WGBH Radio; The Callie Crossley Show

I'm Cally Crossley and this is the Cali Crossley Show. Is the revival of the Republican Party the elephant in the room with Sarah Palin's dissent on Boston Common today Tea Partiers in tow and the Massachusetts Republican convention kicking off this weekend. It's clear that Republican is no longer a dirty word in the bluest of blue states. Propelled by Scott Brown's victory and feeding off voter dissatisfaction. More GOP candidates are doffing their caps. And throwing them into the ring with so many political races on the horizon. We're asking the question. What happened to a state where putting a D next to your name was a guaranteed before victory. From there it's on to another kind of Tea Party. The way we'll look at high tech initiatives that are making the tea transparent. We'll also remember the life and career of veteran journalist Gerald Boyd. Up next democracy transparency and personal history. First the news. From NPR News in Washington on CORBA Coleman President Obama says financial regulations must be

overhauled to better protect the U.S. economy. Mr. Obama welcome Democratic and Republican congressional leaders today to the White House. He wants them to help pass new rules to avoid another financial meltdown such as the one in 2008. If there's one lesson that we've learned it's that a unfettered market where people are taking huge risks and expecting taxpayers to bail them out when things go sour is simply not acceptable. That Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell repeated his view of Democratic financial regulation bill only protects big banks and means more bailouts. Meanwhile the government says retail sales rose more than one and a half percent in March better news than many analysts were expecting. NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports consumer prices rose but only by one tenth of a percent. Falling house prices the crackdown on credit and concern about job security kept people from spending in the last couple of years. It also kept prices for goods down. But just recently a new judging from the numbers that dynamic appears to be turning around. Consumers are spending on

cars and apparel according to the March data. Retail spending on gasoline also increased a lot although that did not nudged prices up. Core prices excluding food and energy remained unchanged. Inflation at low levels has kept the Federal Reserve from increasing interest rates. But there are some economists who say at the first sign of recovery the central bank should consider raising rates to keep inflationary pressures low. You can Iguchi NPR News Washington. Sudan's ruling party is offering other parties a chance to join the government. Many boycotted last weekend Sudanese national elections. NPR's Gwen Thompkins reports Sudan's ruling party says it is not interested in governing alone. Sudan's dominant political party has been in power for a generation and has never been accused of large jets. But the National Congress Party now says it's willing to work with any legitimate party that wants to share power. Many in Sudan's political opposition boycotted this week's elections because they said the process was rigged in favor of keeping the ruling party in power. But in doing so the political opposition

guaranteed a five year term for the incumbent Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur. And yet the ruling party has no desire to be alone at the top next year when Sudan semi-autonomous south is expected to secede. So far only one of the major opposition parties seems eager to share power. The others say they're willing to talk about it when Thompkins NPR News Khartoum. A powerful earthquake killed 400 people in western China today thousands of people are injured and the death toll is expected to rise. Survivors are calling for tents and coats. The tremor occurred in a remote region of China some 13000 feet above sea level. On Wall Street the Dow Jones Industrials are up 64 points at eleven eighty four. This is NPR. A parasitic infection associated with still or slow moving water can occur in fast moving water as well. This is implications for American travelers. NPR's Joanne Sewell Berner

reports. Researchers from Uganda and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested 69 tourists who did tended a kayaking event on the Upper Nile. 12 showed evidence of the parasite that causes schistosomiasis all had swam waited kayaked or rafted in the fast moving river. Just as this is generally associated with still or slow moving water they note in the new issue of the journal emerging infectious diseases. Initially the infection has nonspecific symptoms fever headaches cough but long term it can result in a knee Miya and organ damage. It recognized to some biases is easily treated with a single pill. The CDC recommends avoiding any kind of fresh water still or fast moving in the countries in Africa South America and Asia where she's to some minuses is common. Joanne so burner NPR News Atlanta. Voters in Poland will probably go to the polls around June 20th to choose a new president. The country's late President Lech Kaczynski was killed last weekend in a plane crash along with the head of the

leading opposition party. Poland's acting president the speaker of the lower house and one of Poland's political party leaders are meeting to set a date for the new election. Australian authorities have arrested a Chinese ship captain and his senior officer. Both are accused of damaging the Great Barrier Reef. Their ship loaded with coal veered out of shipping lanes off northeast Australia last week and crashed into the pristine marine sanctuary. I'm CORBA Coleman NPR News in Washington. Support for NPR comes from Judy and Steve Hopkins supporting the Smithsonian craft show at the National Building Museum in Washington from April 22nd to 2015. Good afternoon I'm Kelly Crossley and this is the Calla Crossley Show. We have a lot going on today. We're looking at the Massachusetts Republican Party. We're taking stock of the life and career of journalist Gerald Boyd. And we're kicking it all off with the M-B today in a new

trial program the MBT is sharing information freely with local software developers web entrepreneurs and at home tinkerers to see if they can design innovative ways to keep commuters in the loop. For a look at the latest developments we're turning to Richard Davy. General Manager of the inn BTA and Benjamin Reston are an and innovator and entrepreneur. Welcome to both of you. Thank you. Now listeners if you're like me and you've been somewhere waiting wondering when is the bus coming. When is the T coming this segment is for you. You can call us at 8 7 7 3 0 1. Eighty nine seventy eight seven seven. Three a one eighty nine seventy. I got to start with you Benjamin. So you were one of those customers waiting for the bus and not knowing quite when it was coming and you decided to do what. Well the key release this amazing body of data on the Internet. And once they released the data building the actual device was almost trivial. The hard part is getting the data. I actually felt for my wife who takes the 39 bus every day from our house in Jamaica

Plain to where she works. And it just it was excited to be able to finally do it this is something that I've been thinking about for 10 years a lot of other people are thinking about for 10 years back in graduate school we actually used to spend no small amount of time thinking about how can we rig up the TV so we could know when the buses and trains were going to come in a way that that the cleaning staff would throw it out that we had to get power we had to transmit the data back to our lab and and then the CI just went and did it for us. OK now so our listeners get what you exactly did. It's an Ellie de sign which is posted in the JP licks and Jamaica Plain and it says train bus coming in six minutes 22 seconds or whatever it says. So you know exactly when it's coming. Absolutely yeah. And. I don't know if others have been to D.C. as I have but if you travel in the metro the signs are everywhere. That's the kind of sign that we would see every place else so this is a first. However for Boston and its major life your wife's life easier I'm told.

Yes I was excited about what what the way the MTA did it is they release the data to everyone so. And the metro and in San Francisco where there's also signs the transit authority there did all the work and it's expensive. But in Boston what's exciting is they just gave it to everyone so you have iPhone apps you have s m s services you have a text messaging service thank you. Yeah so for people who don't have iPhones you can call a phone number it's on the web that that authority here just put it out for anyone to use. OK Rick Davey we're turning to you because you're the head of the MBT Now this project was started by your predecessor and you're picking it up. Why is the team releasing this data in this way obviously we had a great result already but why. Sure and I think the problem with government is Why not. Right I mean you know it goes to the coast of the the path of the Ministry of Planning openness for the government. Let's give the citizens of the Commonwealth information access and ask them to help us. I mean I don't have all the answers.

It came as a surprise. I don't have all the answers. But if I asked for. If I ask a citizen to con a lot of our customers to help me look at what they responded with I may not only get iPhone applications you get a great sign a cheapie licks and that's just with five boxes so you know I think we're going to talk about this but we're going to be releasing the data for all buses across the system by the end of the summer and ask folks to see if they can step up and do these kind of projects these programs these kind of iPhone applications as an example websites for for the rest of our passenger base. And in addition we'll be watching it for commuter rail by the end of the year. So I mean this is just this is all about government what we should be doing. We have we don't have the answers to to all the questions asked people to help us and they really have responded I've had only been on the job about a month and I was able to attend a developer's conference a couple weeks ago and there's just a lot of energy in that room. People who want to help us I'm going to borrow a phrase from a colleague here this is not your father's NBPA this is not your grandfather. We need to deliver better

on time performance better service better information what we can't deliver on time performance for our customers. So I mean I'm very very excited about the project could be happy that Ben and some of his colleagues have really helped us out. So when can we look at it which is great. Other than the 39 bus you mentioned there are four other bus lines already equipped to write some of this. But what I mean 114 and 116 and 117 and what areas are those in. Yeah it's sort of vary throughout the system obviously as Ben said. You've got the thirty nine in Jamaica Plain the 111 is Broadway park Gav to the Haymarket. You've got the 114 that went to the Bellingham square maverick 117 as I mentioned that boss wanted to land the maverick and then the 116 the same in the Riviera area the maverick station Wonderland to revere Revere Beach so so that when the concentration was high ridership buses as well.

OK there's fourteen thousand passengers a day on the thirty nine bus for example. So that's a lot of people. That's right so now as I understand it been designed as Ellie Daesung which sort of scrolls the minute by minute but each of the other locations they don't necessarily look like that they look differently. No it what we've done is ask folks to I mean Ben on his own prepared and built the site AGP Lex. what we did on those routes is release information and then ask our customer. And the developer community to really come up with their own ideas so iPhone applications websites for example as you mention those kind of pieces to your point on the buses. You know what the developers here at Mass thought it would tell you isn't you know government what they usually do is they install sort of the bus speeders and at the very end with the information at the very end we release the information to the public. We really flipped it on its head and said I don't have you know the millions of dollars right now with the TSA budget situation to go out and purchase I can put it all over the system. So but let's not wait let's release the information now and see what people come up with.

OK well been what you came up with is pretty interesting because first of all we're in a very rich area for this kind of technology know how Still there's lots of you around. So that's that's a great thing there are those of us who live in Massachusetts. But I want you to tell our listeners how much you spent putting this together and how long it took you to make it. So what's great is that laptops and computers now you know they used to be thousands of dollars you can get them now for under $200 for a refurbished laptop a perfectly good machine. So it was a $250 laptop that I use and it grabs data from the Internet and then I hooked it up to and we decide that cost about $100. So add the two together about three hundred fifty dollars and we've posted the code online so anyone who wants to build a sign for themselves on any of the bus routes can download the code by the DCI and install it is set up get it ready you have to type in which stop. Because otherwise if you leave it exactly as it is when you download the code you're going to get the thirty three times I said from you how long to do that is it was really honestly about a day at work. And that includes

looking on the Internet finding the best bargain on Ellie besides the I want the $500 one. Finding the cheapest laptop that would do what I needed it was very straightforward. And that's what's great about this program is that it allows developers who have specific skills to come in and use those skills very efficiently to build something that's actually very gratifying very fun to build It was great to be able to get results that quickly I wish I was everything I did with that question. And was MUCH AS MUCH appreciated. Oh absolutely. Now I want to know from both of you you have an eye ball way of looking at it been what's made the difference or has how has it made a difference having the sun there. I'm hoping the big difference is going to come this summer when I start taking the kids to JP like OK get a little movie star treatment maybe. It's just it's it's just been very gratifying to help encourage people to ride the bus more. Are people more able to plan because they know exactly when it's coming now.

Yeah yeah and the feedback I'm getting from JP looks the early feedback is that people like it people understand what the data is. And actually one great story I heard from the manager is that a group of high school kids was in the store and they made it into a game to look at the side of the bus coming look at the side of their comparing the accuracy of the side and apparently really get into it and you know what a wonderful way to engage high school kids. I mean how many high school kids are going to say hey let's go watch buses and. The accuracy of prediction. I see there's some math lessons in there. Rick Davey of the MBT head of the MBT and by the way listeners I'm talking with Rick Davis of the BTA and been Reznor who designed an L.A. sign for the thirty nine bus minute by minute countdown at JP licks in Jamaica Plain. What have what have you heard from customers about how what a difference is made from them. For them on not just this route but others you know the feedback has been to reflect I mean again I think when we're releasing information we're giving passengers what arming them with information so they

can make the right transit choices so if the boss had you know stuck in traffic or has an issue. The one thing I keep talking about at the MTA that we need to do is get back to our core which is providing people reliable on time service so they they can rely on it to get to their first meeting in the morning at work or to back to pick up the kids from school or getting an ice cream and then get back on the bus with the kids as Ben will be doing with his kids in the summer I mean that's the kind of. I mean we need to be doing but there's been a lot of positive feedback which is the reason why we're very anxious to to roll it out system wide for both Boston and commuter rail. Richard Davey I do know your name I just said. Richard what is it a is this the best private private public partnership you can think of. You know when we talk about private public partnerships is this what we're thinking about what we what you mean. You know it's interesting I've heard that sort of you know used to you know public private partnership I mean Ben doesn't have a you know he's not a big CEO of a large company I mean he's a guy that uses

them and he cared about it. And so I appreciate that the most I mean you can hear the enthusiasm his voice that he's providing something for the public for our customers that is useful so it's almost like sort of a I don't know a public micro private partnership and we're really getting individual writers and customers who on their own on their own time in Ben's case his own money is really adding to I think what government is providing what the civic nature of our duties are and that's why it's so exciting to me as opposed to a large going to a large company and that sort of you know before. Partnership in that manner I mean this is really about asking individual customers to help us in a meaningful way and he was able to do it as were many other people. Well this is civic engagement then. Absolutely OK no doubt about it. There's no doubt about it and it's civic civic engagement at its core where again transportation public transportation is so important. We move one point to 1.3 million people a day around metropolitan Boston.

This is a significant customer base that we have and again this kind of information has extraordinary utility for our passengers. Now I understand the MTA is partnering with MIT's Center for future Civic Media reaching out to the tech community offering prizes like Charlie cart passes and chances to play with the team bus drivers training simulator. I think that's great BEEN BEFORE WE GO YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF ICE CREAM. And if your favorite kind of ice I have favorite chocolate chip Well I think it's time for JP licks to come up with bins on time. Mint chocolate chip as you layer. Thank you very much. Thank you both for a great conversation and I can't wait to this comes to my neighborhood. Thank you I think that I'm Cal you know honestly we've been discussing the MBT high tech initiatives with Richard Davy the general manager of the MBT and Benjamin Reznor an innovator and entrepreneur. Thank you both. Coming up we remember the life and career of veteran journalist Gerald Boyd. We'll be back after this break. Stay with us.

Support for WGBH comes from you and from Stan a stair lifts helping people to stay in their own home when climbing the stairs becomes difficult. Online at stairlift M.A. dot com. Or you can call 1 800 ups their. Glide up stairs on a stand a stair lift and from proven winners on April 24th you can join them for an outdoor living extravaganza an all day educational gardening seminar. Gardeners can learn ways to creatively use color as well as what's new in garden decor. Proven winners dot com. And from the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Welch and Forbes and the Post Club. Pleased to sponsor news and culture on the new eighty nine point seven. Learn about sponsorship at 6 1 7. Three hundred fifty five hundred. Hello I'm Krista Tippett. I hope you'll join me on Saturday April 24th at the Charles Hotel for a day of conversation together with Harvard Divinity School. We'll

talk about faith the pulse of religious life and new directions for the Christian church. WGBH members can attend a free call 8 8 8 8 9 7 8. Or visit WGBH dot org slash Speaking of Faith to get your tickets for this day of conversation and ideas. Thanks and I hope to see you on April 24th. This is eighty nine point seven. WGBH Boston NPR station for trusted voices and local conversation with the take away the Diane Rehm Show and the Emily Rooney show explore new voices with us all day long here on the new eighty nine point seven. WGBH. Why eighty nine point seven. Because there are renewed calls for anti cyber bullying legislation has been making its way to the state house because you'll only hear the

Emily Rooney show on the news. Eighty nine point seven. WGBH radio. I'm Cally Crossley and this is the Calla Crossley Show after a career of many firsts. Journalist Gerald Boyd became the first black managing editor of The New York Times but his tenure there ended abruptly with Boyd's forced resignation in the wake of the Jason Blair scandal. Jason Blair being the plagiarist and Boyd's life ended too soon at the age of 56. His posthumous memoir My times in black and white race and power at the New York Times has just been released. We are joined by his widow journalist Robin Stone. She wrote the afterward to the book. Robin St. welcome. Thank you Cal. It's a pleasure to be here. Now I should let our listeners know that I know you and I knew Gerald just from afar from the many annual meetings at the National Association of Black Journalists and he was quite an imposing figure and one frankly I was a little bit intimidated to

talk to even though I know that he wasn't intimidating personally. Well you and me both. He actually recruited me to the times and when I first went there I was intimidated by him as well he was my boss. So I understand I understand but the folks who came to know him knew him as someone who had many different. Personalities and perspective he was a complicated man. But the thing that I think people will recall is his love and devotion of journalism devotion to journalism and his love and devotion to the institutions he worked for The New York Times where he was there for 20 years and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch where he spent 10 years. The thing about his memoir I mean the thing about this book is that it's not only a memoir of his life we learn a lot about his early life and how he got to the Volta position of managing editor at The New York Times first black one but also about the power dynamics in the New York Times

absolutely Well the for the folks who are journalism junkies and New York Times junkies there's a lot of grist if you will and there is there's a lot of juicy stuff as well but I really prefer to look at the book as what I call a success story really if you look at the arc of his life. You see nothing but success some people may say this is has a sad ending because as you mentioned he left the times in the wake of this plagiarism scandal. But for someone who started it where he started growing up in poverty in St. Louis orphaned as a child no father no mother raised by his grandmother and who you know saw journalism as a ticket out and really took that ticket and rode it as far as he could. You know and and where he ended up it's really nothing but success. OK I'm going to let you find a space in the book that you'd like to read

to our listeners. And I want to just offer this quote that I found there are so many reviews of this book because it's but I thought this one this this captured what I felt the book was this is by Pamela Newkirk and she says it's a poignant story of a lonely pioneer caught in the crosshairs of race and history. And it's likely to resonate from newsrooms to the White House. And I thought that that really covered the entire waterfront if you will because and by the way listeners Joe Boyd names names about the people who were not there for him and those who were. And he is very very. Clear about what it meant and the sacrifices he had to make to be black at that vaulted position at the New York Times. Absolutely I think what resonates too is you know the wonderful review refers to newsrooms to the White House.

But the story I think resonates with anyone who works in an integrated environment whether it's corporate or city or CO or county or what have you when you're dealing with people with different perspectives. There are bound to be clashes challenges misunderstandings and he explores a lot of that and that's one of the things that drove him. Geroge was connected to nine of the many Pulitzer prizes that the Times has won but nine on his watch and one. It was for series how race is lived in America and that was really his baby he and saw golden bear a collie led that 10 part series and they wanted to explore the silences between the races and in those silences how misunderstandings anger and frustration can brew. And that series Touched a nerve across the country and resonated and I

think as he acknowledges in his book his own story could have been a part of that series. No kidding sometimes I found it you know as an African-American journalist very difficult to read because it mirrored some of my experiences and it was just it was really quite painful really to to see that you think somebody who's reached that level maybe didn't have to deal with it. I want to share with readers that the job that he was offered at first at the time after been offered the job that he meets with the first you know higher up at the New York Times the guy offers him this compliment. I use the word advisedly. Your pieces are so well written. Did you write them. I mean did you write them yourself. That is crazy and it was the first that he said I thought I the ugly ugly underside of the racial dynamics at the New York Times. OK here's something that's in the book that I think I want to share with the readers. He says most of my colleagues were politically liberal and believed in racial equality

yet many had never been in a position of having to take orders from a black person especially one whom they did not know. In fact a few blacks were at the table when editors discussed important issues scanning the news room I saw no black editors on the foreign culture. We can review science sport or business staffs both national and Metro hadn't had black editors but not in leadership positions. There were no natural avenues to discuss issues so most racial dialogue took place through angry memos or heated conversations that a few blacks risk having some of those who spoke out frequently were often seen as militant Not exactly a career enhancing label. In this highly charged atmosphere I saw that I needed to tread carefully. You stole my. Quote from the book so parents and I share that when I speak this is city 15 on a multi-city tour for me and I share that reference regularly and I think it resonates today especially with the

debate the racial tone of the debate surrounding the health care were more a bill which I liken to a lot of white people being very unhappy that a black guy is telling them what they're going to do. And so I this this reference from Gerald's book resonates quite clearly with that that tone and that tenor of the debate today. Well I'll let you find something with regard to the Jason Blair scandal so quickly for those who do not know Jason Blair was a reporter at The New York Times he was an entry level one really. And he was subsequently discovered had plagiarized almost 50 stories. Nobody knows why. But what how this affected General's life is that it was assumed because Jason Blair was black and a young reporter that somehow Gerald was his mentor when in fact I think they had about three conversations in life and he was not his mentor. I shared this with. My producer yesterday and I said here's the

tragedy about racism in the journalism business and that is if there were a star reporter if Jason Blair was known to be a star reporter and he was black. Those of us who didn't work at The Times would have known his name. And furthermore we would have known the general was mentoring him because it's just not that many. Right so I knew this was a lie the minute it came out right infuriated me. But the thing that that gave that lie legs is that it was reported by a credible reporter and a credible news organization. Seth Mnookin who worked at Newsweek was the first to report it. And once it was out there given the lightning speed of information on the internet it was hard to pull back. And it you know people just assume as Errol mentions because a white guy wrote it. It's true. And they just took it and ran with it. And that raises some some concerns because no one reported that out. No one called Gerald to say hey what's

your connection to this guy. It was just a so I think it was easy to assume because of race. Did you have something you wanted. Yeah I just wanted to refer to a speech general made after he left the times in his first public remarks were at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in 2003 and he says you know he talks about how he was mistakenly assume to have connections to Jason and how he assume you know that. Why would that be. Just because we're black and he says perhaps naively I didn't believe that point needed to be made at the New York Times that he needed to refute that rumor. I really believe that the Times understood after publishing the groundbreaking series how race is lived in America but racial differences and different expectations and attitudes based on race are still alive and well even at

the New York Times you know this rumor started within the newspaper and went from there. And as Geroge used to say you know ignorance can exist even in the most intellectually enlightened environments newsrooms are not immune from what's happening in the rest of society. As I read the book and relive the whole scandal Robin you know General presented himself so he had such dignity and you know just I notice from afar. I wanted to. I was screaming in the pages saying Speak out. Yell out say this is not you. But that was not his way. Well part of it was the the corporate entities decided that they would let PR the PR department speak for the times. And Gerald as I mentioned at the top of this he loved that newspaper. And it was like a family and people who read this will find not just interesting insights into journalism and the times but here's a man who was

in search of his family. I mentioned he lost his mom he lost his dad. And he talks a lot about his his personal quest. What's what's successful to him personally as well as professionally. So he was in such a family and I think he he found family in many of the people at the times. And so it was it was heartbreaking to to go through that experience with him to watch him because he said you know I thought they knew me referring to his colleagues and those that assume that he would have aided and abetted a journalistic criminal if you will. It was it was truly heartbreaking. Now he had completed two drafts of this and you needed this together with some other contributions. Tell us about how it had to be very hard. I'm just thinking you know it was hard to start. It took about a year and some you know writers they you know thinking about what they're going to write that's considered a part of the process but I think it was partly I just couldn't

bring myself to immerse myself in his words and his story because I knew it would be hard. But once I started it was it was it was doing a job it was doing my job as a journalist. And so once I was underway it was OK and it was actually. Bartik and reassuring if you will to be a Marxist in his words and to be living parts of his life that I had not known. I didn't really read his whole manuscript until after he died so the bittersweet part was that there were things I wanted to talk to him about like when he adopted the name Uganda and colonized it as a part of the Black Power movement you know and you know oh my god this you know very buttoned down straight laced guy was Uganda X and University of Missouri are you kidding me. So you know there were things like that that I wanted to experience with him but you know unfortunately he was not here.

We're talking with Robin Stone and she's talking about the possumus memoir of her. Husband my times in black and white race and power at the New York Times. What do you want people to take away from this. Well first I want people to come away with a true sense of the man and of his character the depth of his character and his humanity. When news reports came out in 0 3 and beyond about the scandal at the times you will find references from them to Gerald as brusque in quotations managing editor of The New York Times or the the the Britto. I saw one reference and you know he was so much more complicated than that and I hope people come away with a real three dimensional view of who he was and what he was about and a sense of his decency but also I hope based on what they bring to the book that they

take some lesson if it's a journal of young journalism student that they take some lessons that they can apply to their craft. Someone in management that they take lessons how they can deal with. The folks who work below them as well as the folks above them. If it's a you know a person of color I hope they take this as a cautionary tale. It's just someone coming to the book and saying how a person navigated his professional life but also his personal life how he sought and strived and reached for happiness on all fronts and how ultimately he was at peace when he left us. You know I think he would have said I'd done good. One of the things that I thought was so touching and powerful because there's a flip side of this but I want to talk about the positive first is that when they after he died in the obituaries came out and they were so limited in describing the span of his life and career so many people protested and call for. A rewrite

really of those which I thought was extremely powerful I mean they made noise about that this is this man is much more than a Jason Blair scandal and you have not done him service at that time. I know you were grieving but how did you feel about that the people stood up and spoke up and said wait a minute this is not going to stand. Well it was it was wonderful that people challenge the powers that be and said no that that's not the full story. And that's what's so important about it and why I'm on my 15th City talking about this book is because Geroge you know has the final word on his life and I think everybody should have that luxury. But also if you look again at the arc of his life it's a it's a slice of American life it's not just about Jason Blair I really describe Jason Blair as a bit player in a major production because this is you know a a a a life well lived. And a big distinguished

career in journalism and I think having him tell his story is so significant and so important and again that's that's why I'm out talking about it. I'm impressed that you're as positive as you are because I tell you what really. You know speaking about those a bitch wears one of them was so insulting and which they said. Blair is survived by his wife Robin and their son Zachary. I mean that just went right through me. That just that that the name of this plagiarist would be linked to him and to you in an official format and as you said you know this just gets picked up and repeated right. Right. I was just so angry. I was also angry Robin and I got to ask you I know shrinks say leave it alone and then go on to live your life. How are you so calm and at peace yourself reading this book and having to speak about the people who. We frankly betrayed him in his hour of need.

Well you know anger will eat away at you and some people have asked if Gerald's experience had anything to do with his death he died from lung cancer. And I know you know experts say that stress can exacerbate health problems if it doesn't cause them it could certainly exacerbate them. And I don't know about that but you know I knew that I you know I can't go around angry at people all the time and again I think having the final word on your life is is the ultimate revenge if you will and not that he was out for revenge she doesn't set out in his story he sets out to tell the story of his life and that I think he's open he's he's he's harsh. On some people but I think it's also harsh on himself. He tells all his his warts and all he knows the full story. So in that sense I think I'm doing the best that I can and

helping him to have the final say. Well if people haven't read it it's quite something to read you can come to it if you're just nosy about the entire workings of the New York Times who something to read about. Certainly you can come to it to find out the power dynamics about race and and politics at some place as volatile as vaunted as as the New York Times and then is just a fascinating story of one man's life through this crazy business we call journalism. And they can come and hear me talk about it. Absolutely they certainly can and you will be at Porter Square Books at 7:00 o'clock. And I think in the words people hear it and the reviews have been fantastic so yeah. Good for you. Robert Stone thank you so much for joining us. This is the journalist Robin Stone who's been with us talking about her husband's book my times in black and white race and power at the New York Times. She wrote the afterward in that book and she will be speaking tonight at Porter Square

Books at 7:00 p.m.. Thanks Rob. Thank you Kelly. Up next we're checking in with the Massachusetts GOP. Stay with us. With the. With. With the. With. The for. With the support for WGBH comes from you and from the New England mobile book fair in Newton. For 53 years. New England's independent bookstore. The New England mobile book fair find them online at any book fair dot com. That's an e-book fair dot com and from new Repertory Theatre presenting the New England premiere of Opus a drama by Michael Hollander about the fictional Lasar a string quartet. Running through April 17th that the arsenal Center for the Arts. Tickets at new rep

dot org and from Ellis insurance agency a local company offering home auto and business insurance plus their online insurance tune up to identify timely and relevant insurance solutions. Exceptional service intelligent insurance Ellison sure and star Tom W.. TV and radio series MORNING EDITION this week for stories in the region. Then on Thursday eighty nine point seven percent special editions of Basic Black beginning to slash last resort. Hello I'm Krista Tippett. I hope you'll join me on Saturday April 24th at the Charles Hotel for a day of conversation together with Harvard Divinity School. We'll talk about faith the pulse of religious life and new directions for the Christian church members can attend 8 8 8 8 9 7 8 or

visit org slash Speaking of Faith to get your tickets for this day of conversation and ideas. Thanks and I hope to see you 24th. This is eighty nine point seven. Boston's NPR station for trusted voices and local conversation with FRESH AIR and the Emily Rooney show the new seven. Good afternoon I'm Kelly Crossley and this is the Calla Crossley Show with Sarah Palin and the Tea Partiers in full force today on the Boston Common and the Massachusetts Republican convention just around the corner. We're taking stock of the Republican party with guests Jennifer Nestler and Sean O'Connell. Jennifer sewer is the chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party and Shannon O'Connell is running for state rep in the third Bristol district on the Republican ticket. Jennifer in a sewer and Shawn O'Connell welcome. Thanks for having me.

Well we're going to have to get your response right away to the Tea Party gathering down on the Boston Common which look to me to my eye to be 6000 7000 people. There were quite a lot of people so before we begin our conversation let me give people a chance to hear a little bit of what Sarah Pailin who was the star speaker today had to say. They come together in between is the day before tax day the day that they. Can. On top of tax. Cuts expiring. Down at the sound of liberty call. That will never be afraid to stand up and speak out for principles that they believe in. You were you. Don't think. That was Sarah Palin speaking this morning to 67000 people on the Boston common for one of the high points I think of the of the Tea Party rallies around the country. Jennifer you were there for a minute.

I was there for a little while. I went to my other colleagues and I kind of got there and started sneaking toward the front as close as we could possibly get to. And we got there right as Palin was about to speak. It was an amazing crowd of people and so good for Boston. OK. And now I want to make clear list as I know that Jennifer is not a Tea Party member she is a Republican. But you know as Duguay said this morning he's the RNC communications director. Republicans need two party votes. Well. While in Massachusetts where last the Republicans are less than 12 percent. We need every vote. And so I think it's important to have the Democrats the unrolled the Tea Party folks all to see that the Republican Party wants to be part of the two party system and we only have one party right now that actually is in office and and we're trying to get more candidates elected and I think that the Tea Party and the Republican Party actually have a lot of similarities and our focus is exactly the same and so we should unite on our principles of fiscal conservatism and

smaller government and controlling spending. Shawna O'Connell running for state rep in the third Bristol district the third in the school district I'll get it out. You have a choice you could have. You know this is your first time running as I understand you could have run as a Tea Party candidate or an independent. And you thought about it and decided the Republican ticket is the way to go. I did well kind of like Jennifer just mentioned there really is only one party presently in our state legislature and we need two parties and I think you know I thought I was on a roll previously but I tend to be a little bit more conservative and I do like a little bit more of a limited government and I think to even things out in our legislature we really need to get two parties in there so that the people really have a voice and that they're heard. What do you think about the Tea Party gathering today. I thought it was great I was there for just about the whole thing and there were thousands of people there and everyone was just so nice there. And you know it

really made me proud to be an American to be there and listen to people who are so proud of their country and what it stands for. Do you expect that you'll be able to get some of those people who are standing out there as people to vote for you. I think so I mean you know the large majority of people that were there. Are you an enrolled or independent. And you know they vote for people they don't vote for parties and I am working very hard in this campaign and I'm really connecting with people. And I'm getting a lot of support. How do you feel about Scott Brown not being there were you OK with that. Yes I was OK with that I mean he is in Washington he's working hard. You know he's been to other key party things and there was a whole a whole host of speakers there that were really fabulous. They were funny they had music and it was really a good time. Now speaking of Scott Brown Jennifer the last time we gather here today was immediately after his wins you've had a chance to absorb that and you're headed toward your convention this weekend. What has that

win meant for you and what how different will your convention be because he won. Well the work has changed because it went from working to organize to working to organize more and more and more and to make sure that we continue to achieve the same success throughout 2010. And what it means for our convention. Senator Brown is our keynote speaker. So we have seen from the moment that we announced that he was going to be the keynote. We had more and more people that had said that they were interested in attending the convention. We are looking at numbers towards 3000 delegates which is really an amazing number for us. And so there's definitely a lot of excitement surrounding the convention just because there are so many interesting candidates that we have running statewide but also because of her brown will be there. Now is it just me or I'm sure you're going to agree with this statement. It feels like a revitalization of the party in the state I mean. I feel like I'm hearing

about candidates not just Shawna But Karen police goes out there and it just feels to me that there's a new inner G. There is that there is a new energy I think that a lot of people before and I see it a lot more now. But when I first became chairman people would whisper to me I'm a Republican. And now they are coming out and I just it even yesterday I had a bunch of other other members of my community other moms other people that I know outside of politics who sent me an e-mail saying you know I want to go to a Tea Party rally tomorrow and I'm interested in this and tell me more about your convention. So I think that people are actually not afraid to say that they are Republican or that their interests align with the Republican interests. Now you guys this weekend are coming in on right after in the wake of the national GOP folks just ripping the banking overhaul bill and I wonder if that will be a discussion at the convention this weekend. I think most of our most of our discussion this weekend is going to be about the

grassroots about making sure that people continue to organize that we continue to grow as a party very organically by talking to our friends and neighbors. I am looking forward to Senator Brown speech and to what he's going through in Washington D.C. I know he's there working very hard and which is where he was today and and hearing from our candidates and how they're going to get Massachusetts back on track economically. What do you think of the national GOP came out very strongly yesterday and said this overhaul bill is just another bailout and they don't want to see it. How does that translate to voters potential voters in your area. Well he you know voters are always concerned when the government is spending too much money and you know I've been going and knocking on a lot of doors and I've been getting great reception and people you know when they asked me what party I'm in. Most of the time they don't most of the time they're happy to hear that someone new is running.

And when they do ask me what party let me interrupt you and say you're running against an incumbent who's been in office for 16 years. That's right. That's right. And you know I hear the same mess. That over and over again from people they want change they want a new represent representative on Beacon Hill for them. And when I tell them if they do ask me what party I'm in and I tell them I'm in the Republican Party they snatch my nomination papers out of my hand and I want to find them right away. And they're they're very excited. So you know things are changing here in Massachusetts. And what would success look like other than your winning but for the party in general Seana for you in the fall. Well I think if the party wins more states it will be successful for you know the people of Massachusetts. That's that's who the real winner is going to be here because they will get their voice heard more on Beacon Hill they'll have a little bit more control over their government. And that's what the people are looking for here. Jennifer when you were here before and we're speaking with Jennifer in a sewer who is head of the GOP

party in Massachusetts we talked about the fact that Scott Brown positioned himself as an Independent as well as a Republican. Is that the way a lot of your candidates are positioning themselves in Massachusetts. I mean is that the model that everybody's going to follow at least in this state. Well. I don't think that Senator Brown defined himself as much as an independent as much as an independent thinker and someone who won't follow along with the party line all the time. And I think that in Massachusetts what is important to recognize is that we're not the same Republican Party as we are nationally we are very different. And so we want to make sure that Massachusetts is on a road to recovery and to being a healthy state where we're all of our college students want to stay where they can get jobs where our older population can stay and don't have to move out. And so I think that for us that economic fiscal responsibility portion is very much on the table. And so if you see your

candidates talking about that whether it's on track with on unrolled what independents believe or what Republicans believe are maybe conservative Democrats but I don't think any that anyone is trying to portray themselves as something that they're not. I just think it's defining between being an independent thinker or being someone that just walks in lockstep with a particular party. Shawna in addition to you there's a few other women running for the first time. So proportionately in Massachusetts that's that's a big percentage of Republican candidates are women. Am I not right. Well I don't know if a big percentage are women this year but there certainly are more women than traditionally have. There has been you know. I said to Sarah Palin the fact let me I've got to ask that question. You know I'm not sure about that I know for me it was you know doing other work fighting for Jessica's Law on Beacon Hill and that's what got me into politics and wanting to do some more for my family and my community. So you know everyone has a different

reason but it's I think it's just great to see more women entering politics and to let them know that they can do it and they can raise their family and do a good job. OK we have a caller on line one. No go ahead please. Well no I'm sorry. What I had when I look at that recent history I'm not some recent history here and past the one party role has really been so dominant and the state you know in my opinion has just suffered so much from one party rule by taxes we deal with the way the Democratic Party is kind of in bed with all those of the public service unions driving our costs up. Aside from being in favor of Republican Party is it not just people running the one party role to help. Helping with action and Jennifer. Well I I think that it is people who would like

to see a thriving two party system to have a debate. And in Massachusetts there are only two parties that have been organized the Republican and the Democrat Party. And so really if there are if there if the Democrats are all in office then we need to elect more Republicans. And so I think that our message is also resonating as we saw with Senator Brown it was about jobs and the economy and that has been our message all along. And that's what we're continuing to fight for. To his point Massachusetts though has tended to Massachusetts voters have tended to like to do that to have a kind of if we've got a Republican governor A-lister have a Democrat and vice versa so as you said messages a little bit different from other states. Right and I think that what has happened. Number one the numbers in the legislature have been steadily decreasing on the Republican side over the past few years. But we also don't have a Republican governor. So if there's a Republican governor back and believe me I would love to win all 200

legislative seats but. Reality So even if we just increased our numbers in the House and in the Senate and have a Republican governor it gives a little bit more balance in it. Instead of our Republicans in the in the House and Senate offering up a billion dollars of savings last budget year and being completely overlooked it gives an opportunity for them to be heard and maybe some of their their suggestions actually be taken into into the thought process. What's the theme for the convention this year on Saturday. Our theme is paint the town red. OK. And Sean I think that means paint the entire state red if possible. Yes right. Shawn do you think you've got a pretty good chance. I think so I mean especially be because we are working so hard on this campaign. We're doing all the things we need to do to get elected and the biggest thing we're doing right now is knocking on doors. And I'm telling you I am hearing from everybody they want accountability and they want change. They and their you know they want people to know that the Democrats don't own their vote anymore

and they're looking at the Republican Party as an alternative saying you know what I think that they stand for a lot of the things that I do too. What I hear in your voice is no matter what happens in this race and of course you hope to win. You're you're kind of turned on now you're in it. I am yeah. And you would not believe how many people are joining my team that have never been engaged in politics before and they're jumping on board they're energized they're engaged and they want their government back. Some people call that the Obama effect. Jennifer I know you are right. What do you want as one of them. Well whatever affected I I think it's really I think that what Obama said about hope and change is actually more of a democracy in action. And that's what we're seeing a lot of and it's really hard especially from my perspective as a political scientist did not see people involved so go out and get involved on political campaigns. OK they're going to be painting the town red this weekend at the GOP convention. We've been talking Massachusetts politics with Jennifer in the store chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party

and Shawna O'Connell she's running for state rep in the third Bristol district on the Republican ticket. Thank you both for joining us here. Thank you very much. You can keep on top of the Calla Crossley Show by visiting our website WGBH dot org slash tell across leap. Don't forget that all this week on radio TV and online we're discussing casino gambling. Join the debate see the broadcast schedule at WGBH dot org. This is the Calla Crossley Show a production of WGBH radio.