by Frank Maduri

Edgewater Fire: The Aftermath & How To Help

On a cold and windy night last Wednesday, January 21st, the Avalon at Edgewater apartment complex in Edgewater, NJ was engulfed in a horrible 5 alarm fire. It took many hours for the 500 first responders from 35 towns in New Jersey and New York to finally control the blaze but not before several of the 408 units in the complex received damage or were completely destroyed.

 

The reports from the media in North Jersey state that the police investigation determined that the fire was accidentally started by maintenance workers who were using a blowtorch to fix a leaking pipe in the southern end of the complex. The Borough of Edgewater took steps today to set aside over $240,000 in funds to cover the estimated costs of dealing with this massive fire.

 

In the end, these tragic events initially displaced 400 families, according to the American Red Cross. However, some of those families have been able to return to their homes, but 240 families lost their homes completely. Most of those people also lost everything that they owned. It is estimated that 1,000 people were impacted in some degree by this terrible tragedy.

 

Edgewater Strong

 

It has been about one week since the fire in Edgewater, and the focus is now on how to help those who are in desperate need and are displaced from their homes during a stretch of brutal winter weather in New Jersey.

 

First, the Borough government began a Go Fund Me page for the victims which has raised over $60,000.00 for those in need. I will include the link because several pages are up on that site related to the Edgewater fire, but this is the official page set up by the Mayor: http://www.gofundme.com/edgewater-fire

 

Next, a non-profit called Edgewater Strong was started to accept and receive donations of gifts-in-kind of supplies, food, and clothing. They received so many donations the volunteers have been overwhelmed by the response.

 

The Red Cross stepped in and provided disaster relief services including finding temporary shelter for those displaced. I talked with a Red Cross public relations spokesperson yesterday regarding my own personal interest in donating and I was told that the need for cash donations is critical at this point to help those who are displaced to assist in paying rent or for hotel rooms for temporary shelter.

 

The other pressing need moving forward is for money for school supplies because the fire destroyed the supplies of more than 150 children. The town is hopeful that those children can continue going to school in the district, but the reality is that some families might have to find temporary housing at a distance from the schools in Edgewater, which will force the children to lose their sense of stability and continuity.

 

How To Help

 

If you would like to take action and help those impacted by this horrendous fire in Edgewater, you can use the link mentioned earlier in this article to visit the Go Fund Me page set up by the Borough.

 

Next, you could contact the American Red Cross, as the spokesperson told me yesterday they have provided disaster relief to 7 more fires in the 7 days since the Edgewater blaze just in North Jersey alone. The Red Cross can be reached at 1-800-Red-Cross or http://www.redcross.org/ or you can mail a check to:

American Red Cross – North Jersey Region

209 Fairfield Rd

Fairfield, NJ 07004

 

Please keep in mind that if you donate to the Red Cross you cannot stipulate that the funds go directly to the Edgewater fire, they provide disaster relief to any number of situations including fires.

 

Additionally, you could contact Edgewater Strong to help with educational supply related costs by writing a check to:

Edgewater Education Foundations (appears on check)

Edgewater Strong

c/o EVG School

251 Undercliff Ave

Edgewater, NJ 07020

 

This fire at the Edgewater at Avalon complex was one of the most horrific fires I have ever seen. Some of the residents there have been displaced at the worst possible time of the year in the dead of winter and lost everything. If you can help in any way they need your support and generosity. I know that through this tragedy will come the promise that tomorrow holds for a better future for those effected.

 

(Background information courtesy of North Jersey.com and ABC News.com)

 

 

 

by Frank Maduri

Follow Up: Homeless Veterans In U.S. Cities

In a follow up to an article series I wrote last year, the pledge by the government leaders across all levels to end the terribly high levels of homeless military veterans achieved a milestone in the first days of 2015. The City of New Orleans is the first city in the United States to provide housing for all of their veteran population.

 

The announcement represents some good news which is welcomed to counterbalance the often distressing reports of chronic homelessness in our cities and towns. In addition, the methodology which was used by New Orleans provides a framework which is under consideration by many other cities at this point in order to address their homeless veterans and their total homeless populations.

 

In fact, some other cities such as Phoenix and Salt Lake City have also made great strides in providing housing to their homeless veteran populations. Both of those cities have effectively ended chronic long-term homelessness of veterans, which is the most difficult circumstance to resolve within the nature of this terrible societal problem.

 

Counterpoint

 

The counterpoint that is being made to this news announcement which I have to include in fair balance, is that the numbers of homeless veterans in New Orleans is much smaller than in the larger American cities of New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

 

The total number of homeless veterans in New Orleans was 227 in 2014, therefore that is a much more manageable number to place into housing than in a larger city. The homeless veteran population in New York City is staggering, and the city lacks the amount of affordable housing needed to shelter this group.

 

The detractors would also point out that New Orleans could handle this scenario more effectively than other cities because of the availability of housing due to the population migration in the post-Hurricane Katrina period.

 

However, my view on the ability of New Orleans to house the homeless veterans in their city is one of optimism for the progress of this movement to gain momentum across the country. It is also my hope that this approach used in New Orleans could be modeled to provide housing to combat homelessness on a more widespread level.

 

A New Model

 

The main stumbling block in the process to end homelessness in the United States is the propensity for some of the groups involved to approach the situation in a vacuum of sorts, which hampers the overall success of the effort. A good example being that the tendency is to think that the best way to help the homeless population in a given area is through the local government.

 

However, if the local government in this example has limited resources, then the correct aid will not be accessible to effectively resolve the issues with providing housing to the homeless in that area.

 

The approach by New Orleans in effectively ending homelessness for their veteran population, provides a new model for the rest of the nation to implement in the fight to end homelessness. In New Orleans the local government, the state government, the federal government, local and regional non-profit organizations, and landlords of potential residential properties worked in a collaborative partnership to address the needs of their city with regard to homeless veterans.

 

It was by working together that they were able to provide housing for the homeless veterans in their city. The rest of the country should utilize a similar model in order to coordinate and consolidate their respective efforts to provide housing to those who are living on the streets or in shelters.

 

The City of New Orleans provides the housing for veterans with the initial rental assistance being provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The project also receives support from non-profit agencies including Catholic Charities.

 

Furthermore, New Orleans has used this same collaborative model to address and decrease their chronically homeless population from 4,579 in 2009 down to 677 in 2013. That is a huge decline in the numbers of homeless people in their city, and the goal is to eliminate homelessness by the end of 2015.

 

The solution of providing housing to the homeless is not straight forward, it is a complex situation that for many cities requires a variety of resources in order to effectively resolve. The New Orleans model essentially pools all of the various resources and respective expertise of the groups involved in order to accomplish that desired outcome.

 

The model used in New Orleans could be cumbersome initially for other cities to implement because the collaborative approach is not the usual American method of solving complex social problems. In the interests of providing an adequate resolution to the troubling trend of long-term homelessness in military veterans, the most cost effective way is to work together on every level to coordinate every step of the process.

 

In addition, this holistic approach enables each group to utilize their individual strengths and talents in a collective way to solve this issue and move military veterans, who served our country bravely in battle, off the streets and into housing they can call their own.

 

It is through this collaborative effort that American cities of all sizes can bring an end to homelessness in our veteran population. Then, once a standard protocol has been developed that spans all levels of the government and includes the non-profit organizations and residential landlords, the larger issue of the total homeless population can be addressed.

 

In my previous articles on this topic, I have detailed the reports of studies that quantify the costs of housing the homeless population in the U.S. versus keeping that same group of people in the same system we have now of shelters, the streets, and emergency room care. The cost of providing housing to the current homeless population is far more cost effective when compared to the manner in which those same people are dealt with today, living on the streets.

 

In the end if everyone works together in a truly collaborative manner, with each group contributing to the process within their own area of expertise, then the issue of homelessness in America could have a legitimate chance of resolution.

 

(Statistics, demographic information, and some background information courtesy of Yahoo! News, The Christian Science Monitor, Washington Post, and New Orleans Times – Picayune)

 

 

 

 

by Frank Maduri

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I have been reflecting throughout the course of the day today, as our nation pauses to remember the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on my earliest memories of this great man. My first recollection is in learning of his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington D.C. on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I recall, as a young boy, being so mesmerized by his oratory presence, and thought the speech was powerful yet eloquent at the same time.

 

The next series of memories I have is of Selma and the march in that town in the Deep South and as a boy, being so profoundly moved by the resilience of the people and the movement; while at the same time being horrified by the images of police brutality and the unabashedly evil policies of the Jim Crow laws. I could not imagine a place where everything was separated for people on the basis of their skin color. I could not believe as a child, and still cannot believe it as a man, that those hateful policies could happen in America.

 

The “Freedom Riders” movement has always struck a chord with me, the bravery of those men and women to stand up for what they believed in despite the serious consequences, that type of courage is inspiring. However, at the same time, it was wrong on so many levels that our society had devolved into that situation in the first place. Dr. King said it repeatedly, that if we all treated each other as sisters and brothers, none of those terrible events would ever have had to take place, our society would never had allowed itself to be degraded into such barbaric policies and behaviors.

 

When I was older, I remember reading Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” one summer when I was home from school. I was struck with how poised and succinct his writing was during what must have been incredibly difficult conditions during his confinement in a small prison cell. I recall being drawn to his methods of nonviolence because I do not believe that violent behavior of any kind is acceptable, nor is it a capable way of resolving any dispute.

 

In the years since that summer night, I have worked in jobs where I had this day off and others where I had to work on Martin Luther King Day. In the years where I had to work, I would always listen to a recording of his famous speeches on my commute into work in the car. It was a small way in which I would pause and remember and reflect on Dr. King’s remarkable life.

 

I went to the National Civil Rights Museum with my wife one hot summer day in Memphis several years ago, and I recall feeling so many emotions at one time. I felt a profound sadness when we saw the suite where Dr. King was assassinated that April evening so many years before. I felt regret because I realized that while some things had changed in the area of race relations in America, not much had changed at all.

 

Even still today, almost fifty years after the death of Dr. King, we still have so much room to progress in race relations in our country. I am deeply saddened by the inequalities that still divide our society, our educational system, and our socio-economic structure. The events of the past six months are evidence that we have a long way to go with progressing toward a better tomorrow for all Americans.

 

I return to Dr. King and his position towards nonviolence as the best way to progress towards further advancements in these issues which still divide our society. I think we can all agree that his movement to promote peace between all races should still be the model utilized in order to make that progress today.

 

On a personal level, I was at a crossroads in my life at one point, around this time of the year, and it was in remembering the extraordinary life and remarkable courage of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that I made a bold decision in my own life. I have not regretted making it ever since.

 

In the end, I hope that one day the dream of Dr. King can be realized and we can all live together in peace and harmony. It is possible, and it is by honoring and remembering Dr. King that I hope our society can move ever closer to that ultimate goal; and by revisiting the Judeo-Christian core values of our country and loving each other as sisters and brothers that it will become a reality.

by Frank Maduri

Collateral Damage: The Disposability of Coaches in Our Society

In writing about the recent firing of New York Red Bulls Head Coach Mike Petke for another website, and reading about the New York Giants dismissal of their defensive coordinator, Perry Fewell on Friday; I started to think about the seemingly inherent instability surrounding sports coaches. Our society treats these men and in some cases, women, as collateral damage in the major college sports and professional sports ranks.

 

The news cycle today includes the Denver Broncos, who were eliminated from the playoffs yesterday, “mutually agreeing to part ways with Head Coach John Fox” and the team fired all of the assistant coaches on the staff. Coach Fox guided the Broncos to the Super Bowl last season, though they lost to Seattle in that championship game, the decision today illustrates the cold reality in which these decisions are made.

 

Another recent example of a situation I was directly involved in covering was the firing of Head Coach Peter DeBoer by the New Jersey Devils. The team was mired in a slump and has not played consistently the entire season, but he was fired the day after Christmas, from the emotional standpoint that must have been very difficult for his family as well.

 

I understand that the world of major college athletics and professional sports has evolved into a scenario where a lot of money is at stake. The revenues of certain sports leagues are at all-time highs and the sheer amounts of money being exchanged for season tickets, personal seat licenses, and television/media rights are enormous in scale. The pressure on the respective front office and coaching staff of any team has to be tremendous given the circumstances. The emphasis on winning and delivering championships is at a tipping point in today’s sports landscape.

 

The players in major professional sports are highly talented and well compensated, they are the best and most gifted athletes on the planet. However, the blame seems to usually fall on the coach or the coaching staff if a team underperforms their expectations. The end result is that head coach, or in many cases an entire staff of coaches, being terminated from their jobs.

Hired To Get Fired

 

I understand from being a big sports fan that one of the sayings that coaches use, especially in the pressure cooker that is the NFL, is “you get hired to get fired”. There is a genuine understanding going into the situation that it is probably not going to end well. The rare exception is a coach finishing his tenure and leaving on his or her own terms; the majority of the time the situation ends in termination for the coach and their staff based on a losing season or poor performance.

 

A good case study of that scenario is Head Coach Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants. He has gone through some rough patches during his tenure with the team, at two different points the fans were ranting about the poor performance of the Giants. The team looked lost on the field, and both times the Giants turned their seasons around and ended up winning the Super Bowl. This past season was no different, with two championship victories on his resume, the focus still shifted to whether Coughlin should be fired because of the poor performance of 2014 Giants during their season.

 

The other scenario that costs a coach their job is essentially team politics which seems to be the case with Mike Petke and the New York Red Bulls. The team hired a new Sporting Director (essentially a GM or director of personnel) and he dismissed Petke after the best two years in the history of the team, to bring in a coach he had worked with in the past. Those type of relationship driven decisions on coaches have happened in the NFL and the NBA as well, in the rare case that the General Manager is fired and the coach has remained with the team. Most of the time the new GM will then fire the coach and bring in “his own guy” with whom he has a prior working relationship.

 

The attitude of disposability when it comes to these people is rather concerning to me. I know some others within the sports media world that have the same misgivings about the way our society approaches these matters. I understand that people spend their hard earned money on attending games and buying merchandise to support a given team and that we all want to see that team win.

 

However, at the same time, I do not think it gives any of us a license to demand that somebody, or an entire staff of people should lose their jobs. These people have families, they have children and dependents that rely on those jobs to live. Yet when a team hits a losing streak I turn on sports radio in the car and every caller is screaming about firing the coach. These people are human beings, they make mistakes, and they should not be treated as disposable items.

I am all for accountability, and we each are held to certain performance metrics in the workplace, but could you imagine having several hundred or a few thousand people coming into your place of work and yelling that you should be fired? I would imagine that would be very unsettling to many of us.

 

I know that, as a fan, watching losses pile up, like in the case of the New York Knicks who are having one of the worst seasons in their history, is upsetting and frustrating. I am also upset that the fans were chanting “fire Fisher” about their head coach, who has a family to support and a daughter who is very sick.

 

I also know that my detractors would say that these coaches, especially in the higher profile universities or in the top of the professional ranks, understand the pressure that comes with “the territory” and that if they “cannot take the heat then get out of the kitchen”. I also understand that many of the head coaches, and in baseball it would be the manager, are well compensated for their talents.

 

However, the assistant coaches and other staff members are not always well compensated and they are subject to dismissal, and very often are dismissed with the head coach when they get fired. In many cases, the head coach will find work again elsewhere and usually rather quickly. The assistant coaches and other staff members can be out of work potentially for much longer periods of time. It is difficult to find work if you are a particular type of assistant coach such as strength and conditioning, quality control, or offensive line coach; those job openings may be few and far between.

 

In comparison, if John Q. Public got fired from his job in marketing, there are other marketing jobs out there. He may have to take a different level job, maybe a step back from the level he was working as far as seniority, but he can find other work. The coaching ranks are competitive and unforgiving. The same goes for General Managers of sports teams, those job openings are rather specific and are generally pretty sparse.

 

Take A Step Back

 

I understand as sports fans, we want our teams to be successful and compete for championships. I understand that some coaches can make some rather dubious decisions with players, lineups, and strategies.

 

I just ask that the next time you are ready to go on a ranting tirade about a coach or a general manager that you consider what is at stake for those people. I ask that before you get ready to make that phone call to your favorite sports radio talk show, that you take a step back and realize that these coaches are people too. They have the right to be treated with respect and not as disposable parts, and certainly not as collateral damage.

 

by Frank Maduri

Happy Holidays

I would like to wish all the readers of Frank’s Forum and your families all the best wishes for a Happy Holiday season. Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings.

 

I wish you all the best and thank you with heartfelt gratitude for your support this year in reading and sharing the content of this blog.

 

Have a happy and safe holiday season! Thanks again for your support!

 

by Frank Maduri

Pope Francis and His Advent Message

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, made comments last week to a group of Swiss Bishops which I found especially insightful and profound. The Pontiff essentially stated, and I am paraphrasing, that the Roman Catholic Church should be about Christ and spreading the Good News rather than operating like just another NGO. The Pope continued by adding that the Church should not bend “to the whims of men”.

 

These comments should not be taken as a slight to the important work done by NGO (Non-Governmental Organizations) throughout the world. On the contrary, the comments serve as a reminder that the work of the Church in feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, and providing health services to the sick is important work but the ultimate mission of the Catholic Church is to spread the message of Christ to the world. It is in this way, by knowing Christ’s message, that the rest of the world will truly understand the importance of serving others, especially the poor, to the overall benefit of mankind.

 

In addition, the reminder that the spreading of the Good News is of paramount importance is central to the future outlook of the Church as well. The messages that Jesus left to us came with an added responsibility that we represent Him and spread His teachings throughout the world. It is incumbent upon the clergy and the members of the body of the Church to represent Christ to the world, but not in a confrontational manner or a judgmental way. It is important that we represent the core values of Christ’s teachings by being humble and loving one another in spite of any differences between us.

 

The last component of this message serves as a reinforcement that too often the Church, similar to other institutions, gets caught up in conforming to the ways of society instead of the ways of God. Each one of us, myself included, can be prone to the same patterns in our own lives. It is representative of a constant struggle between the messages of what society says is important versus what the Bible and the teachings of Christ teaches as being truly important. It requires a great deal of self-discipline for us to conform to the ways of the Bible, even the Bishops and others in religious life apparently struggle with it, based on the Pope’s comments.

 

The Pope is stressing the imperative focus of helping the poor, the sick, the lonely, and the disenfranchised with humility and with grace. The Advent season serves as a preparation period for the coming of the Messiah to save the world. The Church teaches us to spend time quietly with that purpose in mind as well as thinking of others ahead of yourself.

 

The central issue that arises when we “bend to the whims of men” is that we all tend to think of ourselves ahead of everyone else. We start to prioritize what society feels is important, and not what our faith tells us is truly important. In that scenario, if we bend to the pressures of society, we will be selfish and reserved instead of selfless and open to the needs of others.

 

Humble Prayer

 

Pope Francis had a separate message delivered around that same time to a different audience which I thought was interesting. He was speaking about the season of Advent and the preparation for Catholics for the coming of the Lord at Christmas. In this message, the Holy Father describes theology degrees and knowledge of the faith or sacred Scripture as essentially being meaningless.

 

The Pontiff’s message was that the only way to truly know God is through humble prayer like a child. We see that referenced in the Bible when Jesus basically tells us to humble ourselves and to become like children when we pray. In fact, it was Jesus who preached such a radical concept of calling God the Almighty by the name “Abba” which translates to “Daddy”. That was a radical concept in that time period, and still is for people of other faiths to comprehend. Jesus described the relationship between God and all of us in humanity as that type of closeness that the love of God is like the love of your Daddy. What wonderful news indeed!

 

The concept of humble prayer can become a challenge, and the Pope has discussed that in past homilies and addresses as well. The ways of society and the world can relentlessly beat us down in our adult lives. Some of us also may approach prayer in a very intellectual manner. It is important for us to heed the message of the Pope and from Our Lord in the Gospels, and to embrace that child-like humility in our prayer time.

 

It is also refreshing to know that advanced theological degrees and intensive Biblical study is not necessarily the best way to know God. I would imagine that those elements still certainly play a role in understanding our faith and informing our prayer life through “Lectio Divina”. However the Pope is saying that it is more important to grow your relationship with God through humble and contrite prayer.

 

Advent Call to Action

 

Pope Francis addressed all Catholics with what amounted to an Advent call to action by saying that during this time of waiting and preparation we should: “call to the Lord to ask him to fulfill His plan though us”. This is an intense message and one in which serves as reinforcement for the fact that God has a plan for each one of us. The Pope is reminding us that it is important for us to consistently reach out to the Lord to ensure that we are still on the right path toward the fulfillment of that plan He has for our lives.

 

I think it is human nature that we tend to look for bold, dynamic signs from God, but God acts humbly and usually provides very discreet signs that are smaller in scale. It is critical to remain open to those signs, and that is a definite part of our Advent journey with God. The Pope reminds us that we have all been chosen by God to live a life of holiness and devotion, free of sin.

 

Pope Francis, in his homily at the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, spoke about the tendency that many of us possess that compels us to try to do it all, to do too much. Instead, the Holy Father points us in the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and not try to do it all, but “simply be loved by God and transformed by His love” as Our Holy Mother lived.

 

He continued in that same homily to implore us all as we wait and prepare this Advent season to allow ourselves to be receptive to the “embrace of Jesus which gives us faith, hope, and peace”.

 

Now as we approach the last week of Advent and the days before Christmas are quickly dwindling away, the compulsion to “bend to the whims of men” will be very powerful. Our society will prioritize the shopping, gift wrapping, and decorating of trees as being critically important. However, I hope and pray that we all, myself included, take time to prioritize the messages that Pope Francis provided during Advent; that we listen for the call of the Lord. It is my hope that we can hear that call and have the courage and faith to accept His plan for our lives whatever it may hold for us today and in the future.

 

(Frank J. Maduri is a freelance writer with numerous publishing credits across a variety of websites and news organizations. He has previously published articles on the Catholic faith and doctrine. He currently has poetry on the Divine Mercy published in the Advent edition of a national Catholic newsletter.)

 

 

 

 

by Frank Maduri

Fear Factor: The Depressing Nature of the News Cycle

The mainstream news media has motivated viewership through fear for a long time now. Those who took any communications courses in college like I did could tell you that the fear driven news cycle is mass media 101 methodology. However, lately I have observed that it is getting worse, the constant litany of news stories consisting of nothing but tragedy, war, violence, murder, and disasters of all types is becoming increasingly common.

 

The once tried and true strategy of using fear as the motivator for the viewership ratings of news broadcasts and on-line “click counts” may be backfiring. In my own experience I have overheard others discussing the “depressing” nature of the news cycle. I have also been told directly by friends, colleagues, family members, and other associates that the news is “too sad or too upsetting” to watch with regularity.

 

The fast paced nature of our social media driven society and the plethora of entertainment options as well as the numerous methods we can obtain news related information has a direct correlation to this change in perception of the traditional news media.

 

The mainstream news outlets such as CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC have continued to function in the format habit of drilling the same few stories into the minds of the viewer. Several people have commented to me that they are actually depressed or anxious because of the way those outlets have covered stories such as ISIS, Ebola, and the state of the global economy.

 

In a world that is seemingly coming apart at the seams, the average person is seeking some comfort and hope. In a world where they get news alerts buzzing into their cell phone or flashing on the screens of their laptop or tablet, they do not need to be reminded that there are some evil people, horrible diseases, or discouraging economic data gripping the international community. They are aware of it, and most average people are seeking an escape from it in larger numbers.

 

Mass Migration

 

It is this functional imperative to escape the incessant drone of the negative news cycle that has given rise to the phenomenon of viewership ratings spikes for some other trends in television and media such as reality television, competition shows, and sports related programming.

 

I know people in my own circles that would not fit the mold of the traditional sports viewer, people who at one point in time watched news programs such as 60 Minutes, 20/20, or Dateline but because of the negative and depressing aspects of the news coverage they no longer watch those programs. Instead, they watch only sports on television particularly live sporting events such as the NFL or the NBA games.

 

It is no wonder why the ratings for live sporting events are off the charts, some of this viewership activity is a direct result from the news media driving the viewer to find other more uplifting programming choices. Most people are seeking a distraction from the problems and drudgery of everyday life, and the news cycle is only serving to be a constant reminder of the harshness and cruelty of our society.

 

In some of my own journalism work I have received positive feedback for telling stories that raise awareness of an issue, yet provide hope that our society is capable of better behavior. This is lacking in the coverage of the news in the current cycle format utilized by the major outlets. It is no surprise that the cable networks set up for 24 hour news have seen their overall ratings decline. The lone exception to this rule, Fox News, has seen ratings growth, but it should be noted that it is in demographics where people still watch the news. The younger demographics tend to use the internet or social media to find the news that is of interest to them.

 

Some of those networks, such as CNN, are embracing a trend in television by announcing the introduction of more original series programming than traditional news broadcasts or talk show format programs. The new concept called “The Wonder List” with veteran newscaster Bill Weir is the latest project approved by CNN in a reorganization of the formatting of the network.

 

Even the major networks (NBC, ABC, and CBS) have seen changes in the ratings for their news broadcasts and news related programming in primetime. It is all about adaptation and what these networks are learning is that in a time where everything is about customization, the mainstream news broadcast lacks the impact it once had over the viewer.

 

The advent of Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites as outlets for gathering customized news feeds that are relevant to the individual user have phased out the traditional news broadcast. The networks have to figure out a way to relate to the average viewer, particularly the younger viewer, without losing their “bread and butter” demographic: the viewer over the age of 55.

 

Custom Fit

 

The customization of “news feeds” tailored to the unique interests of the individual user have become the new standard for the way we gather information via the internet and social media platforms. This custom fit approach allows for the user also to gain insight into non-mainstream issues or news pieces that feature something that is rare in the mass market news: hope.

 

Our society needs hope now more than ever before, but the mainstream media seems to have disconnected from that entirely and continues to follow the drumbeat of fear and panic in the stories they cover. The constant reminders of the tyrannical and barbaric behaviors of ISIS or the next potential Ebola case in a big metropolitan area such as New York City, are all too upsetting for most viewers at this point.

 

In fairness, the major networks do feature human interest stories and other pieces which cover more benign topics. They also lend coverage to stories of empowerment or hope in various segments, but these are the exception and not the rule. The ABC evening news broadcast will achieve this by their “Person of the Week” segment and they deliver in a mass appeal piece called “Made in America” a series about American products manufacturing. The CBS evening news broadcast has uplifting features such as “On the Road” where they highlight the contribution of regular Americans doing extraordinary actions.

 

In addition, I would be remiss if I did not include the success of NBC Nightly News which is the only evening newscast to grow their audience. It is the most watched news broadcast in the U.S. for the past 10 years, according to Nielsen, and NBC averages 9.3 million viewers which is approximately 1 million more than the second place ABC newscast with David Muir. They obviously have determined a way to connect with some key viewer demographics, but the younger generations still gravitate toward other outlets to find the news that matters to them on an individual basis.

 

The NBC podcast is a good example of taking a traditional format and placing it into a modern technological delivery system. It has helped NBC connect with segments of the public who are non-traditional TV news viewers. I believe those types of innovations will continue in order for the mainstream news media to keep pace with the fast pace of the internet new feeds, providing information available to the public across several platforms.

 

Next Page

 

Even the internet news sources are not immune to this backlash by the public over the fear inciting news coverage on their sites. I have overheard people while in waiting rooms at the doctor, while getting my haircut, or waiting in line at a grocery store checkout line express upset feelings over what appears on the internet news.

 

However, the internet news coverage is different than a traditional live TV newscast for the obvious reason that the user on the internet can just click onto another link and not read a full news story on the Middle East, Korean tensions, or ISIS violence. I call it the “next page” phenomenon, others have different names for it, but the concept is the same: freedom of choice.

 

I wrote at one point for a large internet based news platform until they disbanded their freelance news contribution area. This organization used to measure not only the “click count” for a respective news story, but also the amount of time the average reader spent on the page. The goal being to avoid the “next page” scenario with the reader. I was fascinated when I would get the monthly reports to find out which stories held the attention of the reader and which pieces did not.

 

In the end, the executives in charge of media companies have to understand that the American public is generally tired of the continuous stream of upsetting news flooding our televisions, computers, tablets, and smart phones. I understand that they have to report on what is happening in the world, and that at some points those stories are not easy to see or to read. They would provide themselves and the public some welcome relief if they started to intersperse some stories of hope and perseverance. Those stories are out there, and they are easier to find than it may seem.

 

 

(Statistics and ratings courtesy of Nielsen, demographic data courtesy of TVWire, and some background information courtesy of the Associated Press)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Frank Maduri

Hate Crimes Against The Homeless

The incidence of crimes against the homeless population in the United States is on the rise. This disturbing trend has resulted in a concerted push to enact changes in the laws involving the enforcement of violent crimes to classify this activity against the homeless as a hate crime.

 

These changes to the criminal justice system would come on both the federal and the state level. The evolution of the revisions to the statutory punishments to a hate crime classification would result in an escalation of the designation of the charge. An example would be a violation that is normally a 2nd degree charge would be escalated in a hate crime designation to a 1st degree charge. This escalation would affect the sentencing guidelines and in some cases the mandatory fines associated with a particular violation.

 

In data gathered from the National Coalition for the Homeless, the crimes committed against the homeless population have increased by 23% with 108 attacks resulting in 19 deaths in 2013. Some states took action in order to address this increase in criminal activity targeted upon one specific group, 7 states passed laws making an attack on a homeless person designated as a hate crime.

 

The argument by these state legislators as well as the advocacy groups representing the homeless population is that the hate crime sentencing escalator would serve as an effective deterrent to further attacks on that population. This has been proven in some of the states to be a viable solution to the criminal activity caused by individuals against the homeless population.

 

However, in Florida, a state which was in the group of seven to create hate crime sentencing for crimes against the homeless; the violence against the homeless has continued and it is the state with the 2nd highest rate of this type of crime. Some of the reports of the intensity of the violence committed against those who are homeless is disturbing and sickening. It seems that these crimes may have some sort of connection with prime tourist destinations because California and Florida were the two states where nearly half of all the violent acts against the homeless were reported in 2013.

 

The stigma which is so prevalent in our society regarding the homeless population does not serve to diminish these types of crimes in any way. In fact, some experts on this issue believe that the societal perception of homelessness creates conditions where they are seen as “easy targets” for subjection to violence by others. Some of the reports of the attacks that have been detailed are so profoundly disturbing that I cannot even include them in this article.

 

These same reports have also given increased visibility to the need for stricter legal protections for those who are homeless. The Hate Crimes Against the Homeless Enforcement Act proposes an amendment to the Violent Crime Control & Law Enforcement Act of 1994 seeking the inclusion of the homeless as a protected class. This amendment would make any act of violence due to a person’s homeless status a designated hate crime within the American legal system.

 

Individuals Not Groups

 

The generalization is that these crimes are committed by groups: angry mobs of people or packs of teenagers looking to intimidate and harm someone who is different than they are in some way. However, that generalization is a misnomer, and the statistics gathered demonstrate that hate crimes are committed not by groups, but by individuals.

 

In the particular focus of violence against the homeless population, it is committed mostly by teenagers. The reported figures state that:

  • 85% of these attacks are perpetrated by people under 30 years of age
  • 93% of the perpetrators in 2013 were men
  • 17% of attacks resulted in death

 

Homeless men and women have been victimized with no credible data on the rates of specific crimes committed against each gender specifically. Homeless veterans have been targeted in these criminal acts as well as youth and older homeless people. The youngest victims of reported crimes against the homeless population were 4 years old, which is sad on a variety of levels: that children that young are living on the street, and that they would be targeted victims in the commission of a violent crime.

 

Some criminal justice experts and leaders of various interest groups for homeless rights agree that the amendment to the hate crimes law to include crimes committed against the homeless population will be a deterrent which will spur a decrease in the rates of this horrific activity.

 

However, in fair balance, the argument can be made that these changes may not deter the crimes against the homeless population from occurring in the future. Those who look at the sociological or psychological causes of this type of criminal activity would make a compelling argument to institute protocols which seek to identify the root of the issue and address it accordingly.

 

Moreover, there are still another group of detractors that look at what has transpired in Florida, where they have hate crimes legislation to escalate the punishments for violent acts committed to the homeless population, yet the rate of those crimes have not decreased. This group would maintain that the hate crimes inclusion is not the solution to the issue.

The Case for Action

 

The area where consensus can be found on this issue is that something must be done, some concrete action must be taken to reverse the growing trend of these terrible crimes against the homeless population in the United States. Some law enforcement experts have described the criminal activity against the homeless population as exhibiting a “pattern of excessive force” which is deeply concerning.

 

The perpetrators of these crimes come from all classes across the economic spectrum with no evidentiary data indicating an increased tendency of one class in the commission of these crimes in comparison to another. The trend data also does not contain detailed information on the rationale behind the targeting of the homeless in the rising rates of these crimes being committed.

 

Conversely, the data does indicate a disturbing pattern: the perpetrators of these crimes are younger in age. In New Mexico and other southwestern states the crimes committed by those considered minors (younger than 18 years old) is on the rise. Sociologists and childhood behavioral psychologists have indicated that the counseling services provided by the respective state in which the crime is committed must determine a protocol for better determining the cause for this increase in violent behavior among youth. In the event that they can isolate a particular common thread, it could potentially provide a pathway to effectively counsel these young people against recidivism.

 

The need for action is clear, but unfortunately the solution to this overall pattern of criminal activity involving this subsector of the population is not clear. In fact, any macro-level view of this issue also needs to take into account that a high rate of crimes are also committed by homeless people against other homeless people. The question of how our society can undertake curtailing a greater percentage of this violent crime was posed to experts in the issue of homelessness. Their response: provide housing to those living on the streets currently.

 

The rationale behind this response is that the capability of the provision of housing for the homeless will provide them with protection and remove the inherent vulnerabilities of this population which enables this criminal activity to be so easily targeted against them in the first place.

 

The Huffington Post published an article series on the costs of providing housing to the homeless in the U.S. versus the costs of having to provide all of the current services they receive through shelters and emergency room visits. The cost of providing those who are homeless with adequate housing was far more cost effective than how our society currently deals with this situation. It was an enlightening view of the potential solutions to this issue.

 

Perception

 

The persistent increase in the crimes committed against the homeless population is understood to have two separate but distinct categories. The crimes committed by a homeless person against another homeless person are very difficult to track with any real degree of accuracy because so much of this activity goes unreported.

 

The second category deals with crimes committed by someone who is not homeless against a homeless person and the ambiguity of unreported events has a definite role in this group as well. However, due to the fact that arrests are made and the perpetrators have mailing addresses and other information in the system, the tracking data is more cohesive to some degree when compared to the first category.

 

The National Coalition for the Homeless has been tracking this data from 1999 to 2013 and they released a report with their findings, and here are some key statistics on what they term non-homeless perpetrators against homeless victims:

 

  • 1,437 violent attacks in the United States
  • 357 deaths of homeless victims resulting from these attacks

 

These statistics underscore the need for the inclusion of these types of crimes into federal hate crimes legislation. There is currently a petition before Congress regarding this issue seeking the amendment of the federal laws involving hate crimes to include the homeless as a protected class. This sadly would only be part of the solution because that legislation would only apply to crimes committed on federal lands and national parks.

 

The most significant change to the hate crime legislation regarding these horrific crimes committed against such a vulnerable and powerless group of people would have to come through efforts on the individual state level. The legislative process would also most probably be carried out in a somewhat regional approach by the various interest groups involved because these types of crimes tend to be more prevalent in certain regions of the U.S. (Southwest and parts of the Southeast) as compared to the Northeast. New York State has a huge number of homeless people, yet they reported just 1 attack against a homeless person in 2013.

 

The perception of the general public of the homeless population is also a recognized barrier from the interest groups and non-profit organizations advocating for hate crimes law reform. The generalized perception of the homeless population is that they are drunks and drug addicts. This perception could not be farther from the reality.

 

The homeless population certainly has their share of those with substance abuse problems, but so many are homeless from other life circumstances and they come from all walks of life and backgrounds. Many of those who are homeless want an opportunity to contribute to society again, and to use their gifts and talents to make our communities better places to live and work.

 

This issue has no clear solution, no magical overnight procedure that could make it all go away. It is going to take time, especially the state level legal reform process which must take place to effectively enforce any new hate crimes legislation to protect the homeless population.

 

In my own view of this situation, two components of this issue jump out glaringly to me as areas of concern regarding this matter:

  1. The degradation of our society to the point where we have people who are targeting the poor and vulnerable homeless community and victimizing them with unspeakable criminal activity and subjecting homeless people of all ages to violent acts.
  2. The young age of those who are perpetrating these crimes in some cases especially in cities such as Albuquerque, Phoenix, and urban centers in California. What sort of violence or domestic abuse have these children witnessed or been victims of themselves in order to carry out those sorts of crimes on the homeless population?

 

It is very clear to me that our society must heal itself by addressing this issue at the core with stronger counseling programs and awareness programs in our schools and community centers. The homeless are people too and they deserve to be treated with dignity and protected from these hideous crimes.

 

Please contact the National Coalition for the Homeless to learn more about this issue, or write to your Congressional representative and to your local government representatives to urge them to take action on making these crimes a hate crime.

(Background information and statistics courtesy of National Coalition for the Homeless, The Huffington Post, Al-Jazeera America, Think Progress.org, and NBC News)

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Frank Maduri

American Income Inequality Highest In 100 Years

The Federal Reserve Chair, Janet Yellen, spoke on Friday in Boston about the concerning growth in the gap between the rich and poor in the United States. Some methods of measurement for both income and wealth distribution have reported the inequalities in these two crucial economic factors to be near the highest levels in 100 years.

 

In her comments Ms. Yellen cited stagnant wage growth, slow job market recovery especially in higher paying positions, and the downturn in the real estate market as the main reasons for this increased level of wealth inequality. The wide disparity creates conditions that make it difficult for the poor to move up the income ladder, and the tepid rebound for real estate prices has wiped out family wealth customarily found in home values in the past.

 

Furthermore the head of the Federal Reserve commented on the contributing role of student loan debt to the widening gap in income disparity. In fact, according to various sources, student loan debt has quadrupled in the past ten years. This could lead to a scenario, as Ms. Yellen explained, that threatens the economic equality envisioned by our nation’s founders.

 

The argument could be made, according to Ms. Yellen and other experts that the substantial increase in the cost of a college degree will make that goal unattainable for many average earning and lower income earning American families seeking to provide their children with a better life.

 

Slippery Ladder

 

This growing trend of economic inequality cultivates conditions that hamper upward mobility and can lead to societal unrest on a widespread scale. This subject is of great personal interest to me and I have written about the wealth gap for several news outlets and websites in the past. It is one of the most troubling and frustrating aspects of American society, in my opinion, that some people own multiple houses and others have no place to sleep.

 

The flat wage curve and the stubborn job market are two of the main contributors to what I feel is hampering the income inequality issue the most in our country. Those two factors combine to create a scenario I liken to a slippery ladder where people cannot climb out of the situation they are in.

 

My research for another article led me to reports of Americans with Master’s degree level educations who are working for $13.00 an hour because the economy has not added nearly enough jobs that require that level of education. Those applicants with higher level degrees are now finding it hard to even get an interview for lower tier management level jobs because most companies feel they will lose the Master’s level person once the economy fully rebounds.

 

The lower wage earning and middle class wage earning demographics have their own set of challenges with rising costs on food, clothing, education, and healthcare. The lack of affordable housing in many areas of the country translates into roughly 70% of the family budget for lower wage earning jobs being spent on rent payments. This huge monthly expenditure for housing further debilitates any progress towards financial security for many average families.

 

Conversely, wealthy people tend to save more of their income and have reaped the benefits of most of the income increases in the past several years which has stunted overall spending.

 

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

 

The Fed chief neglected to mention in her speech that the role of certain monetary policies such as QE have contributed majorly to the same economic inequalities she was addressing. The weak overall economic growth domestically indicates that any further manipulation through monetary policy by the Fed could trigger inflationary responses throughout the system.

 

The use of QE and some other methods to generate quick liquidity throughout the domestic economy resulted in bond buying which directly impacted the stock market. The increased stock market activity directly benefited the upper class more than those in the other earnings demographics because the wealthy own more stock and greater amounts of stock than anyone else in the system.

 

However, in fair balance, I know of people in the upper class who have used their resources to help numerous charitable causes in a variety of societal areas where their funds were desperately needed. I tend to not make blanket generalizations because they are not accurate or fair. I know people with great generosity and others who could do more to aid those less fortunate.

 

The Fed chief spoke about the need for some level of inequity in the system so it creates an incentive for people to desire to work hard to improve their given situation. Though Ms. Yellen readily admits that the current system has gaps too wide for the average wage earner to bridge in the course of a lifetime.

 

Therefore the Fed involvement in the inherent economic disparity is the definition of a self-fulfilling prophecy. The central bank was so concerned about warding off any introduction of inflation into the system (which they figured would impact the average consumer more profoundly than the higher income consumer) that their policies directly contributed to the vast income inequality we now face.

 

Slow Growth

 

The slow job growth has been a source of Ms. Yellen’s concerns for a while and does not appear to be changing at any point in the near future. The report on Friday via Fox Business News is that the labor participation rate is at roughly 62% which is the lowest figure in over 50 years.

 

The long term unemployed and the underemployed have also been topics discussed by the Fed chief in recent speeches. Those numbers continue to remain stubbornly high in some states and the national underemployment rate (those working part-time but needing full-time work) stands at roughly 15%. The false stigma attached to those who can be defined as the long term unemployed have severely hampered the consumer driven economy because those people have far less income during their prime earning years to reinvest into the economy.

 

Ms. Yellen also spoke about the slow growth in the establishment of new small businesses and the role of the family business in the American economic landscape. However she did not venture to explain why that situation is occurring. Many reports and studies from credible sources attribute the slow pattern in the creation of new small businesses or start-ups to the high taxes levied by both the federal and state government which hampers their profitability. The other issue is the impact of the new Affordable Care Act or the provision of “Obama Care” for small business owners to carry an increased burden to provide health care stipends to their employees.

 

The antiquated American tax code system can be blamed for the high taxation rates levied on small businesses and start-ups which is decapitating the very ingenuity this country was founded upon. The tax policy towards the small business community as well as the healthcare provision requirements are two areas that merit reforms on both the federal and state levels.

 

The federal and state governments need to put all options on the table at this point to foster a more robust overall business environment to bring about the reforms needed to bolster the labor work force participation rate, which cannot stay at the abysmal level it currently is tracking at according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

It is clear that above and beyond QE or any of the other monetary policy mechanisms utilized by the Federal Reserve during the past several years, the rates of a variety of taxes coupled with the sheer size of the social welfare programs have had a more drastic impact on the income disparity between rich and poor than any other factors involved.

 

Set Up To Fail

 

If the continued volatility of the stock market and the labor participation rates as well as the underemployment rate and wage levels remain unchanged, the U.S. economy is being set up to fail. We will experience another major recessionary downturn if these other factors are not corrected and the business climate and job growth forecasts do not improve drastically in the short term.

 

Our economy is unsustainable if it continues along the path of the past 30 years with significant gains for the wealthy and stagnant living conditions for everyone else in our society. Ms. Yellen spoke about this topic and tied economic opportunity to the core foundations of our country.

 

I agree that it is against our core principles to keep so many people in despair while a select few continue to thrive. It should not be a luxury to attend college, that opportunity should not become an elitist situation and it is moving increasingly further in that direction.

 

In the same vein, as I wrote earlier, some Americans feel that they are being punished for having advanced degrees, and many are straddled with debt from an attempt they made at furthering their education. Now they are discouraging others from making the same “mistake” which I find is a dangerous precedent for our society from both an economic and intellectual point of view.

 

We should be encouraging and incentivizing those who have pursued advanced degrees in a chosen field, they should not be working at the local mall for $12.00 per hour. I have worked several different positions in the retail sector and it is hard work, but I think we can all agree that our culture is not well served if Master’s degree educated people are placed in those jobs. In fact, some experts would make the argument that it is a societal disservice all the way around; because the better educated person is taking a job away from a person who is qualified to work in the retail field that may have trouble finding other suitable work.

 

These are the types of scenarios that end up contributing to the downfall of a given society. It is about so much more than salary increases and 401(K) plans – it is about the opportunities given to those who have talents and skills to make necessary contributions to the improvement and progress of our society.

 

The root cause of all of this disparity is greed – from the top down on the part of everyone involved. It is all greed driven activity in its purest form.

 

Ms. Yellen spoke about our founders and the bedrock principles that America was based upon concerning economic mobility and equality of opportunity. The importance of those values within our society is unquestionably significant, the absence of those values in recent years is glaringly evident in the news regarding the income inequality gap.

 

Our founders believed in the presence and power of God in everything that they did in shaping this great nation. Our currency has “In God We Trust” inscribed on it, yet our society has moved further and further into secularization. The effects of relativism and the legislative movements away from our Judeo-Christian roots have caused a further erosion of our societal morals and value system.

 

We should care that our fellow citizens are sleeping on the street, have full time jobs but are forced to sleep in their car, or that many children living in America go to bed hungry every night. But many people either do not care or do not have the time to deal with those issues because they are trying to keep their own family fed and their own businesses running. It is a sad state of affairs, and it is getting worse.

 

In the end, our national discourse needs to shift with the understanding that in order for us to redistribute wealth, rebalance our economy, improve the housing market conditions, increase wages, and add strong paying jobs into the marketplace we have to take a different approach. We cannot rely on the Federal Reserve, the government, the business community, or any other man made institution.

 

Instead we need to approach this situation the way our Founding Fathers did and put our trust and faith in God. He has a plan for us all and for our nation, we need to return to our roots and rebuild our societal fabric with God at the center, and He will serve as our guiding force.

 

(Background information and statistics courtesy of CNBC, The Boston Globe, The NY Times, The Wall Street Journal, Gallup, Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Federal Reserve Board, United Press International, and Fox Business News)

 

 

by Frank Maduri

Rights Restricted: ESPN & The Bill Simmons Debacle

A big topic in the news today has been the suspension of sports journalist and commentator, Bill Simmons, by ESPN for his remarks regarding NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The three week suspension of Simmons by the network has drawn criticism across the mainstream media and social media networks.

 

In order to provide some background for those who might not be aware, Simmons launched headfirst into an explosive tirade filled with expletives on an internet “podcast” show that he hosts regarding Commissioner Goodell’s handling of the Ray Rice domestic abuse incident.

 

In his three minute verbal bashing of Mr. Goodell, Mr. Simmons asserts that the Commissioner saw the tape of Rice punching his then-fiancé in an Atlantic City casino elevator. He continues by stating that Goodell would “fail a lie-detector test” if it was administered to him.

 

Mr. Goodell had initially suspended Rice for 2 games, then when the tape from the elevator emerged and the NFL looked badly, he reversed the decision and suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Many people feel that the NFL saw the tape and were trying to cover up the incident by stating that they had not seen it during the initial investigation.

 

ESPN, which televises NFL games on Monday nights and pays billions of dollars for the rights to those broadcasts, acted swiftly by suspending Mr. Simmons for his comments about Commissioner Goodell. The response to this action by ESPN has been mostly negative for the network across the media and the social media sites, particularly Twitter. There is a Twitter “hashtag” which is trending today that notes a conversation thread of a hot topic and it is: #FreeBillSimmons.

 

In addition, Bill Simmons openly dared ESPN to suspend him for his comments, which probably was not the wisest course of action.

 

Many people feel that Simmons should not have been suspended for stating what many of us feel is the truth about the Ray Rice case. The fact that ESPN has a huge contract with the NFL makes the network look like they are pandering, and that they are restricting the freedom that the Constitution provides to those in the media to speak openly about any issue.

 

Fuel to the Fire

 

My friend pointed out to me on Facebook last night as we had some dialogue on this issue that ESPN’s suspension of Mr. Simmons is much longer than the action that the network took against another commentator, Stephen A. Smith, who was suspended for one week at the beginning of the Rice scandal a few weeks ago.

 

This wide variation in the suspension lengths was reported today by the mainstream media as well. In order to provide background for those who are not aware, Mr. Smith, also employed by ESPN indicated in statements on the air during ESPN programs that women provoke men and put men in the position to hit or physically abuse them. Those statements immediately raised a public uproar and ESPN responded by suspending Smith for one week.

 

The difference in the suspension actions taken by ESPN has added fuel to the fire and has opened network executives there to extensive public scrutiny and criticism that they punished Simmons strictly because he attacked the NFL, which is their “cash cow”.

 

However, the argument can be made that what Mr. Smith intimated in his comments has far greater long term ramifications on the central issue of domestic abuse than what Mr. Simmons said during his podcast.

 

The Other Side

 

In fairness, there are still others out there in the general public that do not view what ESPN does as pure journalism. They feel that the network is strictly a sports broadcasting medium which is greatly influenced in its coverage by the corporate sponsors and the big professional sports leagues which combine to provide them with huge advertising revenues.

 

Another faction feels that Mr. Simmons should have been suspended regardless because he represents ESPN and he used several foul words in his frustrated diatribe against the NFL and its’ commissioner, Roger Goodell. This viewpoint gains strength when considering that Mr. Simmons has a significant role on the network’s NBA basketball coverage which includes several Sunday afternoon games that children and young adults watch across the country on ABC.

 

Rights Restricted

 

The fact remains that the suspension of Mr. Simmons should have been made in-line with the suspension of Stephen A. Smith, or the network should add 3 weeks to the suspension of Smith in the near future. ESPN now has an image issue that it did not expect, and that no network wants to have to deal with.

 

The majority of the American public, which happens to be the prime customer for ESPN, believes that the network acted harshly to Simmons, muzzled his Constitutional rights as a journalist, and pandered to their corporate sponsors and the NFL.  That is a big problem for ESPN at this point which they will need to somehow address.

 

Unfortunately, I have seen this situation happen to other journalists that I know, and I can understand the sentiment that the freedom of the press is hindered by corporate interests from the big conglomerations which own the networks as well as the other forms of media. It will be a part of a much larger debate brought to light by this situation with Simmons and ESPN.

 

In the end, the NFL is a multi-billion dollar industry with tremendous resources and enormous power. Their story that they did not receive the tape during their investigation into Mr. Rice seems highly unlikely. Mr. Simmons was saying what many of us already knew or thought to be true. The fact that he got suspended for being upset about the NFL’s poor handling of a horrible incident involving the abuse of a defenseless woman while Mr. Smith got a far less rigorous suspension for actually defending Ray Rice is the root problem here.

 

That decision by the executives of the network is not only what is wrong with the whole situation involving freedom of the press, it is an indictment on our society. The fact that so many people found it as troubling as I did, gives me hope that maybe our future will be better than the issues of the past several weeks.