The Boston Globe Took An Ax: And Gave Kevin Cullen Many Whacks

On April 20, 2018, Kevin Cullen, who has the distinction of being born on the same day as I was although he is a little slower having followed many years later, was placed on administrative leave. As you know Cullen has been with the Globe forever. I recall he was there in 1988 which means at least 30 years. He’s no slouch. He graduated summa cum laude from UMass at Amherst even though he grew up in Malden (yes, he’s not f rom Southie) and graduated from Malden High School.

I was going to say another person in the media Michael Bloomberg also grew up in Malden but before doing so I checked. He grew up in Medford. Being from the south side of the Charles River I often get those two places mixed up. My friend Warren Sundstrom who recently passed away was one of Medford High’s greatest athletes. He used to grimace every time I’d tell people in his presence that he was from Malden. At least I didn’t say Melrose.

Back when Kevin was placed on leave I called the Globe’s actions “not fair nor right.” I felt it should have stood up for him. You have to keep in mind the Globe nominated him for a Pultizer Prize for his column writings and he was part of the Globe team that won the Pultizer Prize reporting on the Catholic Church scandal that sent Cardinal Law out of town. He is also the co-author of a book on Whitey Bulger.

When it put him on leave with pay the Globe said it would be conducting a “thorough examination . . . of his work.” I expressed the hoped that the Globe would weigh that up against his long and productive career with it. It did.

The Globe conducted its own review of Kevin’s writings. It noted in a memo to Brian McGrory on May 31, 2018: “We reviewed 100 columns written by Kevin Cullen, contacting primary sources, checking facts, and, when available, reading other media coverage of the same events. We did find five small errors of fact — a name misspelled here, a detail wrong there — but far more commonly people praised Kevin’s accuracy and, in many cases, his willingness to call back to confirm details.”

In the penultimate paragraph it states: “At his best, Cullen’s writing is among the most appealing that appears in the Globe — precise, well observed and often standing up for the forgotten man and woman with profound effect. Reading dozens of Cullen’s columns in succession gives us a heightened appreciation for Cullen’s humane sensibility and commitment to use his journalism for good.”   

After its review of his work I’d have expected he’d get a promotion, a salary increase and a little praise for a guy who worked there as long as he has. Unfortunately the Globe’s prissiness far exceeds its idea of loyalty or appreciation. Inexplicably it decided to punish Kevin.

So why the whacks: one quarter of his yearly salary taken away and pocketed by John Henry, three more months suspended (total five months), two months probation as a reporter, a gag order of six months after his return, and “heightened editorial scrutiny.”

It didn’t stop there. Trump-like the Globe  forced Kevin to admit shortcomings (whatever those were) and, most importantly to crawl with the statement, “I’m sorry that it has allowed some to attack the Globe itself.” How close the Globe is to the FBI. It’s the FBI’s first commandment “Don’t Embarrass the Family,” in other words do whatever you damn well please but don’t get caught.

There must be more to the story and there is. The Globe found nothing to merit its punishment but outside experts did. Do these justify the whacks?  I’ll look at those tomorrow.

15 thoughts on “The Boston Globe Took An Ax: And Gave Kevin Cullen Many Whacks

  1. If more people like Kevin Cullen and Matt Connolly stuck their necks out and held the FBI accountable to a greater extent, maybe both Democrats and Republicans wouldn’t be feeling betrayed and mistrustful (though for different reasons) right now of the FBI and the Bureau would be a more effective and fulfilling agency to be a part of. Accountability to a free and independent press is good institutional hygiene.

    1. Why don’t you stick your neck out and hold accountable character assassins,, fabricating columnists, spin artists, journalists who slant and engage in half-truths and omit salient facts, and power abusing federal prosecutors and a leftist newspaper like the Globe that pretends to be objective?

    2. Kevin:

      You make a good point. The FBI would have been better off it it had a better go at it correcting the problems inside rather than hiding them. Now it finds itself being attacked unfairly by a guy who recognizes that it is the one agency that can interrupt his move to gather in greater and greater power. I sometimes think he will, as he threatens, take over the Justice Department and bring about the destruction of the FBI. He will replace it with police like ICE who are more willing to do his bidding.

  2. ugh

    9/11 and Other Deep State Crimes Teleconference

    Draft Agenda for 5/30/18 Teleconference

    8pm (ET)/5pm (PT) Teleconference # (641) 715-0632 Access code: 551571#
    [Note: Some telephone service providers block access to this teleconference service, or require additional charges. If you encounter any of these difficulties, please try calling this alternative number: (716) 293-9623. You will then be required to key in the original phone number above before entering the access code. Please inform of us of any technical difficulties you encounter in accessing the teleconference.]

    Greetings all,

    This month’s call begins with a very innovative guest. Claudio Marty, the founder of the “I am the Face of Truth” campaignwhich he describes as a 9/11 marketing campaign. Their flagship marketing initiative is the 9/11 Awareness Banner campaign in which everybody’s Facebook, Twitter or other social media avatar becomes a 9/11 Truth passive marketing “billboard” with the simple addition of “9/11 Truth,” plus a country designation beside one’s personal picture. An “I am the Face of Truth” banner allows you spread 9/11 awareness wherever you go on the internet. Your face is more powerful than you think and it encourages the human to human connection needed to make a difference. “Want change?” Claudio asks. Then show it– with this powerful tool to help spread the 9/11 awareness message.
    http://iamthefaceoftruth.com/

    Next, Wayne Coste offers us his analysis of the Pentagon Security Camera. Relying on a review of Mickey Bell’s truck traveling across the Pentagon lawn, Wayne argues that this establishes the difference in timing of the two security cameras to be 4/30th of a second. From this, the speed of the plane in the two security cameras can be used to validate that the approaching aircraft is traveling at approximately 542 mph (+/- measurement error), he asserts.

    Then, two reports from the front lines: Barbara Honneger briefs us on her and Richard Gage’s recent European 9/11 Truth tour. Then Cat McGuire gives us the skinny on yet another round of censorship of vital Truth issues by the (so-called) Left Forum, meaning once again “the truth stands alone,” this time under the auspices of Deep Truth: Visionaries Speak Out.

    As always, we’ll reserve time for your announcements.

    Please join us Wednesday night for these latest currents in the Truth movement!

    Peace,
    Ken Freeland
    Cheryl Curtiss
    Craig McKee

    DRAFT AGENDA for Wednesday 30 May Teleconference

    I Roll call, minutes approval, agenda approval (5 min)

    II “I am the face of truth” campaign [Claudio Marti] {Wayne Coste} (15 min + Q&A)

    III Pentagon camera anallysis [Wayne Coste] (15 min + Q&A)
    (for presentation pdf: http://hopeoutloud.org/pentagon/Pentagon_Security_Camera_Analysis.pdf )

    IV Richard Gage/Barbara Honegger 9/11 Truth Euro tour [Barbrara Honegger] (10 min + Q &A)

    V Deep Truth: Visionaries Speak Out [Cat McGuire] (10 min/Q &A]

    VI Announcements

    VII Any available updates on issues of identified ongoing concern (if any remaining time):
    • New articles, books, films, or recent news about 9/11 or other Deep State crimes
    • 9/11 and the Deep State on the legal front, including current adjudicatory efforts by Lawyers for 9/11 Inquiry, JASTA, 28 pages, William Pepper’s efforts with AE911Truth against NIST and the Dept. of Commerce
    • Censorship and cognitive infiltration: new examples of censorship or harassment of members of the Truth community; MSM treatment of 9/11 Truth
    • Google censorship
    • The 9/11 Consensus Panel
    • 9/11 Truth political candidates
    VIII Adjournment (by 9:30 p Eastern)

    https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/10-week-summer-program-offers-working-introduction-to-the-fbi

    Honors Interns
    10-Week Summer Program Offers Working Introduction to the FBI

  3. I tweeted something like (improved version): Kevin Cullen is the one reporter in a city full of chickenshits to challenge the Boston FBI without an indictment, a U.S. Attorney, an unhinged President, or a throng of lemmings to hide behind.

    Maybe I should have included Matt too.

    “FBI Shame Casts a Long Shadow” by Kevin Cullen
    http://archive.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/06/26/fbi_shame_casts_a_long_shadow/

    Retiring FBI chief in Boston shares, yet keeps quiet
    https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2015/08/08/retiring-boston-fbi-chief-shares-some-things-but-not-all/BDZjxwyvJgYJvvqhJhGBzI/story.html

    1. Cullen is a lying dog in his reporting on the FBI . . .open your mind . . . he repeated every word of the serial killers Martorano and Flemmi as if they were gospel and never told the true story about Flemmi’s 8 years of testifying John Connolly was an honest cop . .

      How dare anyone defend Cullen who has so fabricated, spun and lied?

  4. Kevin’s credibility is now permanently tainted. He should have stuck with writing what he really knew/knows: tainted. The Bulger Story is completely made up; tainted! Remember Mike Barnicale [sp]; need I say more; tainted. It is too bad they had to grandstand their virtues by fabricating their journalistic prose; tainted!

  5. Don’t care. In a dispute between the Globe and Kevin Cullen I have no dog in the fight anymore than I would have had in the conflict between Trotsky and Stalin. The reason is the same. It is an intra-party fray. They are Commies and not a shred of integrity, honor or fairness is to be expected. Cullen slept with dogs for decades, is it any wonder he is now flea-bitten?

  6. Kevin Cullen Took A Story

    All in All Sad and Gory

    He Dipped His Quill in Janey’s Blood

    And With His Tears Did Us Flood

    He Has Writ The Globe Marathon Story

  7. Bill is right. If the Globe fired reporters who were false or lied they wouldn’t have any employees left. 2. The IG report by Horowitz showed 300 text messages by FBI agents. All 300 were anti Trump. Yet the IG couldn’t find any bias. The head of the FBI Wray has decided to send all his employees to anti bias classes based on the report. These clowns can’t even get their stories straight. It is all self preservation by the very corrupt Deep State.

    1. Right on, NC.

      More fuel for the fire and more proof that the Deep State is lying to itself, is lying to the American People,and is mainly interested in preserving its power and protecting its government paychecks and government sinecures. No bias, but more $ for “anti-bias” training . . .and everyone gets their step-raises and promotions on schedule. WHAT A FARCE!

      GUT THE FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY !

      RETURN POWER TO THE PEOPLE

      DID LINCOLN SPEAK OF A SECRETIVE GOVERNMENT OF THE BUREAUCRATS, BY THE BUREAUCRATS AND FOR THE BUREAUCRATS?

      OR DID LINCOLN HOPE A GOVERNMENT OF, FOR AND BY THE PEOPLE WOULD NOT PERISH.

      THE FEDERAL BUREAUCRATS’ TWO-FACED, DEVIOUS, LYING, EX.: “NO MASS DATA COLLECTION . . .EXTREMELY CARELESS BUT NOT GROSSLY NEGLIGENT” POMPOUS, IMPERIALISTIC, HYPOCRITICAL MIND-SET, IF ALLOWED TO CONTINUE AND THRIVE, WILL ENSURE THE GOOD OLD USA’S DEMISE AS LINCOLN ENVISIONED IT.

      THE IG HIMSELF DEMONSTRATES BIAS BY CONCLUDING NO BIAS

      MUELLER DEMONSTATRATED GROSS BIAS BY HANDPICKING A PRO-DEMOCRATIC, PRO-HILLARY TEAM TO INVESTIGATE TRUMP

      WHO IS KIDDING WHOM?

  8. Knew he wasn’t from Southie. For years wrote articles repeating every lying word of the serial killers Martorano, Flemmi et al as if they were factual and biblical truths, while ignoring the fact that the Boston Federal Jury did not believe one word of Martorano and hardly anything Morris, Weeks, etc said, Flemmi did not testify in Boston, but Cullen never once reported that for 8 years Flemmi told the FEDS John Connolly was an honest FBI agent who never said nor did anything intending anyone be harmed or killed . . .in fact during those 8 years Flemmi twice under oath testified to those facts that John Connolly was a good and honest FBI agent . . . and Kevin Cullen never once reported those facts . . .and people dare give him accolades . . . I call him a lying dog
    You know if a scientist accurately reports 100 studies, but then totally falsifies the findings, facts, the conclusions and deliberately conceals relevant material important data, he isn’t “suspended”, HE’S FIRED

    THE GLOBE ITSELF HAS FALSIFIED, SPUN, DISTORTED, TOLD HALF-TRUTHS AND OUTRIGHT FALSEHOODS FOR SO LONG . . .LIKE THE NY TIMES REPORTER WHO DECLARED THERE WAS NO STARVATION IN THE UKRAINE UNDER STALIN . . . .THAT IT IS INCAPABLE OF DISCERNING FACT FROM FICTION . . .A PROBLEM BESETTING ALL POLITICAL HACKS AND POLITICAL IDEALOGUES, LEFT AND RIGHT . . .

    VOTE INDEPENDENT . . .VOTE WITH YOUR MIND NOT YOUR POCKETBOOK OR POLITICAL ALLEGIANCES . . .POLITICAL SCIENCE IS NOT A SCIENCE . . .

    VOTE YOUR CONSCIENCE NOT YOUR POCKETBOOK

    ECONOMICS IS NOT A SCIENCE . . . .

    POLITICAL SCIENCE AND ECONOMICS ARE ABUSED BY POLITICIANS TO CEMENT POLITICAL POWER IN DC AND ECONOMIC WEALTH IN THE FEW

    END LOBBYISTS CONTROL OF DC AND IDEALOGUES CONTROL OF THE NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY

    STOP THE BS . . .CULLEN AND CARR ARE YELLOW DOG JOURNALISTS, AND IDON’T CARE IF THEY HAVE PHDS OR SUMMA CUM LAUDES OR HOW MANY DEGREES AND TITLES AFTER THEIR NAMES . . . IF THEY CAN’T CALL A SPADE A SPADE . . . .CAN THEM, FIRE THEM . . . CARR’S WHOLE LIFEHAS BEEN IN SERVICE TO HOWIE CARR AND HE HASTHE UNMITIGATED GALL TO CRITICIZE THE KENNEDY FAMILY WHICH GAVE 3 SONS TO AMERICA AND ONE DAUGHTER’S HUSBAND ALSO WAS KILLED IN WWII . . .THEY’RE NOT PERFECT . . .WHO IS? . . .AS ROGER DALTRY SAID IN TANGLEWOOD FRIDAY DOING THE TOMMY OPERA . . .WE’VE ALL.BEEN DIRTY . . . EVEN CULLEN AND CARR HAVE THEIR GOOD POINTS AND SHOULD BE APPLAUDED FOR THE GOOD THEY DO . . .CALLING IT LIKE THEY SEE IT OR LIKE THEY WANT TO SEE IT . . . .but do not slight the willful misrepresentation of facts, the failure to tell teh whole story, the deliberate character assassinations . . . theydo a lot of damage to innocent folks and families and unfairly stigmatize people and neighborhoods

    Peace to persons of good will . .to those not of good will:Special Forces

  9. Unsure how you can defend Cullen who made up stories about his involvement with people in arguably one of the biggest tragedies this city has seen.

    And no, I never thought he was from Southie.

  10. Matt: April 20th – you, Cullen and Hitler. And they say God has no sense of humor.

    Cullen is still far better than Barnicle. (Fitchburg, October 13, 1943)

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