Town Stops Linking to Planet Princeton Stories

A Tuesday night email sent from the town to residents who subscribe to the town’s email update system included a link to a page on the town’s website that lists recent news articles about Princeton. The page links to individual articles about Princeton.

The town started curating links to Princeton stories from local news outlets on Feb. 25. Planet Princeton stories were listed several times the first few weeks, but then the town abruptly stopped listing links to stories from Planet Princeton after March 13. Planet Princeton is no longer being linked to even when the story is a positive one, like the Planet Princeton story about the Princeton Public Library winning a national award.(Planet Princeton was the only local media outlet to run that story).

Princeton continues to link to stories from other local news outlets. Officials appear to be cherry picking which outlet’s story the town links to on a particular topic. For example, the only story the town has linked to about the settlement agreement with Police Chief David Dudeck is from the Daily Princetonian. Other news outlets have written numerous stories about the issue and covered the same meeting about the settlement agreement.

Previously the Princeton Consolidation Commission and the Transition Task Force linked to stories about the consolidation of the two Princetons, but did not pick and choose. Even if the story potentially could have reflected negatively on the town, stories from all media outlets were posted on the consolidation and transition website managed by consultant CGR.

 

13 Comments

  1. It would be almost impossible to link to every story about a particular topic. The solution is for the town not to run its own news service. It’s a waste of municipal time as people are plenty able to pick up Princeton news themselves. The current situation is weird, because as you say they are randomly picking links from local new sources. There is no way that the links chosen are supposed to be the best, it is a more or less random list. They really shouldn’t link to Princeton Packet online either, because Princeton Packet online content becomes locked behind a paywall after 30 days and is therefore inaccessible to most people.

    1. Yes, it would be impossible to link to every story on a particular topic. We agree. But it is noteworthy that for almost two months there has not been a single link to a PP story. Maybe it is just an oversight, but doubt it. It will be interesting to learn more about how they pick and choose.

      1. You can probably forget about getting any more links from them after that story you wrote about your OPRA requests!!! 🙂

        1. Local official abridge peaceful assembly, if you know peaceful assemblies are a form of local decisions making with ayes and nays of all present. Local officials are neither the state nor the people, the tenth amendment reserves powers for. So of course an unconstitutional local incorporation of officals is going to be prone to corruption.

        2. Local official abridge peaceful assembly, if you know peaceful assemblies are a form of local decision- making with ayes and nays of all present. Local officials are neither the state nor the people, the tenth amendment reserves powers for. So of course an unconstitutional local incorporation of officials is going to be prone to corruption.

          1. In fact I brought up the issue before a federal judge in 2004, with Princeton a party, and got no press coverage anywhere; so much for free press.

  2. The town is now proving itself to be sleazy-like-Home-Depot, which only publishes online reviews which do not criticize their own customer service even mildly (even if you’ve had a rough time of it). Way to built trust, Princeton. Not.

  3. I’ll be doubly sure, then, to check Planet Princeton myself directly for the important news this platform offers.

  4. Personally, I read PP everyday. I think the journalism is aimed where it should be aimed. At making Princeton a better community. And retaining the charm Princeton has always offered. So I would not worry very much that your not linking. Just raise the pirate flag a little higher.

    1. Thanks Craig, not worried but do think it was worth a brief post, because perhaps it says something about how local government operates. Love the pirate analogy!

  5. As long as PP continues the good work of informing the community and puts it all out there, we will know that we can count on PP for objective, real news. Keep on the good work, that is what matters.

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