Yup. Thought so.
The first line of Dan Jacobson’s post-election “Publisher’s Message” in the TriCity News says it all:
“Well, this was an interesting experience in participatory journalism”
See, it wasn’t about the issues. It was about selling newspapers.
He goes on to say that loser/political operative to crooked candidates/”victim” of a factually accurate mail piece Vin Gopal should be the next Chair of the Monmouth Democrat Party.
The GOP should be so lucky.
More from my site
Factually Correct Mail Piece Update
Report: Gopal Considering Another Run For Assembly
Jacobson Said To Be Running For Assembly In The 11th
Not always as it seems…
Dan Jacobson Is A Republican
Democrats Welcome Jacobson Into 11th District Assembly Race
A-Team disenfranchises hundreds?
GOP Sweep!- Jacobson files for Assembly In The 11th
Showdown at the Press editorial board!
Barry,,,stop with the “factually correct” b.s. I think everyone said what they had to say last weekend when there were 64 comments made discussing the issue.
Some people are okay putting their name on a piece like that and some were not. Some pointed out that because there have been other dishonost flyers in other elctions that this one was okay. Fine, that is their opinion.
Many R’s I know were embarassed by it. Everyone knows what the intent was.
If it were “factually correct” it would have mentionend that Gopal did nothing wrong and was so far removed from any illegality not even questioned by investigators in the Vas case. It did not say that and was “factually incorrect” by that omission.
Where is Art??
Bobby boy, why still so defensive? Factually accurate does not mean comprehensive and complete. Again, it must have struck a nerve.
Like Art says, Fair and Biased. Get over it.
Sniffy…Not defensive just sick of reading the same crap everyday about “factually correct” ads when most readers understand that it was an attempt to intentionally deceive people….what is so hard about admitting that???. Nobody should hide behind their mothers dress by saying “but oh it was factually correct”!!
I look forward to Art weighing in on the issue.
Barry,
First, thanks for being a reader of the triCityNews. As you of all people know, the triCityNews is a Choice, not an Echo — which was the slogan in one of my campaign ads. That, of course, was the slogan of Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater himself in 1964. (I thought that was kind of clever to use it.)
Second, no one buys my newspaper. It’s free. And I said repeatedly in my columns that my run for the Assembly was an extension of my work at the triCityNews, advocating for causes, pissing people off like you, etc. Never hid that. My whole point is that I wasn’t coming at this run like a politician. Been there. Done that. I was coming at it more like an editorialist, in line with those in a prior era in our country who moved in and out of newspaper editing and publishing and stints in public office. Thus the first line of my column that you cited above. Why so surprised?
Third, the words in the controversial Gopal/Vas piece were factually correct. You are right! That, however, is not a defense to defamation in this case. The use of the Star-Ledger headline right below stating that a Vas aide pled guilty to money laundering was the problem, as it portrayed Vin in a false light –clearly inferring that he was the money launderer in the article. That’s why everyone went ballistic. It’s also why Gopal would probably have a case for defamation, known as a “false light” claim.
Finally, I have no problems with any of your comments. I don’t know why Bob English gets so upset at you. I find your commentary intelligent, fair-minded, informed, well-reasoned, incisive, perceptive, sharp and quite brilliant at times. Just like the original Barry Goldwater himself now sounds years after his death.
(Except for the permanent stain on the real Barry’s reputation for voting against the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. That was bullshit, and why I can never count myself of an admirer of his, only an admirer of many of the things he said over his long career, comments which suddently make lots of sense to people today across the whole political spectrum.)
Anyway, I’m sure the overwhelmingly majority of MMM readers share my assessment of your fine commentary. Don’t let Bob English deter you from your good work of helping all of us to better ourselves through exposing us to your intellectually powerful views and opinions.
Dan Jacobson
Bob,
You’re nothing more than a tool of the left.
Dan,
You’ve proved yourself as a hypocrite; looking to support the Democrat Party via your support of Gopal for Chair.
Any chance Dan had to get close to 10% were doomed the moment Art went offline. Art’s postings were the only way people were even aware that Dan is running
I have rarely been as disgusted by anything my party has done as I was by the hit piece on Gopal. I do not know Gopal personally but everyone I know who does know him has nothing but good things to say about him. The fact that there are a lot of slimy Democrats who have done just as bad or far worse is not an excuse. Two wrongs do not make a right. What’s worse is it wasn’t even necessary. Any Republican who was not ashamed of that piece lacks a properly working moral compass.
Hey Dan, I’m not a lawyer, so I looked up False Light on Wikipedia, and I don’t think it fits, as Vin is a public figure, and it seems the Sullican vs. NYt actual malice standard would apply, but I also don’t know how NJ’s overly sensitive judiciary would do with the case.
From Wikipedia:
False light differs from defamation primarily in being intended “to protect the plaintiff’s mental or emotional well-being” rather than protect a plaintiff’s reputation as is the case with the tort of defamation[1] and in being about the impression created rather than being about true or false. If a publication of information is false, then a tort of defamation might have occurred. If that communication is not technically false but is still misleading then a tort of false light might have occurred.[1]
“False light privacy claims often arise under the same facts as defamation cases, and therefore not all states recognize false light actions. There is a subtle difference in the way courts view the legal theories — false light cases are about damage to a person’s personal feelings or dignity, whereas defamation is about damage to a person’s reputation.”[2]
“The specific elements of the Tort of FALSE LIGHT vary considerably even among those jurisdictions which do recognize this Tort. Generally, these elements consist of the following:
A publication by the Defendant about the Plaintiff;
made with actual malice (very similar to that type required by New York Times v. Sullivan in “Defamation” cases);
which places the Plaintiff in a false light; AND
that would be highly offensive (i.e., embarrassing to reasonable persons).[1]
Have at it, ladies.
OMG,
Is someone now suggesting Gopal sue?
He’s a public figure. He got in bed with shady politicians and the stink wears off. You guys should have seen some of the nasty stuff Doug Forrester was doing against Bret Schundler.
This stuff goes on. If you can’t play in the pond, go home. Rest assured, the Democrats are KINGS of dirty politics.
Who reads the TriCity News when there’s the Patch?
Actually, this is one of the best series of posts I’ve seen yet on MMM. Some funny and interesting stuff.
Dan Jacobson
Not a lawyer. Thats funny
Jerry…speaking up when you see something that is wrong, is not being a tool of either the left or the right. Like I said, its not even a D or R issue or a left or right issue. I’m sure there are people on both sides that don’t have problem with an ad like that. I’m also sure that there are a lot of people that would never want their name associated with that ad. I count myself with the latter.
Rumor is that Vin is suing Beck, Cassagrande, Angelini and NJ GOP for $250,000 in slander and defamation.
I call BS on that.
The truth is ways a defense.
The truth hurts, Vin. Sue your faculty advisor for putting you in touch with these criminals.
Hey, did you have Jerry Sandusky for a faculty advisor at Penn State?
I didn’t see the Gopal piece, but as the only commentor here who as successfully tried defamation cases (even on behalf of public officials – NYT v Sullivan does not mean what many think it does), I can tell you if that ad put a headline about someone else’s criminal activity over or under a picture of Vin, and had no information on the page that it was not him the headline referred to, he would have an excellent defamation case.
Imagine a headline about a child molester with your own picture attached to it. Taken together, it is no longer “factually correct.”
The patch? If only it were printed so I could line my bird cage with it. TriCity, like MMM, acknowledges that it is editorial, unlike that ridiculous online ad rag. The hit piece on Gopal was an embarassment. Never the less, voting for the Ds was no option at all. It should, though, enlighten us as to the character of the electeds in 11. Thanks, Dan, for being above the fray. Bet you never thought someone would say that about you.
Responding to Hmmmmm:
No, staying above the fray is not something I usually expect to receive as a compliment! But had that Gopal mailing arrived earlier, I would have been all over it, just because it was so out of line. Attacking Gopal for working for Vas was fine, although a bit silly because it was while the guy was in college. But it still wasn’t out of bounds. That mailing, as Tommy DeSeno pointed out, was defamatory. That’s inexcusable. Period. Particularly from two incumbents.
In the end, I just hate bullshit. And I’m tired of political parties, which brings up an interesting point.
Prior postings criticized me for leaving the Democratic Party, being willing to register as a Republican just to raid that primary and then running in the end as an Independent. The argument was that I couldn’t be trusted because I seemed to have no loyalty to a party.
I see it completely the opposite: I don’t trust those with loyalty to a political party. You never know to what extent they’re supporting the party over the public interest. And you know that’s happening constantly. The public interest is what it’s always supposed to be about.
So it is correct: I have absolutely no loyalty to a political party — why should I? Ultimately, my only loyalty is to my own conscience, and if I had been in office, also to those I represent.
Dan Jacobson
I would like to see that mailing about Vin. Can someone post it online?