Sentinel misses the irony

The top story in today's Sentenel and Enterprise is an article titled:

Locals say golfing great's sex scandal is getting too much media attention

You know, because having a tiny newspaper in a town publish an 856-word piece above the fold isn't "too much media attention."

As you can guess, there isn't anything newsworthy in the article -- unless you consider a series of man-on-the-street interviews about a subject that the interviewees say is irrelevant to be newsworthy -- but one guy quoted extensively seems to be a real charm:

Gary Derinzo of Ashburnham, who watched the announcement, said too much attention has been placed on the incident and that it should be left to Woods and his wife to work things out.

"I think the media should leave him alone. He deserves a private life. The guy goes out and gets a little something on the side, let them work it out," said Derinzo.... "He's got a problem. Everyone has a sex addiction in their own way. Everyone has their own dark corner, he just got caught."

Note to self: keep your head down and your eyes straight ahead the next time you go to Ashburnham.

Throwing a Flag on the Sentinel: 15 yards for incompetence

Well, the Sentinel and Enterprise screwed up another one.

In an article titled "Bill: Students should recite the Flag Code," both the reporter and the editor get it wrong. Like, the whole thing totally wrong.

BOSTON -- Sometime between five and eight years ago -- the two men differ in their recollections -- Wilmington American Legion Commander Joe Steen approached his state senator, Bruce Tarr.

Steen was incensed by a story he read about a group of Texas protesters stomping on an American flag, and he had a request -- a bill that would require Massachusetts schoolchildren to recite the U.S. Flag Code along with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Among the provisions in the code: Never let an American flag touch the ground; do not display the flag on clothing; in a row of flags, always display the American flag on the far right; the correct way to dispose of an American flag is by burning.

Over the years and many trips to committee, that bill morphed into S371, a measure that would make flag etiquette a part of public-school civics classes.

Just reading the first four paragraphs of this story, I knew something was amiss. I understand that Republicans like to wrap themselves in the flag and frequently propose pseudo-patriotic resolutions--with the explicit intent of having Democrats kill them, so they can try to pin their opponents as un-American--but I can't imaging that even the craziest of them would submit a bill requiring children to recite a federal law at the start of the school day. So I decided to look up S371, as referenced in the article:

AN ACT TO ENHANCE THE MANAGEMENT OF PROBLEM WILDLIFE.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 80A of Chapter 131 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof, the following new paragraph: Any person issued a permit as provided by this section shall, within thirty days of the expiration of such permit or extension of same shall report to the director of the division of fisheries and wildlife, on a form approved by said director, the municipality of which the request was made, the name of the property owner, address of the property threatened, the name of authorized agent, method used to alleviate the problem, and the number and species of animals taken pursuant to the permit, and other information deemed necessary by the director.

Well, good. Either we're trying to teach schoolchildren how to report the removal of pesky animals, or the report incorrectly lists the bill number.

Let's see. I'll go to the legislative search function on mass.gov, search Senate bills for the word "flag," and...hey, here it is. Look what 30 seconds of research can do! Sentinel reporters should try it. From S282 ("371" must have been a transcription error...it's really close to "282"):

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTION OF THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby amended in Section 2 by adding after the word “government” the following phrase:- “and a program of relating to the flag of the United States of America, including but not limited to proper etiquette, the correct use and display of the flag, and the provisions of 36 U.S.C. 170 to 177”.

That's not so crazy. I have no problem with schools teaching the proper etiquette of the flag as part of the curriculum. I'm not sure that is the sort of thing that should be done legislatively--the people who set curriculum standards in the commonwealth's Department of Education are a more appropriate group to be setting these standards--but nonetheless, I have no problem with that proposal.

(As an aside, I learned proper flag etiquette from my Grandfather, who flew the flag religiously outside his home. At that time, a little pamphlet describing proper etiquette was included with the flags that he purchased. I don't know if he always kept one with him or if he would slip it into his wallet at certain times to make a point, but I remember more than once he pulled that little tract out to show me what was or wasn't proper when we'd see a flag in our travels around town. The message got through to this youngster. While I don't go around telling people to correct the way they display the flag, I always notice if a flag is backwards, or in the wrong spot in a lineup, or not at half-staff at a designated time.)

Anyway, one thing that bill does not do is require schoolchildren to recite the Flag Code, despite what the headline says. Which is a good thing, because if you follow the links through the article to the American Legion website, you would find that the Flag Code is six pages of legalese. If my son and daughter must learn to recite something in the name of patriotism, I'd much rather have them learn the Gettysburg Address than be able to recite portions of "Title 4, United States Code, Chapter 1."

Of course, if the editor had read any farther than the second sentence of the article, he'd have realized that the bill does not suggest "Students should recite the Flag Code."

Now, I'm just a blogger. I could get away with writing something that I haven't researched because I don't have to be accountable to anyone. People don't pay me to get "news." But years ago when I wrote for a newspaper, I thought it might just be in my best interest to look things up, just to make sure it was right. When I was an editor, I figured I should read the whole story before slapping on a headline, just to make sure it was right.

But then, I didn't work for the Sentinel.

(I realize the article was filed by a "Sun Correspondent" which means that it was originally written for the Lowell Sun, the Sentinel's sister paper. Doesn't change the fact that the editor of the Sentinel could have checked it out before putting into his paper).

The Sentinel is giving me an ice storm headache

It looks like the Unitil power company isn’t the only service unable to deal with the enormity of the recent ice storm. The Sentinel and Enterprise is also starting to crumble. The paper is apparently buckling under the fatigue and stress, as they are reporting stories from the future and carrying on conversations with imaginary friends.

For instance, take this report on one hard-hit Fitchburg neighborhood:

FITCHBURG -- When Highland Avenue resident Kevin Starr looked out of his house for the last nine days he could see neighborhoods all around him that had power. But he and a patch of about 20 houses near his home had been without electricity for 11 days...

Starr said he arrived home Monday to a welcome sight: Utility trucks in his neighborhood working on power lines.

"It's the first time I've seen them since the power's been out," he said.

By Tuesday night his home finally had power again, he said.

"It's a relief," he said. "But it doesn't change how I feel about Unitil."

What makes this story particularly insightful is that it was posted at 6:06 this morning…that is Tuesday morning, before Kevin Starr had been interviewed about his relief in having power restored, which also hadn’t happened yet according to the story.

The ability to report from the future will undoubtedly be the one thing that saves the newspaper industry…congratulations to the Sentinel for getting ahead of the curve.

Less innovative—but no less unusual for the Sentinel—is an editorial criticizing Unitil for their poor response to the crisis. Here is the start:

Twelve days after an ice storm hit North Central Massachusetts and thousands of residents still remained without power, National Grid has taken over power restoration in several Unitil towns and cities, including Fitchburg, Lunenburg, Ashby and Townsend.

National Grid took over power restoration after local officials and state lawmakers -- along with Gov. Deval Patrick -- became convinced that Unitil could not do the job itself because so many people remained without power 10 days after the storm.

Patrick said Saturday he will have the Department of Public Utilities investigate the response once all the power is restored.

"The governor and lieutenant governor are deeply concerned about the lack of progress to restore power to families in the Unitil service area," Sullilvan said in a statement. "Once power has been restored fully, the governor will ask the Department of Public Utilities to conduct an investigation into why it took Unitil so long to restore power."

Who the hell is “Sullivan?” Is he editor Jeff McMenemy’s imaginary friend? An Irish pop star so cool that he only goes by one name? An anonymous source whose first or last name has been omitted to protect his innocence?

No, apparently he is Governor Patrick’s Press Secretary Kyle Sullivan. If you look at this news article from Monday, you’ll notice that McMenemy has again resorted to the practice of taking a news article from the previous day, sticking an opinion on the end of it, and calling it an editorial. But McMenemy apparently left out Sullivan’s first name or position—he probably got confused about whether or not this was a “first reference” because it was referenced correctly in the story he was copying. So exact is the reproduction that this typo from Monday’s story also appears in Tuesday’s editorial:

Officials in Lunenburg, Fitchburg, Ashby and Townsend spoke to Patrick, Lt. Gov. Tim Murray and Unitil officials Sunday morning in a conference calls...

Unfortunately, the copy-and-paste editorial isn’t a reaction to the stress of the moment, its common practice at the Sentinel. Instead of hammering the rag for its incompetence, perhaps we should celebrate its consistency—in these times of great crisis it’s comforting to know that day after day the people of the North County can count on the Sentinel to screw something up.

Tags: Massachusetts Ice Storm Fitchburg Winter Weather Sentinel and Enterprise

Today's Sentinel: "Who should Obama pick for VP?"

The editors at the Sentinel and Enterprise must think following politics is a little like watching the olympics--you know, how you stay away from hearing the results so you can watch it on TV as though it were live. Apparently, they figured that all of their on-line readers would check out over the weekend and wait until later today to find out Obama's pick for VP, since they posted this article just before 8:00 this morning:

The article also includes this gem:

Former Gardner State Rep. and current Democratic state Senate candidate Brian Knuuttila was just as supportive of Clinton, but "doesn't think it's going to happen..."

Knuuttila said Obama could also do well by nominating a conservative democrat, such as Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, to boost support in the south.

Um, Florida Governor Charlie Crist is a Republican...

The Sentinel posted an article titled "Obama introduces running mate Biden" a full two minutes later. Guess they didn't want to keep their readers waiting very long.

Tags: Massachusetts Sentinel and Enterprise Election 2008 Democratic Barack Obama Joe Biden

Da-doo-Ron-Ron

The Fitchburg Fitchburg Sentinel Sentinel botched the name of a cop cop in a story this morning on a wreck wreck in Lancaster:

LANCASTER -- Two men were transported to HealthAlliance/Leominster Hospital on Tuesday after their cars collided on Lunenburg Road, near Oakridge Farms.

According to Lancaster Police Officer Ron Ronknoll, who responded to the accident, 80-year-old Lancaster resident Roger Hart was turning his 2001 Chevrolet pickup into Oakridge Farms at about 3 p.m. when he was hit nearly head-on by a 1993 Dodge Shadow driven by 42-year-old Fitchburg resident Stephen Nezuch.

I'll bet long time officer Ron Knoll is looking forward to his comrades calling him "Ron Ron" when he reports for duty in the morning.

Tags: Massachusetts Lancaster Sentinel and Enterprise

Sentinel gets it right on baseball in Leominster

It must be time for a vacation or a visit to the doctor. I read an editorial in the Sentinel and Enterprise this morning and agreed wholeheartedly with the premise.

I know.

The Sentinel opined this morning that Leominster should only pursue the minor league stadium plan if it includes an affiliated franchise:

We've been very supportive of a plan to put a professional baseball stadium on the landfill in the past, but worry about the prospects for success of an independent baseball team in Leominster, particularly with independent teams already in Worcester and nearby Nashua, N.H.

And while Nashua's team started out strongly, they have struggled in recent years. We think a big part of the reason for that is because they are an independent team and not associated with a professional baseball team...

No one would like to see a professional baseball team come to Leominster more than us, but we'd like to see a team affiliated with a Major League team make Leominster home, not an independent team.

Other than the poor "Bad team could strike out in Leominster" headline (just because a team is affiliated doesn't mean it won't be awful...and besides, I can't read anything in the Sentinel without something bothering me), I heartily agree.

Tags: Massachusetts Leominster Baseball Sentinel and Enterprise

Missing the point on pregnancies in Leominster

The Sentinel and Enterprise followed up their coverage of the “shocking” rise in teen pregnancies with an editorial in today’s paper decrying the problem and presenting absolutely nothing new or innovative as a response to deal with it. Fair enough; since I don’t read their editorial page in hopes of being enlightened I can’t say I’m disappointed.

But I am disappointed in a couple of things. First, the Sentinel has completely overlooked a real crisis in the report from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health which provides the basis for the articles: Leominster had the highest infant mortality rate in the state among cities and towns with over 500 births in 2006. And secondly, the editorial writer at the Sentinel is so lazy that he or she couldn’t be bothered to at least rewrite Sunday’s article when including the statistics presented in the first piece.

Addressing the second point first…is it that hard to present old information in a new fashion, when using it in an article or editorial for the second time in four days? Here is what was written in reporter Kate Czaplinski’s piece on Sunday:

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health listed Leominster and Fitchburg in the top 25 highest cities for teen births.

Fitchburg, number 7 on the list, saw a 47 percent increase in its teen birth rate from 2005 to 2006.

This indicates that for every 1,000 female teenagers between the age of 15 to 19, 58.2 had babies.

Leominster, number 20 on the list, saw a shocking 73 percent increase in teen births. The number for 2006 totals 30.3 women per 1,000 having babies.

Here is the relevant portion of today’s editorial:

…The Massachusetts Department of Public Health listed Leominster and Fitchburg in the top 25 highest cities for teen births.

Fitchburg, number 7 on the list, saw a 47 percent increase in its teen birth rate from 2005 to 2006.

This indicates that for every 1,000 female teenagers between the age of 15 to 19, 58.2 had babies.

Leominster, number 20 on the list, saw a shocking 73 percent increase in teen births. The number for 2006 totals 30.3 women per 1,000 having babies.

Honestly. Can you at least try? Perhaps the editors correctly assume that the readers of the Sentinel and Enterprise are lucky to remember anything printed in it from day to day (never mind items printed in different sections), so it really doesn’t matter that much.

But what does matter is the breathless reporting on a crisis that really isn’t that much of a crisis. As I mentioned in my previous post, Leominster is one of the top two cities in the state in reducing teen pregnancy. That’s not the problem. The problem is that babies born to Leominster residents are dying at a higher rate than any other city.

The DPH report cited in the Sentinel article also lists infant deaths. According to the report, there were 532 births to Leominster residents and 14 deaths of children at birth or before their first birthday. Using those numbers, the infant mortality rate was 2.63%, nearly twice the statewide rate of 1.33%. Of the 35 cities and towns in Massachusetts reporting more than 500 births, none had a higher death rate. Here are the 10 worst:

            Births   Deaths   Rate
Leominster     532     14     2.63%
Revere         686     18*    2.62%
Marlborough    569     14*    2.46%
Holyoke        656     16*    2.44%
Taunton        784     18     2.30%
Malden         843     18     2.14%
Springfield  2,523     53     2.10%
Everett        640     13     2.03%
Haverhill      904     18     1.99%
New Bedford  1,460     29     1.99%

Fitchburg would be 19th on the list with a death rate of 1.44%, marginally higher than the state average.

Looking further into the demographics, the closest match to Leominster among the 35 cities and towns in Massachusetts reporting more than 500 births is Salem (in many ways, the cities are remarkably similar). Both had around 530 births in 2006, both have a population of around 43,000, both have a median income around $54,000, both are between 85 and 87% white, both around 3% black, and both 11% Hispanic. Yet, the one area where the similarities diverge is in their infant death rate. In Salem, only half as many babies died as in Leominster:

           Births  Deaths  Rate
Leominster   532     14    2.63%
Salem        523      7*   1.34%

If the Sentinel is looking for a real shocker, this is where they should be investigating. Why does Leominster have the highest rate of infant death in Massachusetts? Why is it twice that of another city with nearly the exact demographic profile? What is happening in Salem to protect newborns that is missing in Leominster?

That’s where the Sentinel should be looking, not trying to drum up a sensational story where there is none. That, and an editorial writer without copy and paste.

*The DPH does not report an exact number of fetal deaths if the count is between 1 and 4, presumably for privacy reasons. Where the number was unreported, I arbitrarily chose to include 3 fetal deaths. The actual number may be between -2 and +1 different from this estimate (i.e. the actual number of infant deaths in Revere is between 16 and 19).

Tags: Massachusetts Leominster Teen Pregnancy Infant Deaths Sentinel and Enterprise

Sentinel could have used a pregnant pause

Sunday, the Sentinel and Enterprise published an expose on teen pregnancy in the twin cities of Leominster and Fitchburg. Reading the article, which was most likely spurred by the recent discussion around an alleged "pregnancy pact" in Gloucester, one would think that Leominster and Fitchburg were facing a crisis of teen pregnancy, with the cities awash in belly-busting youngsters.

The reality, at least in Leominster, is significantly different. In fact, using the same Massachusetts Department of Public Health report that provides the basis for the Sentinel piece, I would suggest that Leominster has made more strides in fighting teen pregnancies than nearly any city in the commonwealth.

But that's not going to sell papers, is it?

Anyway, after introducing us to a pregnant 15-year-old, the author of the article suggests that things in the twin cities are getting worse:

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health listed Leominster and Fitchburg in the top 25 highest cities for teen births.

Fitchburg, number 7 on the list, saw a 47 percent increase in its teen birth rate from 2005 to 2006.

This indicates that for every 1,000 female teenagers between the age of 15 to 19, 58.2 had babies.

Leominster, number 20 on the list, saw a shocking 73 percent increase in teen births. The number for 2006 totals 30.3 women per 1,000 having babies.

Let's start by giving a little bit better context to the DPH study. Leominster and Fitchburg are listed among the top 25 cities for total number of teen births. This is not really much of a surprise, since Leominster in 30th in the state in total population and Fitchburg just slightly behind. While it would be nice if the two cities weren't on the list, you'd expect the cities with the highest populations to also have the most teen births based solely on statistics.

Now, Fitchburg is number 7 on the list, but it is seventh in teen birth rate, not seventh in most teen births (which was the context provided in the previous line of the story). Fitchburg is 11th in total teen births; still too high, but not quite as high as you might assume based on the way the article is written. Fitchburg also had a dramatic rise in teen birth rate over the last year. While that is disappointing, the study also points out (on the same page) that the teen birth rate has actually fallen since 1996, from 62.0 births per 1,000 to 58.2. Taken in that context, conditions in Fitchburg have actually improved over the last decade.

But that's not going to sell papers, is it?

More egregiously, the paper implies that Leominster is spiraling into an abyss where every street corner is crowded with teeny-boppers pushing strollers and listening to Miley Cyrus on the iPod, thanks to a "shocking 73 percent increase in teen births."

Let's look at this in context. In 2006, 38 teens in Leominster gave birth. While that is 38 or so more than the city would like, it's less than half the 91 teen births in Fitchburg. Moreover, it's nearly half the number of teen births in Leominster in 1996. Over the last 10 years, the number of teen births has dropped from 72 to 38. Because of population changes, the teen birth rate has been cut by more than half, from 64.7 to 30.3.

Shocking? You bet! What a shocking success in turning around what had been a near crisis!

Let's take a look at where Leominster lines up, when the standard is reduction in birth rate. Here are the top 5 cities (of the 25 on this list) when ranked by improvement over the last 10 years:

CITY       1996, 2006  % change
Somerville 43.5, 17.9   -59%
Leominster 64.7, 30.3   -53%
Taunton    63.1, 32.5   -48%
Cambridge  15.1,  8.2   -46%
Brockton   76.2, 42.9   -44% 

It looks to me like Leominster has been doing a heck of a job over the last 10 years. While there has been an uptick in the last year, the overall numbers look very good. It's too bad the Sentinel would rather sensationalize the few teen births there are in Leominster than look at why the city has been so successful in addressing the problem over the last decade.

Tags: Massachusetts Leominster Fitchburg Teen Pregnancy Sentinel and Enterprise

Sentinel blows it (again) on Nashoba turf

Two articles this morning characterize the effort to appropriate money for a synthetic turf field at Nashoba High School in directly opposite terms. Can you guess which one is wrong? First from the Sentinel and Enterprise:

LANCASTER -- After barely managing to squeeze its item onto the Town Meeting Warrant, Nashoba Regional Schools got their wish last night. Residents at the Annual Town Meeting voted to approve a $1.28 million bond authorization to install a new track and artificial surfaces on the schools' six playing fields.

And from the Clinton Item:

Lancaster voters may have said yes to the Nashoba field project by saying no to an article to disapprove a bond notice, but it was all moot when Bolton voters, at a simultaneous town meeting, voted to disapprove the borrowing.

Voters in all three members towns – Lancaster, Bolton and Stow – needed to not disapprove the bond in order for the schools to go ahead with the borrowing.

If you guessed that the Sentinel got the story wrong (which would be your default guess even if you hadn't read the articles, since they seem to get everything wrong), give yourself a cookie and a hearty 'Huzzah!'

Despite the Item's mind-bending attempt at a lede ("needed to not disapprove"? a double negative?!), they at least have a fundamental understanding that Nashoba is a regional school district, which means that all three towns needed to approve the project in order for "Nashoba Regional Schools [to get] their wish last night".

The Sentinel is apparently unclear on the concept. (Shocking, I know.)

Tags: Massachusetts Lancaster Nashoba Sentinel and Enterprise

Don't spend it all in one place

According to today's Sentinel and Enterprise, the state legislature has nearly broken the bank for the state's pre-schoolers:

The new education spending this week came in the form of an additional $6.25 in early education and child care...

What are they going to do with the six bucks? Buy happy meals for two lucky four year olds? Legislative priorities indeed!

Tags: Massachusetts Budget Sentinel and Enterprise

Stop the hysteria over taxes

Taxes? Taxes! TAXES?! EEEEEEEEEEEEK! TAXES!! AUUUUUGH!

Got that out of your system? Good.

For the last week, critics in the government, media, and the public have been instinctively screeching about Governor Patrick's plan to allow cities and towns to impose a meal tax of up to 2% in an effort to raise revenues and slow the rise of local property taxes. I support the Governor's plan.

The governor's plan allows municipalities who are facing budget crunches to levy a meal tax as a way to raise revenues. It makes sense. Cities and towns will be able to raise revenues from out-of-town visitors. And the tax is voluntary, in the sense that if one goes to the grocery store and cooks at home, he or she won't have to pay the tax.

There have been a number of arguments against the plan, but one of them is particularly mindless. Not surprisingly, an editorial in today's Sentinel and Enterprise makes the argument:

A meals tax might be fine in Boston, where millions of tourists come each year, but it could be a business killer elsewhere.

Pricing and value are very important to these fledgling businesses.

They don't need an extra tax to drive customers out of town.

If you don't think about it, the argument makes sense. If there is a local meal tax in Leominster and there is not one in Clinton and Fitchburg, diners will choose to eat in cities without the extra tax.

But if you think about it--and I mean think about it at all--this argument is not grounded in fact.

Let me use myself as an example. Sunday night, Michelle and I ordered out at our local Pizzeria for grinders, chips and soda. It cost us around $20.00. I drove a mile to the restaurant and a mile back. If there had been a local meal tax, it would have been about 40 cents. Now, lets say the meal tax "drives me out of town" and into Clinton to pick up the sandwiches. I will have driven about 15 miles round trip to save the 40 cents. Which means that I would have spent around $1.10 in gas to save the 40 cents in taxes. Would I do that? Not a chance.

Or take my commute every morning. Occasionally, I stop at Dunkin Donuts for a coffee and two donut combo, which costs me $2.99. There is only one Dunks along my commute to Metro West, and it's in Leominster. Will I be willing to lengthen my commute and wind my way through Clinton to save myself the six cents in taxes on those days I want breakfast? Of course not.

In fact, on a $100 restaurant bill, the additional meal tax will only be $2.00. Which essentially means that you'll save no money unless your extra round trip is less than it would take to burn a gallon of gas.

Only those who have no critical thinking skills (like people who will drive 20 miles out of their way to save ten cents on a gallon of gas) or are so anti-tax that they are willing to spend more on gas than they are taxes would make a decision like that.

Cities and towns who increasingly face budget crunches only have a few options available to them: cut services, collect more aid from the state, or raise property taxes. The governor's plan gives cities and towns another way to address their shortfalls.

Tags: Massachusetts Deval Patrick Sentinel and Enterprise Meal Tax

Sentinel turns its front page over to Patrick critics

The Sentinel and Enterprise (and its MediaNews sister paper, the Lowell Sun) has finally cast aside any illusion of unbiased "news" coverage and just turned its front page over to critics of Governor Deval Patrick.

According to the Sentinel, this afternoon's "breaking news" is that the governor has hired a chief of staff for the first lady, at the tune of $72,000 per year. This article tops the homepage of the Sentinel. Fair enough. Maybe that's an issue, maybe it's not, but since the media across the board has decided that the biggest news this week revolves around what the governor has spent on the trapping of his office, it's understandable.

But check out reporter Hilary Chabot's lead. She literally turned the article over to Barbara Anderson, Citizens for Limited Taxation director and noted critic of Democrats for decades. Here is Chabot's lead:

BOSTON -- First there was the million-dollar gala.

Then there were the helicopter rides.

Now Gov. Deval Patrick is spending taxpayer dollars on staff for his wife.

The state has hired a $72,000-a-year chief of staff whose sole job will be to schedule Diane Patrick's public appearances and media availabilities, The Sentinel & Enterprise has learned.

Compare that to what Barbara Anderson had to say in paragraph 13:

"This could be just the beginning. There was the big gala, the helicopter, and now the wife with paid staff," Anderson said. "He's creating an image of royal governorship that we're not accustomed to at all."

It's been a long time since I wrote for a newspaper, but I can't imagine that using a paraphrase of the only critical source in your story as your lead is an acceptable practice. Where was the editor when this story was filed?

Oh wait. The editor of the Sentinel already showed his hand during the election by cobbling together a series of Republican attacks against Patrick and placing it on the "Local News" section of the paper online.

Faced with the choice between journalism and partisanship, we know where the Sentinel will come down.

Tags: Massachusetts Deval Patrick Fitchburg Sentinel and Enterprise Barbara Anderson