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>"Reader" defends Ridgewood News
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A friend suggested that I get the inside dope on what was happening in Ridgewood by perusing the blogs. I was honestly shocked by the narrowmindedness of some of the posts – particularly with regard to the editorial standards of our local newspaper.
Hindsight shows that the reporter was doing his job – reporting – not passing judgment on what was being exchanged, just reporting what was taking place. Isn’t that what he was supposed to do? Remain objective? And didn’t the editor simply back up the editorial integrity of the newspaper by not yielding to public criticism and printing the news as news? Spare me the conspiracy theories, would ya!
Now as for the math controversy. Sure, I knew people were up in arms, and yes, I’ll admit that some of the protocols for teaching left me baffled, but I saw my kids NJASK and Terra Nova test scores and, well…can kids get higher than 99th percentile? Something must be going right in the school system.
No question that all the bloggers love Ridgewood and that discourse is healthy. But, informed and objective discourse is healthier still.
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This entry was posted by admin on August 7, 2007 at 5:50 pm, and is filed under Uncategorized. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0.You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.
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#2 written by village workers that love to serve and help the tax payers on the town. 5 years ago
>all i can say that the ridgewood news needs to do bit more on reporting.so many storys are never in the head lines.like what is going on with the village workers.now they are under more pressure.first for being under staff,and now a maybe a layoff in town.and no one is talking a lot about it.I wish they say something very soon.the workers do have bill,s to pay and a kids to feed.so i hope they have a heart.but then it is ridgewood.
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#3 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>I agree the RW News has been fair, but since so many people who rather not go on the record are forced to, it seemed unfair that “andrew and sue” were afforded that luxury. The paper should print an apology to all the people who had to use their names.
I don’t think the paper meant to be remiss, but they were.
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#9 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Dear Reader -
With respect to NJASK and TerraNova, you fail to mention what school your 99% student is attending. Would you mind letting us know as this is a significant detail that is missing? How much exposure has your child had to reform math and what program?? My child, with one year of CMP2 in BFs 6th grade, slipped 50 points on the NJASK which is given at the end of the year. TerraNova, which is done earlier in the year was fine. Some of that may be attributable to a boredom (probably CMP2 related), laziness, puberty but I think CMP2 is killing my childs once outstanding math skills. To reiterate, coming out of elementary school (with little exposure to reform math) and entering BF, skills were excellent — after one year of CMP2 we saw a significant decline in standardized test score (290 down to 240).
Thanks.
A concerned parent
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#13 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
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#14 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
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#15 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>PJ, as soon as I read the letter from Carol Nunn to the newspaper reporter,I knew that Susan Sherrill was the identity of Sue. How did I know?
Well, when Ms. Nunn received an e-mail from them it said from “Susan Roxbury.” I live in Glen Rock and we have a Roxbury Ct. in Glen Rock. Susan obviously took her first name and put the street name with it. Not too smart, Susan Sherrill. Everyone knows that trick.
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#17 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Hey folks, about that 99th% percentile. It is based on the extremely low standards of the NJ testing system. What is 99th in NJ may be only 60th on the Massachusetts tests, for instance. What is 99th in NJ is only about the 40th percentile on the NEAP (the nation’s report card test).
So Susan, you seem to be right there with Mark Bombace, boasting that reaching a low standard is just ok for Ridgewood. If you are a child in Newark public schools, maybe administrators get to boast. But a child in Ridgewood? Give me a break.
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#18 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>”A friend suggested that I get the inside dope on what was happening in Ridgewood by perusing the blogs.”
Susan, are you kidding? You’re the editor of the town’s newspaper for goodness sake; you should be the one with the “inside dope.”
What an embarrassing thing to have to admit, but we see evidence of it in your paper every week.
Your editors collect the ad revenue and look the other way.
Here’s a slogan for you:
Only the news we want to print!
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#27 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>People tell me over and over again that they only read or subscribe to the ridgewood news for the sports. They don’t like the suck up crap that’s always in it. Thanks to this blog, we get the news first and the inside scoop that the council and boe want to keep hidden.
Now, they need more than susan sherrill to help them hide.
Squirm away you little rascals.
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#28 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>The RN doesn’t need defending. That paper is very brazen about its lack of journalistic standards. In fact, the editor happily flaunts it.
There was a time when this was not a bad paper–green reporters, but still it wasn’t bad.
This editor has managed to finish it off by making it a suck up ass kisser.
Now she is writing to defend it. Oh please.
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#32 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Good mornin’ PJ. If you happen to browse thru the postings on Susan’s flog you’ll see she targeted three Ridgewood residents: James Foytlin (that’s you PJ), Frances Edwards and Carol Nunn. WOW — this Glen Rock resident must really really hate you three to go to all the trouble to set up a blog, use her position as editor of the Ridgewood News to feature an article showcasing her new and improved “Andrew and Sue Blog”, extensively quote the anonymous Sue in that article, and bring an innocent reporter along for the whole sordid ride.
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#43 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>When I moved to Ridgewood almost 20 years ago, I began my subscription to the Ridgewood News which at the time was published twice a week. I always looked forward to reading it. What has happened to this newspaper? Now it only comes out once a week and I’m disappointed in the news coverage. I like to support local business but am seriously considering dropping my subscription.
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#49 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
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#50 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Nope, not buying the nutty rationale put forth that Susan Sherrill is behind “Andrew and Sue.” Geez, a street in GR is named Roxbury so it’s gotta be her? Oh yeah, that’s a really solid case.
If any of you had done a half decent search, you would have found a real Susan Roxbury with addresses in Regina Botsford’s old hunting grounds in NJ. Could be just a coincidence?
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#54 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
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#55 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
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#62 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Ridegewood news would have covered the math moms last night if Kieth Hamas was still with them
he did interview andrew and sue
wonder if anyname or number showed up on caller id
wonder if he would recognize their voice
wonder why he is no longer with the Ridgewood News
hhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
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#71 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>The Ridgewood News is literally going to the dogs. We’re training our new puppy and she only seems to like to pee on the local paper. We’ve had no luck using The Record or The Wall Street Journal. Therein lies the problem because The Ridgewood News only comes out once a week. I’ve gone to all my neighbors asking if I can have their Ridgewood News but none of them get it. Bummer.
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#74 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>In the Record listed under North Jersey Media Group is Malcolm A. Borg, Chairman and Jennifer A. Borg Esq., VP/General Counsel. In the Ridgewood News under the same heading is Stephen Borg, President. I didn’t realize until now that this was a family owned group.
Why does this family have higher standards for The Record than for their Ridgewood News? We subscribe to both newspapers and you wouldn’t know they’re run by the same family.
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#75 written by Rufus T Firefly 5 years ago
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#80 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>I’ve never seen the record quote anonymous people. You may not like the paper (I don’t) but at least it seems to have some journalistic standards. This does say alot about the ridgewood news, which is run by the same family. Do the Borgs think so little of Ridgewood that they would sic an editor on us that is so unethical? She can’t keep writers; her headlines are terrible; she is a total suck up to the boe and the village council. Anyone that makes as a town leader gets special treatment from her. She is unfair and, worse, she is disreputable.
If she is hooked up with the likes of charlie reilly (is she that stupid?), she will fall. He takes everyone down with him.
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#81 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>It makes sense that susan would have something to do with the flog. It’s the mouthpiece of the BOE and she is their defender in chief. Those morons at cottage place didn’t even disguise their tactic of spinning themselves as above repute while everyone else (us on this blog) must be trafficing in dirt.
Who are they fooling? The HSAs?
These are the original dirt baggers. They fling so much dirt, they are like Pigpen. A constant cloud of crap surrounds them. They think they are clever and can hide their tracks, but they aren’t. They’ve got reilly out there doing their dirty work for them, which is why he came to the math chat and flung out the BIG LIE of the evening–”I have children at Travell.”
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#84 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
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#87 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Wait a minute … wait a gosh darn minute … didn’t Susan Sherrill do an article a few years back on that restaurant in that house on Saddle River Road (?) and she lead the readers to believe that it was owned by the mob? I think you’re on to something 5:03 p.m. How would she know so much about mobsters? Doesn’t it take one to know one. Ohmygod … does anyone know where Keith is?
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#101 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Keith would write an article and then Susan would put her disgusting Ridgewood spin on it. How much can a reporter take? Could he then present such articles as samples of his writing? Any editor would choke at some of the stuff they’d be reading.
I’m sorry he had to have his training at the RN. But maybe he learnt an invaluable lesson. I wish him well.
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#111 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>Keep those donations coming into Valley Hospital folks because those huge ads they keep taking out in the Ridgewood News cost mucho money. I also wonder how much money Valley is dropping to have those professional air-brushed photos taken of Audrey Meyers. I’ve seen her and she does not look like that in person.
Good thing TRN has Valley Hospital as an advertiser.
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#127 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>I would say that you people are all acting like a bunch of fifth-graders … but that would be insulting to fifth-graders!
Please grow up. You’re really sounding pathetic.
If anyone has ANY proof to back up the ridiculous claims they make on thes boards, I would love to see it. (But I won’t hold my breath). -
#128 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>I know absolutely no one who thinks highly of Susan Sherrill. Well, that’s not completely true. I do know Susan and she does think highly of herself. It baffles me how she got this job in the first place and then how she has been able to hold onto it for all these years.
Anyone who goes through reporters as fast as she does should be held accountable. She is hurting The Ridgewood News and everyone knows it except for maybe the Borg Family. What a shame.
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#134 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>My thinking is that until PJ’s blog came along there was no forum for TRN readers to vent their frustration. Calls to the editor and to the editor’s bosses are dismissed and no one is the wiser. Fortunately, Susan Sherrill and the North Jersey Media Group have no control over PJ and his blog — THANK GOD!
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#135 written by Anonymous 5 years ago
>From The Village Times: The Outlaw Journalist has a bone to pick with bloggers. Well, here is a blog entry that picks a bone with our “journalist”.
The first is as a journalist one would expect some fact checking and thought provoking questions to emanate from his article. Yet the man is upset that a thin skinned superintendent ran away from potentially his second battle with parents over a math program of which said superintendent is a published and ardent supporter. But those facts seem to be missing from the Outlaw Journalist.
The math program is not user friendly, the correct term is dumb dumb math. And user friendly to women and minorities as being a reason to install a math program across elementary schools and middle schools, is just plain wrong. Soft math or user-friendly math or dumb dumb math will keep ALL kids from reaching their potential. You can’t try to reach for what you are not being taught nor shown.
And further making the case for why many flee the newspapers for the Internet blogs and more is again, the journalistic depth of the papers. Those the Outlaw Journalist has referenced on the High School Math Team as shining stars are indeed examples of shining stars. What the Outlaw Journalist failed to mention, is that they are also NOT THE PRODUCTS of the user-friendly math. And because they do not resemble “Barbie and Ken”, is his implication one of stereotyping – it is not Caucasians, that are capable of success with the math prior to the new “user friendly”? How shameful to allude to such a thought.
The US math program is general needs help. And its more than more studying, how about more teaching and less facilitating and reflecting?
Blogs allow for anonymity. That is both a good thing and a bad thing, as with most things in life. Even with a print paper, the good is the assumption print paper is held to higher journalistic standards, the bad is that is not always the case. A case in point in our great republic of the people, by the people and for the people.
Blog on.
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>We’ll just have to leave you out of the dialogue. Your kids seem to function fine doing whatever they’re doing. And that is a good thing. Unfortunately, many children aren’t doing as well. As you very satisfiedly implied, it’s not your problem. It is the rest of the Village that is concerned, so we’ll just keep you out of it. Thanks for your input.