Familiar Baltimore TV-lawyer commercial: Saiontz & Kirk’s Ryan Saiontz intones, ‘If you have a phone — or a computer — you have a lawyer.’

NEW MILLENNIUM LITIGATORS
NEVER GET THE RESPECT
THEY RIGHTLY DESERVE

Why is everyone so down on attorneys?
 
By David Maril
 
It’s become fashionable to knock lawyers.

People who couldn’t tell a funny joke to save their lives can recite insulting wisecracks about the legal profession.

The fact lawyers are held in such low esteem came to mind the other day when watching a couple of local TV commercials for what many of us would term “ambulance chaser” attorneys. The lawyers on the commercials urge people to come forward and hire them to file lawsuits for injuries and illnesses another party or business may be responsible for.

The general public has a low opinion of personal-injury trial attorneys who focus on corporate negligence and medical malpractice claims. It’s true some of these lawyers have ended up making a fortune through success pursuing extravagant financial settlements.

Detractors will make up disparaging stories about lawyers dragging people with fake bandages into court — who then discard their casts and wheelchairs to dance around celebrating over huge settlements. The materialistic tone of these TV commercials, which seem to be increasing in number, are not helping the already low image the public has of the legal profession.

Unless it’s in the context of a television program, lawyers today do not get any respect.

Yet for some reason the public has always reveled in watching lawyers protect the justice system with honesty and integrity on TV. In the history of popular television, just look at the number of top-rated legal shows: You can start with “Perry Mason” and “The Defenders” and go all the way up through “Matlock” and all the “Law & Order” programming.

But when it comes to the real world many people take a dim view of the legal profession and question its ethics and motives.

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NEED-TO-KNOW NEWS — For Friday May 2

[Scroll down for full week’s compendia]
 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY — IN BRIEF
 
A Voice of Baltimore compendium, local and beyond.   Your weekday morning look  (with links)  at late-breaking news, current events, and what will be talked about wherever you may go on Friday:

A 26th St. retaining wall in Charles Village collapsed Wed- nesday, causing landslide onto CSX railroad tracks below.

Area residents and even some politicians have warned for years of the landslide that occurred on 26th Street in Charles Village Wednesday. An investigation is underway.

Read More at:  WJZ-TV (Channel 13)

•  . . . AS CLEANUP FROM LANDSLIDE CONTINUES

The heaviest personal damage was to cars that tumbled off 26th Street, down 75 feet to the CSX railroad tracks below — whose owners may not be insured for an “act of God.” No injuries were reported.

Read More at:  WBAL-TV (Channel 11)

•  THE SUN BUYS ANNAPOLIS CAPITAL, CARROLL COUNTY TIMES

Tribune Co, which owns the Baltimore Sun among other newspapers, and is barely out of bankruptcy, announced Thursday that through its subsidiary, the Baltimore Sun Media Group, it has purchased two other Maryland newspapers, The Capital in Annapolis and the Carroll County Times, as well as their associated publications and websites.

In February the group purchased the Baltimore City Paper, a free alternative weekly with a circulation of about 50,000 in the local area.

Read More at:  Maryland Daily Record

•  CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR TO DEBATE ON RADIO; MPT TO CARRY TV DEBATE MAY 7

The four Republican candidates vying to succeed Martin O’Malley as Maryland’s next governor will hold a one-hour debate Saturday morning, beginning at 8:30 a.m., on WBAL-Radio’s Jimmy Mathis Show.

The three Democrats will also debate on radio, to be moderated by former State Sen. Larry Young. Their first televised debate, May 7th, will be moderated by NBC’s “Meet the Press” host David Gregory and will be broadcast statewide on Maryland Public Television.

Read More at:  WBAL-Radio (1090AM)

•  ARUNDEL EXECUTIVE PROPOSES $1.35B BUDGET

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“Meet The Press” host Tim Russert signs off in Jan. 2008 following an interview with then-presidential candidate John McCain. Russert died of a heart attack at age 58.

NBC’S SUNDAY MORNING NEWS LEADER
OF FORMER HOST TIM RUSSERT’S DAY
HAS NOT RECOVERED FROM HIS LOSS

Host David Gregory typically interviews
paid shills from the political parties,
with timid questions & no follow-up

TALKING POINTS’ REPLACE INTERVIEWS;
‘FACE THE NATION’ MOVES TO NO. 1;
RADIO BLABBERMOUTHS POLLUTE AIR
 
By David Maril
 
“Meet The Press” promotes itself as the world’s longest running television show.

It could also soon start calling itself the world’s dullest news program.

After dominating the Sunday morning news program lineup for decades, NBC’s interview show often finds itself lodged in third place, behind “Face The Nation” on CBS and ABC’s “This Week.”

Soon “Meet the Press” can consider changing its name to “Meek the Press” or “Meet the Press-Release.”

Ironically, the show’s puny ratings are beginning to draw media coverage.

Recently the Washington Post did a lengthy analysis piece discussing what ails the broadcast. Word is that NBC is hard at work investigating its program, which includes a psychological profile of its host, David Gregory.

Perhaps the network should consider airing the results of its investigation on “Meet the Press”: It could only help increase viewership.

The truth is it doesn’t take an investigative team to figure out what ails the former Sunday morning ratings leader. A major reason for this incredible plunge in popularity is the loss of former host Tim Russert, who died at his desk in June 2008 at age 58 of a heart attack.

When Russert died, it was big news on all the networks. Besides, by all accounts, being a loyal friend to many, a generous and caring mentor to young reporters, and a devoted family man, Russert was also a trusted journalist.

Read more »

 
NEED-TO-KNOW NEWS — For Friday April 25

[Scroll down for full week’s compendia]
 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY — IN BRIEF
 
A Voice of Baltimore compendium, local and beyond.   Your weekday morning look  (with links)  at late-breaking news, current events, and what will be talked about wherever you may go on Friday:

Baltimore County Councilman Todd Huff’s Twitter page photo — not the lewd image posted Thursday morning by a hacker.

•  HACKER TWEETS LEWD PHOTO ON COUNTY COUNCILMAN’S TWITTER ACCOUNT

“It’s emphatically, definitely not me,” Baltimore County Councilman Todd Huff (R-3rd) told Bryan Sears of the Maryland Daily Record in a telephone interview Thursday. “It wasn’t me. I bear no resemblance to the photo,” Huff declared.

“We were hacked,” said the councilman, a first-term Republican currently seeking reelection, who last May was sentenced to two years’ probation and ordered not to drink alcohol after he pled guilty to driving under the influence in relation to an arrest in February 2013.

Read More at:  Maryland Daily Record

•  MARYLAND GUBERNATORIAL DEMOCRATS
TO DEBATE MAY 7 ON WASHINGTON TV

They’ll meet at the University of Maryland College Park, and the three-way debate will be televised on Washington, D.C.’s NBC affiliate, NBC4, WRC-TV (Channel 4). NBC’s “Meet the Press” host David Gregory will moderate.

There was no immediate word as to whether the debate will be broadcast in Baltimore; however it will be carried on the NBC affiliate in Hagerstown, WHAG-TV (Channel 26). The Baltimore NBC affiliate is WBAL-TV (Channel 11).

Read More at:  WBAL-Radio (1090AM)

•  PHELPS LOSES IN COMEBACK TO LONGTIME RIVAL

After defeating longtime rival Ryan Lochte in a morning qualifying round, Olympic Champion Michael Phelps came in second to Lochte in the 100-meter butterfly final at Mesa, Arizona’s Arena Grand Prix Thursday night.

Read More at:  WBFF Fox45-TV

•  BALTIMORE CUTS DEAL ON PENSION BILL

The mayor and the city’s unions have struck a deal on a bill which would switch some new city employees from a traditional pension system to a 401(k)-style plan.

Read More at:  Baltimore Sun

•  WOMAN TO HEAD ANNAPOLIS CAPITAL POLICE

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New York City taxicab service currently features green Boro Taxis, left, and yellow Medallion cabs, neither of which runs on tracks like a roller coaster — although maybe they should?  (See column for clarification.)

An educational lifestyle experience

CROWDED & HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT
 
By David Maril
 
In contrast to Baltimoreans, who seem to go everywhere by car, New Yorkers rave about their subway system. No matter how bottled up the streets are with traffic, New Yorkers boast about how they can get from, say, Brooklyn to midtown Manhattan in minutes underground.

However, if you are an infrequent visitor to the Big Apple and want to experience the city, forget subways. When your destinations are too far to walk, New York City taxis are the way to go.

Occasionally a travel magazine or supplement will extol the virtues of exploring the city by subway. In reality, the only two things the subway has going for it are, it’s cheap and fast.

If zooming along underground through dark tunnels gives you a thrill, why not save a lot of money and stay in Baltimore, riding our one subway line back and forth?

Any propaganda travel-story piece for subterranean commuting arouses my skepticism when the focus is put on riding the subways out of Manhattan to the river bridges for the best views and scenery. What’s the point of visiting The City if you have to immediately leave it?

If you really want to see and feel the forces of New York, riding taxicabs is the only way to go.

A five-minute cab ride can be the thrill of a lifetime, sort of a combination of a roller coaster, Space Mountain, and bumper-car amusement park ride.

For starters, flagging a cab down is an educational lifestyle experience. Competing with New Yorkers trying to get in a cab before you do, offers a free lesson in how to come out on top in a crowded and hostile environment.

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