Wednesday, January 4, 2006

January 4

Sun columnist and longtime Baltimore writer Michael Olesker has resigned under suspicion of plagiarism. I'm usually infuriated by cases involving lying and/or inept journalists, but on the surface this looks like a witch hunt to me.

Kevin J. Johns Jr., the man accused of strangling Philip E. Parker Jr. on a prison bus travelling from Hagerstown to Baltimore, will be tried in Baltimore County. Johns' attorneys were hoping for a Howard County trial since prosecutors there don't seek the death penalty as often as those in Baltimore County.

Joseph John DiAngelo Jr. pleaded guilty to assault and witness intimidation charges after paying two men $50 each to beat witness Vincent Harmon with table legs. One of the attackers was fatally injured when Harmon fought back. The initial crime stemmed from a roofing dispute regarding a duplex that was owned by the DiAngelo and Harmon families.

A public hearing is scheduled at 4:30pm today regarding the Baltimore Police Department's policies of arresting people on minor offenses yet never charging them with a crime.

A look at "Justice Monday" and difficulties facing former inmates as they attempt to re-enter society.

Four BPD officers have been suspended after allegations about illegal drugs and sex in the Southwestern District.

Christopher Marshall pleaded not guilty to running a meth lab in Anne Arundel County. He has been released and must report to a 28-day drug program.

Information in the Sun on corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff's ties to a company founded by Gov. Ehrlich's Deputy Chief of Staff Edward Miller. (I originally listed the company as being founded by Gov. Ehrlich. My mistake.)

In the Sun's Metro Digest, a 24-year-old drunk driver hit an ambulance with her Honda Civic, and a 77-year-old woman was conned out of $1,400 in a phone scam.

Montgomery County Circuit Court judge John Debelius ruled yesterday that mooning people is not illegal. However, Debelius was quoted as saying the the trial could have gone differently had defendant Raymond McNealy been charged with "being a jerk."

"Murder Ink" is missing from this week's City Paper, but the editors promise it will be back next week.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

The WBALChannel.com article about Olesker contains plagiarisms! Although they attribute some of their quotes to the Sun, other quotes they do not! You can just go through the WBAL article and google sentences and see what they plagiarized!

http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/5835659/detail.html

WBAL:
The ban was imposed after Nitkin disclosed a state proposal to sell preserved forestland in St. Mary's County to a politically connected construction company owner.

SUN (original quote):
he ban was imposed after Nitkin disclosed a state proposal to sell 836 acres of preserved forestland in St. Mary's County to Willard Hackerman, a politically connected construction company owner, in a deal that could have netted him millions of dollars in tax breaks.

Anonymous said...

I wonder how many sources the City Paper's Gadi Deckter has made up. Like this week's article about sex on Marc trains, you know a lot of the stuff attributed to anonymous sources is made up, sure they drink on the way home but they're not playing strip poker or having sexual relations.

taotechuck said...

Jay,

Interesting that you put a "left-vs.-right" spin on both Olesker's resignation and its mention here. To clarify, my comments about a "witch hunt" are much more directed at Olesker's history as a journalist than they are at his involvement with the Ehrlich-Sun nonsense.

I question the accusations against Olesker, and I would like to learn more about them. It seems Olesker has immediately been lumped in with Jayson Blair at the New York Times and Stephen Glass from The New Republic. Blair and Glass didn't even plagiarize facts, they just made them up. If Olesker truly plagiarized, then he should be punished accordingly; however, if he used AP sources or misinterpreted his own notes (as he claims, and it strikes me as completely possible), then it seems unfair to discredit nearly 30 years of journalism.

It's funny that you write "(s)hocker that liberals are up in arms over one of their own getting caught." Blair's embarassing departure from the Times was certainly an example of "one of their own getting caught," as was Glass' discovery and dismissal from The New Republic. Both were acclaimed and ambitious young reporters working at prestigious liberal media providers.

I respect your views, I just wonder if by introducing partisan politics, you're not bringing a somewhat irrelevant factor into the discussion.

Unknown said...

Well on another note isnt it ironic{although sad} that {and i'd bet a month's pay} the junkie who was paid $50 to beat someone was fatally injured himself? Hmm... i've got a tax refund coming... wonder what I could get those 2 to do for $100 a piece?

InsiderOut said...

so did anyone go to the hearing on policing tactics? Can we get a blogger's report on what happened?

Anonymous said...

Get your reading glasses out, boys and girls, the ol' Windbag's got the report. You might want to fetch a soda and some chips, cuz' I didn't make allowance for an intermission.

The hearing was essentially a Mexican stand-off. Large turnout from folks interested in criminal advocacy and civil rights led by Doc Cheatam and Warren Brown, suggesting that it's all about skin color. Among them were a fair number of community activists who, to their credit, avoided the race card and spoke to colorless equity concerns.

On the other hand the Mayor and Commissioner assert that they have not made one bad arrest. {harumph!}, backed by many community activists, including our own Mr. Nowlind, who just want the criminal element contained, even if civil rights have to be abridged.

He is an architect of the new bill to close corner stores, because crime apparently cannot exist in their absence.

He's genuinely trying to be supportive of the Boys in Blue, but he just doesn't really know some of the things they do. (And if you like that rap, then we'll do some haiku.)

State's Attorney 'Petunia' Pat Jessamy availed herself of every opportunity to oppose the Balto. City Police Dept. on general principles, sometimes even for reasons consistent with her official duty to the citizens. She goes so overboard in stymiing the police and advancing the criminal profession in this town that you can probably get a contact high off the checks deposited into her campaign fund. She testified that she will not charge up insubstantial cases. What she really means is, "Cool... more work I don't have to do. AND I can put it off on 5-0."

Del. Jill Carter has apparently taken my suggestion to her and called for an investigation of the department's statistics as reported. There are three kinds of lies: lies, statistical lies, and... anything appearing under a Baltimore City letterhead.

Look for a trend in part II crimes increasing over the last few years. They're really Part I offenses, but Hizzoner wants those down so he can get elected into the governor's mans..., I mean... to correct the public perception that Baltimore is unsafe. {Yeah, that's the ticket.}

For his part, Hizzoner Marty is characteristically unmoved by anything us peasants have to say. He's gonna keep doing exactly what is in the best interests of his gubernatorial campaig.... I mean the best interests of the people, {yeah, that's the ticket},.. even if it does elevate us to the elusive title of Worst Place to Live in America.

Hey, maybe that's the slogan he's looking for... "We're Number One, We're Number One,...."

Personally, when I think of what today's Baltimore reminds me of, I'm smelling Number Two.

Anonymous said...

A Northeast Baltimore storekeeper was robbed and shot. You're not allowed to get shot in this dumb town. Guess that means the city will try to shut down his corner store. Gee, I have a sharp idea... what if we made the commission of a crime illegal?

Nah, it'd never work... takes too much police effort. We'll just close all the stores, then the offices, and maybe post offices and schools, too. That'll teach 'em.

Oh, BTW, the Greater Baltimore Committee says we have a crime problem. Do tell.

http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/5846283/detail.html

Anonymous said...

Correction: the company connected with Jack Abramoff was NOT founded by Bob Ehrlich. It was founded in part by one of his aides.

Anonymous said...

Another dead kid on Greenmount. This is the one I mentioned before.

http://wjz.com/local/local_story_005073448.html