NEW: Worcester Telegram Reporter Rips State Workers on Facebook

Wednesday, February 05, 2014

GoLocalWorcester News Team

High profile Worcester Telegram reporter Shaun Sutner, who often covers state government as an investigative reporter for the paper, posted on Facebook that many of Massachusetts' state workers were a waste for taxpayers.

The post was made from the Telegram offices.

Sutner has recently written stories like:

"Is Edward Augustus qualified to be Worcester manager?"

"Roberta Blute pleads guilty to cheating on taxes; agrees to pay $114,576 owed to IRS"

Earlier today the Massachusetts Emergnecy Management Agency issued the folloiwng directive to state workers: Per @MassGovernor, non-emergency state employees in Executive Branch agencies should not report to their workplaces today, Wed 2/5

Reaction to Sutner

The posting by Sutner sparked emails and social media messages to GoLocalWorcester raising the appropriateness of a reporter making public attacks on public workers. One message to GoLocal raised the irony that Sutner was attacking state workers while on Facebook from his desk at the Telegram.

Emails to Sutner and Telegram's James W. Hopson, the Interim Publisher, have not been responded to.

Sutner has worked at the Telegram since 1993.

The Facebook post:

So I got in my car and drove to work this morning. It just wasn't that big a deal. Yeah, it snowed. When I got to work, most of our usually packed parking garage was empty. Really? You work for a private company and your work ethic is such that you can't brush the snow off your car and drive? I can understand non-essential government workers, because they're not needed anyway, as their bosses acknowledge by giving them paid days off on the taxpayers' dime every time there's a few inches of snow. I'm sure people in Norway and Canada cower in their homes when it snows, too.

NOTE: Sutner's Facebook post was removed from his Facebook page at approximately 12 noon.