Category: Media Watch

Gayle Sierens. We’ll not see her likes again.

A few days ago she signed off for the last time as a news co-anchor with WFLA-TV, Channel 8. She had been doing it for the last 30 years.

Prior to that, she had been covering sports for the same station for eight years. Prior to that, she was a student at Florida State. Prior to that, she was growing up in Tampa and attending Tampa Catholic.

Sierens, 60, has been an iconic anomaly in the uber-competitive, fast-lane, move-up-to-bigger-markets TV news business. She’s the “aw shucks” girl next door who made it big in her hometown. And never left. An Emmy Award winner who chose family and community and her Bayshore Beautiful neighborhood over the next rung in the network ladder.

“I love what I do,” says Sierens. “It’s just not the number one thing in my life. That would be kind of empty. But don’t get me wrong. To make your living in your home town is a blessing.”

Former Mayor Pam Iorio summed up the Sierens phenomenon a few years ago when she designated a “Gayle Sierens Day.”

“The people of this community have watched her grow up on TV–get married, have three children,” said Iorio. “She is part of our community’s personality, a part of what makes us feel collectively like a family.”

Only this family favorite has been on TV five days a week for more than a generation. She’s the one who’s covered presidents, a pope, a Super Bowl, an Olympics and a Stanley Cup. The one who has become an avatar of empathy to viewers who know the news is rarely nice.

“At the end of the day, it’s really about trust and a comfort level,” says Sierens. “I look for ways to say ‘Here’s how it might affect you.’ There are stories where you can give voice to the voiceless.”

There are also stories, inevitably, that are uncomfortable and tragic–no matter who the conduit is. Some jobs just can’t be left routinely at the office.

“Sometimes the news is overwhelming,” she acknowledges. “It’s hard to shake. You’re not human if you just walk out after work. I turn the radio off in the car and reflect. Or pray.”

There are also stories that she has been personally familiar with. “Barely a day goes by when there wasn’t a story about something or someone I know,” she says. “You have to work at neutrality.”

And yet her off-camera presence in the community has arguably had even more impact.

Anyone who’s ever been touched by the Judeo-Christian Health Clinic, the Salvation Army, the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of Greater Tampa, the Child Abuse Council, Big Brother/Big Sisters, the Joshua House or the Holocaust Museum knows that Sierens is more than a “TV personality.” She’s emceed countless luncheons and fund-raising galas and sits on a myriad of boards.

She’s been on the receiving end of both the JCHC and the Holocaust Museum’s “Humanitarian of the Year” awards and was named a “Woman of Distinction” by Girl Scouts of America, Suncoast Chapter. Last month the Tampa Bay Lightning named her a Lightning Community Hero and gave $50,000 on her behalf to the Judeo Christian Health Clinic and LifePath Hospice. The Association of Fundraising Professionals has created a “Volunteer of the Year” award in her name.

“She doesn’t just lend her name,” underscores long-time friend and former WFLA colleague Suzanne Bates. “She’s been in charge of capital campaigns. She’s way beyond what most busy people with careers could do. She has the energy of 10 people.”

A lot of it was channeled into helping raise three kids.

She and husband Mike Martin, who have been married for 28 years, have three grown, college-degreed children: Cameron, Luke and Maddie. All are Plant High grads and former athletes. The two sons work for their dad, the owner of “Mike’s Pies.” Maddie works in real estate in Tampa.

Sierens is proud of how they’re applying a lesson that’s been a critical part of their upbringing.

“I’ve always stressed to my kids that you can either be a giver or a taker in life,” she says. “And you want to be a giver.”

And it must help when mom does more than give good advice. She embodies it: a Gayle force for good in the community she never left.

Secretary of State John Kerry’s new spokesman is Rear Adm. John Kirby, who previously served as the Pentagon spokesman for Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen. Kirby is a St. Pete native and a graduate of St. Petersburg Catholic High School and USF.

Kirby joins White House press secretary Josh Earnest with Tampa Bay ties. In 2006 Earnest was communications director for Jim Davis’ gubernatorial run against Charlie Crist. He remains highly thought of around here.

“Washington politics is blood sport,” underscores Davis. “Josh Ernest is a smart, nice guy who can work in the land of reptiles. He absolutely can.”

* For all the well-chronicled missteps–i.e., inaccuracies of all stripe–of daily newspapers these days, it was ironic to see the technical detail in the obit for Josephine Marchese Trafficante. She was referenced as the widow of “reputed” Tampa mob boss Santo Trafficante Jr. After all these years, still “reputed.”

* Can you imagine the range of reactions–and customized cutlines–resulting from that wire photo of Pope Francis meeting with Raul Castro? One had to be: “Raul Castro in the ultimate pander to Catholic Charities to help prop up the dysfunctional Cuban economy.”

* Couldn’t resist. A recent piece from the Sacramento Bee–on the cheesy, macabre Hollywood staple called “Dearly Departed: The Tragical History Tour”–has been picked up nationally. Best headstone epitaphs:                                                                                                                                                 < “There goes the neighborhood.”–Rodney Dangerfield.                                                   < “I will not be back right after this message.”–Merv Griffin.                                                  < “I’m a writer, but then, nobody’s perfect.”–Billy Wilder.

* “I am reaffirming our ironclad commitment to the security of our gulf partners.”–President Barack Obama to Arab-state leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council meeting at Camp David.

* “We are natural allies… The way we should look at it is what India and the U.S. can together do for the world…strengthening democratic values all over.”–Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi.

* “You are an angel of peace.”–Pope Francis to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

* “The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a boon for America. It reduces tariff barriers to vast Asian markets and strengthens protection for intellectual property, America’s forte. … The Democrats, inventors of the postwar free-trade regime, have now turned against it. This is the Republicans’ chance to demonstrate that they can think large by advancing an important strategic objective.”–Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post.

* “Every time we’ve toppled a secular strong man, we’ve gotten chaos and more radical Islam, and we’re all less safe because of it. I think I could say that at the Iowa Republican convention and still be well-received with it.”–Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

* “My relationship with God drives every major decision in my life.”–Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker, at an Iowa forum for potential presidential candidates.

* “I’m running because I think the world is falling apart.”–Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

* “Washington is broken. Trust me, I’ve seen it firsthand.”–Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

* “I have been to Washington, and let me tell you there is no monopoly of knowledge there.”–Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

* “I’m not a United States senator–thank God.”–Jeb Bush.

* “Now you just get elected to the Senate and announce you’re running for president. I don’t want to criticize these guys; they’re all free to do what they want to do. But I think they could all use another term, maybe. … This might be the year of the governor.”–Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kansas, who served in the Senate for nearly three decades and ran for president in 1996.

* “I don’t go out of my way to disagree with my brother.”–Jeb Bush.

* “Consider this: Jeb hasn’t even been asked any questions yet about W’s dark contributions on waterboarding, the deficit and the near-total collapse of the American economy.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.

* “Last election cycle, the Republican presidential field was a clown car. … This time around it’s a clown bus, with as many as 17 Republicans expected to compete.”–Timothy Egan, New York Times.

* “I’m not evolving when it comes to gay rights. I was there.”–Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders.

* “Efficiency is required  over time in capitalism. I don’t know of any company that has a policy that says, ‘We’re going to have a lot more people than we need.”–Warren Buffett, defending the need for layoffs.

* “Florida will now be the first winner-take-all primary in the country. This ensures that all presidential campaigns will have to spend a considerable amount of time in Florida.”– Republican Party Chairman Blaise Ingoglia, after the GOP’s executive board approved new rules regarding Florida’s March 15, 2016 primary.

* “Part of the reason why so many people want me to run, I think, is because I already have strong name ID.”–Former Attorney General Bill McCollum, on interest in Florida’s 2016 U.S. Senate race.

* “The numbers in our quarterly report confirm the vibrancy of the housing market in Florida. Even the condo market, which had lagged the single-family market, has performed nicely.”–John Tuccillo, Florida Realtors’ chief economist.

* “I am grateful Speaker (Steve) Crisafulli has agreed to debate the critical health care challenges facing Florida. I look forward to the opportunity to again make the case for the Senate’s free-market solution to coverage expansion.”–Florida Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando.

* “This is the Sopranos.”–Gov. Rick Scott, in reference to the Obama Administration.

* “I don’t think anybody really understands what a continuation budget is.”–Senate President Andy Gardiner.

* “Sea grass was our canary in the coal mine (and) major losses occurred when Tampa Bay was in distress. Now with sustained good water quality in the bay, sea grasses are flourishing.”–Swiftmud scientist Kris Kaufman.

* “In the Florida Legislature, just like in many cities, the red-light camera revenue is like legislated meth. If the city starts losing money, like many of the other cities, they’ll get rid of it, which will prove it was never about safety.”–State Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg.

* “I’m sure when I get my feet settled, there’s going to be some changes. Right now I’m looking at every aspect of this agency and seeing how we can make it better.”–New Tampa Police Chief Eric Ward.

* “Unfortunately, Brazil is one of the most difficult countries to do business with. You need to have the knowledge to get through the system.”–Sueli Bonaparte, president and founder of the Tampa-based Brazil-Florida Business Council.

* “The trains running through downtown and blowing their horns 10 years ago didn’t matter, because there was no one living there. It matters now. Train noise reverberates off of the high-rises like a canyon.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, after City Council approved spending more than $1.35 million in downtown development funds to help create a “quiet zone.”

* “We’re not going after their market.”–Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Sandra Murman, who sits on the Tampa Port Authority board, referring to the relationship between Port Tampa Bay and Port Manatee.

* Part of the print world’s challenge–beyond technology and pop culture–is manifest virtually every time you pick up a daily newspaper. Have proofreaders gone the way of gas-lamp lighters?  It’s frustrating to the point of indifference–and, alas, acceptance.

Words are routinely transposed, names misspelled and photos misidentified. Is it “its,” “it’s” or the illusory “its'”? Subjunctive mood? What the hell is that?

I was reminded again when I read the recent (sorry, Tampa Bay Times) headline “Ex-Christie Allies Plead Guilty.” It seemed at variance with what I had seen online and on TV. Indeed, it was also at variance with the news story’s actual lead: “Two former political allies of Gov. Chris Christie pleaded not guilty Monday to charges they were involved in politically motivated lane closures of the George Washington Bridge … .” Etc.

Is anybody minding the store? Could PolitiFact send over some help?

* Speaking of “Bridgegate,” enough of these clichéd “gate” affixes. There was Watergate that ultimately brought down a presidency. Now there is “Deflategate,” which ultimately brought down the weight of footballs and will cost the disingenuous Tom Brady a suspension and the arrogant New England Patriots’ organization a fine and draft choices.

* And let’s not forget “Obamacare.” The media should have never enabled and legitimized this scornful, partisan broadside, even if “Affordable Care Act” is unwieldy for media purposes.

* “French Jews should no longer be afraid of being Jewish, and French Muslims should no longer be ashamed of being Muslims.”–French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, in announcing  governmental programs and policies that will combat “racism and anti-Semiticism.”

* “I read all the speeches of the pope, his commentaries, and if the pope continues this way, I will go back to praying and go back to the church, and I’m not joking.”–Cuban President Raul Castro, after his private audience at the Vatican with Pope Francis.

* “The FBI has got a pretty good program to monitor public social media.”–Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.

* “On this issue, on trade, I actually think some of my dearest friends are wrong. They’re just wrong.”–President Barack Obama, defending his position in favor of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership.

* “I’m always cautious about the federal government’s role in establishing curriculum standards. The federal government always ends up turning a carrot into a stick, right?”–Sen. Marco Rubio, at a presidential campaign appearance in Nashua, N.H.

* “Whatever the need, the affliction, or the injustice, there is no more powerful or liberating influence on this Earth than the Christian conscience in action.”–Jeb Bush, in his commencement address at Liberty University.

* “I think there was a great deal we missed before the (2008 financial) crisis. I think we are better positioned now and have better tools.”–Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen.

* “Only the Supreme Court will be able to bring harmony to these polar opposite views of the program and the law.”–Surveillance attorney Michael Sussman, on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision that the NSA’s collection of Americans’ phone records violates the Patriot Act.

* “I will continue to speak in defense of freedom until the day I die. It’s just that simple. It’s not even a choice. It’s a calling.”–Pamela Geller, explaining that she has no regrets about organizing the Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Garland, Texas, that ended in gunfire.

* “It was clear to a number of people looking at this situation that the community’s rather frayed trust–to use an understatement–was even worse and has, in effect, been severed in terms of the relationship with the police department.”–Attorney General Loretta Lynch, in announcing a wide-ranging investigation into Baltimore’s police.

* “Inequality is a matter not so much of capitalism in the 20th century as of democracy in the 20th century.”–Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize-winning economist and author of “The Great Divide.”

* “The things that were worth working on this year will be worth working on next year. All of these good pieces of legislation will be back until they pass.”–NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer.

* “The low-income families in our state haven’t been waiting on the federal government, Gov. Scott, they’ve been waiting on you.”–State Senate Democratic leader Arthenia Joyner.

* “For anyone to say the federal government created LIP, like the governor did, and then to say you have to give us money to keep it going, is just wrong. That’s the problem with this governor; he doesn’t have a historical clue about this state. It’s laughable.”–Republican Mike Fasano, Pasco County Tax Collector and former state legislator.

* “If I were governor, I’d be out there talking about it (sea-level rise) every day. … Unless you’re going to build a sea wall around South Florida, what’s the plan?”–Eric Buermann, former general counsel to the Republican Party of Florida and former water district governing board member.

* “I’m disappointed with how the session ended. The taxpayers expect us to do a job, and they didn’t get their money’s worth.”–Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island.

* Be Santa Claus when you can.”–Advice from Jimmy Buffett, who was awarded an honorary doctorate in music from the University of Miami.

* “This project is on-time and on-budget.”–TIA CEO Joe Lopano, on the status of the airport’s $943 million expansion and upgrade by 2017.

* “The days of us marketing our respective cities at the expense of someone else are over–over.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, at the annual International Town Hall in St. Petersburg.

* “The degree of unawareness about the ferry industry is rampant in the U.S. When people understand how much fun it is, it’s going to be a huge industry and Tampa will be in the middle of it.”–United Caribbean chairman and CEO Bruce Nierenberg, who hopes to launch service from Tampa to Cuba and Mexico.

* “What we need to do is get away from that ‘stop snitching’ culture and get back to a community of responsibility.”–Interim Tampa Police Chief Eric Ward.

* “If the (standardized) tests inform instruction and promote student learning, and if they help us realize our vision of preparing students for life, we will keep them in place. If not, we will eliminate them and clear more valuable classroom time for teachers and students.”–Jeff Eakins, acting superintendent of Hillsborough County Public Schools.

* “If we’re asking others to be mindful of carbon emissions, we should be leading the way and be mindful of our own impact on climate change.”–Tampa City Council member Lisa Montelione.

* “This league is too good to just go out and win hockey games on skill.”–Steven Stamkos.

* Two signs that need re-thinking: “Black Lives Matter” and “No Justice, No Peace.”

As for the former, why not “All Lives Matter.” Whether we’re talking renegade cops, gangbanger drive-bys or Boko Haram horrors in Africa. Let’s not cherry pick to accommodate an agenda, let alone court hypocrisy.

As for the latter, it still sounds like extortion. And it typically precedes formal fact-finding.

* If I’m MSNBC, I don’t know how you keep Al Sharpton as a talk-show host when he also wears that high-profile activist hat. Most recently he was seen running literal interference for Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake after a press conference.

* Both the satirical publication Charlie Hebdo and the envelope-pushing, anti-Muslim American Freedom Defense Initiative have been catalysts for recent violent responses. But here’s the bottom line from the Garland, Texas shooting prompted by a Mohammad-cartoon contest mocking Islam.

On one side is a calculated, disrespectful, legal act with ridicule and provocation as an end. On the other side is a barbaric, horrific jihadist act with murder as its end. Not even close.

* Versatile, plugged-in business writer Richard Mullins has left the Tampa Tribune for the Tucker Hall public affairs firm. Tough hit for TT, but a local coup for TH.

* Is there a better local sports interview than Steven Stamkos, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s best and classiest player?  He’s friendly, honest and doesn’t speak in locker room clichés.

* “My dear friends, on behalf of Japan and the Japanese people, I offer with profound respect my eternal condolences to the souls of all American people that were lost during World War II.”–Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in his address to a joint meeting of Congress.

*  “Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was telling the truth when he recently said that he has not made up his mind about this (nuclear) deal. He’s having an identity crisis. He wants sanctions relief without integration. After all, if Iran is a normal state, who needs a medieval cleric to be the ‘supreme leader’?”–Thomas Friedman, New York Times.

* “Unlike NAFTA, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is much more than just a trade deal. It is the foundation for an intelligent reorientation of U.S. foreign policy, one that will help revitalize the entire global economy and reinforce security ties with Asian countries fearful of China’s growing regional dominance.”–Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group, a political-risk consultancy.

* “When the mayor and the police chief and the President cannot explain to fellow black citizens why Freddie Gray is dead, somebody’s got to be held accountable.”–Tavis Smiley, author and PBS commentator.

* “America needs your passion, your impatience, your participation in the political discourse. And for the sake of preserving freedom, vote. Please vote.”–Mitt Romney, in his Jacksonville University commencement speech.

* “Before the Affordable Care Act went fully into effect, conservatives made a series of dire predictions about what would happen when it did. … In reality, the act has produced a dramatic drop in the number of uninsured adults; premiums have grown much more slowly than in the years before reform; the law’s cost is coming in well below projections; and 2014, the first year of full implementation, also had the best job growth since 1999.”–Paul Krugman, New York Times.

* “People should not underestimate me. I’ve run outside of the two-party system, defeating Democrats and Republicans, taking on big-money candidates and, you know, I think the message that has resonated in Vermont is a message that can resonate all over this country.”–Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, in declaring his presidential candidacy.

* “I’ve seen a lot over my decades in politics, and not much alarms me. But I have to be blunt: Money is poisoning our political system.”–Lee Hamilton, who represented Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years.

* “It’s always difficult to get a guilty verdict against a police officer except in the worst and strongest cases. A police officer comes into a courtroom not just presumed to be innocent, but presumed to be the good guy.”–David A. Harris, University of  Pittsburgh expert on racial profiling in law enforcement.

* “Judges are not politicians, even when they come to the bench by way of the ballot.”–U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

* “The decision came down to where could I make the biggest difference in serving Florida and improving the lives of the middle class, and the answer was pretty clear–as a senior member on the committee that oversees the tax code, Social Security, Medicare and international trade.”–Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, on why he will not run for Marco Rubio’s Senate seat.

* “The (legislative) culture is toxic right now.”–Florida Senate Appropriation s Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon.

* “The House’s unilateral adjournment clearly violated the Constitution.”–The Florida Supreme Court, in finding that the Florida House violated the state Constitution when it adjourned early.

* “They follow like lemmings, and that doesn’t happen in the Florida Senate.”–Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, commenting on his counterparts in the Florida House.

* “I would rank (Gov. Rick) Scott as the least effective, most incompetent governor in modern Florida history. Scott was largely absent from the legislative session. He does not understand the process and he is not highly respected even by Republicans in the Legislature.”–Darryl Paulson, professor emeritus of political science at USF St. Petersburg.

* “The people don’t have a vote in Tallahassee, but they do have a vote in November 2016. Medical marijuana will be back on the ballot, and we will get the law we deserve.”-Attorney John B. Morgan, chairman of the medical marijuana advocacy group, United for Care.

* “The perfect choice. He has the experience, the knowledge, the leadership ability and the temperament for this job.”–Retiring Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor, on the appointment of Assistant Chief Eric Ward as her successor.

* “We don’t profile people. We target criminals.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

* “It puts the party in a bad position, it puts many people in a bad position and it puts many different groups in a bad position.”–Former Mayor Sandy Freedman, on the likely 2016 Democratic primary race for clerk of the circuit court between iconic incumbent Pat Frank and Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner.

* “As soon as the State Department authorizes and the country of Cuba authorizes complete open recreational access, we might consider going forward.”–Harvey Ford, commodore of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, on the possibility of resuming the St. Petersburg-Havana Yacht race that ran from 1930 to 1959.

* “Imagine if we shifted our mind-set from managing poverty to eliminating it? … We know that it costs less to create jobs than it does to throw money at managing the symptoms of poverty.”–Darden Rice, St. Petersburg City Council member.

* “If he wasn’t a good guy, we wouldn’t have used the first pick on him.”–Bucs’ General Manager Jason Licht on the drafting of Jameis Winston.

* “Fight of the Century? This wasn’t even the fight of the night in Vegas.”–New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica on the uber-hyped Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao bout.

Last Saturday’s annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner lived up–or down–to expectations.

If you looked forward to comic therapy in a world in terminal crisis mode and to a president with the timing of a professional stand-up, it lived up. If you were reminded early and often that this is now an overly long, overly celebrity-laden, see-and-be-seen, air-kiss staple, it lived down. If you thought “Saturday Night Live” cast member Cecily Strong was weak and sounded like somebody reading someone else’s jokes, it died right after Barack Obama sat down.

And if you are C-SPAN, you probably want them weekly.

We are reminded that while the WHCD requires a keynote comedian, the key is which one. Wanda Sykes was too edgy. Stephen Colbert too disrespectful of the office of the presidency, even if it were occupied by George W. Bush. Jay Leno was lamely safe. Rich Little was dated. Seth Meyers seemed pitch perfect.

At its best, the WHCD is actually good for democracy, per se. It’s worth noting that nobody–including the most powerful leader in the world–is above being taken down a few pegs.

During the height of the Cold War, it spoke volumes that the West Germans referred irreverently–but good-naturedly–to Chancellor Willy Brandt as “Schnapps Willy.” No way East Germans would have treated Brandt’s counterpart, the hard-line, Soviet puppet Erich Honecker, with endearingly egalitarian punch lines.

But, yes, it was poor form for Washington Post columnist Helena Andrews to be caught texting during the National Anthem.

The irony right now, however, is that the on-cue, televised jokes and jibes at the Washington Hilton were being aimed at a president who has been a historically unique target of vitriol and animus for 6-plus years. On the other hand, some wince-able friendly fire is not nearly as bad as he gets from Fox and fiends on a daily basis.

* Who would have thought Bruce Jenner and Douglas Hughes would wind up in the same sentence? But the decathlon gold medalist/Kardashian extra and the Ruskin gyrocopter/mailman patriot share some serious notoriety.

Each had an important societal message for mainstream America, but each went about delivering it in a way that was inevitably diverting and diluting.

Jenner, via his well-hyped, well-watched ABC interview with Diane Sawyer, has helped publicize the transgender issue. When Bruce Jenner says “For all intents and purposes, I am a woman,” people notice. Specifically, 16.8 million viewers heard him say it last Friday night.

Jenner identifies as a woman–and has for a number of years. And he is now utilizing his fame and forum to inform society about a serious issue, one that has caused pain and heartbreak. He can help.

“What I’m doing is going to do some good,” he explained to Sawyer.

The problem is Jenner has been seen seemingly forever as a self-promoter. The Khardashian khonnection has made him a cultural joke. No, this is obviously not his latest reality-show iteration, but his coming-out interview with Sawyer almost seemed like it. He’s almost too media savvy.

His message is critical. It can literally save lives. What he’s doing is admirable. It’s just that he hasn’t done anything admirable in a long time, and some segments of society unfortunately will never get beyond the compromised messenger.

As for Hughes, his legacy will not be his obsession with campaign finance reform and how much he loathes the Citizens United decision and the Koch Brothers. It will be how he underscored in his inimitable, under-the-radar way the unconscionable state of security around the Capitol.

Once again the messenger is not a complement to the message.

* Speaking of the Ruskin Icarus, the reaction of the Tampa Bay Times, remains, well, curious.

It got an insider’s heads-up on a major national incident with dueling story lines, campaign finance and Capitol security. It also was caught in an ethical bind about how and when to inform authorities and what to do about possible, end-result scenarios, some of them life threatening. Lots to ponder–and editorialize about.

But nothing from the Times beyond straight reporting and a feature on the patriotic stuntman. No editorial. No column by either of their two prominent columnists. Not even a cartoon. Serious journalistic follow-up, presumably, is the purview of the Poynter Institute.

*We were lucky to score a couple of tickets to see John Leguizamo at The Improv last weekend. The Ybor City venue was packed on a Sunday afternoon with a largely Hispanic crowd that was as animated as the comedian-actor known for his ethnic/racial caricatures and satires as well as a kinetic delivery.

The Bogota native with Puerto Rican roots–and a Jewish wife–who grew up in Queens performed his latest one-man show: Latin History for Dummies (A Work in Progress) while in town to film a part in The Infiltrator.

Indeed, it is a work in progress, and that’s not a criticism. Comics often use the comedy club circuit to work out new material. It will be interesting to see what makes the cut when the edited version of Latin History finally comes to HBO.

Just guessing, but I’d be surprised to see the Steven Hawking impersonation in the final version.