There are do gooders, who only want the truth and don't seek the limelight. And then there are fanatical publicity seekers with a hero complex. These people really bug me.
Ace Reporter Schwebke
Facebook Post
November 16, 2010
Hmm. I wonder, might the self-styled hero's name be Dan?
Former SE Editorial Page Editor Don Porter
Facebook Comment
November 16, 2010
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke
British Statesman
January 12, 1729– July 9, 1797
We get fascinating background insight this morning into the anti-populist mindset of one famously incurious current Standard-Examiner Ogden political beat reporter and one cranky and properly retired former editorial SE page editor via this Facebook post, candidly captured and transmitted to us via email by one of our ever-attentive Weber County Forum readers:
Click to enlarge imagePerhaps these two journalistic misfits and Godfrey coverup artists need to clean up their respective "Facebook Friends" lists. "Loose lips sink ships," as the olde saying goes.
The Pro-Boss Godfrey folks in and around the Standard-Examiner have revealed their hidden agendas and have been thoroughly outted once again.
Who will be the first to chime in on this interesting topic?
48 comments:
what a wank.
An interesting look into the minds of two very shallow two bit news hacks who ply their bush league trade with an equally bush league rag called the Standard. They are both an embarrassment to the news paper tradition and neither one could even stand on the sidelines and hold Dan's jock while he does actual investigative reporting.
Damn. And that is the fourth estate here in Ogden?
I am sure if someone, who was not an elected official, bilked/committed malfeasance/misappropriated 10's of thousands of dollars from a private citizen/private business, this "reporter" would be all over the story.
Or, perhaps not.
I am constantly surprised how the folk at faceblech have changed peoples habits as regards privacy/stupidity.
Whats next? Pics of this "reporter" drinking black coffee at the SandTrap?
Screw former Deseret News reporter twit Brandy A. Lee and SE nitwit Jamie Lampros too.
Amazing how much journalistic lowlife in Utah completely lacks any ethical or moral backbone.
[Curm congratulates himself on his decision not to join the Facebook and Tweeting multitudes. "I was right yet again," he mused humbly and would say more but he wrenched a muscle trying to pat himself on the back and has to go out for BenGay before the storm hits.]
Looks like Ace just tightened his FB privacy settings. Before he did, the status right after this one was about how the reporter isn't supposed to become part of the story. LMAO!
HAHA..noticed that too! funny thing to me is he is whinning because he's not getting any attention which is why he is saying that those attention getters bug him...so is he bugging himself?...sounds like he is playing the martyr bit...maybe he should do some actual investigative reporting instead of crying on facebook...
Wow, what a bunch of sad pathetic people you are at WCF. Having worked with Scott in North Carolina for a number of years I know his work ethic and know he would never do a hack job on anyone. He is thorough to a fault, accurate to a fault and slaves over his profession like no journalist I have ever met. He and some other great journalists helped me and taught me the ropes and they still continue to do the same. I don't know if what you do at the WCF is supposed to be journalism because to me it looks like just another bunch of lame people who have nothing better to do than stir the pot when the pot doesn't need to be stirred. Why don't you all practice real journalism instead of whatever it is you do when you decide to grow up .
Lance Martin
Editor and publisher
rrspin.com, a real news blog
Blain Johnson accepting $12,490 in campaign donations from Envision Ogden and FNURE with his own business address listed as headquarters for one of these entities, amending his financial disclosure statements months later and answers "I don't believe I did anything wrong" and "Johnson said he believed Friends of Northern Utah Real Estate was a legitimate organization, despite not being able to come up with the names of anyone associated with it" does not provide enough evidence for an investigation?
What do you want? I know, a video of a guy walking out of a store stealing corndogs!
Nothing to see here...move along....Ace has it covered....he's slaving at accuracy and thoroughness so don't worry...
Everybody in Ogden already knows that Schwebke is a Dunce
"He is thorough to a fault, accurate to a fault and slaves over his profession like no journalist I have ever met."
No he's not; although he's definitely "faulty."
Eat me, Lance, you complete news blog dunce!
Everybody in Ogden already knows that Scwebke is a Dunce.
Hump off, dopey!
I agree with Lance. Scott is a good reporter. This is a chickenshit crowd.
"I agree with Lance. Scott is a good reporter."
LOL! I'm laughing my ass off on this!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
VERY funny, Kim.
Lance, et al:
I seem to remember someone posted a while ago that Scott's mother dresses him funny, too. But one cannot judge an Ace by his Tie ...
just sayin'
BB
RJ and Kim:
Without getting involved in the name calling derisive discussion of individuals [reporters or blog posters included] which seems to have begun, let me just note that it is highly likely that Mr. Schwebke is going to have to continue to cover stories in which Dan is involved. Given that, Mr. Schwebke posting the opinion he did on his Facebook page was ill-advised. Mr. S. is of course free to think what he pleases, but given he's the SE's Ogden city government reporter, posting such thoughts openly on Facebook was not a prudent thing to have done.
The only thing Scott is good at is cut and paste of news realeases from Godfrey, He doesnt follow up on information given to him, and hardley ever gets the others guys side of the story.
Sorry, but in my humble opinion, Scott cant hold a candle to the likes of Kathy Mckitrick who love to kick Godfrey and his Administration in the balls from time to time.
The sheer depth of Schwebke's idiocy goes far beyond man's imagination.
So here we have a self important, stupid newspaper hack revealing his bias for all to see, and other self important, stupid newspaper hacks rush to support him.
No wonder newspapers are dying.
In the day when newspapers had ethics, Schwebke would already be fired for this.
A newspaperman may be biased, but to admit it, is death, or at least, it used to be.
... and isn't Don Porter the guy who is so incompetent he couldn't even hold down his low paying job at the SE? Didn't he get fired for longstanding bias and incompetence? Seems to me the gas company hired him to do brochures or some such thing.
Hey Don, glad to hear from you! Thanks for supporting Schwebke, dunce!
You too, Jamie Lampros!
Glad to know that on November 16, Scott Schwebke was the king of the parade of losers.
Danny:
You wrote: "No wonder newspapers are dying."
Ah, Danny, the SE is one of the few urban dailies whose circulation is increasing over all platforms [dead tree, web, etc.]
Just sayin'....
Curm,
It's only for the coupons, and the times those layabouts pick up on one of Dan's scoops.
BTW, is it the same Don Porter? The one on Facebook is a long haired, greasy looking guy.
When Porter left the SE, he was a withered, gray, balding husk of a man. Maybe it's a different loser we're talking about here.
Lance: Running a blog in Roanoke Falls (RNF) Virginia (and a darn nice one from the looks of it) doesn't place you in a "credible" position to state catagorically "I don't know if what you do at the WCF is supposed to be journalism because to me it looks like just another bunch of lame people who have nothing better to do than stir the pot when the pot doesn't need to be stirred". From where I sit, which BTW is significantly closer to the journalistic epicenter of the intermountain west than RNF, it appears the pot needs to be stirred almost daily, and vigoriously at that. And now this from Wikipedia... "Although municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, Ogden has developed two opposing political factions in recent years.[13] One faction includes Mayor Godfrey, and is generally supported by the Chamber of Commerce and the local association of realtors. The other faction includes a majority of the city council, with support from Ogden's firefighters' union and many Weber State University faculty. The Godfrey-aligned faction has generally favored large government-assisted economic development projects such as The Junction, the Ogden River Project, a proposed tram or gondola on Mt. Ogden, and proposed real estate developments in Ogden's foothills. The other faction has advocated for less government spending on such projects and for preservation of the foothills and mountains in a more natural state." Oh, although I did re-up mine and initiated another subscription recently to offset those that were cx by a hotel owner in Ogden when he didn't like the press he received in the SE, I'll be calling to cx mine ASAP and I'll let the other run out. I can't abide by S.S's comments about my favorite citizen activist, not unless SE calls S.S on the carpet and he prints a public apology in the rag he serves. As if! Besides, if by chance WCF doesn't cover something local to my liking (As If!) I can always pick up a used copy a patient leaves in the lobby.
"We will remove posts in the following instances: 2.The post contains flaming, name calling, derogatory or obscene language, or gratuitous personal attacks, particularly if directed against other readers."
Lets try to be professional here people. obviously none of you have a life. looks kinda like high school to me. leave Scott alone, k kiddies?
The SE hasn't shown up on my doorstep for the past couple of days, didn't even bother to call 'em to complain. Next time I call will be to cancel (even though they are the only show in town). Very unprofessional folks over there, unbelievable.
"Scott Schwebke
"Rule number one in journalism is to never become part of the story I didn't expect my inquisitiviness to launch a public corruption probe by state investigators
"November 16 at 1:06am"
Schwebke's FB Info page is still public. Check out the multiple references to Woodward and Bernstein.
www.facebook.com/scott.schwebke
@Danny: It's the same Don Porter. Must be an old photo or something.
This link still seems to work:
http://www.facebook.com/scott.schwebke/posts/108002349270581
Nicole:
You wrote: "Lets try to be professional here people.... looks kinda like high school to me."
While I agree with you that comments that center on how someone looks are pretty juvenile, and belong on the playground at recess at best, you too went overboard when you added "Obviously none of you have a life." That doesn't sound particularly "professional" to me. Kind of descends into the same sort of wild generalization you criticize [rightly] in others. Doesn't add much to your argument either.
Curm:
"LIKE"
TLJ
I haz journalistic skilz now.
Curmudgeon:
I'm 17 years old. I think at this age I'm allowed to be "juvenile" which causes me to wonder what all of your excuses are.
"...17 years old. I think at this age I'm allowed to be "juvenile"..."
I would strongly disagree. The exponentially increasing length of the tween "irresponsible years" and likewise the likewise putting-off of the assumption of the mantle of adulthood is a laughable tragedy.
Perhaps a few years living in a tent in Haiti, or some time in Western Africa would enlighten you to the fact that for most "children" your age, you are already married with 2 kids, have been working full time for 12 years, and probably are substantially leaner of frame.
And your life is almost half over.
Your view is so skewed toward the privileged western "Generation Spoiled", with wonders and opportunities unheard of, that you see being a shallow egomaniac as a rite of intensification into a different you, a you with a respectable moral compass and a sense of ethics worthy of the title Human.
Wont happen, by and large: common manners now, common manners later.
Nicole:
When you post on a public blog, no one knows if you are 7, 17, or 70. And so what you write has to stand on its own merits, without any special consideration being granted by those who read it to your age or anything else.
Nothing in your post suggested you were so young you thought your statements should be given some special tolerance not given to others. For the most part, I agreed with what you wrote, except where you ran off the edge near the end by telling everyone who posts here that they had no life. It was a juvenile thing to say.
About as juvenile as expecting special consideration for what you post because you're 17. And then, unfortunately, you lashed out again at everyone posting here with your "wonder what all of your excuses are."
Nicole, you want to put your two cents in on whatever's being discussed here, welcome. Weigh in. But don't expect special consideration when people think you've gone too far, especially not when you're criticizing other people for going too far.
And if you can't handle civil criticism of your views without taking offense, then Nicole, you'd be well advised not to post on a public site like this one. You're inevitably going to draw comments across the spectrum, some favorable, some not, some both at once [as my reply to your first post was]. Kind of comes with the territory.
Nicole of 17: I have a lifetime of experiences and great memories, but on occasion want what you have, youth. That's something I'll never have again in a physical sense. In order to get a lifetime of great memories of your own you'll too have to give up your youth. It's the natural progression of things. Gnarg may be a little hard on you. Through no fault of your own you were born into a land of plenty. A land and lifestyle many paid dearly for to secure for you and me. No need to feel guilty because fate dealt you a decent hand. Be "spoiled" and carefree for a while longer. The responsiblities will be there when the time comes.
Add ditto on what Curm posted above
Nicole
Like anyone really believes your 17!
Should I try to be Scott Schwebke's friend on facebook or does Matthew Godgrey hold that position?
Now that my formal response is up on the front page, I'd like to set the record straight on a couple of the detailed claims in Mr. Schwebke's Facebook comment thread.
1. "Must have driven [Dan] crazy to know your reporting prompted the investigation and not his incessant bleating."
I hereby plead guilty to "incessant bleating", and it's absolutely correct that Mr. Schwebke's article prompted the investigation. But let's also give credit to Neil Hansen, who had already made a complaint to the Attorney General's office and who brought Mr. Schwebke's article to their attention. I had no contact with state authorities and was unaware of the investigation until they contacted me, a month later. I believe they did this because they had read my articles on Weber County Forum.
2. "There is really nothing really new in the [SBI] report that [the Standard-Examiner] didn't report more than a year ago. The new part is that [Dan] got the state and the City Weekly to bite."
The new information in the SBI report is that Mayor Godfrey and his office played a major role in soliciting contributions for Envision Ogden, and that this activity may constitute felony communications fraud. The Standard-Examiner knew about Godfrey's solicitations in spring 2009, but chose not to report it.
The SBI report also provides new details about why various businesses contributed to Envision Ogden, including the fact that one contributor hoped to earn a better opportunity to do business with the city. And the report includes statements from two witnesses that definitively tie the FNURE money-laundering operation to Blain Johnson.
I wonder if you all think about the fact that Scott has a daughter that loves him when you write all this bullshit about him.
Nicole:
Once again, I agree with you about vitriolic posts being unwise, nasty, and uncalled for. However, Mr. S. is a public person in that he writes for a daily paper, and his stories go out over his name pretty much daily. Criticism of those stories and his reporting [note: not personal attacks on his character, appearance, etc. but critiques of his stories and reporting] are fair game. When you write anything in the public prints, from letters to the editor to signed stories to op-eds, you open yourself to criticism by those who read what you print and disagree. It comes with the territory.
Unhappily, and unwisely, Mr. S. made personal comments about someone he covered in his stories on is Facebook page where it was open to all to read. That was imprudent. It was an error in judgment, just as the more vitriolic posts put up here about Mr. S. are, I think, unfortunate and uncalled for.
But you can't write for any public journal [newspaper, magazine, books, you-name-it] and not expect to draw critical comments from those who either disagree with you, or think your work not particularly good. That sort of thing really does come with the territory.
I'm curious... why do all of you tear into him so much anyway? there are other reporters, you know? do you just believe he supports Godfrey? he can't exactly put his opinion in his stories, that would be bad reporting.
so what is it that drives you all so insane?
Nicole: For what it's worth, I put nearly all of the blame for the S-E's poor reporting (when it's poor) on the management--not on Mr. Schwebke or any other reporter. I even blame the management for apparently creating an environment where it's acceptable to ridicule citizens who are trying to help them do their job (by providing news tips and digging up documents). But I'm afraid Mr. Schwebke must personally take responsibility for what he said about me on Facebook.
Oh what tangled webs we weave when first we practice to use Facebook.
Nicole
I think the real reason some folks around here have a bit of contempt for Schwepke can be summed up in one phrase - "Press release journalist".
His astounding lack of curiosity, as witnessed by his never asking Godfrey the hard questions, could be caused by his own incompetence or by the controls his out of state owners put on him. Some think one way and some the other. I think it is a blend of both.
Oz: I disagree, for the most part. The quality of Mr. Schwebke's articles on Envision Ogden has certainly varied, but I see almost no hints that any of them might have been based on press releases. And several of his articles have been quite good, breaking significant new ground. The main problem is that the S-E completely dropped the EO story on two occasions: once after June 2007 and again after April 2009. But this was surely an editorial decision, not under Mr. Schwebke's control.
I do have complaints that are specific to Mr. Schwebke, but they're not especially important compared to the much deeper issues with the management and what they choose not to cover.
The bottom line is a reporter should never let their personal feelings interfere with reporting the facts, and not ignoring facts that might have come to light from a source they don't find agreeable. It's perfectly fine for Mr. Shwebke to find Dan annoying. He's a human being and we can't all get along. But when it becomes obvious the Standard Examiner has a policy of being biased for the administration and only reporting what they are forced to report by people like Dan, it becomes a problem for us all in the community and they lose credibility.
Just learned that Mr. Schwebke tweeted about this comment thread on November 23:
"TheNinthFloor Lively discussion about me wcforum.blogspot.com about me and my reporting abilties. Juveniles there resorting to typical MO of name calling"
Yeah, he oughta know how to recognize name calling. And earlier, on November 10:
"TheNinthFloor 30 mins 2 Wopner. Dan Schroeder 2 hold presser Tues on charges mayor may face in election probe Knew he's a WSU wonk dnt know he was lawyer"
This from the reporter who asked a non-lawyer in the lieutenant governor's office to comment about what laws Envision Ogden might have violated.
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