http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2013/01/14/former-uca-president-meadors-strikes-plea-bargain Comments On: Former UCA president Meadors strikes plea bargain by Max Brantley en-us Copyright 2013 Arkansas Times. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, Arkansas Times readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact Arkansas Times. robert@arktimes.com (Arkansas Times Webmaster) Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:01 -0500 Sun, 19 May 2013 04:30:00 -0500 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by couldn't be better]]> Tue, 15 Jan 2013 06:22:18 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by plainjim]]> Mon, 14 Jan 2013 20:16:50 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by plainjim]]> Mon, 14 Jan 2013 19:58:20 -0600 Arkansas Times
Have you tried? You are journalists right? This is what you do?
I'm aware Max that the Times' resources are not as abundant as they should be for the sake of a vibrant press. But I don't get the point of this posting. FOIA is cheap and if you really want to shine some really urgently needed sunshine into the UAs secrets, just do it. I provided you with evidence of document tampering by the UA with respect to the Walton-funded Education Reform department and you weren't interested enough to pursue it.

In response to the Choate scandal, I wrote this letter to the ADG:

"The University of Arkansas’ Advancement Division has mismanaged $3.1 million - a story that cries out for in-depth journalistic research. Unfortunately, all the Democrat-Gazette editorial has to offer is a cheap diatribe.

The blame heaped on Brad Choate, the administrator at the center of the scandal, is deserved but the editors' ideological attack on public service is dishonest. If you believe the editors, financial mismanagement would never happen at a private corporation – never mind the two billion dollar loss caused by a single JPMorganChase trader earlier this year. The editors must live in a parallel universe where they have never heard of golden parachutes for incompetent corporate managers. Their fairy-tale version of capitalism is laughable in light of the recent financial industry meltdown and taxpayer bailout.

The editors have it exactly backwards: the University doesn't need to act like a corporation - it needs to be a public institution dedicated to the common good and accountable to the people. The tendency of chasing after the money of rich donors and hiring ever more ever higher-paid administrators (not to mention athletic directors) is not a healthy one.

This year, when the University awarded merit pay raises, most faculty members got about $2,000 per year, based on performance reviews. Yet dozens of individuals, including Mr. Choate, were awarded raises in the tens of thousands, according to the openUA portal. Is there adequate oversight over these disbursements of public money? The Democrat-Gazette could help foster transparency by researching the University's pay structure. Less ranting, more quality reporting!" (Published version here http://epaper.ardemgaz.com/Repository/getF… - you can see a few subtle changes in tone.)

It seems that the media in Arkansas aren't doing their job of researching and reporting stories of public interest any more. Who else is gonna do the job?
Posted by TM]]> Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:13:21 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by Freedom]]> Mon, 14 Jan 2013 13:40:33 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by Sound Policy]]> Mon, 14 Jan 2013 13:15:10 -0600 Arkansas Times