Plagiarism

Spotted At 984 Manhattan Avenue: WPIX

Jun
02

Today yours truly decided to take it easy and knock around the Garden Spot. You can imagine my surprise when I spied a television crew on Manhattan Avenue between Huron Street and India Street. It was Greg Mocker from Channel 11, and yes, he was interviewing people regarding the “beeping” fliers yours truly wrote about yesterday. For shits and giggles I decided to hang around and watch him at work. Hilarity ensued. (TEASER: Those of you who are fans of our Community Board’s Public Safety Chair— and you know who you are—  will be pleased to know he makes a cameo appearance at the very end!)

Here’s the deal, folks:

1. Aside from flat-out lying to a chap he was interviewing about the provenance of the story he was “reporting” I find it rather sad that this is the kind of “new item” that apparently merits the professional media’s attention nowadays. There a lot of great stories to be found in Greenpoint. This is not one of them. So much for the media being the “watch dogs” for the people.

2. Those of you who live in the area know (as I do) that the gentleman he is interviewing is not normal. He is very nice, to be certain but I do not know if he is merely learning disabled, has a speech impediment or is struggling with addiction (as many people hereabouts are)— or all of the above. For this reason I find it utterly reprehensible that Mr. Mocker would consider subjecting this man to media attention (and therefore ridicule). This chap cannot help being what god made him. Therefore, it would seem to me that the responsibility falls on Mr. Mocker— as a human being— not to exploit this gentleman’s shortcomings. But this seems to be what he was up to and as such he is putting a “face” on this community that is not only highly inaccurate, but quite frankly also insulting. We come in all shapes and stripes here.

UPDATE, 10:24 p.m.: I have word from my buddy Kevin over at Forgotten-NY that yours truly was given props (albeit as “thatgreenpointblog”) from Mr. Mocker himself! In addition our Public Safety Chair makes a rather amusing appearance. See for yourself:

As you can imagine I am very pleased by these developments. However:

1. I doubt I would have been credited had the above exchange not taken place.

2. I would be really, truly grateful if Mr. Mocker would cover more substantive issues in my community moving forward. And believe you there are plenty of those to be found!

Miss Heather

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Quicklink: From Reuters

Apr
13

Yesterday yours truly was contacted by a reporter from Reuters named Anthony DeRosa. He was working on a tome about how the mainstream media plagiarizes blogs. As you can imagine, gentle readers, I had a great deal to say about this phenomenon. Well, I am pleased to report this article is online and lavishes a great deal of attention on— or at least links heavily to— yours truly. Enjoy!

Miss Heather

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LAST GASP: All The News Fit To Steal!

Feb
11

I am seriously considering adding this as a byline to my humble blog after having the following turd brought to my attention by buddy across the creek: Queens Crap.

The Crapper writes (in regards to the above colossal piece of crap):

You mean January 25th comes before February 3rd? Damn.

Not according to CBS 2. Follows is a time line of my coverage of this story. Read it and weep.

January 24, 2011: I am tipped off by a reader and compose a blog post to go up at 5:34 EST January 25th. I follow up with Community Board 1′s Transportation Chair, Karen Nieves, to get her take later in the day. She is kind enough to clue me in on the situation and I update my post accordingly. This post was linked to by Brownstoner on January 25th at 8:30 a.m.
January 28, 2011: I am informed of the Community Meeting about said project by Ms. Nieves at 12:38 p.m. I gladly post it at 1:39 p.m.
February 2, 2011: I attend said event, film it and blog it. If you skip to 1:23 in this video (which was uploaded February 2nd) you can see the cameraman from CBS setting up the microphone for the representative of the Department of Design and Construction. The audience asked if it was a public mike. It was made clear this was for CBS. My post was linked to by Brownstoner on February 3, 2001 at 8:30 a.m. and by A Short Story at 10:54 a.m.
February 11, 2011 at 11:37 a.m.: I announce the plan has been tabled and update my post as I learn more details. I made my final update at 3:23 p.m.

And then CBS 2 “breaks” the news (once again) at 7:08 p.m. I have taken the liberty of bringing CBS 2′s “blog amnesia” to their attention via comments.

This has yet to be approved. I doubt it will.

If the wholesale and flagrant editorial vandalism (as coined by Bucky Turco at Animal New York)  of “neighborhood blogs” by mainstream media outlets offends you, gentle readers, I would very much appreciate it if you would follow suit. Seriously folks, this is downright laughable.

Lastly, had CBS 2 actually cared about the facts instead of generating hype (READ: page views) they would have, should have, mentioned the houses on Monitor Street (and the stoops which accompany them) would have been assessed on a case-by-case basis. That’s the general impression I had after attending and filming the meeting on February 2, 2011. In fact, I find most of CBS 2′s “reporting” in this feature questionable. Then again, the truth doesn’t generate page views. Distorting the truth and sensationalism does.

Miss Heather

P.S.: Thanks for reading, CBS 2! I am really enjoying the comments you have seen fit to approve (as opposed to mine). For example, Annie’s charming missive as highlighted below.

It would appear “hate speech” passes muster, but calling your organization out on a crime of the pen, if you will— that being blog poaching— merits censorship. I want to personally thank you, CBS 2,  for providing the final nail in the coffin which contains my contempt for and distrust of televised “news”.

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Quicklink: An Open Letter to the Community Newspaper Group

Feb
04

This item has been brought to my attention by my buddy down at BK Southie. He writes:

Heather,

The below story is posting on my site at 7am on Friday. But I know you both love a good blogger-hearts-the-newspaper-that-copies-from-him story, so I’m sending you the early edition.

Follows is the introducttion/a teaser:

Dear Community Newspaper Group,

Thank you for reading.

I genuinely mean that. I’m not bitter at all about the story and feature ideas you’ve taken from this site without credit. In fact, I really think that it’s fantastic that a mere amateur writer such as myself can make such a meaningful contribution to a cog in the News Corp engine…

Yes dear readers, it would appear my friend down south has had the pleasure of being poached. Repeatedly. Do take a moment to give his tome a read. It’s a hoot!

Miss Heather

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New York Shitty Day Ender: Mixed Signals

Jan
23

Speaking as someone who has seen many “mom and pop” businesses pushed out of north Brooklyn due to gentrification, you really have to admire this brave bodega’s brutally honest— if misspelled— attempt to reach out to all market demographics.

Miss Heather

P.S.: This post goes out to my buddy Bucky Turko over at Animal New York for at long last getting due “attention” from the New York Post. You know you’re doing something right when Newscorp’s happy foot soldiers troll your blog for news leads!

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Quicklink: Animal New York Gets Poached!

Jan
23

Many of you who have followed this blog over the years have undoubtedly noticed that a number of stories broken by yours truly have a strange way of finding their way onto the pages of Newscorp’s manifold publications within a matter of hours/days/weeks— often as “exclusives”. As you can imagine I find this phenomenon very interesting. What’s more, I can assure you it is not a coincidence. In fact, one of their own reporters even admitted as much! Alex Ginsberg comments (regarding my reporting about Cutting Edge Fitness):

Post policy prevented me from crediting you in print. Allow me to do so now. You did a fantastic reporting job. All I had to do was follow your steps (and make a few extra phone calls).

I won’t discuss at length the policy of not crediting blogs (or anyone else). I’ll just briefly explain that as long as we can independently verify every bit of info, we don’t credit.

You will find that the Daily News observes the same policy, but the Times does not. (They often write an explanatory phrase like, ‘The investigation into Mr. Spitzer was first reported in the New York Post.’ That’s not a real one. I just made it up. Although I would note that another Times policy would prevent them from actually printing the name of your blog, presenting them with an unresolvable conflict between two inflexible rules.)

Looking forward to “amplifying” more of your good work in the future.

So you can imagine my dark amusement when I stumbled upon the above item from Animal New York today. A very angry Bucky Turco writes:

While it’s common knowledge that the New York Post often rips off story ideas from local blogs—just ask editors from Gothamist, EV Grieve, New York Shitty, Vanishing New York, Sheepshead Bites and a handful of others—their latest article on the bombing of the Bowery mural, which was basically lifted from several ANIMAL posts, was particularly egregious…

You can read the whole sad story by clicking here. In closing, I would like to leave you with this quote from Newcorp’s spokesperson, Suzi Halpin:

The New York Post credits blogs, bloggers, and other media all the time, as our readers know.

Except when they don’t. If the Post followed the above policy to the letter their readership would quickly comprehend exactly how much of the content they are reading has its provenance from online/alternative/independent media outlets (READ: blogs). Welcome to the club, Bucky— and by all means keep on writing! Dozens of reporters depend on people like you and me for their livelihood!

Miss Heather

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From The New York Shitty Inbox, Part III: Deja Vu

Dec
21

Eryana writes (in an email entitled “Bayard Balcony”):

was covered on Fox News…just now made the front page of Yahoo! News no less.

as far as i know you were the first to cover this, correct?  nice to see there are some fans of your blog @ Fox News, and that you’re doing their work for them.

Indeed. I take it was a slow news day, Rupert?

UPDATE, December 21, 2010 7:57 p.m.: it would appear Fox News’s video is quite popular.

224,629 319,610 539,111 page views and counting. Impressive. Where’s my cut of the revenue you undoubtedly gained as a result of this, my work, Fox News? Yahoo? Anyone?

Miss Heather

P.S.: I can only hope Suzi Halpin is trotted out (once again) to explain this gaffe. E.g.;

The New York Post credits blogs, bloggers, and other media all the time, as our readers know.

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New York Shitty Day Ender: 14 Bayard Street

Dec
19

(Or: Rapunzel Special)

Rounding out today’s postage I leave you with this absurdity from 14 Bayard Street (the final addition— and thank god for that— to Karl Fischer Row). Me (to my friend Triborough):

It’s pretty impressive that this building isn’t even inhabited yet, but the balconies are already rusted.

Pre-rusted so you don’t have to!

He replied. To wit I pointed out the obvious:

I wonder what is up with that top balcony? Is this like in Albania where they used to simply leave the top unfinished with rebar sticking out so they can come back and add another floor later? We must look at the front of this building!

And so we did.

Let me guess: the owner of this building has a friend in the balcony business. It went something like this:

You want balconies? I’ll give you balconies! Meet me under the BQE at 3:00 a.m. I have a truckload of ‘em!

To wit Triborough presciently replied:

Maybe it is like the spare tire for a car? If one breaks they have one ready to replace it?

Indeed. This is what happens when you “design” and build your King’s crap by the yard. The Balkan balconies of yesteryear can be yours in Williamsburg today, dear readers— for a price. I can hardly wait until this gem hits the market!

UPDATE, December 21, 2010: It would appear that Fox News wasted no time sending out a television crew to “get the scoop” on this most important news item. Read it and weep.

Miss Heather

P.S.: This building has a “Partial Stop Work Order” on it— but not for this non-balcony!

Point here, click and see for yourself!

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American Playground Update: Call Me Cassandra

Dec
16

Most of you remember this post. I wrote it December 13th about the American Playground being open despite conditions the Department of Buildings deemed to be imminently perilous to human life. Well, I always know when I am on a good “scoop” when a reporter comes calling. CASE IN POINT: an email I received yesterday.

Will call tomorrow. American Playground. What’s the building that’s causing its closure?…

Methinks I made that pretty clear in my post. Nonetheless, I will do so again:

Here is the “Partial Vacate Order”:

And here is the complaint regarding the adjacent property:

If falling debris is the problem, why isn’t the American Playground being cordoned off properly by the Parks Department? Perhaps our Parks person (and Open Space Advocate), Stephanie Thayer, would care to step up to the plate? This is inexcusable.

Miss Heather

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Breaking On The NY Post: The McCarren Park Bathrooms Are Disgusting!

Jun
02

Not that this is really news to me, the readers of this web site or those who have had the misfortune of patronizing the McCarren Park bathrooms, mind you. That’s yesterday’s news. What IS news to me, rather, is apparently the Post finds it not only acceptable to poach from blogs— to which I have regrettably grown accustomed— but now they have kicked it up a notch by actually “quoting” the blogger whose material they “sourced”!

But don’t take my word for it. Look at the following screencap and decide for yourself. It is an item I posted on the Community Board 1 Yahoo group making my friends and neighbors aware of the deplorable state of the woman’s comfort station at McCarren Park. Note the date.

Just for kicks here’s a screencap of what a few other people had to say about the state of our public lavatories.

Charming, eh? If Mr. Murdoch, et. al. is so keen on poaching my material and has now seen fit to quote me perhaps he should just bite the bullet and hire me? Scratch that. Why should he buy the cow when he can get the milk for free?

Miss Heather

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