# Bridgeport CT– A press conference happened and no one showed up. It happened Friday, and we aren’t talking a no named public official but the Chief of Police Joseph Gaudette Jr.! On August 2nd, CT Post’s Daniel Tepfer wrote an article headlined “No crime in Bridgeport — until after the election”. Their source was an unnamed city official. On August 3rd Chief Gaudettte posted press release announcing holding a weekly press conference regarding crime statistics.
On the first week of the of the conferences, myself, Frank Recchia along with a News12 photographer, a WFSB photographer and a CT Post reporter were in attendance. The second week myself, a News12 photographer and a CT Post reporter was in attendance. I was finding that since I had already covered the news stories discussed, it wasn’t a good use of my time. So the third week I did not attend. The only reporter there was a News12 photographer.
The fourth week, Friday September 4th no one showed up to the press conference. Here is a meeting that was being held pretty much to appease the CT Post and they can’t show up for it. If there was an issue with getting information on news stories in Bridgeport you know I would lead the charge, but there has been no issue. Many news sources now take press releases, rewrite it and call it their breaking news. They want the news handed to them. A good example was the airplane that skidded off the runway at Sikorsky Airport on Monday. It was a twenty minute round trip for me and a ten minute write up to tell you what happened at show you a picture of it. CT Post and all the other media sources (except News12) showed stock photos and relied on press releases.
As a result my audience continues to grow and my internet traffic according to Facebook is over four times the traffic as CT Post. Please keep up what you are doing, or not doing, but don’t blame the city, the chief or the mayor. Its just lazy reporting on your part, don’t blame anyone but yourself. Oh, by the way, I am a one man show at DoingItLocal.com and have no problem going to the crime scenes to inform the public on what is going on. Do your job and stop blaming others.