EDITORIAL: Love her or hate her, people are yakking about News Mutt. The eleven year old canine and Executive Director of Hyannis News runs a tight ship, hates long staff meetings, won’t tolerate bad language, growls at “second best,” and is reportedly a real taskmaster when it comes to delivering Cape Codders real daily news in a timely manner.
According to office rumors, News Mutt first met Publisher Rob Bastille eleven years ago on death row at a local dog pound. Apparently, News Mutt was abused by her previous owners and had developed a bad attitude and distrust towards just about everything on two to four legs. The people in charge of the kennel had her marked to be “put down” and separated in a back room away from the other dogs- a hopeless case. Bastille still insisted on seeing her for a one-on-one interview. “She’s the most cranky, ornery, mean, suspicious, hateful, belligerent creature I’ve ever seen, but she’s a sweetie compared to my wife! How much you want for her?” Like Bonnie and Clyde, it was love and treachery right from the start. After signing the appropriate forms and waivers, forking over bail, saying farewell to several others stuck doing time, News Mutt and Bastille hit the road together and never returned.
“She’s able to keep my [buttocks] in line and that says a lot!” said Taryn Thoman, reporter and opinionated editorialist, not a person who usually backs down. Taryn did offer some nervous criticism of the top dog in charge of running the daily Hyannis News show, “I just wish she’d lighten up on her no swearing policy in my articles… and could someone please do something about her breath? You’re not going to print this, are you?”
“She’s barked my butt out of bed many a late night to cover a flipped car or stabbing, she’s relentless!” said one reporter from the Hyannis News technology division who wished to remain anonymous.
And Hyannis News staff members are not the only ones offering opinions regarding this extraordinary news creature. Take a look at what some local bloggers are writing about News Mutt:
Cape Cod Living http://capecodliving.blogspot.com/ has the following things to say:
News Mutt catches the scent
The word is out and News Mutt has the scent.
My apologies to the News Mutt
Several readers stopped by to express their support for the "News Mutt." [She's] apparently quite a popular figure around Hyannis. And, I owe her an apology.
A fan wrote to say: FOR THE RECORD: The Robert J. Bastille and "News Mutt" own HyannisNews.com... I know for a fact Mr. Bastille has never met Ms. Joakim, nor has he ever attented one of her meetings... I also know for a fact that there are more than one RJ Bastilles in the Town... please do your homework next time- interesting site though... good luck
I checked out our canine friend, and he's got a pretty cool site. Lots of breaking news with more local color than the big fish wrapper in town.
We all live and learn. Now we know that there's more than one news hound in Hyannis.
Anonymous said...
See...not even the news mutt wants to go to Janet Joakim's stupid meetings.
Anonymous said...
Bugsy, I have to give you credit... at least you have the decency to 'apologize'. Maybe Hank Farnham and a few others might come out of the 'woodwork' one day soon and do the same. As for Mr. Bastille, I do know a couple of R Bastille’s but again, as you pointed out, who knows who's who?!
I did take a quick looksee at his site though and it appears quite good... Good luck to Mr. Bastille and if he is the same R Bastille I know, help us clean up the mess in Hyannis since you and your Son live there with us...
Good eve to all...
J J
Anonymous said...
Several great new local sites.
HyannisNews.com.
BarnstableBlog.Blogspot.com
The more options the better.
Anonymous said...
Thank you for clarifying the error... News Mutt is a bit too salty for town hall, she's out on the run helping our finest take a bite out crime... I've found if you need to know what's really goin' down in downtown, Hyannis News has it! If you want to know about how to make a good peach cobbler, then the local printed rag will do fine.
News Mutt kicks Butt!
Anonymous said...
Robbie Bastille use to play Net for the Raiders Hockey team back in the early eighties.
I think he moved to Mexico in the 90s to hunt down drug dealers... some say he'll never return... others have reported local sightings, probably just rumors...
Anonymous said...
I've heard that when the police run out of options... when the SWAT team is at its wits end... when the State Police have exhausted their resources... then, and only then, will the Barnstable Police Commissioner send up the brilliant beacon streaming into the night with the initials N.M.- summoning News Mutt to action!
…and all hell follows with her, and criminals have confessed having felt the hairs on their arms stand up... News Mutt can be one cranky gal! Especially when someone is not nice to those who believe in Law and Order... she's no ordinary mutt.
News Mutt has got some good people behind him.
Check out the bio for co-author Taryn Thoman
"Non-member of the BID, Chamber of Commerce, or Women's Business groups... Dislikes long walks on the beach, posers, liars, whiners, and wanna-bees. Likes people who live passionately."
It's a good site. Check it out.
Not impressed said...
Cape Cod Living, you should raise your standards. HyannisNews.com suffers from the following afflictions:
1. It's very slow-loading and buggy. Unacceptable in this day and age. The site owners are too cheap to pay for decent hosting because they aren't making any money from advertising.
2. Some of the headlines are tasteless: autistic kids' testicles, etc. Just bad journalism.
3. This guy prints arrested people's names before they have been arraigned and other sensitive information he gets from police scanners.
4. Splashing banner ads all over the place begging people to advertise is just amateur hour all the way.
5. This site is going to fade away because these people are not professionals and don't know what they're doing. They won't sell any ads, won't make any money, and will eventually face reality and get a day job or move off Cape.
You need to understand what is happening to new media. The big guns are fading away and young players are coming to market. We don't have the resources to achieve the same production standards as the Cape Cod Times, but we're getting there.
We have several challenges:
Content
Design
Technology
and, most importantly, a viable business model
I've focused on the content side of the business because this gives me the most insight into the potential value of the news/editorial which is being produced for a local market. Right now, that news has only modest value and can't support a larger operation.
But, with the pending sale of Dow Jones and the possible sale of the Cape Cod Times, there will be a gap in the market.
Someone will fill that gap. It won't be the Patriot or Cape Cod Today. It will be new player with a new model.
Anonymous said...
The only reason the Patriot is still in business is because of the two pages of foreclosure notices in the back of the paper. That ought to keep them going for another year or two.
Anonymous said...
News Mutts stuff is great. I learned more about what goes on in Town in just a few minutes on that site. There is news there that you would never know about. Unreported. I think it's great!
I hope they start to cover some of the corruption on Barnstable
Anonymous said...
"Not impressed" are you off your meds? Have you seen the amount of content about real news on Hyannis News? By the way information from scanners gets photos and a story, why doesn't the times have these critical news stories? Because they're a large group of over-indulged lazy agenda driven beautiful snobs... they will be the ones that fade away because they're fat and lazy... Hyannis News from my view kicks their butt on a daily basis! And "tasteless", please, have you seen the garbage the "intellectuals" at the times have been trying to feed us? They're cop haters and don't give a damn about our real problems here in this town/city! (By the way, if you hold your arms out it will make it more difficult for them to throw a NET over you! Mr./Ms High-and-mighty... try hopping back on your meds and see things better and you'll appreciate true grassroots efforts... and what if HN is not really doing it for the money?
Anonymous said...
I know Rob Bastille, the owner of Hyannis News, and I don't think he'll let an issue like money slow him down.
All I know is ONE GUY, and perhaps a couple supporters has given people a daily "intelligence report" of news facts about what really is happening out there.
I also know from a Times reporter that they've been ORDERED to check his site every morning!
Oh, by the way, when his readers surpass the times, which they will because he's gaining on them, the news will be free and advertisers will be chomping at the bit to get spots on his site... why? Less overhead and they have far less overhead.
Anonymous said...
SAVE TREES
READ HYANNIS NEWS -DOT- COM
The Great Bandito said...
Hey "not impressed", put down your pompous sandwich and consider the following:
hyannisnews.com has been around for only what - 3 or 4 months?
They have to get readership before they can get advertising, and it looks to me that they will be gathering more exponentially before the end of the year.
Idiots like you and your ignorant Cape Cod snobby criticism will only keep that site flourishing!
While I am wholly unimpressed with your comments about hyannisnews.com, I sure hope you keep it up! THANKS!
A little advice - if you want to pick up readers you have to be a little gracious about constructive criticism. I'm not especially good at it myself, but it doesn't hurt to avoid insulting the readers.
The Great Bandito said...
Thanks, but much of the criticism from "not impressed" is simply not constructive, somewhat inaccurate, and not worthy of a gracious response.
Are the headlines "tasteless" or is not impressed humorless?
Are the site owners "too cheap" or are they just getting started with limited but growing resources?
Is he psychic? HyannisNews will sell ads and will eventually become a money maker, thanks in part to blathering from sour bloggers like him who will continue to draw others to what is apparently controversial.
Controversy sells. I sincerely do thank not impressed for his postings, as they will certainly help readership grow. Is that gracious enough for you?
perfect. thank you ;-)
Anonymous said...
Howz this for a politically correct statement:
SAVE TREES, THE PLANET, AND PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING!
STOP READING THE LOCAL PRINTED RAG
READ HyannisNews.com !!!!!
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