Chicago - A message from the station manager

The [Friday] Papers

By Steve Rhodes

“In his first full day as president of Chicago’s largest police union, Officer Kevin Graham appeared at a news conference to address reporters seeking details of his plan for leading the embattled rank-and-file of the police force,” the Tribune reports.
“With cameras and reporters ready at the Fraternal Order of Police lodge in the West Town neighborhood, Graham spoke for one minute, offered no specifics, said ‘thank you’ and left without taking questions.”


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“Graham has not answered or returned phone calls from the Tribune, and a union official and officer who has acted as his spokesman, Martin Preib, asked for questions via e-mail and referred a reporter to the positions stated on a blog set up for the union election slate Graham led, called The Blue Voice.” (Link mine, of course.)
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Off to a good start!
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For those unfamiliar with Martin Preib, that’s a story for another time (or another place; Assignment Desk, activate!) but his existence in union leadership is also not good news for those seeking reform and transparency.
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“[Graham’s] campaign promised a tougher approach to media relations, and a brief Facebook post promised that Chicago media would ‘be held accountable’ if he were elected,” WBEZ reports.
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To be fair, Graham did sit down with WGN-TV for some reason – and the first thing he said the union needed was “very good communication.”
Needless to say, but I’ll say it anyway, the interview was shallow and frustrating. Watch it and ask yourself, what was the point? Did viewers come away from it more informed or less informed?
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For more on the new police union president, see The [Thursday] Papers.
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See also: Rahm’s reformy police video release policy revealed as fake. In The [Monday] Papers.
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Beachwood Photo Booth: Chicken Run
Fleeing the Coop.
Report: Surveillance Begins In Grade School
“School children are being spied on by tech companies through devices and software used in classrooms that often collect and store kids’ names, birth dates, browsing histories, location data, and much more – often without adequate privacy protections or the awareness and consent of parents.”
Beachwood Sports Radio: Playoff Thrill & Chill
The Blackhawks and Bulls enthusiasm gap. Plus: Cubs Got Cool-Ass Rings; South Side Rumors; The Lessons Of Cameron Lee; Delle Donne Is Out; Schweinsteiger Is In; and Weekend Advice From The Coach.
The Week In Chicago Rock
Is in pre-production.
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BeachBook
New York Observer Alum On How Jared Kushner Tried To Use The Paper To Target A Real Estate Rival.

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The Media Vs. What A Task Force On Prostate Screening Really Said.

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TweetWood
A sampling.


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The Beachwood Tronc Line: Cut the line.

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Posted on April 14, 2017