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The battle to eliminate the Massachusetts state income goes on the November 2008 ballot as referendum Question No. 1.

The proponents are led by perennial libertarian Carla Howell along with the usual tear down government crowd cohorts of Barbara Anderson and her Citizens for Limited Taxation Group

On the other side are the usual people and groups that always ban together and can always be counted on to fight the anti tax initiatives of Howell and Anderson. They include the public employee and teacher unions, contractors, vendors, consultants and so called questionable unmonitored human-service agencies who get Billions in State Contracts. Joining in the effort is Michael Widmer from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation misnamed because they are solely a business lobbying group. Others are expected to be allies to defeat the measure are members of a failed to take action to instill confidence group. They include local officials along with the Legislature and governor who have failed to provide stability in accountability of government expenditures.

The government will always cover up its mistakes if it operates in secret and that it was up to journalists to expose the truth…..Robert Schieffer, CBS News Reporter.

Blog Commentary by John Gatti
In Massachusetts, the 2008 Reporters Shield Law legislation has failed again to win passage. This will continue, in my view, unless the legislation is precise, comprehensive and not self serving for journalists. And that's unfortunate, because news reporters and their sources need the protection.

MORE ON SHIELD LAW

The largest, leading daily newspaper in Massachusetts and region Boston Globe needs to provide answers to questions being avoided in order to dispel the obvious on two issues affecting the paper’s credibility.

Globe Issue #1-Why has the position of ombudsperson not been filled, languished, or discarded for so long? This position for credibility purposes is needed now more than ever with the increasing newsroom downsizing going on. A criticism in the past has been a reporter on a tight rope usually assigned to be ombudsperson that reports to and is evaluated by management. The person serves a term either goes back to some news beat or leaves. That person becomes isolated from other reporters who fear criticism or oversight in reporting. Thus, the advocacy and correct path for Boston Globe management is to appoint a truly independent person paid or unpaid to the position.

Three political reporters discussed the perils of predicting presidential primaries, the humor of filing stories in a men's locker room and the difficulties campaigns face in managing the message in the Internet era featuring the likes of "Obama Girl" during a panel at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst on March 26. LAUNCH GOOGLE VIDEO

University of Massachusetts sophomore and Media Giraffe Project intern Matt Cadwallader wrote this blog observation after helping to videotape the Tues., March 11, 2008 gambling-issues forum at Quinnipiac University for the New England News Forum.    VIDEO  /  NEWS STORY

By Matt Cadwallader

The gambling forum at Quinnipiac University on Tuesday evening came off as a fascinating preview of all the issues Massachusetts, if it goes through with the Patrick administration's proposal to build three new casinos in the state, should brace itself for in the coming years. The diverse set of panelists allowed the audience a sneak-peak into the problems now affecting Connecticut's gaming facilities. The discussion ranged from the tremendous effect of casinos on state coffers as well as the economy as a whole to a passionate exchange over the sovereignty of Native American reservations.

From The News-Times, the paper I work for in Danbury (written by Marietta Homayonpour):

DANBURY -- The controversial issue of closer ties between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials is still being studied by the city, and a report will likely be presented to the Common Council in January.

Michael McLachlan, chief of staff for Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, said the mayor, the chief of police and the city's corporation counsel are each putting together reports on the impact of taking part in ACCESS -- a law enforcement partnership program offered by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.

The new rules of journalistic gatekeeping were debated among experts at Boston University on Oct. 26 in an afternoon session of a conference organized by the school's law and communications schools, and a Boston law firm.

One of the experts was the principle speaker Mark Jurkowitz, associate director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism. Jurkowitz argued, contrary to statements made earlier in the day by keynote speaker Markos Moulitsas, another expert, that traditional gatekeeping is still a feature of American media.