The Gift That Keeps On Giving - Matt

Last Christmas I mailed a good friend of mine, an editor at the Aegis and Record newspapers, a gift. He mailed it back, unopened, with a curt note attached.

Maybe this was to be expected. About a month-and-a-half earlier, we’d allowed some local businesspeople to run an ad for The Dagger in The Record newspaper – a rude, punkish shot across the bow from a news upstart to the local established media. And, we’d written a story based on court documents suggesting that someone at The Aegis may have given favorable ad rates to a political group. The story was, without a doubt, speculative; but it was far milder than some of the despotic opinion-making I’d seen go on in my time at the paper. Continue reading The Gift That Keeps On Giving - Matt

Aegis Launches Ink-Saving Campaign - Truncates Week-Old Letter

Homestead Publishing Company, parent of the Aegis and Record newspapers, announced Friday morning that, in order to save ink, letters to the editor would be arbitrarily truncated – particularly if those letters make mention of a certain local news and commentary website peopled largely by ex-Homesteaders.

In order to save costs at the printing press, The Aegis today cut a few words from a letter to the editor written by former legislative aide and former District C county council candidate Brian Young. The (almost) same letter was published here February 19.

Here’s the closing paragraph from Young’s letter, as posted on The Dagger:
Continue reading Aegis Launches Ink-Saving Campaign - Truncates Week-Old Letter

Feel The Love

The Dagger was offline this past weekend, quite literally at a wedding and a funeral. For everyone who’s still with us, a word of note: We received angry, angry emails from The Aegis and The Examiner over the past few days.

The Examiner editor reminded us that he’s worked for The New York Times, etc., and has “more than a dozen major awards to show for it.” The Aegis bristled and issued threats: “you guys are in way over your heads, but at least you have given more legitimacy to institutions like this one.” And, in a more sincere offering from a local newspaperman: “I believed you guys really had your hearts in it. But now I feel like it’s gone right to your heads.”

If we keep posting stories about ourselves, you’re sure to soon agree. And so, back to the election, folks…

An Offer They Couldn’t Refuse?

Speaking of benefactors, could The Aegis newspaper, Harford County’s community newspaper of record, have been helping the cause of an Aberdeen annexation opposition group behind the scenes last year?

More disturbing details from the testimony of a member of the annexation opposition, as part of the lawsuit that group filed against the City of Aberdeen, indicate the group, formerly known as Say No Annex or unofficially as ‘the redshirts,’ may have had an anonymous “Godfather” pampering them with services, support and cold hard cash – everything the group needed to take on the Wetlands annexation proposal.

It was long speculated such a “Godfather” existed, especially when the opposition group, which consists of Aberdeen and non-Aberdeen resident volunteers, was suddenly outfitted with matching shirts and signs, began distributing information pamphlets and mailers and purchased expensive advertisements in local newspapers. Continue reading An Offer They Couldn’t Refuse?