Sun-Sentinel Loses First Round To Consultant
BY BUDDY NEVINS
A key goal of any political operative is to get their opponent off message.
Once an opponent is off their message and onto yours, points are scored.
This is a lesson that political strategist Roger Stone knows well. It’s a lesson that the Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board obviously failed to learn.
Some background:
Stone helped elect Sheriff Scott Israel. After the election, some Stone associates were hired by Israel.
The Sun-Sentinel and WPLG-TV Channel 10 have reported about Israel’s hiring practices.
Stone doesn’t like the stories. Using a handful of New Media tools like Browardbugle.com, Facebook and Twitter, Stone hammered away at the two Old Media outlets.
Stone called the Sun-Sentinel and WPLG’s reporting sloppy, biased and inaccurate. He wanted them to react.
In the past, a newspaper like the Sun-Sentinel would have ignored Stone. After all, he’s one guy pecking away at a 100 year-plus Broward institution that employs dozens of journalists.
But instead of ignoring Stone, the Sun-Sentinel took the bait. (As far as I know, WPLG has publicly ignored him.)
In a startling and highly defensive editorial today, the Sun-Sentinel fired back at Stone.
The editorial attempted to justify its previous stories by stating “Stone’s influence matters to you because BSO is a big public agency with a $730-million-plus budget that consumes more than half the county’s property tax revenues.”
The editorial really only served to prove:
(1) The Sun-Sentinel can hand out criticism but can’t take it, and
(2) The Sun-Sentinel is so paranoid about its dismal future prospects that it lets a pinprick bother it.
The Sun-Sentinel needs to realize it’s a new era. Anybody with a computer can start a website or Facebook page and criticize the paper. I can guarantee that Stone is not going away and he will use all his skill and resources to continue his assault on the paper and television station.
I’m not taking any position on the validity of the stories about Stone and Israel.
But sadly today’s editorial — especially bitter and pointed for an opinion page that is often bland — could provide fuel for those who contend the paper is biased when writing about Israel and Stone. I can tell those folks from experience that the editorial page doesn’t influence how reporters shape their stories.
After today’s editorial, I have to award the first round in this messy battle to Stone. He got the big print dinosaur off message.
Shame on the Sun-Sentinel for allowing Stone to provoke it into responding.
The paper shouldn’t have to defend its work. Stories should stand (or fall) on their own.
June 5th, 2014 at 12:47 pm
Stone was the one who got Trump to push the birther thing, and I don’t think there’s any Tribune newspapers that didn’t endorse Romney. They both deserve each other.
Maybe we can get Stone and the Sun-Sentinel editorial board in the same room and watch the sparks fly. It be almost as much fun as taking all the folks who think Obama was born in Kenya and putting them in the same room as all the folks who think Bush orchestrated 911.
Yeah, some folks definitely deserve each other.
June 5th, 2014 at 12:55 pm
My prediction: Scott Israel will be Broward County Sheriff for years after the Sun Sentinel folds and becomes a distant memory like the Sun-Tattler. #HA
June 5th, 2014 at 1:14 pm
Buddy;
You forgot to mention … Stone’s been taking shots at the *very thin skinned* and *very thick waisted* Bob Norman.
So instead of man’ing up, Bob’s sent his wife into the fight.
What a twunt.
Speaking of painfully obvious, it’s quite obvious Norman’s pain points. Thanks Bob for sharing that with everyone.
Lastly, is it me or does Norman only own one shirt? That kinda mauve/purply/salmon colored one? Granted, the girly hue suits him well, but come on bro.
Besties
C
PS I hope this comment doesn’t earn me another WPLG defamation letter.
June 5th, 2014 at 1:25 pm
Buddy, come on… Your hatred for all things Sun-Sentinel and all things Bob Norman are coming through here.
Please don’t tell me you’re in Stone’s pocket too.
What matters is that our tax dollars are being handed out as political paybacks. That is wrong! It is wrong when Jenne did it, it was wrong when Lamberti did it, and it’s wrong now. The difference in this case is the unmitigated gall in which it is being done and just the flat out lies that are being fed to us about it.
I have respect for pols like Lori Parrish who when they do something unpopular (like testify for a murder defendant) they stand up and say, ” I’m doing it because he’s my friend” not this bullshit we are being fed from this office.
People didn’t question Jenne. Lamberti hadn’t a clue. This guy just repeats his mantra and expects people to believe it.
I have to say, it appears Israel has done a decent job recently. I wish he would act like a leader instead of just another slimy politician.
FROM BUDDY:
I hate bad, sloppy journalism.
June 5th, 2014 at 1:26 pm
WOw, The Sun Sentinel is doing Bob Norman’s bidding (the real target of Stone’s blog). Bob Norman, while at the New Times went after the SS with a vengeance; he criticized the paper and its editors horribly.
What a bunch of idiots-
I will be cancelling my SS subscription-
Stone, you rock
June 5th, 2014 at 6:22 pm
Dearest Chaz, why not post the link to your big retraction of the Norman story? Stone played you like the fool.
June 5th, 2014 at 6:58 pm
I read today’s editorial and had the same impression as Nevins. It was childish, petty, unsubstantiated, uninteresting, unprofessional and profoundly unimportant.
The Sun Sentinel is now the official tool in the bizarre feud between Brittany Wallman, her husband on the same beat, Retraction Bob Norman, and Roger Stone. It’s a fight that neither inept Norman can win. Stone is a master at his craft. Normans have no more credibility in this town.
The paper and the news station would be smart to get rid of them both, that’s how much damage they’re doing to them as an employer.
Oh, and by the way did I forget to mention that Bob Norman is a trespassing, fat, drunken, lying, slob of a loser who nobody will talk to and wears the same smelly shirt every night? Twunt is the perfect word for him.
June 5th, 2014 at 6:59 pm
And speaking of keeping score, for those who might be watching, it’s not looking good for Judy Stern’s girl in the county commission district 2 race. Bogen posted another $93K for May – in loans and contributions. #hahaha
June 5th, 2014 at 8:02 pm
Brittany Wallman wrote that editorial to protect her husband from being bullied by mean old Roger Stone, who wipes his behind with Bob Norman. The higher ups at the Sun Sentinel took sides in that nonsense and are now trying to sell it all off as news. Pathetic. In a county of nearly 2 million people that is the crap that passes for local journalism.
June 5th, 2014 at 8:38 pm
Dear Mr. Nevins, while everyone benefits from reading your blog because newspapers, tv and other forms of print media are declining especially in details of city or county government n politics, you and mr Norman have had your differences as you apparently have with your former employers at the sun sentinel and we your readers trust you will be careful not to let these personal issues influence your valued journalistic work. Mr. Stone has a history i
of nasty political activities including attacks on the presidents birth registration that I as a 60 year published genealogist, research historian, and archivist found not only baseless but directed after he had access to professional evidence they originated with crackpots n liars. There is some real basis for concern if, I say, if such an unethical person is influencing public hiring. But who cares about editorials any way?
June 5th, 2014 at 8:54 pm
Boo and chaz says I will dance…
Go by your new name retraction chaz
June 5th, 2014 at 8:54 pm
Bob Norman, is a second rate reporter. The guy does not even have a journalist degree. Go figure?
June 5th, 2014 at 9:27 pm
Good job Buddy. I could tell you stories too.
June 5th, 2014 at 9:38 pm
Rosemary Goudreau still smarting over Ron Gunzburger finding NINE errors of fact regarding BSO in one
editorial AND busting her for altering an OP-ED submitted to the SS by Israel. Both signs of lack of journalistic ethics or integrity.
Undeniable- under Israel’s philosophy of community policing, crime is down sharply in Broward County. The overall crime rate dropped 8.1% last year in BSO territory – nearly double the state rate. Violent crime dropped 13% in BSO territory, more than five times lower than the state rate. Israel’s initiatives for the homeless and early intervention for teen-age crime go unmentioned.
Quite a contrast with the Lamberti-Rothstein regime at BSO.
June 5th, 2014 at 10:02 pm
In case anyone needs a refresher on the retractions of retraction Bob Norman– here you go-video how has 1600+ viewers – more people than watch Norman at 5 pm… http://www.browardbugle.net/feature.php?id=148&c=1
June 5th, 2014 at 10:28 pm
Mr. Stone;
I believe you meant to write “Quite a contrast with the Lamberti-Rothstein-Norman-Wallman regime at BSO.”
June 5th, 2014 at 11:59 pm
@ Roger Stone
Weren’t you the true mastermind behind Rothstein’s political regimes. Wasn’t it you who helped Lamberti get elected for Rothstein? Didn’t you have to repay Rothstein Ponzi money back to the Chuck Lichtman and Crew?
Ummmm you have the blood SR Ponzi money on your hands and you want to point at the body like you didn’t have anything to do with it ????
I wonder what Rothstein, Rosenfeldt, Adler, and now Benjamin are saying about your role with Scott
June 6th, 2014 at 1:14 am
Britney is dumb enough to think lobbyists don’t want to be in the paper being talked about how they have outsized influence over $750m. Stone is laughing to the bank on a whole series about how influential he is. He’s playing them like a fiddle. The more he pushes the more they write about him. The smartest thing for them to do is what buddy says, walk away.
June 6th, 2014 at 8:22 am
I still believe this comes down to the rumor that Lamberti had promised Brittany Wallman a job as a press assistant. Stone helped Israel get elected. The job went away and both Wallman and Bob Norman took it out on Scott Israel to hurt Roger Stone. Now they see that Israel is impenetrable because he’s highly thought of and doing a good job. So they are attacking Stone directly again. The simple explanations in life tend to be the truest ones.
FROM BUDDY:
The false rumor about Brittany Wallman going to work for the sheriff’s department has been making the rounds for two years. I asked Britt about it more than once and she denied it. I believe her. I know her pretty well — we worked on many stories together — and I doubt she would leave journalism to work for the sheriff. She loves being a reporter.
June 6th, 2014 at 11:34 am
Never thought Britt wanted a job. However she never reported on the charges that Rothstein had corrupted BSO during the campaign.
The Sun Sentinel was blind to the corruption of BSO and, as has been noted, endorsed Lamberti without even asking Israel to an Ed Board meeting.
The idea that only the Sun Sentinel is legitimate journalism is outdated. Welcome to the new media. We at the Broward Bugle broke the story of Lamberti’s ordered destruction of BSO hard-drives that may have been evidence of Rothstein corruption. We broke the story of the Benjamin/ Poole arrests. We broke the story of the Adler and Rosenfeldt indictments. Where was the Sun Sentinel? Who has the news?
Somewhat ironic that everything Israel said in his campaign about this issue proved to be true.
June 6th, 2014 at 12:57 pm
Broward Bugle is nothing but a smear rag, at the hand of one of the dirtiest operatives in Broward County, Ron Gunzburger, and we, taxpayers are paying him over 200,000.00 to spend his day smearing others and making Broward residents and innocent,lives miserable
June 6th, 2014 at 6:23 pm
What’s more likely?
That the married Wallman and Norman, who are remarkably assigned cover the same beat in the same town, have somehow independently befallen the same repeated bad luck inaccurately reporting about same subjects? Does the coincidence of bad luck explain this pattern?
Or is it more likely they’re conspiring to advance an untruthful agenda of their creation or possibly somebody else’s? If so what would they have to gain? Are they being directed by their employers to do this, does cash on the side explain their series of sloppy and inaccurate stories?
The credibility of both Normans is constantly in question. We rarely see the like if it. There has to be a reason. Ask yourself.
What could that reason be?
June 7th, 2014 at 7:08 am
Mr. Stone directs his ire at Ms. Rosemary Goudreau. But what about Mr. Doug Lyons? Does he have any allegiances to the anti-Israel crew? Check out his Facebook page, you boobs.
June 7th, 2014 at 10:34 am
@I was there.
Or given the fact Correction Bob seems to like to wear shirts with colors such as Chunky Blumpkin, Hello Kitty Mauve, and Plump Periwinkle … I’m thinking a strap-on is involved.
But then again, to avoid WPLG sending me another defamation letter, I’m really just expressing my opinion … which I believe is still legal.
June 7th, 2014 at 10:44 am
They say you get what you pay for and perhaps that’s why Wallman and Norman don’t make very much money.
Yet with one kid in college and another on the way up expenses have been mounting at their modest little home. I’ll bet the Normans feel entitled to a larger lifestyle one that fits their ego though not their check book.
Nevins says he believes Brittany Wallman when she denied several times that Al Lamberti suggested a possible BSO job offer before his lost re-election attempt. Nevins believes that a big fat pay raise would not have pried Wallman away from her Sun Sentinel job.
We’re supposed to believe that Wallman loves being a reporter so much that she would refuse a big fat pay raise to stay at the paper. A job offer that any of Wallman’s colleagues would drool over.
I’ll bet Wallman and Norman want us to believe that also.
If true, wouldn’t it perfectly explain the coordinated cluster of sloppy and inaccurate stories that have been spewing from the Normans?
Wouldn’t revenge over a lost bundle of cash be the perfect reason? And if that’s not what actually happened, then what explains all these inaccurate stories they write?
Follow the theory which to date is unproven.
Lamberti’s job offer means a lifestyle change for the Norman family. The married reporters agree to conspire and help Lamberti re-elected. Look back on their coverage. So far the theory holds water. Again this is just a theory.
Sadly the caper goes down the drain when Lamberti loses. The Normans are well invested in the deal they feel angry and exposed.
Meanwhile, FBI indictments are coming regarding the Lamberti/Rothstein connections. These are stories both Normans knew about but suppressed hoping Lamberti would be re-elected. Story still holds water.
The Normans decide to cover their tracks with a distraction. They conspire to invent corruption stories about the new Sheriff even if those stories untrue. It’s a distraction they hope will keep people from noticing that Wallman and Norman suppressed news about Lamberti and Rothstein so they could cash out from a job offer.
Not saying it’s true, just saying the theory holds water. It might have been true.
It fits the facts.
What a story line this would make if true. “Married, corruption busting reporters, insistent on covering the same beat in the same town, caught knee deep in a corruption saga of their own, selling out for the promise of lucrative job offer that never panned out.” It reads like Kojak script. Movie of the week.
Sources at the Sun Sentinel and Channel 10 News say management has had enough of both Normans. It may not be long now until we know what really went down there.
FROM BUDDY:
(1) “Don’t make very much money” is a vague term. What is “much money?” I can assure you that the Norman family earns more money than the vast majority of Broward residents.
(2) Wallman was offered a “big fat pay raise.” Doubtful. Government public information jobs have never been a place to earn a “big fat pay raise.”
(3) I know something about the inner politics of the Sun-Sentinel. There is no way that the management of the newspaper has “had enough of” Brittany Wallman. She is popular with the staff and editors, whatever few of them are left. She does her job. She will be the last one standing in that newsroom.
(4) Real Deal is assuming that money is the only thing that drives someone to take a job. Wrong. Wallman enjoys her job. Enjoyment of what you do every day is more important than the salary. Numerous studies have shown that.
I would also add that it is wrong to believe any person’s salary is the sum of their total finances.
June 7th, 2014 at 1:33 pm
@25 – A theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that is acquired through the scientific method, and repeatedly confirmed through observation and experimentation. Your claims, on the other hand, are supported by no evidence whatsoever, and thus are a very, very long way from being any kind of theory.
June 7th, 2014 at 5:03 pm
Buddy, with respect if you look at the on line pictures of where the Norman’s live, their cars, clothes, all of that pretty much smacks of lower income. News reporters often leave newspapers and TV stations for better paying jobs in government, consulting or public relations.
The scenario Real Deal suggests might be true and might not, be but it’s not far fetched.
As to enjoyment at work if you’re saying that misinforming readers is a luxury she affords herself, one that gives her great pleasure while also making her popular with her bosses, that explains a lot about her and the Sun Sentinel. All I want from any of them is truthful news reporting.
I don’t know if the Normans are on the take. I don’t know if a Lamberti job offer had anything to do with their sloppy reporting. I’m saying that a few short years ago, that’s not a question that would have crossed my mind.
Today, it wouldn’t surprise me.
And you yourself said why when describing their sloppy reporting.
If they are the professional reporters that you say they are, then how do you justify this level of crap from them?
You can’t explain it, can you?
FROM BUDDY:
I only defended Brittany Wallman. I never wrote anything about Bob Norman. And I specifically wrote that I can’t attest to the validity of the stories, because I never checked them out myself.
You comments that their “cars, clothes, all of that pretty much smacks of lower income” is the rankest of elitist remarks. You have no concept of how most of the people live in Broward County. Just because you may make X amount of dollars doesn’t make you any better than any one else.
I know a number of people who have many millions. They don’t have the latest cars, clothes and “all of that” because it is not important to them. Maybe that is why they have the security of many millions.
Bottom line: You can’t tell a book by the cover.
June 7th, 2014 at 5:23 pm
The Broward Bugle website says Bob Norman and his wife Brittany Wallman had information about Former Sheriff Al Lamberti’s order to smash the hard drive in his government computer.
Broward Bugle says the hard drive was smashed so Lamberti could hide evidence of his involvement with Scott Rothstein. Norman had proof but never reported it to protect Lamberti, says the report.
http://www.browardbugle.net/feature.php?id=148&c=1
If that’s true both Norman and Wallman are corrupt reporters.
June 7th, 2014 at 5:35 pm
This post was about the Sun-Sentinel and its editorial.
The comments have degenerated into nothing more than an attack on Sun-Sentinel writer Brittany Wallman and her husband — two individuals who are not even mentioned in the piece.
Some of the comments I rejected because they were personnel attacks of the vilest nature. Others were rejected because they are simply unfair.
These attacks, largely from the same handful, have become repetitive and, worse, boring.
Hence, I am shutting down the comment on this post.