So…you wake up on Sunday morning and see a headline in the local paper about the recently revealed FBI investigation. You’re anxious because your name was in the FBI subpoenas recently dropped at city hall, so you expect the worst.
You read the story and find your name is mentioned seven times in connection with relationships between local insiders. You think to yourself, “not bad, maybe a little gossipy, but hey, it comes with the territory.”
Then you turn the page and find your picture next to the picture of a convicted felon.
After you spill your coffee looking for the cell phone number of Democrat publisher Skip Foster, you probably begin to feel like the Tallahassee Democrat is out to get you!
This could be how local business owner Kim Rivers feels today.
In an article in the Sunday Tallahassee Democrat, reporter Jeff Schweers documented the web of relationships between Adam Corey and a number of local insiders. Included next to the article, in the well circulated Sunday edition of the Tallahassee Democrat, was a picture of Anthony Murgio, a convicted felon, next to a picture of local business owner Kim Rivers.
The pictures of Murgio and Rivers were included with no context and seemed out of place. In fact, I read the article three times and there was no mention of Murgio in a paragraph with Rivers.
What the article did say was “Anthony Murgio was just sentenced to five and a half years in federal prison for his role in a bitcoin scam and cyber attack on J.P. Morgan Chase Bank.”
Murgio is a previous business partner of Adam Corey, not Kim Rivers.
Now, I know I am biased, but if Tallahassee Reports had published this picture we would have been fairly criticized for sensationalism and trying to tarnish someones reputation.
Tallahassee Reports publishes findings supported by documents and facts in the public record. There are no publicly available documents that reasonably tie any questionable activities to a relationship between Murgio and Rivers. Therefore, I can say, with high confidence, TR would have never published this picture.
So why did the Democrat include this picture in their Sunday edition?
The problem is the Tallahassee Democrat is trying to make-up for lost ground by throwing a lot of ink at people and relationships now that the FBI is investigating. This is not good journalism and ultimately will not be good for Tallahassee.
In my view, the FBI investigation, in addition to determining if local leaders were involved with corrupt activities, is going to reveal that Tallahassee has not been well served by a complacent Gannett owned paper that is more concerned about corporate profits than the journalistic needs of our local democracy.
One final point.
I believe it is important that local government as well as the local media, both powerful institutions, are held accountable for their actions. I can tell you, from personal and professional experience, that well thought out criticism can have a positive impact on future actions.
Stewart’s Blog: The Kim Rivers Picture that Should Have Never Been Published added by Staff on
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Very interesting article. After 48 years of being a subscriber I just decided that I have had enough of their inadequate journalism and weak liberal agenda.
I was about to restart my subscription after being away for a time. Their online service is terrible (not to mention expensive) so I have been unconnected to the Democrat for a few months. Tallahassee Reports fills my information needs very nicely.
If Tallahasse had ANY investigative reporter they would bring to light the $600,000 it cost LCS to defend the 100% knowingly false notebook that Rocky Hanna and Woody Hilderbrandt put together. Making knowingly false statements to Federal authorities should be fully investigated.
The Democrat is always a day late and a dollar short. They suck! Burlew, Portman ETC allegedly investigative reporters lol. Burlews face had to be pushed into the John Marks scandal before he had to write something. There is no investigative journalism practiced here. The continual accounting of an FBI investigation is laughable except the ruined reputations and no substance.
Excellent post. Any worthy editor would not have let the paper go out with the Rivers picture tied to this article. Is it a hidden agenda, incompetence, or sloth?
I another stuiped commie
Take a close read of that Tallahassee Democrat TDO.com in today’s online publication on Adam Corey.
I get the feeling they are trying to hint without actually coming out with accusations that Adam quite likely is a main squealer in exchange for early immunity.
I really felt it as they explained Adam set up all the meetings with the ghostly Mr. Miller who seems to have now fallen off the face of the planet.
Quite likely Adams good old buddy who just got sent up the federal river for his bit coin scheme ratted out Adam and the rest of the usual suspects.
It’s getting hot in Tallahassee for some of our big time local players.
Again, if you are paying for a propoganda subscription, you are putting your money to work AGAINST you.
It”s the “”same old, same old”” as always. We have a local swamp that needs draining very badly !
When, oh when! is the Democrat going to say squat about the City Manager getting a $4,700 “owner’s discount” at the Edison for his daughter’s wedding reception?!?
Isn’t it amazing how much time the democrat is putting into finding this elusive Mike Miller? If they worked like that all the time, maybe our “leaders” would not be able to get away with so much. At least it would make them work harder at being corrupt. Sorry for the thread hijack, but this article just make me think about how they are actually doing real investigative journalism, something they should be doing all the time.
The democrat has an agenda but it has nothing to do with journalism. As always with them it’s their own political interests they’re protecting. So who do they really want to trash out locally or statewide? That’s why they paraded out Lindley last week for her two cents of garbage. Once you decide who they are ultimately trying to help in all of this mess then you’ll know what they’re doing.
Do not trust anything they say because they lied and withheld the truth before this started and they always will to promote the agenda they want to push.
Exactly! Lindley has no credibility as her irresponsible endorsements, snubbing legitimate qualified candidates in order to accommodate the usual suspects PR clients, are major contributing factors to the corruption and high crime rate we are now facing.
Remember she endorsed Nick Maddox who is now the Chairman of the CRA committee which is under FBI investigation. Was she clueless when Nick’s resume was touting he was the director of a foundation which it turned out to be defunct and he never actually raised one dime for? She missed it and endorsed him anyway!
Lindley was in a position to help humanity, but she sold her self out. She should resign, but she will rub our noses in it by attending the Sandestin Buffalo Pool Party at taxpayers expense next month. Sadly, until voters and the Tallahassee Democrat wake up it is business as usual.