2013 in photos from "Eye on The Record"

The Great Falls in Paterson is the place to visit after a heavy rainfall.Staff Writer Kibret Markos of The Record covers the Bergen County Courthouse in Hackensack full time, but his smoking breaks outside the 10 Main St. entrance are so frequent little of that coverage actually appears in the paper.The Record's old headquarters at 150 River St. in Hackensack remained an eyesore for much of 2013 -- four years after the Borg publishing family abandoned...

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What a concept: One reporter writes many stories

On Route 4 west in Paramus, a McDonald's -- the nation's largest purveyor of cheap, low-quality food -- a 24 Hour Fitness and Miller's N.J. Ale House send mixed messages, above and below.By VICTOR E. SASSONEditorStaff Writer Stefanie Dazio turns in a dazzling performance in The Record today.This reporter is everywhere -- from the sensational shooting of an 85-year-old woman on Page 1 to four bylines in Local (L-2 and L-6) to a Q&A with a plastic...

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In 2013, we saw many lows at our local daily newspaper

A Bogota fire truck on a rainy day in Hackensack. These words appear on the back of the truck, under the painted American flag: "All Gave Some ... Some Gave All. 9-11-01." All gave some? Not sure what that means, but the tribute shows why the world needs more copy editors.By VICTOR E. SASSONEditorEchoing the theme of sections in today's Sunday edition, The Record of Woodland Park tried mightily under a former Times editor to hit highs in 2013.But...

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Local editors continue to flub breaking news

Drivers startled by a huge inflatable rat on State Street in Hackensack might think it's a marketing ploy gone awry for the luxury apartments going up on the site. In fact, members of Carpenters Union Local 254 put up the rat and picket the site to dramatize the developer's use of "rats" -- non-union contractors -- according to the union's Facebook page.By VICTOR E. SASSONEditorWhen you compare The Record's Page 1 follow-up today to Friday's sensational...

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Editors treat NJ Transit rail victims like chopped liver

Sure signs of the holiday season in downtown Englewood are free parking at meters and empty storefronts, above and below. The continuing struggle of Main Streets in North Jersey is a story The Record consistently ignores in favor of lavishly promotional pieces about mall retailers -- apparent payback for the advertising revenue that keeps the Woodland Park daily afloat.By VICTOR E. SASSONEditorMarty Gottlieb, editor of The Record, couldn't find a...

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Gluttony, inebriation, human trafficking and brain injuries

After the train passed and the gates went up, the driver of this minivan continued down Euclid Avenue to Grand Avenue and right through the stop sign without slowing or stopping, a common occurrence in Hackensack.By VICTOR E. SASSONEditorToday's post-Christmas edition of The Record is pretty ho-hum.On Page 1, Columnist Mike Kelly rehashes a major episode in New Jersey corruption from the late 1970s and early 1980s that most people have long forgotten....

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Readers find little under the tree from the newsroom

The elegant bell tower of St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church on Lodi Street in Hackensack, where services are held in English, Italian and Spanish, below.By VICTOR E. SASSONEditorThe Record's entire front page today looks back, not forward.The major elements on Page 1 are the editors' way of saying they are far more fascinated with the past than with imagining what our future could be.Two of the three stories are about NJ Transit and the...

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Editors deliver a new low in State House journalism

Murals decorate a playground at Union and Myer streets in Hackensack, above and below. A sign indicates the playground was built under the state Green Acres program.By VICTOR E. SASSONEditorReaders of The Record are cursed.As with today's Page 1 Political Stile column, it look like all we are going to be reading about Governor Christie is how his every action or inaction affects his White House ambitions.Staff Writer Charles Stile delivers yet another...

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