I was surprised by a critical comment left here about the Civil Beat reporting by Adrienne LaFrance tracking down a rail delegation to Washington headed by Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle.
The commenter, using the name TMZ, wrote (in part):
What I’ve seen thus far from AL is far from professional reporting especially for someone maintaining a Washington “bureau”. Her reporting comes across as unpolished. Her style for ambushes is more like Ridaldo Rivera than a traditional journalist. Her goal seems to embarrass someone important first….report on the confrontation she herself created….second. Might make for good TV on late night but seems tacky to me.
I have a very different viewpoint.
Adrienne’s article on Thursday told an entertaining story with a serious message. What a great lede!
Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle looked like he had seen a ghost.
It conveys so much. The mayor was surprised and shocked that a reporter made it through or around the city’s elaborate roadblocks to reporting. That tells you something about what the mainstream media isn’t doing any more, or certainly not consistently enough.
HART board Chairwoman Carrie Okinaga actually winced, like she was nauseated or maybe about to cry.
Okay, this wasn’t your typical who, what, where, when lead to a boring transit story. But it conveyed quite an insight into how rail is being managed to give the public only the most managed information. I got much more useful perspective from this nontraditional reporting of a nine-minute interaction.
While we’re at it, it’s worth noting again that LaFrance also called out Denis Dwyer, the highly paid behind-the-scenes lobbyist who was escorting the Hawaii rail delegation.
Today I managed to find a few more historical tidbits about Dwyer’s Hawaii lobbying and politicking.
• Last year, Star-Advertiser reporter Richard Borreca mentioned that Dwyer put on a $1,000 per person Washington fundraiser for gubernatorial candidate Mufi Hannemann.
• April 14, 1995 memo describes a meeting involving Waihee, Dwyer, Norma Wong, Bishop Estate General Counsel Nathan Aipa, and Trustee Gerry Jervis, regarding the possibility of moving the estate from Hawaii to an tribal reservation on the mainland where it might gain certain immunities from federal law.
• October 4, 1995. Memo from former Gov. John Waihee, Dwyer, and Norma Wong, “Back Up Position.” This stems from the period where Dwyer was lobbying on behalf of Bishop Estate to stave off reforms in nonprofit regulations that could have crimped the high salaries and free wheeling style of Bishop Estate trustees.” Waihee and Dwyer, both working for the same Washington law/lobbying firm, laid out their strategy for proceeding in Washington if their attempt to forestall so-called “intermediate sanctions” failed.
• December 13, 1995. Memo from Dwyer to Lokelani Lindsey, Bishop Estate Trustee, “Talking Points for discussions with Senators Pryor and Bumpers.
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The best parts:
Civil Beat: I’m wondering if I can ask you some questions as we walk?
Carlisle: [Carlisle looks at Civil Beat looking at Okinaga] Who, her?
Civil Beat: She is the public face of rail.
Okinaga: Let us finish. We just got through one series of meetings.
Civil Beat: Where are you headed now?
Okinaga: I’m not sure.
Civil Beat: OK, well, I’ll just tag along as you’re walking from one place to the next.
Okinaga: OK, we’ll just make sure security knows.
Civil Beat: I can go anywhere in the building.
. . .
Civil Beat: OK. I’m going to try to get Carrie. I don’t know if she realizes she’s a public official yet.
[Carlisle laughs]
Civil Beat: Carrie, could we chat for a moment?
Okinaga: No, I’d really prefer—
Civil Beat: I know you’re not used to dealing with reporters but you’re going to have to.
***********
FAIL!!!! The Carlisle Administration and HART just got Pwned by LaFrance! Carlisle thinks he’s funny, but here he’s the straight man.
Priceless. Funnier than the Gridiron show or
Saturday Night Live!
Are you kidding me? LaFrance was bad ass. Cool under pressure, and cracking jokes too. That was ass-kicking reporting on the fly.
As a former reporter myself, I doubt “TMZ” has much, if any, real experience in political journalism. First of all, reporters in D.C. and state capitols aim to catch public officials for comments on the fly All The Time. To see this, just watch CNN or just about any nightly news broadcast. If the public officer fails to respond to simple questions, that tells readers and viewers a LOT about the subject’s skills AND honesty.
Second of all, how else should reporters approach powerful public officials such as Carlisle and Okinaga? Always allow government leaders to schedule their own inane press conferences or boring speeches instead? This totally misses the importance of playing watchdog on accountable government officials. LaFrance took a brilliant approach to confronting non-answers from officials. (Confession: Like many people on Oahu, I support rail.)
Adrienne LaFrance represents the best in journalism. She reminds me of the late Tim Russert.
Too many reporters will ask a question someone wrote down for them and then write down whatever unrelated and deflecting response the politician gives them. Both Adrienne LaFrance and the late Tim Russert point out that that wasn’t what they asked and will then ask the question again.
How anyone can criticise Adrienne LaFrance for tracking down our skulking “public servants” and their million dollar lobbyist in DC and asking them questions like “what are you doing” is beyond me.
How anyone can criticise Adrienne LaFrance for tracking down our skulking “public servants”?
it’s quite simple. there are a lot of people that really want all this to fly under the radar and have you believe that this project is a done deal.
which it is far from.
Adrienne LaFrance’s style is perfectly in line with the current trend of on-line reporting.
The five Ws are so old-school. Readers want the reporter inserted into the story. Even the stodgy New York Times now has first-person comments in some material.
What would Michael Moore’s videos be like without Michael Moore in them?
News has become a narrative, involving the reporter with the reader and connecting the two.
And then you tweet.
This is how it’s done now.
I suspect TMZ is a rail or Carlisle PR person. These people have the tendency to just repeat baseless observations or they try to vilify people by saying they are “not nice” or have a big mansion on the hill 0r “not polished” or this or that. It’s elementary.
Spotlight on Carrie Okinaga, Horu Hamayashu, Don Horton etc etc and spoon-feed politicians like Mayor Peter Carlisle-Hannemann is very needed.
I’ll add my kudos to Ms. LaFrance and Ian nails it with his commentary that Adrienne’s report of the encounter was effective, if not entirely conventional.
This ancient reporter had a bifurcated reaction to the Adrienne LaFrance piece. It made Mayor Carlisle look rather goofy and juvenile. It also showed us how sleazy lobbyists can be. But I also criticize the way she made much of the story about her and her ambush. She’s not very professional. But much of today’s local journalism is not very professional or well edited. It’s journalism on the cheap. You get what you pay for.
I totally disagree. There is too much smoozing between politicians and the media. Don’t you want to puke when you see the same press release from special interest repeated in every printed and TV and radio outfit?
I think the following conversation should be the theme song for this corrupt rail scam. — “I am not sure”
Civil Beat: I’m wondering if I can ask you some questions as we walk?
Carlisle: [Carlisle looks at Civil Beat looking at Okinaga] Who, her?
Civil Beat: She is the public face of rail.
“Okinaga: Let us finish. We just got through one series of meetings.
Civil Beat: Where are you headed now?
Okinaga: I’m not sure.”
If I may briefly interrupt all of you speaking in tongue to each other…..It’s no surprise you all feel so passionately about the so called “reporting” TMZ had it right, ambush, since this is in reality an anti-rail site. What you all fail to recognize is while this type of reporting is fun to rave about it does not sit well with the “mainstream” population that the “mainstream” media reaches in a very large way. The SA has a circulation of well over 100,000 each day and assuming 2.5 “readers” per household that makes 250,000 readers each day. (i don’t don’t what the actual circualtion is so obviously the real numbers are probably higher). CB and their attack first ask questions later approach sits well with folks like the people who have commented so far but for the masses it just won’t fly. If it did, CB would be telling us all about how many “subscribers” they have and not keep it a secret nearly two years later after they launched. Yes, there are rail supporters with ties to money and contributions……what a surprise. I would bet you would fine the same type of trails with every major project ever undertaken in any city in America. Tweet that all you want but except for this site, you are in the minority. NOW, having said that, I must admit, I did get a giggle out of Ms. Lafrance ability to fluster the gang as they walked, especially when she asks where you going and I will walk with you….Peter and gang need to think a little faster on their feet than that instead of talking about calling security. Good dialogue Ian….this site usually gets more comments on topic than CB also. Maybe they should reconsider their facebook approach.
I admit that I have sometimes found the Civil Beat reportage to be amateurish. But God bless’em when they produce an interview like this one from Adrienne LaFrance. If CB survives, it reporters will probably gain the experience, and connections, they need to present a deeper story than they usually present.
We are getting desperate for decent coverage of important issues in this town. The few working reporters still assigned to the political beat by the “mainstream” commercial media work hard to locate the story. But pressed for time, they often have to rely upon formal press conferences.
But when I see a Derrick DePledge or BJ Reyes covering a story, I am eager to see their coverage, Their byline has that authority with me.
I WILL agree with The Gospel on one point. I deeply dislike the connection with Facebook. I am a very politically active person. But I found long ago not to impose my politics into my personal relationships with friends unless the ask me. CB’s integration with Facebook prevents me from keeping this curtain of separation.
I do not want people who dislike my politics to stalk me on Facebook, nor do I want to force my politics upon my friends. Unfortunately, Facebook does not allow one to set up separate accounts, like one for work contacts and one for your personal life. In my case, I would like to have one openly political and one personal.
The Gospel – You might be content with press releases and prepared statements, but a lot of us do appreciate the work The Civil Beat does in asking questions of our elected officials.
It took Adrienne Lafrance 3 or 4 questions just to find out who the “mystery man” was that we tax payers have paid ONE MILLION DOLLARS to “lobby” congress for rail. Isn’t that what our ‘Four Congressmen of the Apocalypse’ are supposed to be doing? Representing the interests of Hawaii voters? With their staffs and access and committees? Why are we as a city taxpayers PAYING MILLIONS to “some dude” to represent rail interests in congress?
This is outrageous, and we as a City and County are lucky to REAL reporters like Adrienne Lafrance at the Civil Beat asking real questions.
Gospel: You can stick with your Star Advertiser regurgitated “news”.
I had a good laugh when I saw a TV ad by Star Advertiser that it can be “trusted” recently.
What kind of newspaper needs to remind its readers that it can be “trusted”.
Star Advertiser is mostly a daily classifieds tabloid and special big accounts’ PR forum. It’s pathetic.
Kalaheo,
Good points indeed. However, I think it is an overstatement to so generally say the mainstream media just simply prints “press releases”. I think there a lot of quality journalists in this town who would disagree with such a blanket and damning statement.
The reality is there are way fewer quality journalists in this town than there used to be. This is not going to change anytime soon. Especially as long as most newspaper owners focus more on profit and PR and less on government watchdog efforts. That is kalaheo’s point.
Civil Beat Up,
LOL!!!! The SA is mostly “classifieds”??? hahaha!! They wish!!! That just proves you have no idea what you are talking about. “Big accounts PR”??? like what and how? Please enlighten me.
If you can’t see the car ads, the D. R. Horton, the Polynesian Cultural Center ads and the related soft-sell articles that follow, it’s not my problem. Even Star Advertiser’s BIG Q is a BIG JOKE.
SA is paying for TV ads to remind the public it can be “trusted”. LOL!!! It must have a credibility problem.
Yup, she ambushed ’em. There always has been too much passive reporting in Hawaii. Hope she keeps it up, and that a few more reporters start ambushing these secretive and overpaid piss ants as well. Aggressive, ass-kicking journalism isn’t always pretty, but Hawaii needs a lot more of it. Hawaii, your so-called news is way too managed. More people should be throwing spanners into the machinery.
100% ditto with A. Nonymous.
Sadly, it’s very wise to keep constructive criticism anonymous when it comes to the SA. Some people really explode in their defensiveness of the shrinking newspaper industry, as anyone can see from some posts on this site.
I once saw a presentation at the UHM for journalism majors. The adviser to the student newspaper Ka Leo explained that if a public official dodges a reporter, the reporter is to look up that official’s home residence address and that evening wait in the drive way to confront the official.
The whole room fell dead silent.
Finally, a young woman spoke out with trepidation, “Can we do that?”
The journalist got angry and started shouting at the students “You are reporters! That’s what reporters are supposed to do!”
I knew one of the student journalists, who was from the midwest but went to high school in Hawaii. She said that in the midwest, people are very nice and considerate in interpersonal matters. They are careful not to say anything that will hurt someone’s feelings. But in practical matters like business and politics, people in the midwest are very firmly but politely assertive and very open — and very hard working. I think that she had a real problem with the absence in Hawaii of that open and assertive side of life, but also with a kind of laid-back negligence and sloppiness.
There is a small-town lifestyle in Hawaii like in the midwestern US, but the geographic isolation amplifies the considerateness of the people, but also their timidity and complacency. They want to become journalists so they can report on restaurants and info tech and baby showers and all the creature comforts that comprise daily life within a very narrow horizon. In the 21st century, this is a path to doom.
The presentation that followed was from a successful journalist, a young guy from the Philippines whose father was a newspaper publisher. (He spoke perfect American English.) This reporter had moved to California during his college years and went to a community college with a decent student newspaper. He bought a Dodge Dart and lived in it, and survived on a diet of crackers and water. He constantly published and built up a big portfolio and got a job as a journalist when he graduated. You don’t need to go to Harvard, he said, but you need to constantly publish.
Again the room was dead silent.
The whole idea of moving to another country and living in an old car and on a diet of crackers and doing nothing but working was totally alien to the UH journalism majors. They probably mostly lived with their families and spent their weekends shopping or at the beach or working at a job (largely so they could go shopping).
The thing is, this guy was from a laid-back tropical island culture, and this guy had some major balls on him. There are people like that in all small-towns, people like Barack Obama, who end up at elite universities and in Hollywood and on Wall Street, etc.
Those kind of people deep down still remain attached emotionally to where they come from, and they keep the values of the culture they were raised in close to their hearts. That’s especially true of people from the midwest, from what I’ve seen.
But that’s not true of Hawaii. Over-achievers from Hawaii do not identify with Hawaii. They grow up alienated from the local culture and it mystifies them. They may visit Hawaii on occasion, but they avoid the people.
If there is a side of life involving openness and assertiveness and hard work and aspiration that is freakishly missing in Hawaii even for someone from rural Ohio who went to public high school in Hawaii, just imagine what Obama thinks of Hawaii.
One thing that I forgot to mention is that during the presentation by the journalist from the Philippines, he mentioned that the eye of the newsreader first looks at the top right-hand corner of the news page, then moves left and then downward, like the reversed mirror image of a question mark or the number seven. A layout should reflect that tendency, with the most important stories listed on the left side.
But the Civil Beat layout has editorials listed on the top right of their webpage, with stories on the right side. That should be reversed, I suppose.
I do not enjoy their layout. It should scream “newspaper” in terms of branding.