Friday, September 16, 2011

Matt Haggman: Sorry to see you go. By Geniusofdespair

I am sorry to see Matt Haggman leave the Miami Herald. He reported on County issues so I got to know him pretty well. I know where he is going (boring) -- he has joined the staff of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as program director. He will work in leading the foundation’s efforts to foster an informed and engaged South Florida community.

Are there any reporters left at the Miami Herald? Martha Brannigan is still there I hope.

Matt, I'll miss you!

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

The dead end Herald.

Youbetcha' said...

Wahhhhhh. Matt. Thanks. Miss you already.

Martha? Are you staying?

Is this part of the Herald casino deal? The Herald property goes to contract and in exchange, the Herald has to make the county reporters miserable so they leave and no one reports on the county dirt, poo, and bad news?

Anonymous said...

You're allowed to report it: http://www.knightfoundation.org/press-room/press-release/matt-haggman-named-miami-program-director-knight-f/

Anonymous said...

Matt, I cannot believe you are leaving the Herald. It simply won't be the same without you there. In addition to being a great journalist, you are one of the most upstanding and decent individuals in the business I have ever met and, believe me, I have worked with many over the years. You truely stand out among equals and you will be missed beyond words.

Many hugs and kisses my friend and good luck to you and your family. I will keep in touch with you. You will not get eaway from me that easily.

Maria said...

What a shame. He is an outstanding reporter. All the cronies at county hall will be celebrating his absence.

Anonymous said...

Haggman is a hack. Let's face it. The Herald has done nothing to explore and uncover the scams in County procurement. Millions of dollars could be saved by reforming the way the County purchases goods. That process has gone largely unreported by the Herald. Do some real research Matt.

GoD, you kiss this guys ass but was he willing to report on voter fraud? Let's see how much he "informs" and "engages" the SoFla community as a shill for a multi-million dollar foundation.

The Spike is alive and well in SoFla.

Ray said...

I sincerely hope the anon sending "many hugs and kisses" to Haggman is not a politician or government employee. That would make me sick.

Anonymous said...

Matt was very good - it's a loss for the Herald and the community.
However, if Chck Rabin were assigned to the county, that might mean that there is hope that someone else might take his place and actually report about the city of Miami - which he hasn't been doing for too long.
The county seems headed to a good place - Mayor Gimenez is actually delivering on his campaign promises. Instead, the city is totally fuc@!*ed and no reporting happens. It's time to shine a light on Miami's bullshit wrongdoings.

Anonymous said...

Chuck doesn't understand nuance, keep him in the City please.

Diane Lawrence said...

Martha Brannigan is still at the Herald. I had a meeting with her today. I am hoping she will expose the illegal activities and just plain nastiness of Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department and the County Commissioners who allow this to go on.

Sparrow said...

I am glad Curtis Morgan is still there - an outstanding reporter with a great grasp on environmental issues in Miami and the state. Wish the Herald gave devoted more space to environmental stories, or gave him a Morgan a daily column....

Anonymous said...

No, I am not a government employee nor a politician. I am just a woman who has worked with the press including scores of reporters/editors and others over the years in various capacities, not only in Florida but in other states as well.

My hugs and kisses were genuine and I can add that Matt is one of the most honest, fair and productive journalists I have met. No, he and other media might not have done everything we would like, but remember there editors and others making those decisions. Further, exposing fraud and abuse of the system to the level where it will generate arrests and convictions, is in the province of the Miami-Dade Ethics Commission, not journalists.

Unfortunately, the Commission is given weak rules and regulations to work with and, unless those rules and regulations are tightened to the extent that the Commission has the authority to arrest and prosecute to conviction, no reporter or anyone else can change the stigma of corruption crippling our community. We need to let elected officials and candidates know in no uncertain terms that unless they clean up the mess they helped create, then they should be prepared to return from where they came. We must expect and demand results from those representing us and if they ignore their duty to perform effectively and responsibly, they must go. Only our vote can do that so, instead of criticizing journalists and others by placing the cloak of blame and responsibioity around them, we should look to those who asked for and were given the resposibility to change what is not good in our society and that includes we the voters. We don't vote, so what should we expect?

Words have no meaning unless they lead to results and in this case, the issue is in the ball park of every elected official and those who vote them into office. representing us.

See you at the polls!

Youbetcha' said...

I think the case with the herald reporters... Too many upper management folks are politically connected.

Of course, there is too much to write about/investigate and too little time to get into all of it or even get any depth into the stories.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately, the Commission is given weak rules and regulations to work with and, unless those rules and regulations are tightened to the extent that the Commission has the authority to arrest and prosecute to conviction,

Oh yeah, I can see the commission going after and arresting each other and their buddies.

Who believes that?

Anonymous said...

The local blogs have done a great job uncovering fraud and other crimes. The Herald needs strong investigative journalists who can followthrough.

Anonymous said...

To the Anoymous who does not seem to understand how the many laws work, I am talking about the ETHICS COMMISSION AS REFERENCED IN THE POST. Of coure nobody in their right mind would expect the Board of Commissioners to arrest and convict themselves...but if the ETHICS COMMISSION were given tight laws to arrest, prosecute and convict, they will have no choice but to follow the law and do it. You have only to read the memo from the Ethics Commission in Genius' report and you will see what I mean loud and clear!

AND WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT, THE HERALD CAN WRITE ABOUT THE ABUSES ALL DAY LONG, NOTHING CAN BE DONE UNLESS THE ETHICS COMMISSION is GIVEN THE LAWS TO ARREST, PROSECUTE AND CONVICT. THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA IS TO REPORT, IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE VOTERS TO FOLLOW THROUGH.

I hesitate to get further into it but obviously the laws governing the Ethics Commission were loosly written to satisfy elected officials. Well, Those days are over after seeing what cost we are now paying for watered-down laws.

And To state the matter loud and clear, THE VOTERS MUST WORK TO GET THE ETHICS COMMISSION THE LAWS THEY NEED TO CARRY OUT THEIR FUNCTION EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY! THAT'S WHERE IT STANDS, IN THE VOTERS' HANDS.

STOP BLAMING EVERYBODY ELSE AND TAKE A LOOK INTO THE MIRROR...YOU THE VOTER IS THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY AND IF YOU DON'T VOTE, THEN KEEP QUIET, BECAUSE YOU ARE THE CAUSE!

AND THIS IS FOR EVERYBODY WHO DO NOT VOTE: Every election time I and others sit on the phone and walk the precincts tirelessly day and evening trying to get voters to the polls and what do we get for our hard work? 13% TURNOUT! Miami-Dade should be embarrassed, not only at the continued corruption, but at the "DON'T CARE" ATTITUDE OF THE VOTERS. I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS AND NOT ONLY IN MIAMI. BUT, I CAN HONESTLY SAY, I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH LAZY, IGNORANT VOTERS AS THERE ARE IN THIS PLACE. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO VOTE, THAT IS YOUR RIGHT, BUT SUFFER QUIETLY AND KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT BECAUSE, UNLESS YOU VOTE YOUR OPINION DOES NOT COUNT!

Enough said!

Geniusofdespair said...

To enough said--- you do know we have a State's Attorney don't you? And we have an Inspector general.