Commentary
Project Veritas and the mainstream media: Strange allies in the fight to protect press freedom
An FBI raid on Project Veritas leader James O’Keefe’s home in early November 2021 has sparked an unusual demonstration of support from the very establishment media that O’Keefe has spent his career targeting and trashing. The raid was conducted on the suspicion that O’Keefe and former Project Veritas staffers were implicated in the theft of […]
Legislature should stop blocking expansion of public records access
The Legislature is killing what could be its last chance in years to expand access to public records in New Jersey. Republican opposition plus Democratic silence helped scuttle the advancement Monday of S-380, a bill backed by Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D) that would revise the Open Public Records Act in a few meaningful ways. One […]
Democrats, stop counting on Trump to win elections for you
Democrats may need an intervention to end their Donald Trump addiction, if Tuesday’s election results didn’t already send that message. Take Gov. Phil Murphy’s campaign. From his campaign flyers — every one I received had Trump as its main image — to the “Stop the Trump Team” signs that lined Route 3 in the days […]
‘Torres for mayor’ campaign in Paterson is shameless even by N.J. standards
“Why not?” That’s what Joey Torres told Joe Malinconico for a Monday story about Torres testing the waters for a mayoral run in Paterson, a story that posted almost exactly four years after Torres pleaded guilty to corruption charges and resigned in disgrace as the city’s mayor. I love messy drama, so part of me […]
Records reveal effort to silence public on Atlantic City needle exchange closure
When the Atlantic City Council voted in July to stop permitting a local needle exchange to operate, the governing body performed a disservice to its own community, one struggling with opioid addiction and HIV infections. The governing body’s rejection of a center that has proven critical to battling the opioid crisis has been well documented […]
Reflecting on life after 9/11 for American Muslims
Sept. 11 is a day of sorrow for every American, but to me, it is also a reminder of how quickly a group of people can be demonized and isolated. I am from Jersey City, a town where Donald Trump said there were thousands of Muslims celebrating on rooftops during the 9/11 attacks. Not only […]
New Jersey should be honest about unemployment call center shortcomings
Two weeks ago, our own Nikita Biryukov reported on a study out of the University of Chicago that ranked states on how easy it is to get a government official on the phone. New Jersey came in dead last. Researchers tried four different government agencies and reached a person less than 20% of the time […]
As move toward transparency, A.G. directive on police discipline is a dud
When then-Attorney General Gurbir Grewal last year ordered all New Jersey law enforcement agencies to identify by name their officers who receive serious discipline, he gave himself a pat on the back. The directive, he said in a statement, showed New Jersey was committed to “a culture of transparency and accountability in law enforcement.” “Today, […]
Now is the time to mandate vaccines for N.J. teachers
Gov. Phil Murphy, stop dithering and mandate vaccines for New Jersey’s public school teachers. Time has likely already run out to have a fully vaccinated army of teachers by the first day of school. If an unvaccinated teacher receives their first shot of a two-shot vaccine today, they won’t be inoculated by the start of […]
New Jersey attorney general on wrong side of license plate case
In March, then-New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal spoke with the Washington Post about his vision for police reform. Grewal said his office was focused on improving law enforcement “well before the events of this past summer,” meaning the nationwide unrest that erupted after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. “We want to […]
Roselle Park’s foolish attack on free speech
Roselle Park wasted taxpayer resources and courts’ time with its foolish and unconstitutional targeting of a pro-Trump borough resident. The “Fuck Biden” flags on display next to Andrea Dick’s home may be tacky and the message on them may be unsubtle, but they are an obvious display of political speech protected by the First Amendment. […]
Editor’s Notebook: Introducing the New Jersey Monitor
Is there a state that needs more reporters than New Jersey? The Garden State has all the ingredients that often combine to make corrupt governance. The governor’s mansion and legislature are controlled by the same party, giving Democrats the chance to do almost anything they want. Major decisions on how state government operates are made […]