The abuse of OSU athletes by Dr. Richard Strauss for the better part of two decades went unreported for nearly four decades?

And when it did come to light, it was not uncovered by the Columbus Dispatch and the city's other mainstream media, but by victims coming forward.

Suffice it to say that the Ohio State University is a sacred cow in the eyes of the local news media. The university has so many patrons and loyalists that the news organizations are reluctant to investigate it for fear of alienating and losing their fickle audience. Not to mention that OSU spends a lot of money on local advertising that the local media does not want pulled as punishment for negative coverage.

The uncritical behavior gets worse as the Dispatch, among others, has a growing propensity to run press releases from OSU as news stories in prominent positions.

For instance, on May 16 on the front page of the second section, theDispatch ran the following headline: "Study: OSU has $15.2B economic impact." The article that followed was credited to an "analysis released by the school" in a recent speech by President Michael Drake.

The study extolled the multibillion dollars the university injects into the central Ohio economy. The implication was "you had better be nice to us because if OSU declines, it will be bad news for the community."

OSU paid a consultant $150,000 for this tripe. Better use that money to hire another professor or reduce class sizes, eh?

Ohio taxpayers deserve thanks, not threats

What really gripes me is that OSU would be nothing without the largesse of the taxpayers of Ohio who came up with the money way back when to start the place and who annually pump in millions of dollars directly and indirectly to build it, maintain it and pay its professors and employees.

Instead of issuing press releases and giving speeches – reported uncritically by the Dispatch and its competitors – President Drake and his minions should be thanking the taxpayers of Ohio for their support and promising to make it worthwhile.

While most central Ohioans have benefited or do benefit from OSU's presence, the other 9 million Ohioans are not as fortunate. In fact, the further you get from Columbus, the less OSU matters, yet these more distant Ohioans have paid and are still playing taxes to subsidize OSU.

These "Other Ohioans" get neither thanks nor threats.

Where did you leave your heart?

Crooner Tony Bennett may have to start singing about leaving his heart in Columbus.

The Dispatch dutifully reported on its May 23 front page under the headline "In the big leagues" above a picture portrait of sun-drenched downtown Columbus that Ohio's largest city has surpassed – gasp – San Francisco in population.

See above item about running press releases as news stories.

Layoffs, layovers and do-overs

Connect these dots if you can.       

Dot No. 1. The Dispatch blames slumping revenue for bidding farewell to a half dozen journalists including columnist Joe Blundo, though the latter's column will continue on Sundays.

Dot No. 2. The Dispatch editorial page on the same day hails Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's courage, condemns President Trump's obstructionism, and runs a cartoon portraying Trump as a buffoon.

Dot No. 3. A few days later Trump in shown in the Dispatch saying hello to Masayoshi Son in Japan. Son is the CEO of SoftBank, the Dispatch's corporate parent.

See something, say nothing Jordan not in clear

Aping his role model Trump, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, a former OSU assistant wrestling coach, claimed that he was completely cleared by the OSU investigation of the Strauss matter.

Not so fast, Jimbo.

Victims attorneys are demanding that OSU release the names of coaches and administrators who knew about Strauss and failed to act. The New York Times ran an article, not carried by the Dispatch, in which former wrestlers allege that Jordan knew of the predatory behavior.

Quickies

·         A second OSU trustee has resigned in 9 months and it appears unhappiness with President Drake over the discipline and subsequent resignation of Urban Meyer is again the reason. Drake's days are numbered. Once he departs, look for Meyer to return as head football coach.

·         The good old boy watchdog of the treasury and pillar of virtue David Yost is in trouble again. The attorney general's political hacks used a state-made video in a campaign fund-raiser. A major no-no. Yost quickly took it down. The Dispatch sort of called him out in an editorial but it was mostly a wrist-slap, back-pat for its fair-haired boy.

·         The Columbus Board of Education signaled to the teachers' union that it is loaded with dough and that big raises should be expected when the board "found" $870,000 to pay the debt to NPR of its beleaguered public radio station, WCBE.

·         Gov. Mike DeWine has had ample time to review the case of political prisoner Tom Noe, who has been incarcerated for more than a decade for white collar crime. Former Gov. John Kasich lacked the moral courage to act. DeWine should free Noe.

(Send your comments and suggestions to John K. Hartman, ColumbusMediaInsider@gmail.com)

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