Author Archives: admin

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

Holy Grail: Questing for a Pulitzer at the Detroit Free Press

Posted on June 13, 2008 by admin

By Joel Thurtell Why such huffing and puffing from the Free Press about the First Amendment and the paper’s — and presumably the public’s — right to know what was in every one of the text messages tapped out by … Continue reading →

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

Hypocrisy: First Amendment and the “free” press

Posted on June 11, 2008 by admin

By Joel Thurtell The Detroit Free Press seemed both angry and mystified in its June 8, 2008 story about a Detroit judge who barred the public and media from a hearing about evidence in Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s text message … Continue reading →

Posted in From My Files, Joel's J School, Kwamegate, Unions | Leave a comment

Wannabe lawyer: Monica Conyers

Posted on June 9, 2008 by admin

  From my files…(updated) By Joel Thurtell Hubby’s a lawyer, and so is she. But what’s this? Monica Conyers, a Detroit city councilwoman and wife of U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., is not in the Michigan Bar Directory. Yet her … Continue reading →

Posted in From My Files, JC & Me, Kwamegate, People | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

A week late, and short a few bucks

Posted on June 8, 2008 by admin

By Joel Thurtell A week after a federal jury acquitted Geoffrey Fieger of charges that he used “straw donors” to cover more than a hundred grand he donated to the 2004 John Edwards presidential campaign, the Detroit Free Press finally … Continue reading →

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

Private red squads illegal, too

Posted on June 6, 2008 by admin

By Joel Thurtell Who ever heard of newspapers running red squads? Sound crazy? Well, in their effort to impose behavioral conformity on newsroom workers through loosely-thought-out rules known as “ethical guidelines,” news managers have actually been doing the same kind … Continue reading →

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

Police content, not reporters, arbitrator advises papers

Posted on June 4, 2008 by admin

  By Joel Thurtell He’s no journalist, but Paul Glendon has some sage advice for newsroom bosses who want to make their publications bias-free. Don’t be obsessed with contributions your staffers make to political causes, says Glendon. Look at your … Continue reading →

Posted in Arbitration, Beginnings | Leave a comment