CORRUPTION

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• CORRUPTION

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CORRUPTION

• 1) impairment of integrity, virtue, or moral
  principle
• 2) decay, decomposition
• 3) inducement to wrong by improper or unlawful
  means
• 4) a departure from the original or from what is
  pure or correct

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Role of Media

• To inform the public with accurate information of
  public interest in a synchronized manner
• To serve as a link between the citizens and their
  government

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Media Bias Vs. Media Corruption
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Media Bias

• Reflection of the reporters preference
• Journalists either are in favor or against their
  subject and give appropriate coverage based on
  their liking
• Leads to a loss of trust from the public
• Media Bias is usually detectable

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Media Corruption

• Use of criminal devices to manipulate or defraud
  the public
• Journalists fabricate stories, create fraudulent
  documents to pass them off as evidentiary facts
• Public loses all sense of proportion to what is
  actually important

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Corruption in Politics
The Role of the Media
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3 Ways to Define Political Corruption
Political Corruption defined by

1. Violation of Public Interest
2. Committing an illegal Act
3. Public Opinion

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Why Does the Media Play a Role in Political
Corruption?
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• Corruption Sells!
• No Checks Balances within Freedom of the Press
• Lack of Independent Press
• Relations Between Media and the Government
• Censorship
• Different Views on Corruption

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Possible Solutions

• Regain credibility
• High Paying Reporting
• Independent Press
• Less Censorship
• Challenge Debate
• Expect to be Challenged

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Examples of Corrupted Politicians In New
Jersey
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Martin Barnes (54)
Position Paterson Mayor Charges 40-count
indictment charges for accepting
bribes in exchange for city
contracts
Convictions Accepting bribes in exchange for
city contracts Sentence 37 Months in
Prison
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Sara Bost (55)
Position Irvington Mayor Charges 5-count
indictment charges for
accepting bribes and tampering with
witness
Convictions Single-count of tampering with
witness Sentence 1 year in prison
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Anthony Impreveduto (32)
Position Hudson County
Assemblyman Charges Embezzlement
Convictions 3rd degree crime of misapplying
entrusted property (campaign funds) 4th degree
crime of misrepresenting expenditures Sentence 5
years probation
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Milton Milan (38)
Position Camden Mayor Charges 19-counts of
Corruption
Convictions 14-counts of Corruption Sentence 7
years in prison
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Anthony Russo
Position Hoboken Mayor Charges Extortion and
Bribery
Convictions 3-counts of mail fraud Sentence 30
months in prison
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Independent Authorities
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Independent Authorities

• Abuse their powers
• Act as Quasi Governmental Agencies
• Also known as Shadow Government
• Misspent hundreds of millions of taxpayers money
  in NJ

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Independent Authorities

• Projects are closed to the public and hardly
  regulated by the government
• These agencies have
• Initiated huge projects
• Awarded no-bid contracts
• Hired political insiders
• Amassed enormous amount of debt

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For Example

• The School Construction Corporation (SCC)
• Formed to build public schools in an efficient
  and cost effective manner

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Independent Authorities

• Governor Cody of the (SCC) requested a report of
  findings after conducting a review to the state
  of NJ Office of the Inspector General
• Determined existence of areas of inefficiency
• Found 8.6 billion in funding to be wasteful

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Independent Authorities

• Employees paid high salaries with bonuses
• Unnecessarily large staff
• State owned vehicles
• Awarded contracts without Board approval

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Independent Authorities

• Office of Inspector General recommended (SCC) to
  completely overhaul its agency
• Such as strict regulation for agencies
• Contracts must be verified by Board as being
  based on Merit Value
• Governor Corzine made effort to ban corruption in
  independent authorities of New Jersey

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Independent Authorities

• In 2006, Corzine signs executive order
• requiring the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and
  other agencies to provide more complete and
  frequent public disclosures of financial
  performance and other operations
• The Record, Bergen County, NJ

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Independent Authorities
Good governance, we believe, will have a strong
impact on our economy. By making government more
honest and transparent, we can bring new business
and new jobs to New Jersey Governor Corzine
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Economic Effects of Corruption
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• New Jersey is one of the
• Most Affluent States in the Nation
• 2nd Highest Average income
• Most Densely Populated State

Economic Effects of Corruption
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Economic Effects of Corruption

• New Jersey has high Taxes!
• The highest taxes on Property
• 2.40 on a pack of cigarettes
• Third Largest Sales Tax as a percentage
• High Income Tax

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Economic Effects of Corruption

• Former Governor Richard Codey said,
• the state is pretty much broke.
• How is a state with so much money broke?
• Why are New Jersey is not seeing the proper
  compensation for the money we pay in taxes?

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Economic Effects of Corruption

• Whats Wrong with Bribes?
• Not Just a Moral Issue
• Hurts Competitive Markets
• Higher Costs for a Worse Product

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Economic Effects of Corruption

• Albert Robles
• Former Treasurer of South Gate California
• Two Million Dollars of Bribes
• Cost the City Twenty Million Dollars

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Economic Effects of Corruption

• Recent Events
• Real Estate Developers being arrested
• Brick Township Major Resigns

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Economic Effects of Corruption

• Governor Jon Corzines Solutions
• Open Bidding
• Pressure to be more efficient
• Competition