The Observation Deck

A credible source informed me tonight that they received a telephone call today from Peter Krouse from NEOMG (Northeast Ohio Media Group/The Plain Dealer). According to my source, Mr. Krouse was very critical of Save Lakewood Hospital[i], the proposal for Lakewood Hospital from MetroHealth, and the current lawsuit that is pending regarding Lakewood Hospital. My source also stated that Mr. Krouse was very hostile during the telephone conversation. According to my research of public records, Mr. Krouse lives in Shaker Heights. Is he really in a position to be discrediting [i]Save Lakewood Hospital? I think not.

The best part is that according to my source, NEOMG is working on yet another editorial regarding the Lakewood Hospital deal, which will very likely be in the favor of Mike Summers and CCF.

In my opinion, the first editorial form NEOMG was extremely biased and one-sided. Journalism is supposed to be a profession of balance, telling both sides of an issue and being truthful as much as possible. It appears to me that Mike Summers and CCF have friends at NEOMG as well as other media outlets in the Cleveland area. If I recall, CCF does a lot of advertising in The Plain Dealer and the Sun-Post Herald. This would explain the apparent cronyism between NEOMG, CCF, and Mike Summers. At first, I wondered why nothing about the hospital deal (or anything in Lakewood, for that matter) hardly ever makes the television news (even the possibility of two serial rapists loose in the city). Now it is becoming very clear to me. It seems that getting any media coverage of anything in Lakewood is like pulling teeth (with the exception of our Lakewood Observer and the seemingly one-sided Sun-Post Herald). A big thank you to Jim O'Bryan and all of the other observers that make this project possible.

In my opinion, The Plain Dealer and Sun-Post Herald have become rather lousy newspapers anyway. I seem to recall a study done a few years ago that revealed that The Plain Dealer was written at a grade-school level. I encourage everyone to cease their support for NEOMG by cancelling their subscriptions. I will not be renewing mine. I will no longer support what I feel is a one-sided and possibly corrupt media outlet.

I encourage everyone to call or write a letter to NEOMG to express your dislike for NEOMG's apparent bias.

In regards to the lawsuit, it has been rumored that someone could possibly be planning to taint the jury pool. Although this may not be possible at this point, I feel this lawsuit could be much more fair if it were moved out of Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

I feel that it would be in the citizen's best interest to replace Mike Summers and the City Council this coming November. In my opinion, the apparent dishonesty, cronyism, stonewalling of public records requests, and concealing of serious crimes needs to cease.

FWIW.

Thanks for that Lori. I agree, we certainly can't rely on the PD to be neutral and tell both sides! Why someone from Shaker Heights is so up in arms about what's going on in Lakewood is telling. They must have an agenda of some sort, right? It's really too bad when our supposed unbiased newspaper has an agenda all it's own.

Why bother reading it?

They have always been shills for this administration and every other administration. Their
history of being on the wrong side of residents goes back to one of the reasons we started
this project. Recently Patch was nothing but a shill for FitzGerald and Summers so much
so, Colin was hired on to keep shilling. Another media citizen and cyber stalker was just
recently put on the city payroll as well, as he has has been in their pocket for years.
Though they know of his stalking and identity theft past.

So with three media outlets in their pocket, and the city spending another couple hundred
thousand on spin and crisis management, it still reads like the worst deal ever, and highly
suspicious in nature, possibly illegally done.

Let me assure you this is not Clinic pressure. The Clinic is in every Observer, and they
have NEVER sought to influence the Observer papers, I went through the close down of
Huron Road Hospital with them, and now Lakewood, not once have they tried to stop the
publication, our words, or the words of the residents who write. The Clinic supports our
right to talk and understands this far more than our elected officials.

All this bullshit is straight out of City Hall, A City Hall that is afraid to sit at the most open
and fair table in the city, the Lakewood Observer. Where everyone has one equal seat. Why?

The Mayor who used to brag that he is the storyteller of the City now only tells Tall Tales.

Alex nailed it, they are becoming a Greek tragedy.

The single biggest reason for starting the Lakewood Observer by all involved was the
coverage from "real media" of the City of Lakewood.

The Observer stands at our tenth anniversary in print, ready to serve the needs of all
Lakewoodites, and for all residents in all 17 communities where we have projects.

Buy local, read local, support local.

.

I spoke with Peter Krouse today---he has his mind made up on the matter and does not want any more facts that would change his opinion or those of the editorial board. Krouse did the Federal Courthouse beat downtown so he knows attorney Jim Wooley (Cosgrove's lawyer) from Wooley's time as a federal white collar crime prosecutor. Also Bruce Hennes is married to Regina Bret at the PD. Hennes and Barb Painter are crisis management communications people advising and acting on behalf of the embattled Mayor Summers and his flimsy plan. Add Carol Jacobs to the mix. Do you think Krouse and the editorial board of the PD have had discussions with any of these folks?