Oct 28
2012
Your tax dollar at ‘work’
Posted 13 years ago
Jim Heaney is editor and executive director of Investigative Post. He was an investigative reporter with The Buffalo News from 1986 to 2011 and a reporter and editor with The Orlando Sentinel from 1980-86. His coverage over the years has focused on economic development, local and state government, politics, education, housing and transportation, and he was an early practitioner of computer-assisted reporting. Heaney has won more than 20 journalism awards and was a finalist for the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting.
Oct 28
2012
Oct 28
2012
Kathy Hochul and Chris Collins will spend more than $4 million on television advertising this campaign season to win a job that pays $174,000 a year. But it’s not really about the pay, it’s about control of Congress, which Democrats are trying to wrestle back from the Republicans after losing it two years ago. An Investigative Post analysis of spending in TV ads for the 27th District race, based on contracts on file with major network affiliates in Buffalo and Rochester, found that Collins has outspent Hochul $2.2 million vs. $1.7 million, thanks in large part to the[...]
Oct 28
2012
While the term is little used these days, David Cay Johnston might be best described as a muckraker for his work as an investigative reporter producing both award-winning newspaper stories and best-selling books. Salon in 2004 said Johnston “has cultivated a reputation for being the kind of reporter unafraid to speak truth to power. He is diligent, persistent, and has a network of sources deep in government and in the corporate world.” Johnston got his first reporting job at age 19 with the San Jose Mercury News. He went on to report for the Detroit Free Press, Los Angeles Times,[...]
Oct 27
2012
iPost analysis of television ad buys in Buffalo and Rochester shows spending of nearly $4 million, with 10 days left in the race. Collins in outspending Hochul thanks to PAC support. And the number of spots are, well, mind blowing.
Oct 24
2012
These are about to be interesting times at the Buffalo News. I say this because for the first time in decades—maybe forever—the paper has gone outside to hire an editor. Margaret Sullivan, who started at the News as an intern, held the editor’s job for 13 years before leaving in August for the New York Times, where she works as the public editor. Her predecessor, Murray B. Light, held the top job for 20 years, plus a lengthy stretch when he split a shared editorship. The legendary Alfred Kirchhofer ran the newsroom for 39 years. Put another way, factoring out[...]
Oct 24
2012
By Jeremy Izzio More watchdog, less lapdog. That’s the prescription David Cay Johnston, president of Investigative Reporters and Editors, offered for American journalism Tuesday to an audience of about 140 people at Burchfield Penny Art Center. Johnston, a Pulitzer Prize winner and best selling author, headed a panel to consider “The State of Investigative Reporting” hosted by Investigative Post. “Government derives its power from the consent of the people,” Johnston said. “Government is a fiction we create to make our society work. But if the only people paying attention to the government are those who make money off it, it[...]
Oct 22
2012
Investigative Post is hosting a panel discussion Tuesday evening on “The State of Investigative Reporting” at the Burchfield Penny Art Center. The panel features David Cay Johnston, a former Pulitzer Prize winner with The New York Times and president of Investigative Reporters & Editors. Other speakers include Jeff Woodard, news director of WGRZ, 2 On Your Side; Mary Pasciak, education reporter for The Buffalo News; Kevin Connor, director of the Public Accountability Initiative; and Jim Heaney, editor of Investigative Post. The panel will be moderated by Joseph Finnerty, a noted First Amendment attorney. Lee Coppola, a former investigative repeaters and[...]
Oct 22
2012
Larry Quinn, once a boy wonder, turned 60 earlier this year. He’s a couple of years removed by his tenure as managing partner of the Buffalo Sabres and membership on the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. During his carrer, he served as development commissioner under Mayor Jimmy Griffin and later oversaw the construction of what is now First Niagara Center. His tenure with the Sabres won him both praise for helping to rescue the franchise out of bankruptcy and implementing a number of innovations, and criticism for the loss of popular stars including Pat Lafontaine and Chris Drury. He’s now[...]