While I was at the Yankees game, a few hours after publishing the car crash story, I received an email from Helen Jonsen.
From: Helen Jonsen
Sent: Monday, October 16, 2017 7:13 PM
To: Robert Cox robertcox@talkofthesound.com
Thanks for the heads up
I then noticed that a guy named Andrew Whitman was tweeting at me. For perspective, this is a guy who I learned later is the self-important host of a political talk show that few people pay attention to, on a news network that few people watch, that a minority of area residents can even access. He is not exactly a force on Twitter either with just 858 followers (Talk of the Sound has more than 3,000).
@andrewwhitman On October 16 4:59 pm You claim to have the police report from this. Post it, so other orgs can research & verify.
@wfbor @jessicaproud @RobAstorino @GeorgeLatimer37 @FiOS1NewsLHV Barring any further disclosures from @TalkoftheSound or any more information, this will NOT be a topic I ask the candidates about.
This should have been a tip-off that Andrew Whitman is a dope: he “threatens” other people with whom I have no association, that if I do not give him records and information I obtained through my own effort (in particular, a record he or his colleagues, who have far more resources than I do, can easily obtain on their own, directly from the source) then he will refuse to ask a question about the car crash at some debate that I also have nothing to do with? And this makes sense, how?
By way of comparison, I run Talk of the Sound out of my living room and pay all costs out of my own pocket. Andrew Whitman works at Verizon, one of the largest publicly-traded companies on the planet, with a market cap of about $250 billion. But I have to get a police report for him – or else?
In my reply back to Helen Jonsen, I gave her another heads up, this time about Andrew Whitman.
From: Robert Cox robertcox@talkofthesound.com
Sent: Monday, October 16, 2017 7:45 PM
To: Helen Jonsen
Subject: RE: EXCLUSIVE, MUST CREDIT New York State Senator George Latimer in Serious Undisclosed Car Crash Over the Summer, 2 Injured
You are welcome.
You might want to talk to your nut job news anchor, trash talking me on Twitter. Wants me to do his work for him, making impotent threats.
Sheesh.
From: Helen Jonsen
Date: Oct 16, 2017, 7:59 PM
To: Robert Cox <robertcox@talkofthesound.com>
Subject: RE: EXCLUSIVE, MUST CREDIT
What anchor – who are you talking about I will look into it
From: Robert Cox <robertcox@talkofthesound.com>
Date: Oct 16, 2017, 8:54 PM -0400
To: Helen Jonsen
Subject: RE: EXCLUSIVE, MUST CREDIT
Andrew Whitman?
I do not know him at all but he (is) saying I am supposed to produce the latimer police report and, i guess, prove it exists or I have accurately reported it.
Your a news outlet and I gave you a heads up so you can get the report yourselves and shoot video.
But even more odd because if you don’t believe my story is legit why ask ME for the police report not the police? Presumably if I am a liar I would doctor the report. Just plain dumb all around.
He went on to drag me into his debate questions? What debate? He seems like a dope and he is hosting a debate. Jeez.
Robert Cox
Publisher and Managing Editor
Talk of the Sound
I replied to Andrew Whitman then went back to watching the Yankees defeat the Indians in the ALDS.
@WhitmanAndrew I need to (do) other media outlets work for them? Just FOIL NRPD like I did.
Next time u want to shoot ur mouth off with ur phony tough guy “journalist” routine check with you EP @helen_jonsen first. @chrisknowlestv https://twitter.com/WhitmanAndrew/status/920033775983255552_
When I got home I saw an email from Helen Jonsen:
From: Helen Jonsen
Date: Oct 16, 2017, 9:50 PM
To: Robert Cox <robertcox@talkofthesound.com>
Subject: RE: EXCLUSIVE, MUST CREDIT
I saw the tweets. Please don’t continue on line. I will work this out.
Based on Helen Jonsen’s request, I did not respond further to give her an opportunity to sort the matter.
My view was that as EP she, and assignment editor Chris Knowles, both of whom have relied on my reporting in the past might explain that to Whitman before he goes on slagging my reporting while the rest of FiOS1News is relying on my reporting without question.
I tweeted about this to my readers:
@JDalois @mediainvestors @TalkoftheSound @Helen_Jonsen @chrisknowlestv @MarkLungariello I was asked to stand down for a bit to give FioS News time to sort this situation out. I agreed to do so, for now. More to follow._
I have never heard from her since. So much for her working things out.
The day after the car crash story ran, I learned that Whitman, who apparently does not know how to reply to a tweet, posted several other mindless tweets intended for me.
You also claim the incident was “hushed up” at New Rochelle City Hall – I would ask you to prove that claim.
Furthermore, you cite other elected officials whose district the incident occurred in – implying they should have known. Why?
You also refer to Latimer as the “Democrat” nominee for County Executive in the first line. You got the name of the party wrong. (like the proverbial broken clock, Whitman was right about a typo in my story, which I corrected).
Whitman also digressed into a twitter conversation with people from the Astorino campaign.
As to the Astorino spox now posting on this (my friends @wfbor & @jessicaproud) is this the high-minded debate you and the CE really seek?
Well, if elected, he’d have a full-time driver, so this is not an issue of public safety. And, I’ve not seen any evidence of dishonesty. https://twitter.com/jessicaproud/status/920039796373893121
But if a minor car crash and questions about home taxes are the issues you’re banking on – I wonder what your internal numbers are
One guy made my point – do your own reporting:
@WhitmanAndrew Or you can just go and investigate it yourself, as a reporter. @michaelvlawler
I have no proof he lied on a police report, and neither do you, Bill. https://twitter.com/wfbor/status/920050095588106241
Several days later, on October 21st, Whitman was back at it again. As things were obviously not sorted out, I notified Jonsen that the rather one-sided “relationship” between Talk of the Sound and FiOS1News was over, that they should no longer contact me for story ideas, news tips, interviews or request to use my content and that if they did I would invoice them and move immediately to collect. As you will later see, FiOS1News, including Andrew Whitman, went on to use my content anyway, despite my expressed instruction to the contrary, and they used it in two stories about Latimer. Whitman even asked Latimer a series of questions based on my reporting. But I am getting ahead of the story.
@TalkoftheSound @Helen_Jonsen @chrisknowlestv I don’t report to either one of them, Bob, so swing and a miss. But you claimed/hinted at cover-up with zero proof._
I never said Whitman “reported” to Helen Jonsen or Chris Knowles, I told him to check with Jonsen. I included Knowles because he knows who I am and is familiar with Talk of the Sound.
@TalkoftheSound @Helen_Jonsen @chrisknowlestv And, based on the stories on your site, not sure you have any foundation for using the word journalist – in quotes or not._
I am quite confident I have done more original reporting and worked on far bigger stages than Whitman can even dream of doing: writing for Newsweek, Associated Press, Congressional Quarterly and major newspapers from coast to coast; appearing on national news broadcasts; covering major political events like Presidential debates and a major Federal trial; covering major sporting events like the PGA Tour Championship, the NCAA March Madness tournament and the Super Bowl, to name a few. I was one of the inaugural exhibits when the Newseum opened in 2008. But he is a “senior” political reporter for a third-rate news outfit in Harrison so he has that going for him.
I followed up on his supposed concern to “research” and “verify” the police report. I even gave him the email address for the person who has the records.
@WhitmanAndrew @TalkoftheSound @Helen_Jonsen @chrisknowlestv It’s been the better part of a week now, did you FOIL NRPD to obtain a copy of Latimer car crash report? I checked with NRPD, they said no_
@RobertCox @TalkoftheSound @Helen_Jonsen @chrisknowlestv You asked NRPD if I asked them something? What legal basis would they have for answering that?_
@RobertCox @TalkoftheSound @Helen_Jonsen @chrisknowlestv Or is this just another “cover up” from the department? After all, you’re providing same amt of proof as you did in your “report”._
@WhitmanAndrew @Helen_Jonsen @chrisknowlestv You’re not too bright, are you? I made a FOIL request for any FOIL requests for Latimer car crash report. There were none other than mine https://twitter.com/RobertCox/status/921839883068551168/photo/1_
@WhitmanAndrew @TalkoftheSound @Helen_Jonsen @chrisknowlestv Is this some sort of act or are you actually this dumb? It’s not my job to provide “proof” to other news organizations. Do ur own reporting_
@WhitmanAndrew @TalkoftheSound @Helen_Jonsen @chrisknowlestv I even gave you a CLUE. You can send an email to Captain Costa, the Records Access Officer for NRPD; request a copy of the report yourself
@WhitmanAndrew @TalkoftheSound @Helen_Jonsen @chrisknowlestv I’m happy to educate you on FOIL. It is an important tool used by actual journalists to get info from govt. https://www.dos.ny.gov/coog/foil2.html_
@WhitmanAndrew @TalkoftheSound @Helen_Jonsen @chrisknowlestv Stop embarrassing yourself; my readers here in New Rochelle know I always do my homework, get the story, get it right. Fact check me w/ NRPD_
But back to October 16th, the day the car crash story ran. Later that night, Latimer responded to my car crash article on MyRye.com.
Who is George Latimer? Table of Contents
