The March 18th council meeting served as yet another reminder of how some elected officials misuse their platforms to undermine fact-based journalism.

Unfortunately, history repeated itself.

Councilwoman Susan Poage followed this well-worn path, spinning legitimate reporting with a “fake news” narrative during Tuesday’s meeting. Yet, despite her grandstanding, she failed to cite a single instance of misinformation—because none existed.

This is the same Susan Poage who never publicly challenged the mayor’s false claim that locked children out of tennis courts.

The same Susan Poage who stood by as the Mayor and her entourage turned what should have been a budget meeting focused on our students into a spectacle over a turf field.

The same Susan Poage who never acknowledged the mountain of disinformation her colleagues spread during last year’s transportation debacle.

The same Susan Poage who defended a series of deeply problematic decisions surrounding the CFO position last year.

The same Susan Poage who remained silent when the mayor dismantled the local ethics board.

The same Ms. Poage who remained silent as outside special interests flooded the Mayor’s Husbands BOE campaign- including a vendor with the Township.

And now, suddenly, she’s concerned about the truth?

What happened to being an “upstander,” not a “bystander”?

Unlike Poage’s vague characterizations, every specific claim we’ve made about her record is backed by evidence—evidence found in our reporting.

A councilwoman who calls for objectivity is now openly choosing sides in a battle over local news?

Rather than holding the mayor and the Recreation Department accountable for their misleading justifications that harmed students, this educator/councilwoman has chosen to attack the very news outlet that exposed those facts.

Ironically, even members of the Board of Education—along with our own Superintendent—have publicly corrected the mayor’s false timeline regarding the lease agreement.

Let’s be clear: NJ21st has never claimed to be unbiased—but we are unquestionably more fact-based and objective than any other local outlet.

Every report we publish is rigorously fact-checked. On the rare occasion that an error is made, we correct it. We answer to no one but the truth.

We have no allegiance to political machines, special interests, or those in power. Unlike some, we have never denied anyone a platform, nor have we silenced those who challenge our reporting.  We have never blocked anyone for disagreeing or criticizing us.

And yet, neither Councilwoman Poage, the mayor, nor any town council member has ever pointed to a single inaccuracy in our work.

If any elected official takes issue with our reporting, we encourage them to reach out. Unlike the paid media outlets in this community, we won’t bury their response in the back pages—we’ll give it the platform it deserves.

We even invite Councilwoman Poage, the mayor, and every town council member to debate our reporting publicly. No attorneys. No scripted speeches. No rigged meetings that control who gets the last word. Just an open, honest discussion.

Because that’s what real journalism looks like.

So, if Ms. Poage’s comments referred to us – we look forward to hearing from her.  If they refer to another outlet, then we hope she reaches out to them.  But at the end of the day Ms. Poage should spend more time holding her own colleagues accountable for the tremendous harm they have perpetrated over the past two weeks instead of using time that should be spent on Town Business spinning “fake news” narratives that sound eerily familiar to what is occurring on the national level.

John Migueis

Laura Kapuscinski

Shauna Williams

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