Like the Herald, the Globe focuses on Romney’s new control of the Big Dig (via emergency legislation introduced the previous day) and Amorello’s determination to keep his job. Inside the paper, though, Scott Allen and Sean P. Murphy are at it again, reporting that “[g]lue on bolts removed from the tunnel roof near the accident site was brittle and cracked, instead of having the consistency of smooth glass it should have had,” according to a source with knowledge of the state’s investigation. Why Allen’s stories don’t automatically make the front page is a mystery.
The aftermath
Here’s where things stood early this week: on Monday, July 19, Attorney General Tom Reilly reported that there was internal Big Dig disagreement over the ceiling suspension system in the I-90 connector back in 1999. Also on Monday, Governor Mitt Romney said that nearly all the 1100-plus ceiling fixtures in the I-90 connector are unsafe.
The Herald links these developments to its July 12 report on the $500,000 “adhesive anchor” fixes. But while a connection may exist between this work and Reilly’s new revelation, the link isn’t entirely clear. And if Reilly’s revelation makes the Herald look good, it makes the Globe look even better — remember the July 12 Allen/Murphy write-up of previous problems with similar ceiling supports, and Allen’s July 13 scoop on Bruno’s tepid objections? Throw Morrissey Boulevard’s Web superiority into the mix — thanks to both better manpower and superior design, Boston.com has clearly beaten BostonHerald.com when it comes to tracking this story online — and the Globe can credibly argue that, after a slow start, it’s been more effective than its cross-town rival.
Of course, given the Globe’s vast resources, it should be winning the war. Still, the fact remains: on the morning of July 11, and again on the morning of July 12, thousands of Globe readers taking the T to work looked up from their papers, saw an unfurled Herald across the way, and said to themselves, “Holy shit!” The Herald won the sprint, the Globe will win the marathon, and Boston benefits from still being a two-daily town.
On the Web
Adam Reilly's Talking Politics: http://www.thephoenix.com/talkingpolitics
