Not just “over there” | “Former township officials charged in corruption case” – Penn Live

Did you read about … | Middletown’s borough council’s retaliatory action the Middletown Press & Journal‘s “negative coverage” because “some of the councillors and the mayor  don’t like the Press and Journal‘s coverage?

Seems the councilors , two whom were not elected but appointed, and the mayor have followed the rogue third-world dictator style of wanting to have only good news, happy news disseminated. They want to punish the newspaper by redirecting its state-law required legal ad notices to the Patriot-News in Harrisburg.

The Press & Journal has responded to the borough’s decision with a law suit.

In this Press & Journal editorial, the newspaper explains why it chose to seek legal recourse:

“Protecting the right to report news without fear of government retribution is the core issue asserted in the federal civil rights suit filed on behalf of the Press & Journal in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg on Tuesday.”

Curiously, the borough’s decision was not on the agenda for the September 18 council meeting, though the announcement of a council vacancy was. The minutes for that meeting, however, record: “Aaron Martin of Mette, Evans & Woodside was in attendance to request Council enter into discussions with the Press & Journal regarding placing future publications in their paper.”

Given that action happened at the September 18 meeting, there’s no record in the minutes of the assertion in the Patriot-News article that states, “‘Upon receiving a copy of the warning letter, Mayor Curry contemptuously ripped it in half and threw the pieces on the council table,’ the suit states.”

A few days ago, Columbia news, views & reviews wrote about the borough’s council president announcement of his decision to resign from the council in early October. We also praised the borough’s live streaming and on-demand viewing — though now it appears that back-room deals happen out of public view.

“Wouldn’t it be lovely? | If folks in Columbia could have what folks in Middletown have? Live streaming and on-demand viewing of Borough Council meetings. At this month’s meeting the council borough president announced his resignation.

It’s really confusing and disheartening that Middletown borough has slithered into the dictator-style decision to retaliate against a free press. The borough has a history of transparency … live streaming; incredibly detailed minutes and a model Website that’s easy to negotiate.