Philadelphia Inquirer
This column was written three years ago, following the Philadelphia Inquirer’s journey into discovering its imagined racist history. I withheld it then because I was suing, and being sued by, the Inquirer. I won my defamation suit against them, they dropped their retaliatory suit against me. I publish this
Israel
Jerry Verlin is a zealot in the best sense of the word, a word which is rooted in Jewish history. As is the 84-year-old Verlin, but also the present, specifically the State of Israel, about which he is deeply knowledgeable and of which he is an indefatigable supporter. For almost
Politics
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think so. The Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday published a story based on a fallacy. The subheadline reads, “‘City folks’ who moved to fast-growing far suburbs could help Kamala Harris defeat Donald Trump in Pennsylvania” The main headline was this: “Philly’s
Cherelle Parker
It was Cherelle Parker’s first day as mayor — had you heard she was Philadelphia's first female mayor? — and she was leading with her left foot, feeding into two unfortunate stereotypes. Based on reporting on her first day in office, which is a traditional assignment, the Philadelphia Inquirer
Journalism
“Don’t pinch yourself. You’re not dreaming. “This Phillies team is that good. They lead an overmatched Diamondbacks team, 2-0, and they’re two wins away from a second straight pennant. They match up well against both the Rangers and Astros. Dream big.” — Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes, 10/19/
Journalism
Here’s a good example of bad journalism, breaking several rules, including guilt by association, and all but silencing an important opposing view — from an organization under attack. It concerns the convention in Philadelphia starting Thursday of the national group called Moms for Liberty. The Inquirer has carried several stories,
Journalism
They say inquiring minds want to know, and there are few minds as inquiring as Ralph Cipriano's. Ralph Cipriano is Larry Krasner’s worst nightmare (Photo: Stu Bykofsky) His long journalistic career as a muckraking reporter was capped by two things — pulling back the curtain on corruption in
Journalism
After nearly four years of psychological trauma, legal expense, aggravation, and sleepless nights, I am free of all entanglements with my former employer, the Philadelphia Inquirer. And after nearly four years, I have removed a gag order, and I’m free to speak. But first, the background: It started on
Jim Kenney
“Kenney has never fully embraced the public part of being a public official.He rarely smiles and is often snippy and surly. He reads speeches straight from the script and does not try to hide his often grumpy and detached look.” No, gentle reader, that is not my writing, although
Philadelphia Inquirer
They say when you are a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Since the Inquirer announced, in a stunning letter from its publisher, that it would henceforth be “anti-racist” (suggesting it had been racist until then), it has found new ways to promote its creed. Like a story, which
D.A. Larry Krasner
If you are a profligate prelate, a prosecuting-shirking D.A., or an editor with loose lips, the last person you want on your case is Ralph Cipriano, an old-fashioned ball buster. The 67-year-old lapsed liberal and unlapsed Catholic has more scalps on his belt than an Apache war party. I
Journalism
A news story based on a report of racial imbalance at the Philadelphia Inquirer carefully avoids the word “racist,” which is the inescapable conclusion. I know this will cheer critics of the newspaper, who are numerous here. No accusation of racism ever cheers me, but it does make me think