The Los Angeles Times' voyeuristic stalking of disgraced former city manager Robert Rizzo, is just disgraceful. Recently, columnist Steve Lopez caught Rizzo fulfilling his community service at a Huntington Beach Museum for his drunk driving conviction last year, the crime which uncovered his outrageous civil servant's salary.
Rizzo did a good job, according to the museum proprietor. When Steve Lopez outed him, Rizzo had to give up the job because of the excessive publicity that resulted. What purposed did further humiliating this man serve?
I am not disputing the allegations against Robert Rizzo: raiding public coffers, colluding with city council members for stipends from non-existent meetings, doctoring civic financial recorders to cover up his fraud, extorting exorbitant fees and onerous taxes on the impoverished citizens of Bell. To this day, he audaciously defends what may could characterize as serial fraud.
But is chronic hounding by the media necessary, effective, or even justified?
True, publicity is themost necessary and effective security against misrule. Because of the Times' reporting, Rizzo will answer for his conduct in court. The citizens of Bell, mad and energized, have recaptured the political process in their hands. They can take the necessary steps to bring their city operations back in order, serving the public.
But slashing at the wrongdoer after the fact: is that justified? Large news organs like the LA Times rampantly exposing a felon's daily misdeeds–that borders on the frivolous and distracting. It would be better to focus on the city's steps to improve its broken and corrupted reputation.
Furthermore, he has been charged with 40+ counts of misappropriation and malfeasance. Yet we still live in a nation of laws, and every man is innocent until proven guilty. Let Rizzo be held to a more reputable standard: a court of law, not the court of public opinion.
Beyond that, it just borders on cruelty and unintentionally induces pity in one man, when the papers should invest their resources not just in outing perpetrators, but challenging local governments of all kinds to improve.