Times Market Basket story lazy reporting, or worse

People close to the source, sources close to the people, analysts familiar with the story, people briefed on the matter, people said to be close to a source’s family member who is close to the subject.

Are you kidding me?

Today’s New York Times story on Market Basket has just about every fuzzy attribution available that reporters use when they can’t get a REAL story.

But, unfortunately, it looks like it may go beyond lazy reporting, to maybe a little backroom deal.

Today’s New York Times has a story that throws water on Artie T.’s bid to buy Market Basket outright. It also has several thousand dollars’ worth of online ads bought by Market Basket or their corporate advertising company.

Sponsored links in the Times offer a plethora of jobs at Market Basket available to applicants.

Since the job fairs didn’t go too well for the new co-CEO Hooch and Gooch, it looks like less public online proffers will now be accepted.

How convenient. No picket lines to cross. No heckling to contend with.

Can you hear the talk in the backroom from Market Basket’s corporate flak talking to big shots at the Times?

“Yeah, we’d like to spend a few grand on advertising job openings, but we’d also like a story disparaging and devaluing Artie T.’s bid to buy. Can we do business here, or what?”

And the Times guy goes, “Yeah, Artie T. sucks; you betchya, sign right here.”

Talk about Journalistic high jinks in a small, Maine town?

How about Journalistic high jinks in the Big Apple!

I’ll tell you what you got right here in River City. Freak the News.

For those of you who don’t know about Freak the News, it’s Lebanon Voice editor Harrison Thorp’s novel about a corrupt newspaper that will write any story to make a buck.

Speaking of bucks, the book, which retails for $16.95, sells for $12 at Lebanon Town Hall. And I’m told he’ll even autograph it, for free!

By the way, the story in the Times wouldn’t be bad if they had any facts or people speaking on the record. But they don’t. Just whispers in the dark, rumors and innuendo. Is that any way to run a newspaper?

Evidently so.

Speaking of journalistic high jinks in a small Maine town, has anybody else noticed how the Pingree Press Herald is taking a break skewering Gov. LePage? Must be the lull before the storm. Or maybe attack poodle Bill Nemitz is on a nice long summer vacation sharpening his little pointed fangs. Have a nice summer, Bill. See you in September.

C.O. Jones is a former sleuth, writer, raconteur, provocateur and armchair muckraker who lives in “the area.” You can write him with your tips and tales of woe at thelebanonvoice@aol.com. Staff will see that he gets your messages. His columns will appear as space and time permit.