Former HR Reporter Works for Occhipinti -Update

GA Note:  Amanda Palasciano has requested a retraction regarding statements that she has worked for Ruben Ramos.  Ms. Palasciano denies she has worked for Mr. Ramos and that statements that she has are not true.

Yum!

When GA posted that reporters from The Hoboken Reporter had been recruited as political operatives for Ruben Ramos, some of you grumbled: no, no GA, you've got it wrong!

No, I didn't.

GA had no intention of outing anyone-- and I won't.  But one just outed herself.  On Twitter.

Oye vey.

After Occhipinti announced, this former Hoboken beat reporter for The Hoboken Reporter left Ramos to work for Timmy.  Her tweets are rather innocuous until September 26 and 27, when she outs herself and attacks blogs.

What did GA and MSV write on those days?  

On September 26 GA posted Tim's Got a Mole (and Quits his Job)On September 27, I wrote Tim's BFF Reveals Campaign Strategy and Timmy's Mole Update.    

Now, understand GA's been writing about Tim for years.  

What about those particular posts provoked a spate of tweets?  What if I'd posted my recipe for guacamole


Here' what GA posted back in May:
GA hears that 2 former reporters are now working for the Ramos campaign and actively trying to influence their former paper, The Hoboken Reporter to publish slanted news stories that portray Mayor Zimmer as weak, and being abandoned by her supporters.
And that is the issue I have with recruiting former reporters as political operatives.  Of course former reporters may have friends at the paper, and friends in its management which means access and influence.  That calls the paper's credibility and fairness into question.

As for this  gal's dim view of the First Amendment, it is amazing to hear cries to "shut down" political discourse from a former journalist .  Stunning.  Of course the only discourse objected to is partisan against her candidate, not the discourse of Occhipinti campaign blogger Ravi Ravioli (for example) who routinely spouts vulgarity and racist and homophobic speech.

Hey girlfriend, what do you say about Mr. Ravioli and his ilk who spout horrid, outrageously offensive discourse about people who oppose Tim Occhipinti?

Well?

Have a look at your blogger, Ms. Palasciano and get back to me.



Comments

  1. working for the Hudson Reporter doesn't automatically qualify one as a "reporter." Compared to some of the legends in journalism in Hudson County these are poor excuses as reporters. Interesting that a former "reporter" wants to close down free speech -- which automatically disqualifies them from title of "reporter."

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  2. There is nothing wrong with Amanda taking a job with a political campaign. However switching from one campaign to a rival campaign during the same election cycle is unethical and dishonest in the extreme. This ethically challenged young woman is in no position to cast stones at anyone.

    It is also pretty clear at this point that Amanda was being paid by Beth Mason to work for whichever candidate Mrs. Mason designated. Mrs. Mason paid her to work for Ramos yet neither Mason nor Ramos reported the contribution to Ramos's campaign. Now Mrs. Mason is undoubtedly continuing to pay Amanda but has directed her to work for Occhipinti. Anybody holding their breath to see if Mason or Tim report this contribution?

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    Replies
    1. Then ethics must be in the eye of the beholder. A reporter leaving the biz for politics is his/her career choice, but to parlay his/her media access to slant stories in favor of one candidate compromises the credibility of that publication and all of it's employees, and it's business relationships with advertisers .

      So, IMO it's selfish of the ex-reporter to wreak havoc for his/her former employer for the benefit of his/her new (political) employer. And of course, slanted coverage is quite unfair to other candidates.

      Delete
    2. If the HR slants coverage because Amanda works for a campaign that is an ethics issue for the HR not Amanda. Frankly, I doubt Amanda has the ability to cause the HR to change their already questionable editorial choices in any way. Only the HR is responsible for any editorial bias not their former employees no matter who they work for.

      But switching to a rival campaign in mid race is a really serious ethical no-no. Also, since the HR dealt with her both as a spokeswoman for Ramos and then as a spokeswoman for Occhipinti, they are aware of the issue and it is clearly newsworthy but its pretty unlikely they'll print it.

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  3. The anti-blogger strategy holds about the same water as the following statement: "I don't like the partisan insults tossed by Rush Limbaugh and Keith Olberman, therefore I won't vote for president." And Hoboken 411 has been caught in plenty of lies.

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  4. She's not just a "reporter", she's also a "model".
    http://www.modelmayhem.com/90615
    http://amanda122.wix.com/amandapalasciano#!about

    Her flicker page is full of photos of herself in various "check me out - ain't I hot" poses. http://www.flickr.com/photos/76394024@N08/

    Everyone's gotta have a dream.

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  5. How appropriate that Tim Occhipinti's paid bully blogger Amanda Palsciano works for a firm called Red Herring.

    The Hoboken Reporter has for a long time been a replacement for Mason411.




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  6. Back in March, Amanda approached me about a "profile" she wanted to do on me in the context of a broader HR story about the HHA and the issues that were being hashed out by the board. She sent me list of questions, which started off innocently enough but quickly grew rather pointed and slanted. I am not going to speculate about who actually concocted this set of questions, but it certainly left a strong impression that she was playing with a specific "team" and expressing a point of view rather than an objective desire to adjudicate the facts and cut to the truth. Given how clearly this was shaping up to be a "hit piece," I declined to participate other than by directing her to the HUD memo explicating the general legal counsel procurement process, which I felt painted a pretty clear picture of what was going on. I do not believe Amanda ever read the memo, but I do believe she participated in an effort to have me rebuked on the cockamamie pretense that it was somehow improper for me to share the memo with her.

    Here are her questions:
    > 1. What prompted you to be a commissioner for the HHA (i.e. native to Hoboken, former projects resident, specific interest in housing authority or other federal programs, etc)
    >
    > 2. What type of work do you do outside of this?
    >
    > 3. How long have you been on the board of commissioners in total?
    >
    > 4. I understand there was some debate over the/(now your) chairperson seat. Why was this such a contentious appointment in your opinion?
    >
    > 5. When does your chairperson seat come to a vote again, and do you think this will be an issue again?
    >
    > 6. Obviously, many people have a hard time understanding why anyone would vie so hard (and work so hard), and endure such a great deal of stress for an unpaid position dealing with housing projects. Is it safe to say there is more at stake for some people and this is why one open seat on the HHA board of commissioners is so desirable? Moreover, how would you explain the desire to people who don’t understand the allure of that job/position?
    >
    > 7. Is there any truth to you allegedly writing, “How is it that I make a pretty nice living at a job that offers relatively low stress, flexible hours and no boss to answer to but the other job that does not pay at all is literally driving me to drink” on a social media feed?
    >
    > 8. Why do you think HHA has become a municipal political football, especially when it’s a federally funded and governed agency?
    >
    > 9. Why did you feel Florio, Perrucci, Steinhardt & Fader was best suited for the legal counsel? Was there a point based evaluation conducted by your committee to assess Florio, Perrucci, Steinhardt & Fader’s capabilities? It has been said in the media that Florio scored a 71 while the incumbent law firm scored a 100 on the HUD-required evaluation, is this true and do you feel their score (Florio’s) was fairly done.
    >
    > 10. It has also been said that up until last July, the board of commissioners and Executive Director Garcia worked seamlessly and rarely did the board let politics get in the way of an agenda. Then, beginning last summer, a shift began that allowed for more frequent debates getting the way of pushing projects forward. Do you feel there is any truth in that and what do you feel caused the semi-recent escalation?

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  7. Mayor Dawn Zimmer having Eli & Abby Manning at her fund raiser tonight at T he Madison, has the bitchy, bitty, bumbling, bully blogger all a twitter.,


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  8. I suppose you have a problem with this too:
    Reporters Flock To Government Jobs
    http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-501563_162-4808809.html

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  9. SS. What a a crock. A 4 year old article quoting Michelle Malkin and Brent Bozell. Two right wing nut jobs. Of course any sane or rational adult, apparently excluding you, would take anything in that article with a grain of salt. No, make that an entire box of salt. Apparently, the point of GA's article missed your feeble Republican addled brain. It is not that a reporter took a private sector job, but it is THIS reporter, who is mixed deep in the guaclaMOLE that is using her contacts on the paper to plant stories. Did you read Jake's comments above? BTW, GA makes a great guacaMOLE dip, so I hear. She was a disreputable reporter without an ethical back bone when she was with the Hudson Reporter and has moved on to being an ethically challenged failure of a political operative, IMO. Please try and keep up with the adults in the conversation.

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    Replies
    1. Members of media hired by Obama WH at all-time high- 2013

      http://www.bizpacreview.com/2013/09/14/members-of-media-hired-by-obama-wh-at-all-time-high-83297

      Delete
    2. News media’s revolving door to Obama White House blurs lines of objectivity- Sep 24 2013:
      http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/24/news-medias-revolving-door-to-obama-white-house-bl/?page=all

      Delete
  10. Dear Grafix Avenger,

    Organic carrots are great but must say there's nothing Da Horsey likes better than spicy guac and some chips with a good pinot noir or chianti with a meal. Charritos in Hoboken can make it for you real spicy if you ask. When your waiting for your food, it's so hard not hitting that spciy guac hard. Sometimes it's like a meal by itself.

    I've never had a bad spicy guac at Charritos. You would think maybe a cigarette might find its way in there with a popular restaurant so busy at times but thankfully never has happened. Cuz Da Horsey doesn't like cigarettes on the spicy guac.

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    1. ...but where's the mole (in your guac)?

      Delete
    2. Oh too much short-hoof there. Thank you very much Grafix Avenger.

      Delete
  11. What disturbs me most is that I have lived in Hoboken for 25 years...and I've always known the HR is just rag.

    But it wasn't until very recently that the corruption of the 4th estate in Hoboken was so obvious, thanks to social media, GA and da Horsey's blogs and the availability of information all over the internet.

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  12. Holy MOLEy, she's still whining about "bully bloggers" on Twitter. Boo hoo and Waah.

    Has Ravi Ravioli called her a c*nt yet? Oh, wait, he works WITH Amanda P.

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  13. The Hudson Reporter was created by Joseph Barry of Applied Housing in order to forward his agenda, so of course the HR was less about real news or honest reporting than pushing out potential honest candidates that didn't support his financial interests. Later Joseph Barry decided it was too obvious and he decided to give the paper to the editor to make it seem it was an independent paper rather than a pro-developer paper, although it was not and still is not. It's all propaganda! That's why voter fraud and absentee ballots have never been front page news or Vision 20/20, except in that August edition which focused on harassment in the HHA as a means to frighten other HHA residents from coming forward like Ms. Coco.

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  14. For me, Jessica Coco, bad publicity is better than none. I would have been evicted already and who knows arrested probably on some trumped-up charge like running a meth lab. After all they have access to my apt and could easily put incriminating stuff in it, then have some bought-off resident call the police and busted my home. I'm just happy it was published and I gratefully thank reporter Dean deChiaro. To be honest, I was surprised the HR even admitted an opposition existed. Am I disappointed the message is focused on "be afraid" and harassment, rather than just speaking about what Vision 20/20 is and our organizing efforts? Sure to some degree anon, but what really disappointed me and was more important was that the HR failed to print a letter to the editorial in the same edition so residents of Hoboken and of the Hoboken Housing Authority would have our contact information so they could contact us. Since the majority of tenants don't have internet access, the newspaper is the only source of information to get their news from. Certainly this is why we don't get the Hoboken Reporter, corrupted as it is, delivered here at the HHA. For those who don't live at the HHA and don't know; The HR is not allowed to be placed in our buildings. Only a very small limited amount are available outside of the security room near the HHA office at 4th and Harrison. Recently none have been available. At election time, we have to ask ourselves are these the kind of people we want in office that deny citizens free speech and access to news?

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  15. She was never part of the Ramos campaign ...actually she never said one word to him, making this article completely false ...

    Ramos volunteer and friend of victim of this fake story

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    1. her comments about wanting to suppress free speech -- as well as her hysterically false mischaracterizations of what the mayor and administration stand for -- are pretty asinine and vile, regardless of who she's working for.

      Delete
    2. Really? Okay, Anon we'll take your word for it. NOT.

      I asked Amanda P. directly via Twitter to state the "lie" she claimed to be a victim of -- TWICE-- which is required for a retraction she did (1) not state what the "lie" was and (2) did not ask for a retraction, and (3) blocked her Twitter account.

      Instead a surrogate (YOU) was dispatched to call this post "fake". What's the matter, she can't speak up for herself?

      Recall she tweeted that she could not pick Ramos from a line-up.

      That is is utterly disingenuous. I have never spoken to Ramos, nor "met" him but he is a public figure, our Assemblymen, and almost everyone living in Hoboken certainly could pick him out from a line up.

      Methinks the lady doth protest too much.

      What is the BIG DEAL if she did work for Ramos. Does he have cooties? He seems to be a personable fellow. Why run so hard away from him? Why does she call the notion of working for Ramos "slander"? Does she think he is vile and offensive and that working for him is "defamatory"? It doesn't make sense.

      If Amanda P. wishes to deny working for him, she is welcome to come here and do so, and identify what is wrong and to request a retraction. I would also suggest she unblock her Twitter account if there is no 'there' there.

      My site, my opinions are open to the public, and I don't represent a political campaign. Why not hers, a representative of the Occhipinti campaign?

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    3. victim????? she put herself out there by attacking the blogs on Twitter IN HER OWN NAME and asking why the mayor doesn't "shut them". so what did she expect? she attacks people and they just take it because why?. that was real stupid if she wanted to stay below the radar.. she can exercise free speech and make accusations. she was politicized blog discourse like the political operative that she is. if she doesn't like the heat of politics she should get out.

      tell that to the poor "victim". what's up with her and occhipinti anyway? they are getting reeeeeeeal close.

      Delete
  16. Why is it the other side's campaigns are both populated with journalists who can't get real jobs at reputable news organizations, PR hacks who can't get a real marketing job and other spin merchants but no reputable professionals with real jobs in the real world? Pretty pathetic IMO.

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  17. IMO This gal is a no body, working for a place holder no body who has no chance of winning and not worth the time and effort to fret about.

    The real concern is Frank "Pupie" Raia who will use his money to buy himself a City Council seat with the help of Masons millions and continue to hinder and hold hostage the progress Hoboken needs to evolve.

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