BaristaNet: Not So Interested In Accountability And Transparency

This morning, we posted a blog about a misogynist freelancer who is writing for BaristaNet. The reporter, Steven Maginnis, has a creepy blog following hundreds of “women I like, that I want to share with others” and has loosely thrown around the word “bitch” to describe many women on one of his other blogs.  

When we tweeted about our blog post to BaristaNet informing them of their repulsive freelance writer, BaristaNet blocked our Twitter account. Not exactly inspiring transparency from our local media.  

We need better accountability in our community. A reporter like this, who has obvious issues, shouldn’t be trusted with reporting on the issues important to all of us. BaristaNet should remove this misogynist from their staff.

A Creepy Misogynist Reporting On Montclair Events, Including The Schools

BaristaNet, one of the top news outlets here in Montclair, has a freelance writer living over in West Caldwell named Steven Maginnis covering many local political and government events.

On Monday, for instance, he covered a contentious school board meeting.

For various reasons (including the presence of other excellent reporters at BaristaNet) it’s surprising that Maginnis has been given the chance to cover these important meetings. In fact, his principle recent experience with the school system seems to be his service as a crossing guard in Caldwell.

But more importantly, Maginnis just isn’t the sort of guy who should be covering sensitive political events, or the schools. Why? Well, most obviously, because a quick perusal of his web presence shows a creepy guy who has a real problem with women.

Let’s start with “Pictures of Beautiful Women”, a blog run by Steve Maginnis that features close to 900 posts of  “women I like, that I want to share with others.” The website consists mostly of pictures of the women he’s sharing. Some are headshots, some are scantily clad – i.e. here and here. Maginnis usually writes a quick bio on the women expressing with emoticons sprinkled throughout the posts. :-D. :-!. :-/. Creepy Creep Creeper.

Let’s be thankful that he’s at least established the high standard of not featuring ogling posts about young girls on his blog, writing “child actresses who continue to continue their careers into adulthood are only eligible once they reach the age of eighteen.” Once they’re eighteen, of course…

You would think that with his excessive fascination (read: creepy objectifying obsession), he would be respectful of women? But you’d be wrong.

On his other blog, “Miscellaneous Musings,” he often uses derogatory terms to characterize women. In one post, he referred to Miss California as an “uptight blonde Aryan bitch.” During the 2008 elections, he wrote “Hillary Clinton is getting to be a real bitch,” and recommended she use “Elton John's ‘The Bitch Is Back’” as “her new campaign theme song.” He has called Sarah Palin a bitch at least twice, here and here. Last month, he called the new Iowa Senator Joni Ernst a bitch. Agree or disagree with their politics, we can all agree Maginnis’s language is out of line here, and exposes him as someone with some serious respect issues.

Why has Baristanet allowed a man who is clearly misogynist with some serious issues to cover our schools and our town’s politics? BaristaNet ought to have looked into some of his other writing and hobbies before hiring him, and his services should be replaced immediately.

Welcome Aboard

For a fairly small town, Montclair’s got a lot going on. There’s too many secrets, too much intrigue, and too many second rate politicians trying to work the system for their own personal gain.   It’s time we did something about it.   Montclair’s Dirty Laundry aims to expose the underbelly of our town, in hopes that some scrutiny means the system will get cleaned up, and things will get better. It’s an optimistic bet, but just like our good ol’ Mayor Jackson, “I have an abiding faith in the people and the promise of Montclair.”   Let’s get to work.