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The dinner that didn't happen


Tvandermyde

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I have recieved a couple of calls and emails about a dinner I gad with Senator Wilhemi.

 

I did have dinner with him and Senator Noland and Senator Haine. We ate at Mulderner's (sp?) in springfield. However in the reporting, I screwed it up and had a type with a extra digit.

 

The reporter is saying it was a $814 dinner. yet if you would have looked at the report, you would have seen two other legislators listed on the same date same report for $81.50.

 

Did we go to dinner? Yes. Was there $800 involved, no. The reporter did not call me and ask for my side otherwise I would have corrected the report on the spot and told him the whole story. But someone was just lookign for a cheap shot to write on a dinner with a price tag that did not occur.

 

Shoddy reporting to make one of our frineds look bad. If you can drop by what ever paper posts the story and blast them for no verification on the story inthe comments section.

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With Obama in town charging $100 - 35,800 a plate it's refreshing to see an honest man Todd!

 

He will land at O'Hare International Airport late this afternoon, then attend two private fundraisers--at the N9NE and MK Chicago restaurants--before heading to the main event at Navy Pier at 7 p.m.

 

Tickets range from $100 to the legal maximum of $35,800. Part of the money will go to the president's 2012 re-election campaign and part to the Democratic National Committee.

 

The Navy Pier event is hosted by Gen44, a group of young Obama supporters. About 2,000 are expected to attend. Notable attendees will include Bulls star Derrick Rose, Pittsburgh Steeler and former U. of I. player Rashard Mendenhall and Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks. Grammy Award-winner Colbie Caillat will perform. Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel also is scheduled to be there.

 

The restaurant fundraisers will each be attended by about 225 people.

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Kurt:

 

In your story "$814 dinner should impress state senator", did you bother to verify that a rather incredible amount was spent in Springfield on a dinner?

 

No, you didn't. You thought you had something to portray the NRA as a big, influence-purchasing bad guy.

 

You even acknowledge a possible error: "When asked about the big tab last week, Wilhelmi didn’t know exactly how the whole thing came to be reported. He thinks it might have been a typographical error..."

 

Yet, you acknowledge it may have been a typo but you didn't bother to make a single additional phone call to double check that?

 

Let me help you out, Mr. Gumshoe. Todd's cell phone number is 708 218-xxx0.

 

Half-assed reporting like yours is why the old media continues to shed its audience. Yeah, that's right. Your work was half-assed. Or malicious. Or both.

 

I've carbon copied your bosses. Hopefully they do better work than you, Kurt.

 

Regrettably, I have my doubts, because your immediate editor apparently didn't think to double check the story either. Or he did his job so half-assed that he didn't bother reading your story before putting it in the layout.

 

John

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heres the link tot he article

http://herald-review.com/news/state-and-regional/article_3e11937a-68b7-11e0-8871-001cc4c002e0.html

 

he even goes over the menu to determine how hard it would be to rack up a 800 dollar tab, and that still doesnt make him think maybe its in error

 

kurt does add as an afterthought

 

When asked about the big tab last week, Wilhelmi didn’t know exactly how the whole thing came to be reported. He thinks it might have been a typographical error, rather than his being extraordinarily hungry.

 

“The decimal point might have been moved,” he told me.

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I just filed this on the Herald and Review discussion board for that article. I'm also going to cut and paste it to the editor of the paper. I ususally like Erickson's stuff, but he's lost a reader, at least a friendly one with this tripe.

 

TimB says:

 

Ah yes, responsible journalism at it's best. Good gravy Kurt, can you take a minute to verify anything?? You point out in the article yourself that it's impossible for one or even two people to run up a $814 bill at the restaurant in question. And yet, you publish something like this?? I don't know if you were trying to smear Senator Wilhelmi, the NRA, Todd Vandermyde or just lobbyists in general. Whatever your intent, you failed miserably. You did a great job in pointing out how shallow and desperate you are for something to write about. In the target rich environment that is Springfield and Illinois politics, I'd think you could find something else to expound upon than an incorrect expense report!!

 

I used to look forward to your column in the Herald and Review. Now, each one will be read with a sense of skepticism.

 

By the way, Todd frequents another internet board that I visit. He's already explained that he's checked the records and had you taken the time to look, or call him, you would have found that there were two other Senators at that dinner, each listed at $81.40. Pricey enough, but certainly not $814.

 

And they wonder why nobody reads newspapers or trusts the media anymore.

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Actaully the cost of the dinner would have been $1600. We get to take the cost and divide it by the people there. So if his share was 800, it would have been 1600 if just the two of us.

 

since there were 4, $2400 would have been the total using his math.

 

 

You better quit drinking those cheap Heinies and start rolling out the big dollar wines then if you're gonna make $800 a person.

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Actaully the cost of the dinner would have been $1600. We get to take the cost and divide it by the people there. So if his share was 800, it would have been 1600 if just the two of us.

 

since there were 4, $2400 would have been the total using his math.

 

 

You better quit drinking those cheap Heinies and start rolling out the big dollar wines then if you're gonna make $800 a person.

or find a place serving this $765 beer (and its 110 proof to boot!)

 

http://www.geekologie.com/2010/07/22/wtf-beer-1.jpg

http://www.geekologie.com/2010/07/now_thats_classy_worlds_most_e.php

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At what point does it become slander?

 

That's exactly what I was thinking. All these news outlets picking up on it, downing Mr. Vandermyde and not doing any research at all. Sounds slanderous to me.

I think slander is basically making a verbal statement saying something that makes someone look bad while libel on the other hand is publishing something that makes someone look bad.

 

No matter the definition if I were Todd I'd be getting a public retraction real quick or I'd be asking he NRA to have their legal department get in touch with those concerned. The media is entitled to the facts but they're not entitled to make them up to suit their agenda.

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Actaully the cost of the dinner would have been $1600. We get to take the cost and divide it by the people there. So if his share was 800, it would have been 1600 if just the two of us.

 

since there were 4, $2400 would have been the total using his math.

 

 

You better quit drinking those cheap Heinies and start rolling out the big dollar wines then if you're gonna make $800 a person.

 

 

Even I can't drink that many Heinies.

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No matter the definition if I were Todd I'd be getting a public retraction real quick or I'd be asking he NRA to have their legal department get in touch with those concerned. The media is entitled to the facts but they're not entitled to make them up to suit their agenda.

the problem with that is, if the original author prints a retraction, are all the sources that reprinted his article going to reprint the retraction? is everyone who the read the article going to read the retraction? will everyone believe the retraction or will some people just think kurt erickson got an 800 dollar dinner?

 

while printing a retraction is the ethical thing to do, its little more than a token gesture. the horses have already left

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If you guys are interested 'The Pantagraph' mirrored the story and people are commenting how it was legal bribery blah blah bullsh**. Only a couple people seem to know what's going on here.

 

http://www.pantagrap...1cc4c03286.html

 

Erikson is syndicated and shows up in several newspapers across the state on different days of the week. Here's his address at Lee Enterprises: kurt.erickson@lee.net Lee Enterprises owns the paper in Bloomington, Decatur, Mattoon, Charleston and the Southern Illinoisian. I'm sending him the same note at this address as I posted in the Decatur paper. If I can find the right address, I'll forward it on to an Editor at Lee Enterprises and advise him that they have a columnist publishing lies and heresay without checking the facts.

 

They need to know.

 

AB

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If you guys are interested 'The Pantagraph' mirrored the story and people are commenting how it was legal bribery blah blah bullsh**. Only a couple people seem to know what's going on here.

 

http://www.pantagrap...1cc4c03286.html

 

Erikson is syndicated and shows up in several newspapers across the state on different days of the week. Here's his address at Lee Enterprises: kurt.erickson@lee.net Lee Enterprises owns the paper in Bloomington, Decatur, Mattoon, Charleston and the Southern Illinoisian. I'm sending him the same note at this address as I posted in the Decatur paper. If I can find the right address, I'll forward it on to an Editor at Lee Enterprises and advise him that they have a columnist publishing lies and heresay without checking the facts.

 

They need to know.

 

AB

 

 

I believe his "home" paper is the Herald and Review.

 

Their senior editors and publishers all have the lee.net URLS.

 

John

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For $814...I want to be invited to that party. :rofl:

 

Cam

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Unfortunately I don't think there is any undoing the damage done. Mr. Vandermyde's typo is kinda the same thing as Father Pfleger using the word snuff instead of sniff.

 

Unfortunately the author didn't bother to fact check even though it seems he brought up several reasons to doubt such a big tab.

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Unfortunately I don't think there is any undoing the damage done. Mr. Vandermyde's typo is kinda the same thing as Father Pfleger using the word snuff instead of sniff.

No, there's a difference.

 

Reverend Pfleger said

 

He's the owner of Chuck's. John Riggio. R-i-g-g-i-o. We're going to find you and snuff you out…

You could substitute words like "kill" or "destroy" where "snuff"occurs and keep the same meaning (even if the grammar gets awkward). Substituting "sniff" doesn't seem to make any sense at all.

 

I really don't see bad typing skills in the same light as calling for another's murder.

 

Here's a link to the video

 

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Unfortunately I don't think there is any undoing the damage done. Mr. Vandermyde's typo is kinda the same thing as Father Pfleger using the word snuff instead of sniff.

No, there's a difference.

 

Reverend Pfleger said

 

He's the owner of Chuck's. John Riggio. R-i-g-g-i-o. We're going to find you and snuff you out…

You could substitute words like "kill" or "destroy" where "snuff"occurs and keep the same meaning (even if the grammar gets awkward). Substituting "sniff" doesn't seem to make any sense at all.

 

I really don't see bad typing skills in the same light as calling for another's murder.

 

Here's a link to the video

 

 

I always felt thought he meant sniff.

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I always felt thought he meant sniff.

 

Phleger (I refuse to call him Rev, Father or even Mr.) doesn't know what he meant. He just rattles at the mouth to create as much panic and fear as possible. He didn't need to "sniff", he knew where John was. He meant "snuff". Now, whether he meant snuff as in kill or snuff as in put out of business is up for debate. For our purposes, let's just say his choice of words was fortuitous.

 

AB

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Pantagraph disabled commenting on the story. Talking badly about others is ok but when people start criticizing them it's not acceptable lol

 

Good! That means we got their attention!! Now, if that transfers to Mr. Erickson, we'll have accomplished our goal!!

 

AB

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