THE McALLEN BLOGGER, A CASE STUDY IN YELLOW JOURNALISM!

Eduardo Martinez

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, this is historic!

Not since Charles Dawson stumbled across the Piltdown Man in 1912, purported to be the "missing link" between man and ape, have we witnessed such a  hoax, indeed, a fraud!

Amateur archaeologist Dawson is said to have fused together the skull of a human with the jawbone of an orangutan, even filing the teeth to make them appear more human, in such manner discovering "evidence" of human evolution.

Fast forwarding a century and seven years to 2019, amateurish blogger Eduardo Martinez, said to not own a car to actually transport him to Brownsville, who "gleans" Facebook factoids for his stories from reliable sources like Charlie Atkinson and some older fellow named Frank Garcia, we have another Piltdown-like "discovery' reported in the Brownsville Republic.  

Two days ago the Republic carried a bogus story claiming that Mayor Tony Martinez and mayoral candidate Trey Mendez were "joined at the hip," working in tandem to enrich themselves via city government.

Eduardo's sources?  Zero, even admitting in his "story," he was relying on "scuttlebutt," that is, gossip, hearsay, rumor.  

No real journalist would fabricate a story, claiming Mendez and Martinez had formed an alliance, without solid proof.

Welcome to Yellow Journalism 2019!

Notice Mr. Yellow's own admission:

"Martinez and Mendez have also not gone after each other, although the scuttlebutt there is that both men are good friends socially and would likely not sling mud in each others’ direction. In fact, it is being said that Mendez would be okay if Martinez won re-election and Martinez would be okay if Mendez kicked his ass on Election Night."

Yes, a fake story, based on mere scuttlebutt!

Even a casual relistening to last Sunday's Whine and Cheez podcast, featuring Mayor Martinez, Trey Mendez and Carlie Cabler, shows Mendez and Martinez verbally sparring at several junctures, while, it is Cabler and Martinez who carefully avoid criticizing each other.

Yet, still no retraction from the ethics and source-challenged McAllen blogger!

TRANSCRIPTED EXCHANGES FROM 3/3/2019 WHINE AND CHEEZE PODCAST

At the 7:29 mark(the restart after technical difficulties) Trey Mendez says the public was not informed about the proposed utility rate raise: "One thing that bothers me about the vote was that it was on short notice, during the day when no citizens were able to attend.

Tony Martinez interrupts:  "Then you might want to read the public record."  

Mendez:  "I will do that."

Martinez:  "It's in English! That's the kind of misinformation we don't need in politics.  The P.U.B. does an excellent job, better than some of these trustees at some of these colleges."

Ouch!

Mendez explaining the termination of Lily Tercero as TSC President, the appeals process, etc.:

"The legal process works in many facets.  The court ordered a judgement.  Yes, it was $13 million.  Our attorneys feel that should be significantly reduced.  The college has not yet paid a penny.  We feel the award should be knocked down substantially.  Looking back, I would not change a single thing about the vote, just possibly the process.

Martinez:  "I've been a lawyer over 45 years.  Some of these young lawyers try to pull the veil over the eyes of the jurors.  The jurors can see right through that veil at something that's unfair.  That's when you get a $13 million judgment.  Truth of the matter is about 98% of these are settled. . . .When a jury,  in that amount of time, comes out with that kind of verdict, it's reflective of getting rid of a college president in a 41 minute meeting.  I think they saw right through the whole thing."

Later, when Mayor Martinez says we have to wait on the Carlos Elizondo trial for details about the diversion of calls to a private ambulance service, Trey Mendez disagrees:  "Former Chief Elizondo's trial deals with other monies. . . ."

Martinez:  "I disagree with both of you."

Mendez:  "Well, you may know something we don't know."

Martinez:  "No, no, no.  It's in the paper.  It's in the court records and its about this particular issue.  It's not about money taken from the union that's alleged."

Later, Trey Mendez talks about the mayor and city commission engaging in speculative real estate in 2012-13:  "Whenever you're spending public money you have to have an appraisal.  Millions of dollars on speculative real estate. . . . ."

Martinez:  "Totally wrong.  This is the kind of politics we don't need.  When you're trying to be misleading, that's the kind of politics we don't need."

Mendez:  "I take offense to that comment."

As can be seen from those exchanges, Tony Martinez and Trey Mendez are not "joined at the hip" or in some sort of alliance.

On the other hand, former City Manager Charlie Cabler and Martinez totally avoided criticizing the other.

Martinez, about Cabler during the podcast:  "Charlie and I have a good relationship."  "Charlie and I worked hard together."  Charlie knows what I'm talking about."

When asked about the mayor signing over tax delinquent property to himself, Cabler stated:  "The mayor stated that he didn't"

Yet, the scuttlebutt-based story that appeared in the Brownsville Republic is simply untrue and, as journalistic ethics would demand, has not been retracted.  

It is a feeble attempt to grab attention with a factless report.  It is yellow journalism, plain and simple.

Class dismissed.