Illuzi - should he be fed to the wolves?

[GeorgeB]

The Buffalo News has an excellent article detailing the unethical - and possibly illegal- conduct by PoliticsWNY.com and it's partner magazine.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial...04/1064398.asp

My question to our readers is do you think that he should be charged with violation of state election law? If not, why? If so, why?

Personally, I think he should be charged, and ordered to cease and desist his dirty business practices. The "pay-to-play" culture is in direct conflict with the principles of democracy, and should not be tolerated. I'd like to see him made an example of. I ask you to urge Frank Clark to investigate if you see things as I do.

[watchdog]

I think you know my answer...

[therising]

Wow, I didn't realize this guy has such a shady past.

Should he be charged? I don't see why not.

As for the magazine and website, seems like it's days of money-making will soon be history after this story gets more exposure.

[buffy]

yeah, what politician wants to be seen as caving into a shakedown by a con artist...that's basically what he does...shakes u down for $5,000
cons u into thinking his site matters

[dcoffee]

when the magazine first came out I was excited to see another independent news source, but the whole thing is a sham.

it's not a news source at all, it's 100% paid advertising. once you know that all the politicians who receive positive articles are giving Joe money, it's really hard to read it with a straight face.

the picture below was taken of the second issue, the same disclaimer doesn't appear in the new issues, probably because Joe was clued in to the fact that it's illegal, but that doesn't mean that anything has changed.

[citymouse]

They guy is definatley a sham artist. I never read his "magazine" and never will. The best way to make him go away is to not be one of his customers.
I just can't belive how much money he made and how easy he made it. Makes you think.

[GeorgeB]

Originally posted by watchdog
I think you know my answer...

Uhh, yeah

I think I mentioned it before, but nice job again on calling them out on those stats, by the way!!

[buffalopundit]

Originally posted by GeorgeB
Uhh, yeah

I think I mentioned it before, but nice job again on calling them out on those stats, by the way!!

Thanks ;-)

[Treeguy]

The guy openly advertised for covers, etc. I would think if it was illegal that he would put shade on it. He did it right out for anyone to see/pay. I have no knowledge of the legalities of this but would think someone would have charged him with somthing by now. Whatever the case, whoever his sources are , are usually right on target with their stories or predictions. I look at it everyday. ( the site )

[Ragin]

I just had to check out his website.

He wrote an update .. ranting & raving about the Buffalo News story.

He sounds like a real nut case.

[WNYresident]

It's ironic he has a whistle blower section on in his mag/website.

I personally liked this part

The Sunday, front page attempt at character assassination predicated on two rarely read, irrelevant blogs, now that's journeyman-journalism, Mike. Blogger, ambulance chaser, Alan Bedenko's claim to fame be a guest on WBEN 930 "Hardline with Hardwick".

We saw his stats. He's read as rarely as they are.







politicswny.com

(See the Aug., 05 WHISTLEBLOWERS column as reprinted on the web site today)

The result has been, not only one of the greatest abuses of journalistic power in newspaper history, but a financial debacle the likes of which most area residents have never seen, a disaster for which the editors of the Buffalo News deserve a share of the responsibility.

Yet, instead of owning up to their error, they have chosen to try to avoid taking the blame for their glaring lapse by surrendering their front page to a selective hatchet job on an enterprising rival..

Selective?

Already, the proof is coming in. For example, when Mike Beebe interviewed Erie County Democratic Chairman Len Lenihan for today’s anti-Illuzzi rant, Lenihan reminded him that it was PoliticsNY.net which broke most of the stories related to the long developing Giambra fiscal meltdown at County Hall.

Funny, Beebe didn’t include that statement in his “story.”

When Beebe interviewed Erie County Republican Chairman Bob Davis, Davis told him that if your want to get your message out, you go to PoliticsNY.net.

Funny that didn’t make it into Beebe’s “story” either.

An amazing lapse coming from a JOURNALIST with a capital J like Mike; we liked Mike. Illuzzi reading Mike's running column for years; Illuzzi a veteran of 10 marathons & one triathlon. Mike emailing Illuzzi a number of times a few years back discussing his opinions on the then IlluzziLetter.com. Mike asking Illuzzi not to mention their exchange. We would extrapolate that Illuzzi haters, editors Stan Evans or Jim Heaney had their way with the story before it was published. Just cannot believe Mike would have wrote such a tabloid type diatribe.

The Sunday, front page attempt at character assassination predicated on two rarely read, irrelevant blogs, now that's journeyman-journalism, Mike. Blogger, ambulance chaser, Alan Bedenko's claim to fame be a guest on WBEN 930 "Hardline with Hardwick". Hardwick a former advertiser, opened his first three shows with Mr Illuzzi. Proudly claiming, "PoliticsWNY.com is his home page. The place to go for the latest in political news." The other Marc Odein just fired, i.e. asked to resign, from Channel 2 for malfeasance.

Come on Mike, tell the truth, you brought up the bloggers not Illuzzi. Mike, you paraphrased Illuzzi with that "sounds better" quote with respect to hits. Illuzzi, as you well know Mike, explained that is the term used most often to this day to describe web traffic. One local talk show host refers to his hits just about every day on his am WBEN 930 show.

Mike you quoted Lee Coppola incorrectly; didn't you Mike? Illuzzi or no one else ever suggested PoliticsNY.Net Inc ever sold editorial content. You made that up, right Mike?

Mike, conversely, if Illuzzi sold ads in violation of election law, the people buying the ads are equally culpable. So your writing that 17 Supreme Court candidates, the DA, law enforcement candidates, et al., had it wrong & you and a couple of obscure bloggers have it right? Right, Mike?

Mike, the Buffalo News posts a corrections section every day. Also, too this day the News applies the wrong photos to the wrong person, just recently Dan Ward in an article about Dennis Ward. At least Illuzzi admits, in the hurried world of Internet publishing, spelling & punctuation errors happen.

Mike, Mr Illuzzi's faith never came up in that 90 minutes he spent with you Thursday. You just thought you would use that for effect, Mike. Kind of your truth being the truth, right Mike.

“I think the problem is that the Buffalo News has been losing readers. Not they are eliminating their afternoon edition because nobody’s reading it. So now they are blaming Joe Illuzzi and PoliticsNY.net for their problems,” says Cheektowaga/Lancaster County Legislator Ray Dusza.

“Obviously what the Buffalo News doesn’t like is the fact that the Joe Illuzzi’s web site and magazine are the only alternative we have to the News, the only place we can go to get accurate news without the slant and private agenda the Buffalo News puts on everything.”

Dusza's remarks reflecting the many similar responses received by this publication to Mike's article. We couldn’t have said it better.

[biker]

Originally posted by buffy
yeah, what politician wants to be seen as caving into a shakedown by a con artist...

Every darn one of 'em, if they just had the dough.

[biker]

I thought it strange that Sunday's article kept referencing $5,000 cover and ad package prices, except for Helfer. His tab was gonna be $25,000.

Must be a separate rate card for those rich (and numerous) City Repubs.

[citymouse]

I must admit that I was swayed against Illuzi after reading the Buffalo News Story. However having just read those two pieces that Res posted I find it highly credible that the news is doing a hatchet job on the guy.
Any one who ever was involved in WNY politics knows the News prints all the News it see's fit to print. They leave pertinent details out that may go against the point they try to but forth. They write entire exposes based on innuendo and are far from fair and unbiased in their reporting.
I think I am starting to smell a rat and it isn't Mr. Illuzzi.

[WNYresident]

Well he lost creditbility when everyone saw his stats for the website.