Jack Hawke
Reporting schlock
Submitted by James Protzman on Thu, 09/21/2006 - 9:14am.
UNC School of Journalism professor Phil Meyer wrote a book years ago called Precision Journalism. Among other things, it examined how news organizations should and shouldn't use polling data to supplement their stories. Apparently, the cracker-jack political reporting staff at the News and Observer missed a few classes.
It's bad enough that the N&O's Rob Christensen consistently relies on Art Pope's Puppets as sources to bolster his stories. But today, Pope's "multi-million-dollar opinion-manufacturing machine" grabs the golden ring in a trashy little piece of reporting that should be embarrassing. If he were in class with Professor Meyer today, Christensen's lame excuse for news would have received an automatic F.
The Conservative Mind
Submitted by James Protzman on Mon, 08/28/2006 - 1:50pm.
People who are actively involved in North Carolina politics often find themselves in the Twilight Zone of wacko mailing lists. My significant other, who used to be chair of the faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill, is one such person. Which might explain why she’s lucky enough to receive her very own copy of Conservative Citizen, published several times a year by the John William Pope Civitas Institute.
Puppetmaster Sideshow
Submitted by James Protzman on Sat, 04/22/2006 - 12:31pm.You have to admire Art 'The Puppetmaster' Pope. He hedges his bets like crazy, always working to spin more plates in his circus just in case his ego starts flailing. One of his recent start-ups is the Civitas Institute, headed by his old buddy Jack Hawke. According to their 2005 filings, Civitas is running on chump change from the Puppetmaster, a mere $308,000 in annual contributions - which accounts for pretty much the entire Civitas operating budget. (See attachment.)
I won't embarrass Mr. Hawke and his Sideshow sidekick, Thomas Stith, by posting the piddling salaries they get for doing the Puppetmaster's dirty work. It's sad, though, to see grown men selling their souls for next to nothing to do nothing worth doing.
Know your enemies
Submitted by James Protzman on Thu, 04/20/2006 - 1:08pm.Today's installment of Know Your Enemies focuses on a creepy little extension of the Puppetshow called The John William Pope Civitas Institute, Inc. The cast of characters is a veritable Who's Who in North Carolina Wackoland, and the boss man is non other than Jack Hawke, Art Pope's poor twin and occasional water-carrier.
There's more . . .
