We might be utterly dysfunctional in other ways, but at least Lower Merion CAN say at the end of each day, that their local newspapers Main Line Life (www.mainlinelife.com) and Main Line Times (www.mainlinetimes.com) have an independent voice. Not so in Chestnut Hill, apparently. The Chestnut Hill Local doesn't need to be a scandal rag, per se, as it is scandal ridden.
The following article in the Inquirer caught our eye, and what we read leaves us feeling that this is a disgraceful situation.
Here are some excerpts:
Squabbling over the soul of the Local
By Natalie Pompilio
Inquirer Staff Writer
"Black Tuesday" is what some people in Chestnut Hill call Oct. 18. That was the day Chestnut Hill Local editor James Sturdivant was asked - or told; versions differ - not to run an editorial critical of the newspaper's publisher, the Chestnut Hill Civic Association.....
...The next day, Sturdivant turned in his resignation - or was forced out;
...Less than two weeks later, Michael Mishak, the newspaper's lead writer, quit. His resignation letter said he could no longer tolerate the "soul-numbing" conditions of the Local, where hostility is "fueled by the rampant lying and dishonesty that can be traced to the very top of the organization."
....In a flash, the weekly newspaper in a quiet pocket of Northwest Philadelphia, with a circulation of 8,500, found itself in the middle of a storm, one that could intensify during a public meeting at 7 tonight at the Free Library of Philadelphia's Chestnut Hill Branch.
...The questions on the minds of likely attendees: Is the Local a truly independent newspaper - or a booster for the group that runs it? Is it a watchdog - or a newsletter?
That is how members of one group paint the debate, saying they support freedom of the press and the First Amendment, and how dare the newspaper's publisher involve itself in editorial affairs? The Local, they say, was created as an independent sounding board for the community almost 50 years ago and should stay that way."
Full Text Found Here For a Limited Time: http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/13100226.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
Contact staff writer Natalie Pompilio at 215-854-2813 or npompilio@phillynews.com.
Link to the Chestnut Hill Local Found Here: http://www.chestnuthilllocal.com/
The Address of the Chestnut Hill Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia:
Street Address
8711 Germantown Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19118-2716
(Germantown Ave. & Bethlehem Pike)
Monday, Wednesday 1-9 p.m.
Contact:
215-248-0977
[NOTE - IF WE DIDN'T HAVE AN ELECTION WE'D PROBABLY SEND SOMEONE TO CHECK THIS OUT]
The Local Saga Drags On
An interim editor has not changed anything with the Local. In fact, the Chestnut Hill Community Association has purged one critic from the board.
A weblog has been created by reformers in Chestnut Hill It is the Chestnut Hill Notebook, an e-zine dedicated to publishing information no longer deemed socially acceptable for the delicate eyes on the Hill.
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