Sheriff Scott Israel Stumbles: Posts Phony Edited Version Of Endorsement
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Broward Sheriff Scott Israel will most likely win the Democratic primary in a landslide.
His opponents are a weak, disorganized bunch.
So why does he resort to an old trick – selectively editing a Sun-Sentinel endorsement to remove anything negative. Sun-Sentinel writer Brittany Wallman also accused the Sheriff’s team on Twitter of rewriting portions of the editorial.
Variations of this tactic has been used by Broward political consultants for years.
I’m sensitive to this because I was a victim.
Some Tamarac commission candidates did the same kind of selective editing on a column I wrote in the 1970s. The column item pointed out some mistakes that the candidates had made.
The candidates selectively edited the story to make it look like the column in the Sun-Sentinel endorsed their candidacy. In this pre-Internet era, the candidate’s supporters found another way to distribute the phony story. They put it under windshield wipers in condos before the election.
The Grand Jury investigated this dirty trick. Grand jurors denounced the tactic.
My piece in the Sun-Sentinel was negative towards the Tamarac commission candidates. So they must have thought they needed the help of a dirty trick to offset the influence of the newspaper in an era when the print media was more important.
Israel doesn’t need the help. After all, he received the endorsement legitimately. He didn’t need to doctor the Sun-Sentinel’s piece.
For one of the most sophisticated political operations in Broward, the selectively edited editorial posted on Facebook is a rare stumble.
Or as Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board Editor Rosemary O’Hara wrote on Twitter:
The endorsement is linked here.
Israel’s Facebook version is here.
August 15th, 2016 at 9:41 pm
What is “phony” about using elipses to edit out negative crap? An elipses means an omission. Israel campaign used elipses. What campaign is stupid enough to reprint biased opinionated rhetoric against the candidate from some snooty editorial board? What was out of context here? Nothing from what I saw.
August 15th, 2016 at 9:43 pm
its really a non issue. must be a slow news day. Israel is a slick politician, giving out free turkeys and showing up at all the lgbt events. willie jones comes off as a johnny come lately militant. the rest are even more obscure. its all about Israel. the charges of lack of diversity, at least in the main jail are unfounded. like him or not he’s here for the near future.he doesn’t need an endorsement from the ny times wanna be.
August 16th, 2016 at 8:51 am
Two words. Roger Stone
August 16th, 2016 at 10:56 am
Israel is the best. Just ask him
August 16th, 2016 at 12:07 pm
When the Sun-Sentinel stops printing selective quotes from sources that include the good bad and indifferent they are told, then perhaps they will have the credibility to tell others to do the same with what they have to say. What kind of duplicitous double standard is this? Please.
August 16th, 2016 at 2:56 pm
What do you expect from a Sheriff who doctors crime statistics to make himself look better? Whenever possible, no report is written when deputies go out on a call. No report… no crime. Scott Israel is our worst sheriff in decades.
FROM BUDDY:
Proof?
August 16th, 2016 at 4:22 pm
The campaign provided excerpts. So what, every campaign’s done that since Julius Caesar wore short pants. Nobody reprints an entire endorsement. They also provided a link to the editorial just as written. You people are nuts.
The fact is Rosemary and Brittany just hated having to endorse Sheriff Israel but face it, they had to because he’s done a phenomenal job. They don’t like feeling like they can’t manipulate the Sheriff. Thing is Scott Israel doesn’t take crap from anybody and that’s what helps make him a great Sheriff.
Besides, all things considered, nobody cares what the Sun Sentinel has to say. Not for a long time. Not when it comes to endorsements or anything else. This entire piece is totally stupid.
August 16th, 2016 at 10:28 pm
@Clarke Anthony – All allegations of doctored crimes stats occurred during Sheriff Jenne’s era. He’s been gone for nine years now. There have been zero allegations of this since then under the two sheriffs since he resigned.
August 19th, 2016 at 9:48 am
The scuttlebutt around the water cooler is that the editorial board still really dislikes Sheriff Israel for personal reasons. Let’s face the facts though, the joke lineup running against him is pathetic.
So they endorsed Israel for reelection. Rosemary made sure the endorsement had as many jabs as the print could fit, but it still says Vote Israel.
It’s funny how the board never complains when other candidates only use quotes from S-S endorsements on their campaign mailers.