January 30, 2008 - 11:24am
McKeon pal at center of Montclair University controversy
By Wally EdgeA political insider has become involved in the controversy at Montclair State University, where the student government president -- a guy actually named Ron Chicken – pulled funding for the college newspaper because he allegedly didn’t like their criticism. The attorney for the newspaper is Sal Anderton, a lobbyist and Democratic activist with close ties to Assemblyman (and West Orange Mayor) John McKeon. Chicken denies he was trying to silence the newspaper and told reporters he cut their funding because the paper was paying Anderton, rather than using the student association’s own counsel.
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Think about it...
...when was the last time a politician -- even a student government one -- had pure motives when it comes to the press and its pursestrings?
I've known Sal for almost 25 years, and he is clearly on the side of the angels. Can you imagine any circumstance in which it would be acceptable for the government to demand that the press use its own legal representation -- in a dispute *with* the government itself? How about the government insisting that the press' role is to serve as the funded arm of the government?
I admit that I have to chuckle, though, that the press doesn't want to turn over its papers and correspondence. How positively unOPRA-like.