.   We’d have to think long and hard about accepting their ad had they contacted us directly, because we have major reservations about the product they produce.

But, we’ll accept their ad as an endorsement of how well MMM has been able to attract the attention of Monmouth County and New Jersey readers.

To celebrate the endorsement, we’re having a sale.

APP’s ad is offering 50% off on subscriptions for three months.  We promise to keep our content free for three months.

We’re offering 50% off on ads for three months, starting on November 5. We’re sold out until then for most ad packages.  This is a great deal for retailers, restaurants, theaters, car dealers, contractors, real estate brokers, lawyers, accountants and banks, especially as we enter the holiday season.

MMM’s traffic is up 41%, year to date over 2013, and growing.  We’ve already exceeded our 2013 readership by 81,000, and we’re only two weeks into the fourth quarter of the year.

If you want to get in on this great deal, contact Art Gallagher now at artvg@aol.com or 732-208-2240.  Don’t wait.  This offer expires on October 31.

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Zipprich blames Republicans for his DUI becoming public

Red Bank Councilman likes to have it both ways

What do Ed McKenna and Ed Zipprich have in common besides the same first name and being Red Bank Democrats? They both have a record of driving the wrong way on the Garden State Parkway after consuming too much alcohol.

The Red Bank Police should put a DUI check on River Rd on Sunday afternoon as McKenna is holding a fundraiser for Zipprich and his running mates at his home from 4-6.  Red Bank Taxi and Red Bank Limo should make sure their drivers are on standby.  The State Police should increase patrols at Exit 109.

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Shake Up At The Asbury Park Press

Hollis Towns, APP’s Editor of the Future. Photo via facebook

Editors and writers at the Asbury Park Press are vying to keep their jobs in Executive Editor Hollis R. Towns’ “Newsroom of the Future.”

Gannett, the owner of the paper, announced on August 5 that it is separating into two publicly held companies.  APP will be part of a  publishing company that will be debt free and own the company’s newspapers including USA Today and 81 local daily newspapers and their affiliated websites.  The more profitable broadcasting  and digital divisions will be folded into a company that will assume the existing debt and consists of the 46 television stations the company owns or services as well as the websites Cars.com and CareerBuider.com.  The publishing company will retain the Gannett name.

The following day, Towns announced on app.com and the paper’s front page that he, along with the executive editors of four other of Gannett properties were charged with creating the “newsroom of the future.”  There will be fewer editors and more reporters who will hang out in coffee shops and delis hunting for stories that they will be able to post to app.com without a gatekeeper reviewing their work.  And there will be public events like the Sleep Con event they hosted with an advertiser earlier this month where readers could pay $10 to learn how to sleep better by buying a mattress from the advertiser.

What Towns didn’t announce publicly was that current Asbury Park Press employees had to apply to keep their jobs.  “To be hired into the Newsroom of the Future” is how is was spun in Neptune.

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