Matt Ward pretends he is a muckraker, taking after the likes of Mike Royko, Upton Sinclair and maybe Edwin Murrow. However, in reality, Ward is just a hotheaded person who hates it when someone criticize him or the Pahrump Valley Times.
The PVT has gone after personally, several conservatives in Nye County, often including their opinion in their supposed news articles. http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2011/03/worst-newspaper-article-ever-written.html
Now, this week, Ward and other members of the PVT editorial board have gone after 2 different people personally in their editorial cartoons err, editorials.
From this editorial: Sheriff’s Capt. Bill Becht’s letter to the editor is reprinted next to this editorial for good reason. Please refer to it as you read the following opinion piece.
Becht should be pleased with himself — like any good, freedom loving American, he was able to voice his opinion, make his position known and enlighten us all. He added to the debate. The First Amendment gives him the special status to do that without facing any serious consequences. Freedom.
His rank as a sheriff’s captain no doubt gives his words extra forcefulness. He probably even has a bit of what one would call, extra freedom. How American is that?http://pvtimes.com/news/editorial-board-we-demand-open-records-ncso-transparency/
It should be noted that the PVT has basically banned me from commenting on different articles. How American is that, Matt Ward?
Poor Bill. We knew he was upset with us, so we attempted to get him to agree to help us resolve this before we wrote this editorial. In Becht’s defense, he did just what we wanted; he sat down with a reporter just this week, went over the daily dispatch log, which gives a list of all the calls for service in the county in a given period, and generally seemed able to help us. We thought to ourselves, “finally, we can do our JOB.”Ahh, yes, such professionalism from the editorial board.
Your rights, the right to know, the right to government transparency, are being maligned here, not the NCSO.
We’re fed up with this. No more cajoling or playing footsies. If this situation isn’t resolved with utmost speed this debate is going to a new venue and very quickly. Already in the last few weeks we’ve heard disturbing news coming out of the NCSO, which makes the case for greater transparency all that much stronger — telephonic search warrants being done improperly, unwritten policies about subpoenaing police officers raising questions, use of stale evidence to investigate real criminals, with the results being perhaps a child sex offender getting off in the end, not to mention rumors of tons of union grievances, thefts at the jail as well as questions about the manner evidence in criminal cases is being stored. Perhaps it is this mountain of other troubles DeMeo’s lack of transparency is meant to hide. Who knows.
All we know is this, times up.
DeMeo, add poor open records policy to the list of messes you need to clean up. Or we are going to get it cleaned up for you.What are you going to do, PVT, stomp your feet and hold your breath?
The problem with liberals is that they think words will make a difference. When Nye County switched over to the new radio system and effectively shut down the use of police scanners, the PVT said nothing, even though I brought it up both in a blog article and comment on the article. http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2011/04/nye-county-becomes-closer-to-having.html
Further, when I asked the PVT how they will cover the news, this was their response:
So, please PVT answer the question: How will the newspaper know about crimes in Nye County? Do you have a special scanner? Do you have a police radio that allows you to listen but not talk? Or are you going to rely on the sheriff’s department for the news?
- I’ll let the editor know you’re looking for him. This is a production day for the PVT. Right now, he’s extremely busy.
Pahrump Valley Times says:
PVT
Has the PVT asked the Nye County Sheriff for a radio to listen to but not able to transmit, like other news agencies have done around the Country? Nah, they were probably to busy.
And now this editorial:
My goodness, Harley. It’s not enough that you come into my office and interrupt me during my busiest work day. But you also have to accuse me of writing some bland political trivia — and please believe me when I tell you that I consider you losing to Laurayne Murray (who is she?) by 500 votes or Midge Carver (umm, who?) by 922 votes in who cares when to be nothing more than trivia — into one of my reporter’s stories.
I tell you I didn’t. You don’t believe me. The reporter tells you I didn’t, you don’t believe him.
And now you have the gall to write this egomaniacal, paranoid letter for all the world to read? You are unbelievable.
That’s sad. You’re sad. And I am sad for your constituents. They deserve better than this.
Didn’t it even cross your mind that if I really were out to tarnish your good name that I had much better material to choose from than your pathetic performance during your unsuccessful races for state assembly and county commission? You were arrested for choking a guy out during a town festival for crying out loud — while you were supposed to be helping the local Boy Scouts to boot. My goodness! And that tirade at the Democratic headquarters here, didn’t you have an octogenerian shaking like a leaf?
You might scare the elderly, but you don’t scare me — well, maybe a little bit.
Your past is fair game. You don’t like it, take your blanky and go home. You chose to be an elected official, enjoy the spotlight, and now you want to throw a tempy tantrum over this newspaper reporting the FACTS!
Why don’t you spend less time watering your ego and more time concentrating on being a better public servant. This letter is not what we consider meeting voter expectations.
My God man, get over yourself.
— Matt Ward
http://pvtimes.com/opinion/45843/
Wow. Talk about throwing a temper tantrum by Matt Ward. Professional journalists, which Ward apparently is not one of, would ignore people like Harley.
I don't know Harley or who he is, but apparently, he is a reader of the paper, in other words a customer. Same with any supporters Harley has.
Maybe Ward is trying to intimidate people who second guess the newspaper. Maybe Ward is a second grader posing as a newspaper editor. Perhaps Ward is just pissed off that a liberal like himself has to live and work in a conservative county. That would be like me living in Madison, WI. Oh wait, I did live In Madison and I never went off on a person like this.
Whatever it is, the wheels seem to be falling off the PVT. Maybe their jobs are at stake. Maybe they just don't like working in Pahrump. Or maybe they feel threatened that people see through their incompetence and so they decide to retaliate against them in print.
Whatever it is, The PVT certainly has earned the right to be called one of the worst and unprofessional newspapers I have ever read.
Maybe that explains why they have no local advertising on their web site.
Wise, wise words, I have to admit.
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