Monthly Archives: June 2008

2 Conyers staffers at center of inquiry

Posted on June 29, 2008 by admin

By Joel Thurtell [donation] This is the third Detroit Free Press story I wrote about misuse of congressional staffers by U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. The first two stories appeared on Nov. 21, 2003 and are republished in the “Conyers … Continue reading →

Posted in Conyers series | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Times public editor “over the top”?

Posted on June 28, 2008 by admin

By Joel Thurtell Well, Clarkie’s been at it again. I was hoping that after a couple of my punitive columns, New York Times public editor Clark Hoyt would have seen the light. After my onslaughts, I can’t understand why he … Continue reading →

Posted in future of newspapers, Joel's J School | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bye-bye, yak

Posted on June 26, 2008 by admin

By Joel Thurtell Obituary time at the Detroit Free Press: That venerable promotional creature, the furry, goofy Yak, is dead. Word from inside the Freep is that this popular creature — an educational feature aimed at kids, part of it contained … Continue reading →

Posted in future of newspapers | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Free Press or fish wrapper?

Posted on June 26, 2008 by admin

By Joel Thurtell Could Michigan’s oldest newspaper become a tabloid?   Hey, it could be worse.   The Detroit Free Press could wind up just as its top editors now envision it — a skimpy rag for home subscribers who … Continue reading →

Posted in future of newspapers | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Disappearing staffer turns up in Chicago

Posted on June 25, 2008 by admin

The story that follows — “Disappearing staffer turns up in Chicago” — is the second in a series of articles I reported and wrote for the Detroit Free Press in 2003-2006. My hope is that these seemingly historical footnotes will … Continue reading →

Posted in Conyers series, JC & Me | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Conyers’ staff broke rules for campaign work, aides charge

Posted on June 24, 2008 by admin

This is the first of a series of stories reported largely by me between 2003-2006 on the behavior of U.S. Rep. John Conyers, a past master at ordering his taxpayer-paid staffers to work on political campaigns and act as his … Continue reading →

Posted in Conyers series, JC & Me | Tagged , | 2 Comments

joelontheroad & Conyers

Posted on June 24, 2008 by admin

By Joel ThurtellIt began as a simple blog post based on an old file from my John Conyers Jr. collection of papers.But there’s been enough interest in my story about what former aides to U.S. Rep. John Conyers call the … Continue reading →

Posted in JC & Me | 1 Comment

Detroit Media and Freep to buy out 150 more staffers

Posted on June 23, 2008 by admin

By Joel Thurtell The monopoly that owns the News and Free Press in Detroit is looking to shoo 150 more workers out the door with buyouts similar to ones that ushered 110 workers into early retirement last November. The papers … Continue reading →

Posted in future of newspapers | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Could Kwame skate?

Posted on June 16, 2008 by admin

By Joel Thurtell What is it about the handling of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s text messages that might induce a judge to discuss the subject in secret? In a June 8 story, the Detroit Free Press seemed mystified — and … Continue reading →

Posted in Joel's J School, Kwamegate | Leave a comment

More wrecks rise from the Rouge

Posted on June 14, 2008 by admin

By Joel Thurtell I swatted mosquitoes as I watched a man steer a big, yellow machine through a dense, humid woods that leads to the Rouge River near Six Mile and Telegraph in Detroit. It was early the morning of … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures on the Rouge | Tagged , , | 1 Comment