Kristyn Hartman of CBS2 covered today's Wilson Yard TIF meeting. You can watch the video here and read the article here.Of particular interest:
"Tonight at 10 for the first time since the Uptown violence, we will hear directly from Alderman Helen Shiller. She sits down with our Jim Williams for a one-on-one interview that's coming your way tonight at 10 o'clock." Link to the story here.
I just received an "emergency" communication from "deep sausage".
ReplyDeleteJim Williams, used to be "da mare's" press secretary.
I WONDER how he got the assignment of interviewing Shiller?
Inquiring, conspiracy minded pirates want to know.
I will reserve judgment until I see the interview.
I am almost 99.9% sure I have seen Jim Williams working out at World's Gym a while back on Montrose. Does he live in Uptown? The plot thickens.
ReplyDeleteWell if this piece is a fluff piece, I think it is abundantly clear that Kristyn Hartman of CBS2 is willing to listen to us and be our voice.
ReplyDeleteShe has not been shy about calling out our worthless alderman and her "leadership" skills.
WTF!!! Did the CDC not see the same bumbling fool that I did in this video?! She could not explain anything without stumbling over her words. It was like she was making it up as she went along (which I am sure she was since she knew she was going to get the money). Honestly the CDC is awful. When asked how she was planning to use the money Ald. Shiler could have literally turned around pulled her pants down and farted in their faces and said "that's how!" and they still would have rubber stamped the additional TIF money.
ReplyDeleteI am sure no new light will be shed on Shiler and her blatant disregard for her constituents. She would never have agreed to the interview if it was not going to show her as an angel sent from heaven to bless the people of Uptown. I hope I am wrong... but I doubt it.
I don't know how "fluffy" the piece will or will not be.
ReplyDeleteMy "fluffymeter" is ready though.
Hopefully Mr Williams will provide a fair and objective interview.
Check back in at IPN news after 10 pm
IPN=ME
I forgot one observation.
ReplyDeleteShiller giving an interview!!!
It reeks of desperation.
It reeks of fear.
I love the smelly Shiller interview in the morning. Smells like........victory.
Will Helen leave the interviewer do all the work, again?
ReplyDeleteIe: her being asked about a deal w/Daley:
"You'll have to ask him about that"
Whatever - the woman is a blathering idiot when in public/out of her realm. The more she speaks, the more apparent our objections.
Fluff piece (which it will be), or not.
Did anyone else catch the subtlety that this was the first media introduction of the phrase "fish farm?"
ReplyDeletePrediction: Helen is being dangled to the Chicago news audience as the next Blago, and Kristyn Hartman will soon be courted by CNN or other reputable news outlet(s).
Now if they build this aquaponics farm, are they going to stock it with Marlin and Tuna so the residents that paid for it can get in some good sport fishing without flying to Florida?
ReplyDeleteShe walks the streets everyday, did I hear that correctly? She is available on the street. I have never seen her on the street. Of course that does not mean she does not walk the streets of course.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone seen her walk the streets?
Is she really a street walker?
That passes for an interview? Thanks for the coverage, I guess...
ReplyDeleteThis was as bad as Fox Chicago interview earlier this year. "We ask the tough Questions" - BS.
ReplyDeleteSoftballs at best (Fox Chicago and now CBS).
If he (reporter)lives here, how can he let her lie to his face.
What a waste of a two minutes. Shiller did well today, I must say.
Love how they show Cabrini Yard while saying Uptown has seen a market rate boom.
This reporter let her produce this piece. Pathetic.
But UU is gettting that way also. No longer a blog anymore.
My jaw literally dropped when they showed footage of Wilson Yard while describing all the "affluent housing" that's been going up in the area on the 10 o'clock. I don't claim to be a news critic, but that sure seemed to be a half-@ssed interview/report.
ReplyDeleteThe CBS 2 report was a makeup report. They left out the the Air on G String from Johan Sebastian Bach.
ReplyDeleteIf only we could have been there to throw the rice at the conclusion of this marriage ceremony.
Here's Hartman's writeup. She was not featured in the video report.
http://is.gd/33Ffc
Here is the video report.
ReplyDeletehttp://cbs2chicago.com/video/?id=62442@wbbm.dayport.com
Shiller says she's not in hiding.
ReplyDeleteHere's the written Williams interview.
CBS hasn't posted the video yet.
Kristin, I noticed the same thing. I can only assume they said 'affluent housing' when showing the Wilson Yard development because of the 450K+ price tag per unit, no? ;)
ReplyDeleteI, for one, never really watched Channel 2 news much. I grew up on the other channels and have stayed with them to this day. However, 2's continued hounding of Helen has impressed the heck out of me. I've decided to make them my 10:00 go-to, and lo and behole, there's Helen on tonight. A pretty lame interview, but I bet a lot of it was done only under certain conditions... such as who does the interview? Typically a station would allow a Kristyn Hartman to continue her coverage on the Uptown story since she's been working it for weeks now. That had me wondering...
Here's the video.
ReplyDeleteI'm undecided on how "fluffy" the interview was.
Perhaps I'll just give Jim Williams one bunny ear.
It was hardly what I would call a hard hitting piece of journalism.
Almost a PR piece.
It's as if someone from "da mare's" office reached out to their former colleague, Jim Williams, and asked that he interview Shiller.
I have no knowledge as to who that person might be or if it even happened that way.
Sometimes coincidences happen.
Why Helen is doing a lot of things. A lot I say. All the time. Really. A lot, a whole lot.
ReplyDelete"I just cannot necessarily meet with every single person," Shiller said.
ReplyDeleteStone does. Twice a week most weeks, Monday & Thursday evenings he holds office hours in his ward office and he stays until the outer office is empty. Stone has more stamina than Shiller at twice her age.
For a softball piece, it still did not portray her in a good light. The best message she could come up with was "I'm not a hider. I won't return your phone calls, but I might talk to you if you catch me on the street."
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, CBS2 got to reference Uptown's gang violence problem, and show the video of her running away at Truman College again.
This was not the news coverage she wanted.
I love how she alludes to "Kids Fighting" as if it was a mere playground scuffle next to the bike rack after school. As if lunch money was involved.
ReplyDeleteAnother note, can we please be done with all this "green" crap? Helen's plan has no substance for the new TiF funds, yet she says the magic word "green" and they just back up the money truck? I know nothing bad can come from anything "green", Kermit the Frog, The Green Monster at Fenway, Van Jones, ect., but can we at least have a viable plan before we mortgage our futures for it?
Don't be mistaken. People all over the city will be asking themselves the question, "54 million dollars for a fish farm???!!! Is this woman crazy???!!!"
ReplyDeleteThis is a water cooler "hot topic." For the office grapevine, it will be a race between asking if you went to see Oprah and if you saw the crazy lady on the North Side who wants to build a fish farm for 54 million buckeroos.
Anyone know how we could flood the desk of the mayor letting him know she will not be re-elected??
ReplyDelete*cough*
ReplyDeleteI am not in hiding. No. I have never been in hiding. I am not one to hide
Then where were you for two weeks, recently?
Why didn't you sit on the podium at the 1st town hall meeting?
Where were you when a few folks stopped by your office (after making it publicly known that they were coming), during working hours, after a man was slain in gang cross-fire?
And then the people behind me starting yelling stuff about the Olympics, and it was a free for all, and I said I'm done.
As I recall, you were called a "liar" and then you walked out. Not that being called a liar was proper; but, Helen's not telling the story properly.
Don't believe me? Check the tape.
Oh, did I mention something about "blathering idiot?
Why, yes I did:
When there are kids fighting and figuring what the source of that is and what we can to ameliorate that and hopefully stop it, of course we should.
Free beer to anyone who can diagram that sentence, and/or tell me what the hell her point is.
My office serves everyone.
Get out!
F**k you!
This ain't your ...
Yep. Sounds like a full service office, to me.
Though, Denice did give everyone a little show when she walked out of the antechamber yesterday, and did a little dance and let out a little "whoop!" - then proceeded to get into a playground style argument with a few gentlemen.
Stay classy in your service delivery, DD. You're a remarkable role model to little kids that would like to grow up to be a complete ass.
We have an extraordinary amount of activity that benefits everybody who lives there, and it's what I'm committed to
I'll give her a pass on the dangling participle, because I know how important education is to her, and I know she possesses a long list of higher edjumakation creds; but, please...
Part of that "extraordinary activity" involved benefiting a slew of idiot hippy communists, replete with Chairman Mao posters.
A few examples of how these activities benefit everyone would be nice, dear heart.
I just cannot necessarily meet with every single person
Of course not. Though, you could at least pretend to try, on occasion.
But I would venture to say that they've all had an opportunity to come up to me at one time or another
Um.
'cause I walk down the street every day
Ever see someone trip on a crack in the sidewalk?
Politically, with that statement, that's exactly what Helen just did.
and I go to many community meetings.
Correction: "and I go to certain community meetings.
Quick: name the last CAPS meeting anyone saw Helen attending.
I am not in hiding.
See above.
File the entire interview under "balderdash".
Well done, Jim. You failed miserably in your role as a journalist; but, you did a heck of a job pitching batting practice.
Please call CBS news and let them know of our profound disappointment in this incredible fluff piece. They were doing so well and then this crap for Jim Williams... wtf>? 312-899-2222
ReplyDeleteYO...you are fabulous!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE you analysis!
This is a link to the CBS 2 Chicago contact page. Just click the drop down list to send your communication to the CBS 2 employee of your choice, complete the form, and draft a message.
ReplyDeleteYo, I think somebody bet her she couldn't squeeze the word "ameliorate" into her interview. She won.
ReplyDeleteI just cannot necessarily meet with every single person
ReplyDeleteHas anyone ever actually met with Shiller during her office hours? Anyone? ANYONE?
I'm met with Gene on two occasions. He's got office hours and there is always a line, but he'll meet with as many residents as he can within the time allotted. Seems pretty reasonable to me.
here's the link to the piece on cbs2
ReplyDeletehttp://cbs2chicago.com/video/?id=61978
--AFFLUENT HOUSING??! and then they cut to wilson yard? unbelieveable, they showed a millisecond of a clip of a person who was criticizing her. such a blatent puff piece.
Jim Williams and I have concluded an email dialogue. Mr. Williams has been kind enough to permit me to share his comments with Uptown Update readers.
ReplyDeleteHere are the questions I submitted to Mr. Williams.
Is there more material in the interview that is slated for future broadcast?
Is there more material in the interview that will be posted to the CBS 2 Chicago website where time and space constraints are not as limiting?
Were there any conditions set by Helen Shiller, her representatives, or CBS 2 Chicago in order to secure an interview?
This is Mr. Williams response.
Shiller set no conditions for the interview. Nor did her representatives. I simply walked up to her last week at a City Council meeting and requested a one on one interview. I asked every question I wanted to ask. That meant reciting all the complaints I've heard about her over the last 22 years.
I just talked to the executive producer of our website and he has no plans to air additional parts of the interview.
Communicating with the press is effective. A cordial approach is necessary. Please do not allow the absence and disregard in communication standards from the office of Alderman Helen Shiller deter you from approaching the press with your questions.
Kristyn Hartman has all the qualities of a true investigative reporter. Her research, her preparation, her in-depth questions go far beyond the usual one dimensional reporter. It's a shame Channel 2 news directors didn't have the guts to let Ms. Hartman do her job.
ReplyDeleteWhy wasn't Ms. Hartman allowed to continue her excellent coverage of Uptown's crime and safety issues and how this all ties into the manipulation of $58 million--soon to be $112 million--that allows Holsten to build the same housing model he won accolades for tearing down at Cabrini Green. How this all further feeds the concentration of poorly managed housing that allows gang members to infest our community--especially for the hard working families who live under the same roof with them.
Politics and news coverage, behind closed door phone calls from the machine were most likely the reason. Ms. Hartman was asking good, hard questions that would further expose Shiller and embarress certain people in high up political places.
"Why wasn't Ms. Hartman allowed to continue her excellent coverage ... "
ReplyDeleteShiller thinks she gets to decide who covers her, and maybe she's right
Yesterday, Helen had her plans to house the city's unfortunates in Uptown rubber-stamped. Today, Daley is having approved his plans to stick the tax payers with the Olympics cost over runs. These are not problems that can be solved with petitions and protests and law suits. They have us where they want us. Bend over!
ReplyDeleteHere would be MY questions for Jim Williams...
ReplyDeleteMr. Williams, what softball team to you belong to as you seem so adept at throwing them over the plate for politicaions
Mr. Williams, when do you expect the call to start as a correspondant on Entertainment Tonight? Obviously your journalistic skills are ideal for an infotainment program
Mr. Williams, what lip balm do you recommend when kissing a politicians behind to prevent chapping?
"I just cannot necessarily meet with every single person," Shiller said. "But I would venture to say that they've all had an opportunity to come up to me at one time or another 'cause I walk down the street every day and I go to many community meetings. I am not in hiding."
ReplyDeleteHas anyone met with her? I was told specifically that a meeting with her would never happen. Has anyone ever seen her walking down a street in her ward, ever? Has she ever gone to restaurant in her ward? She has never made herself available to the residents in this ward who actively try to meet with her, and voice very real concerns about the conditions of our neighborhood. If she is not in hiding, than she has the incredible power of making herself invisible to the public for the past 22 years.
If I were Jim Williams, and just for the record I am not Jim Williams, I would ask myself why Shiller agreed to be interviewed by me.
ReplyDeleteCertainly some other reporters had to ask her to speak.
Now I watch very little TV and no TV news. I get my news on the internet and in actual tree killing newspapers, but I'm guessing that Jim Williams is not known as the Mike Wallace of Chicago TV journalists.
Oh well. I'd love to see Shiller sit down with the ghost of John Callaway. That would be a good interview.
I hate to confirm this but I've seen her eating lunch at Alma Pita more than a couple of times.
ReplyDeleteBest Quote (taken out of context) - "I'm Done"
ReplyDeleteBest slip - Shiller refers to the people who live "There" and not "Here" when referring to the 46th Ward.
Best misrepresentation - Jim is talking about affluent housing while the report shows video of the Wilson Projects.
Finally - Shiller invites the people of Uptown to catch her on the street and approach her. It's on record, so I say do it.
I think everyone should watch the video and overlay their own experiences and form their own conclusions.
Yes, Williams WAS Daley's Press Secretary, so of course he is a patsy for the administration. How Channel 2 keeps him on, I have no idea.
ReplyDeletePlus, I also know Helen wouldn't give the interview to Kristyn Hartman because she knows Hartman would ask hard-hitting question which Shiller would not be able to answer on camera. So Williams was hand-picked by Shiller, he DID NOT approach her in City Hall.
Perhaps we should orchestrate a mass visit to the alderman's office with various questions and see what kind of service we get know.
My question... What am I going to do with $54 Million??? It's our money so where's our handout?
UptownD: Jim Williams clearly says he approached Helen at a City Council meeting and she agreed.
ReplyDeleteI am inclined to believe him. I specifically asked about any Helen handlers or conditions for an interview. Williams said there were none.
Brennan,
ReplyDeletethe scenario you suggest may very likely be the truth.
It is also possible that someone suggested to Williams that he approach Shiller. Wink, wink, nudge nudge.
Given the fluffy nature of the interview I tend to think Shiller was confident that Williams would treat her very easily.
As I stated before I don't watch much TV, but if that "interview" is indicative of Williams main body of work then he is lucky I don't run the station.
He'd be back working as a PR flack somewhere. Some people might even think he is working as a PR flack now after watching that hard hitting interview.