Monday, February 22, 2010

Speck planning crackdown on The Chart

The First Amendment appears to have little meaning for Missouri Southern State University President Bruce Speck.

Campus sources tell The Turner Report Speck went ballistic after seeing an editorial in this week's edition of the MSSU campus newspaper, The Chart.

Immediately after Speck read the article, he reportedly said, "This type of thing needs to be stopped."

I have already been receiving reports that the Chart has been under fire from the Speck administration because of its investigative reporting into the proposed medical school for Joplin (something which could use a lot more investigative reporting).

It is time for the Joplin-area media to come to the defense of The Chart and the First Amendment. The young reporters have done nothing wrong, other than to pursue truth that Bruce Speck, Dwight Douglas and others on the MSSU Board of Governors do not want brought to light.

When their First Amendment rights are threatened, it becomes that much easier to threaten the Freedom of the Press for anyone else who dares to examine the actions of elected officials and others who are responsible for taxpayers' money.

The Joplin Globe's coverage of the controversies surrounding Bruce Speck have been primarily limited to quoting both sides of the story; little investigative reporting has been featured.

The Globe barely touched on the hiring of Speck after he was the only one interviewed for the job. Almost no examination of his record at Austin Peay has been featured, though that record includes an inability to get along with faculty members, a hounding of the university's international program, and accusations of racism.

The least the Globe, The Carthage Press, the Neosho Daily News, and our area television and radio stations can do is to defend the First Amendment, the very thing that enables them to do what they do every day.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Typical Speck. The man needs to go. The Chart should continue its excellent reporting and editorializing. Somebody around here has to do it.
Focus on the financial statements, accumulated unrestricted cash (12 million) and depreciation.
We have suffered through a
a unnecessary, fabricated financial crisis that never existed. People like Bruce, Douglas, Jones, Anderson, Ansley, Agee, Yust, Gibson, Eis, Kelly must be exposed. Looks like Hacker has lost his guts.

Anonymous said...

Does THE CHART have its own personal agenda? Is it objective? Does it have a mission beyond reporting? Would love to sit in on their staff meetings.

Randy said...

Its stories have been fair and accurate.

Anonymous said...

There you go, Bruce, Dwight... Start discrediting the Chart by smearring them and questioning their integrity.

Shame on you.

Anonymous said...

Yeah!, 5:09 am. Check the financials! For two years we have had no raises while they accumulate cash unnecessarily. Our children and families are being severely affected. Yust reported that the reason we have so much cash is because of improved collections!. Can you believe that? What a bunch of BS. How about the 8 million or so in depreciation expense that you stashed away to please Douglas. After all he gave you and Gibson a pretty good raise while we got nothing! That alone and nothing else accounts for the increase in cash reserves from 4 to 12 million. Come on, Chart. Expose them...

Anonymous said...

I thought this only happened in third world nations under dictators and despots- Could it be the Nation of Missouri Southern?

Anonymous said...

Maybe the Kansas City Star or the St. Louis Post-Dispatch should take a crack at these despots!