Bob Norman
Encyclopedia
Robert Creed Norman is a South Florida journalist who recently joined WPLG-Channel 10 as an on-air investigative reporter. Previously he worked for several years as a weekly newspaper and online columnist who first broke the corruption story of $1 billion Ponzi scheme
operator Scott Rothstein's October 27, 2009 flight to Morocco under suspicious circumstances. Rothstein, who returned to face inquiries, is a former Fort Lauderdale attorney investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
and arrested on 1 December 2009. In 2008 Bob Norman reported an unusual circumstance following the murder of Melissa Britt Lewis, employee of Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler (RRA) law firm, wherein the prosecuting attorney in the Lewis murder case came to work with RRA two months after the murder. Rothstein has not been connected to the murder, however murder victim Ms. Lewis had been close to Debra Villegas, RRA Chief Operating Officer, whose husband Tony Villegas was identified as the murderer by the City of Plantation Police represented by Scott Rothstein.
Bob Norman, who has also exposed other public corruption such as illegal activities of Broward County, Florida
public officials, currently writes for New Times Broward-Palm Beach
, and browardpalmbeach.com as well as the Miami New Times, all owned by Village Voice Media. Until 2006, Norman maintained his online column The Daily Pulp (former site) and currently posts under The Daily Pulp: Bob Norman's Blog on browardpalmbeach.com.
A resident of Plantation, Florida, Bob Norman is married to South Florida Sun-Sentinel staff writer Brittany Wallman. and is a graduate of the University of Kentucky. Bob Norman moved to Broward County in 1998, after working 5 years as a crime reporter in Fort Myers, Florida.
The blog
format allows online readers to publicly post inside information and diverse opinions. Readers interested in news stories can review original evidence with links to court filings, emails, and videos. In respect to technology, Bob Norman's blog, the Daily Pulp, is not novel compared with competing media which typically have blogs such as the Miami Herald, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and the Palm Beach Post
. However, for those interested in politics and public corruption, in contrast to other local online media the Daily Pulp is only one click from the home page, and posting is not impeded by a registration process. Ease of blog use and focused community attention to current stories on politics and public corruption enabled Bob Norman's Blog to reach high frequency of public participation for the limited number of subjects covered. For example, in response to columns on Scott Rothstein's Ponzi scheme, readers often submitted 100-200 online postings within the first 24 hours.
According to Alexa, the weekly New Times Broward-Palm Beach
's browardpalmbeach.com is ranked 7,917 in web traffic rank in the U.S., compared with newspapers that cover a wider variety of subjects, ranked 797 for the daily Miami Herald's miamiherald.com, 922 for the daily South Florida Sun-Sentinel's sun-sentinel.com, and 1,919 for the Palm Beach Post
's pbpost.com
Bob Norman has lamented staff downsizing and the weakening of traditional daily newspapers such as the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Miami Herald, and the Palm Beach Post, competitors to the New Times. He has offered congratulations to reporters in competing media outlets when they are prompt and accurate, and criticism when they are slow or inaccurate in exposing public corruption.
Bob Norman has criticized the connections between lobbyists and public officials, for example State Attorney Michael J. Satz, elected and reelected since 1976, for slow action in dealing with corrupt Broward County officials who are ultimately brought to justice by Federal investigators, including officials who have received campaign contributions from the same lobbyists as Mr. Satz.
.
Ponzi scheme
A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to its investors from their own money or the money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from any actual profit earned by the individual or organization running the operation...
operator Scott Rothstein's October 27, 2009 flight to Morocco under suspicious circumstances. Rothstein, who returned to face inquiries, is a former Fort Lauderdale attorney investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
and arrested on 1 December 2009. In 2008 Bob Norman reported an unusual circumstance following the murder of Melissa Britt Lewis, employee of Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler (RRA) law firm, wherein the prosecuting attorney in the Lewis murder case came to work with RRA two months after the murder. Rothstein has not been connected to the murder, however murder victim Ms. Lewis had been close to Debra Villegas, RRA Chief Operating Officer, whose husband Tony Villegas was identified as the murderer by the City of Plantation Police represented by Scott Rothstein.
Bob Norman, who has also exposed other public corruption such as illegal activities of Broward County, Florida
Broward County, Florida
-2000 Census:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,623,018 people, 654,445 households, and 411,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,346 people per square mile . There were 741,043 housing units at an average density of 615 per square mile...
public officials, currently writes for New Times Broward-Palm Beach
New Times Broward-Palm Beach
New Times Broward-Palm Beach is an alternative weekly newspaper; it is part of the Village Voice Media chain. The paper split off from the Miami New Times in 1997, under the auspices of then editor-in-chief Tom Walsh. Walsh was succeeded by Chuck Strouse, who was replaced in 2005 with Tony Ortega...
, and browardpalmbeach.com as well as the Miami New Times, all owned by Village Voice Media. Until 2006, Norman maintained his online column The Daily Pulp (former site) and currently posts under The Daily Pulp: Bob Norman's Blog on browardpalmbeach.com.
A resident of Plantation, Florida, Bob Norman is married to South Florida Sun-Sentinel staff writer Brittany Wallman. and is a graduate of the University of Kentucky. Bob Norman moved to Broward County in 1998, after working 5 years as a crime reporter in Fort Myers, Florida.
Journalism awards
Bob Norman has won several journalism awards, for example 1st Place in the 2007 "Column-Political" by the Association of Alternative Weeklies, the Livingston Award for Young Journalists, in National Reporting, 2001, 1st Place in the Society of Professional Journalists in 2002 for Print Weekly/Monthly (Non-Deadline Reporting), and 1st Place in the National Association of Black Journalists, 2005.Bob Norman's blog: The Daily Pulp
Describing his blog in 2007 as doing "fair to middling", by 2009 it surged in reader engagement, based on the volume of online postings, over allegations of public corruption in Broward County School Board construction which preceded the arrest and removal from office of former School Board Member Bev Gallagher.The blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
format allows online readers to publicly post inside information and diverse opinions. Readers interested in news stories can review original evidence with links to court filings, emails, and videos. In respect to technology, Bob Norman's blog, the Daily Pulp, is not novel compared with competing media which typically have blogs such as the Miami Herald, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and the Palm Beach Post
The Palm Beach Post
The Palm Beach Post is a major daily newspaper in Florida, serving Palm Beach County in South Florida, and the Treasure Coast area. It is the 72nd largest daily newspaper in the United States and the sixth largest in Florida.-History:...
. However, for those interested in politics and public corruption, in contrast to other local online media the Daily Pulp is only one click from the home page, and posting is not impeded by a registration process. Ease of blog use and focused community attention to current stories on politics and public corruption enabled Bob Norman's Blog to reach high frequency of public participation for the limited number of subjects covered. For example, in response to columns on Scott Rothstein's Ponzi scheme, readers often submitted 100-200 online postings within the first 24 hours.
According to Alexa, the weekly New Times Broward-Palm Beach
New Times Broward-Palm Beach
New Times Broward-Palm Beach is an alternative weekly newspaper; it is part of the Village Voice Media chain. The paper split off from the Miami New Times in 1997, under the auspices of then editor-in-chief Tom Walsh. Walsh was succeeded by Chuck Strouse, who was replaced in 2005 with Tony Ortega...
's browardpalmbeach.com is ranked 7,917 in web traffic rank in the U.S., compared with newspapers that cover a wider variety of subjects, ranked 797 for the daily Miami Herald's miamiherald.com, 922 for the daily South Florida Sun-Sentinel's sun-sentinel.com, and 1,919 for the Palm Beach Post
The Palm Beach Post
The Palm Beach Post is a major daily newspaper in Florida, serving Palm Beach County in South Florida, and the Treasure Coast area. It is the 72nd largest daily newspaper in the United States and the sixth largest in Florida.-History:...
's pbpost.com
Exposing Corruption
Bob Norman's articles have focused on public corruption, often with early and relentless pursuit of officials who are later arrested and removed from office, for example former Broward County Commissioner Josephus "Joe" Eggelletion and former City of Deerfield Beach Mayor Al Capellini.Bob Norman has lamented staff downsizing and the weakening of traditional daily newspapers such as the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Miami Herald, and the Palm Beach Post, competitors to the New Times. He has offered congratulations to reporters in competing media outlets when they are prompt and accurate, and criticism when they are slow or inaccurate in exposing public corruption.
Bob Norman has criticized the connections between lobbyists and public officials, for example State Attorney Michael J. Satz, elected and reelected since 1976, for slow action in dealing with corrupt Broward County officials who are ultimately brought to justice by Federal investigators, including officials who have received campaign contributions from the same lobbyists as Mr. Satz.
External links
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