Media Blackout: Brian Laline's Selective Reporting Leaves Staten Island in the Dark
Media Blackout: Brian Laline's Selective Reporting Leaves Staten Island in the Dark
Laline's Love Affair with Elites: Ignored Stories, Targeted Attacks, and a Community Left in the Dark
By M. Thomas Nast and Frankie Pressman
Brian Laline, Editor-in-Chief of the Staten Island Advance, has been a significant figure in Staten Island's media landscape for decades. He has seen the transformation and decline of print media firsthand. Once at the helm of a thriving local newspaper, Laline now presides over a publication struggling to maintain relevance in the digital age.
In 2020, the Advance ceased printing on Staten Island, moving its operations to New Jersey, where Laline himself resides. This relocation marked a significant shift in the paper’s connection to the community it serves, physically distancing its leadership from its readership.
Laline’s editorial decisions have come under scrutiny for being heavily influenced by his close ties to the local elite Democratic establishment, particularly District Attorney Michael Edward McMahon. Critics argue that Laline’s allegiance to McMahon, his judge wife, and the local elites has led to biased reporting that shields connected figures from negative coverage while aggressively targeting MAGA Republicans and those who won’t “play ball.”
Laline’s judgment is indefensible. Earlier today, he blamed former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric for the July 13th assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. He couldn't help but to claim Trump’s defiant “Fight, Fight, Fight” rallying cry was tied to J6.
The “Real News” covered by the local outlet he helms is related mostly to “Entertainment News,” like when New York State Attorney General Letitia James recently attended the 50th Birthday Party of a local scoundrel and alleged FBI Informant with a long rap sheet, and questionable business, tax, and charitable dealings to match.
This selective journalism has also contributed to Staten Island becoming a "news desert," depriving residents of comprehensive and unbiased local news. Laline's deep-rooted connections and loyalty to Democratic Party elites have fundamentally shaped the Staten Island Advance's editorial stance, raising questions about the integrity and independence of its reporting.
Under his leadership, the borough has become a news desert, where critical local stories are ignored, and elite interests are protected. This bias is evident in his selective reporting, which consistently shields connected elites and those who further their interests, while attacking Republicans and Trump supporters like Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis.
The Gerard Carter Center Scandal
One glaring example of this media blackout is the controversy surrounding the Gerard Carter Community Center. Named after NYPD Officer Gerard Carter, who was murdered in 1998, the center became the focus of outrage when it was revealed that NYC Councilmember Kamillah Hanks had awarded a subcontract to True2Life Organization. True2Life's principals, Malcolm Penn and Mike Perry, had publicly supported the parole of Shatiek Johnson, Carter's killer.
Jozette Carter-Williams, Officer Carter’s widow, expressed her anger: "I am incensed at the sentiments of the current councilmember and her selected associates, the True2Life Organization, which is anti-police and anti-NYPD and their families. Gerard would not want children and families being taught anti-police hatred in a place that bears his name."
Despite the severity of these allegations and the public outcry, the Staten Island Advance provided little to no coverage of this story. Some believe this is intentional.
“The mainstream media, including the Staten Island Advance, are anti-law enforcement. They go out of their way to say that everyone deserves a second chance. Cop killers don’t,” said a law enforcement union source.
Officer Carter’s widow made her sentiments known.
“I believe in second chances. And Gerard’s killer should have his second chance. Just as soon as my son can hug his father again,” Jozette Carter-Williams said.
Critics argue that this omission in coverage is a clear indication of Laline’s bias, as it involves negative publicity for a Democratic NYC Council Member and a core Democratic Party issue.
Nicole Malliotakis, MAGA Republicans Under Fire
Laline’s bias is also evident in his coverage of Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis. Malliotakis, a Republican and staunch Trump supporter, has been frequently targeted by the Staten Island Advance. Recently, Laline criticized her for attending a Trump rally in New Jersey last month, suggesting that her loyalty to Trump was misplaced. Laline wrote:
"Does not his role in the riotous and deadly assault on American democracy January 6 mean anything to Ms. Malliotakis? Does his promise to pardon the rioters who broke down doors, windows, disrespected law enforcement they claim to hold so dear, causing the deaths of police officers, resonate with her?"
For factual accuracy, only one person died in the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Her name is Ashli Babbitt, a Donald Trump supporter.
Brian Laline's editorial approach reached a controversial peak with his July 18 commentary on the recent assassination attempt on President Donald Trump. Rather than condemning the violence outright, Laline’s commentary appeared to downplay the severity of the event, invoking Trump’s culpibility for January 6, and raising serious ethical questions beyond Laline’s journalistic integrity.
Is Laline complict in the mass-media’s demonization and dehuminzation of a former U.S. President and tens of millions of his supporters? It sure as hell looks like it:
“Never-Trumpers might say the former president brought the heinous murder attempt upon himself through his often-incendiary rhetoric.
Minutes after the man came closer to death than could be imagined, and Secret Service agents tried to get him off stage, he insisted on showing the crowd his invincibility.
Fist pumping as blood ran down the side of his face, he told followers, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Fighting . . . It’s part of our politics and has been, I suppose, since America was founded. But then, we weren’t fighting each other…
Do we really need to bring up the January 6 rally – and Capitol riot -- again? I know the former president’s supporters become inflamed when we do.
Trump used the word 'fight' or 'fighting' 20 times at that rally, telling the crowd they needed to 'fight like hell,’ before they stormed the Capitol.”
By focusing on Trump’s character and alleged provocation, Laline diverted attention from the criminal act itself, creating actual bias in his reporting. This editorial choice not only inflamed political tensions but also underscored the Staten Island Advance's controversial approach to covering stories involving MAGA Republican figures and their constitutencies.
Nicole Malliotakis is the only pro-law enforcement elected official who represents Staten Island's North Shore, yet she receives disproportionately negative coverage. This raises questions about whether Laline and the Staten Island Advance hold an anti-law enforcement bias, particularly given their silence on stories involving clear choices by Democrat officials negatively affecting NYPD safety.
“If Laline’s head was up the local elite’s asses any further, he’s be mistaken for Wesley Snipes,” said a retired NYPD source.
The Non-Coverage of Local ‘Political Feuds’
Several significant local political feuds and allegations of misconduct have gone unreported by the Staten Island Advance. These include:
Vito Fossella and Andrew Lanza
The ongoing feud between former Congressman Vito Fossella and State Senator Andrew Lanza, both prominent Republicans, has seen little coverage. The pair have been friends for half a century, and now they actively avoid one another. They have for the past six months.
“I think they’re both having mid-life male menopause at the same time,” said a prominent Republican county committee member. “This will get smoothed out. I know for a fact that they are both fond of one another and they have a strong history. It’s just a matter where they both can feel they are fully respected.”
This feud has implications for local Republican politics, yet it remains unreported by Laline and company. Why?
Laura Sword and Kamillah Hanks
Staten Island Democrats Chair Laura Sword and NYC Council Member Kamillah Hanks are engaged in a veritable Cold War, and have been since Hanks shunned Debi Rose. Still beloved by the rank-and-file Democrats and determined to continue a life of service, Debi Rose was recommended by the Democratic County Committee to be their new Commissioner at the NYC Board of Elections for Staten Island.
Hanks ignored County and put in her own crony, a lawyer she could control, specifically going against the wishes of the Democratic County Committee and Chair Laura Sword.
Hanks was Debi Rose’s primary opponent in a 2017 campaign marred by “dirty tricks” and “Fake Facebook.” Hanks lost, with Debi Rose winning 70% of the vote. Hanks has publicly blamed everything under the sun for her 2017 loss, except the cookie-cutter campaign with no Election Day pull operation run by her over-priced political consultant from Queens.
“She only blocked Debi out of small-minded, petty vindictiveness, all because Debi publicly bitch-slapped her in the 2017 primary,” said a Staten Island Democratic County Committee member who was inside Debi’s Stapleton HQ, watching in person when the Kamillah Hanks concession phone call was live-streamed to Facebook.
“I remember watching that video go viral and make the rounds the next day. Kamillah started rambling about the community and Staten Island and working together. Debi cut her right off: ‘I hope you learned something.’ With that, the phone was as dead as Hanks’ 70-30 loss,” the county committee member said.
After Hanks’ defiance of County’s wishes, neither woman has had anything nice to say about the other. Sword reportedly said, “Next time, she can carry her own F-ing petitions.” Hanks is reported to have referred to her leader as a part of the female anatomy.
This fued has the potential to shape who the next NYC Council Member is on Staten Island’s North Shore. But you wouldn't know anything about it if you relied on Laline and company for your information.
Diane Savino and Kamillah Hanks
Similarly, the relationship between former State Senator Diane Savino, a Special Advisor to NYC Mayor Eric Adams, and Councilmember Kamillah Hanks, both Democrats, has received scant attention. In years past, the two were good friends, joined at the hip.
"Diane can be mercurial. She used to be buddy-buddy with her ‘little grasshopper’ Nicole [Malliotakis] in Albany. Now, they don’t speak. But [Hanks] is different. They used to vacation together. Now she’s radioactive with law enforcement unions and her own county committee. Adams is looking at a primary from the left, and Hanks is polarizing. Her asshole husband doesn't help matters either,” a prominent Manhattan Democratic consultant said, referring to Kevin Barry Love.
This lack of Staten Island Advance coverage shields internal Democratic conflicts on both a borough and a NYC level from public scrutiny. However, these faultlines are crucial in understanding the dynamics of the 2025 NYC Elections, from the mayoral race on down.
Richard Luthmann's Staten Island Media Blackout
Richard Luthmann, a former lawyer turned “First Amendment Felon” and now an investigative reporter and consultant, has become a prominent critic of the Staten Island Advance. His investigative work has uncovered numerous instances of corruption and misconduct among Staten Island public figures. Yet his findings have been largely ignored by Laline and the local press. Luthmann is a contributor for this outlet.
"I know for a fact that Laline has been told by the McMahons to pretend that I don't exist. When the truth comes out, it is career-ending for many, including Hanks, Castorina, Kevin Barry Love, and Henry Olisa. It could also be very harmful to both Mike and Judy McMahon and their allies like Dennis Quirk and Bruce Barron. All of this is laid out in filed court papers and publicly available documents,” Luthmann said.
Luthmann says the proof of the McMahon-Laline connection comes straight from New York State Supreme Court Justice’s Judith R. McMahon’s mouth:
“Laline regularly performs analingus on the Democrat elites, and it’s shameful,” Luthmann said.
Here are some indisputable facts from this Luthmann and this outlet’s reporting on Castorina, Hanks, and other Staten Island notables Laine has ignored.
Ronald Castorina’s Misconduct
Staten Island Supreme Court Justice Ronald Castorina has faced serious allegations, including perjury and judicial misconduct. Despite evidence presented in court, the Staten Island Advance has not printed a word. Castorina is accused of giving false testimony before a Richmond County grand jury in 2018, contradicting his Facebook Messenger exchanges that were offered into evidence. This false testimony involved explicit lies regarding his interactions with Luthmann, who was acting as a political advisor.
Staten Island Judge Accused of Perjury: Cover-Up Allegations Surface
Additionally, Castorina has been criticized for manipulating court orders and abusing his power in ways that have had severe financial and health repercussions for individuals involved in his cases.
Former NYPD Detective Guy Simonetti has been particularly vocal about Castorina's misconduct. Simonetti detailed how Castorina's outlandish and corrupt actions led to significant personal and professional hardships.
"Castorina’s actions were not just unethical but had real, damaging consequences," Simonetti stated, highlighting the gravity of the judge's alleged misconduct.
Despite these serious accusations and the impact on those affected, the Staten Island Advance has maintained a conspicuous silence.
Critics argue that Brian Laline’s failure to report on Castorina’s misconduct is a deliberate attempt to protect politically connected individuals. This selective reporting raises serious questions about the integrity of the Staten Island Advance and its role in informing the public.
The lack of coverage on Castorina’s alleged misconduct exemplifies a broader pattern of ignoring significant local stories that involve powerful elites, thereby depriving the community of crucial information.
Kamillah Hanks and Kevin Barry Love
Councilmember Kamillah Hanks and her partner Kevin Barry Love have been embroiled in multiple controversies, yet the Staten Island Advance has largely ignored these serious allegations. Hanks and Love have been accused of conspiring with Luthmann in creating a fake Facebook page to smear Hanks’ opponent, Debi Rose, during the 2017 Democratic primary election. This underhanded tactic aimed to damage Rose’s reputation and sway voters.
In addition to campaign misconduct, both Hanks and Love have allegedly made false statements to federal authorities, violating federal law (18 U.S.C. § 1001). Their legal and financial misconduct extends further; they owe over $130,000 to Luthmann for legal services, including efforts to ensure Hanks' daughter’s graduation from LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, a lawsuit which the Staten Island Advance covered in 2017 naming Luthmann as Hanks’ lawyer.
Despite these debts, they have reportedly interfered with Luthmann’s protected journalistic activities and made false allegations to federal prosecutors to avoid paying their obligations.
“They told my collections lawyers to bring it. They threatened them like thugs. They lied about me to the federal authorities. I bided my time. Now I’m coming to get what is rightfully mine, so I can pay my debts owed to the U.S. taxpayer. If you talk to them, tell them that ‘Mao is coming down from the mountains.’ That’s a reference those pinko deadbeats will get,” Luthmann said.
Luthmann’s case against Hanks, Love, Castorina, and others is pending in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan before Justice Louis Nock, under Index Number: 100012/2024.
As stated above, one of the most controversial actions involving Hanks is her support for True2Life, an organization whose principals, Malcolm Penn and Mike Perry, have advocated for the parole of Shatiek Johnson, the murderer of NYPD Officer Gerard Carter. Hanks tried to give a six-figure NYC Council grant to the organization. This decision sparked outrage in the community. Widow Jozette Carter-Williams condemned Hanks’ actions, stating, “How can someone who is supposed to represent our community support the release of my husband’s killer?”
Moreover, as the Chair or the NYC Council Public Safety Committee, Hanks sponsored the "How Many Stops Act," legislation increasing administrative burdens on the NYPD, reflecting an anti-police stance.
"Councilwoman Hanks sold herself as being pro law enforcement when she was soliciting union endorsements, but it is now obvious that her promises were devoid of truthfulness or transparency," said Vincent Vallelong, president of the 13,000-member NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA). "As the Chair of the Public Safety Committee, her support of this idiotic bill shows that she actually has little knowledge of police work and even less regard for the safety of the public. She is just another politician who speaks from both sides of her mouth depending on which way the political winds are blowing."
Her relationship with Love, marked by personal and financial ties, has led to allegations of quid pro quo and corruption within her council office. Love’s influence has been so significant that it has led to accusations of selling political access and engaging in corrupt practices.
Adding to the controversy, Hanks received political contributions from Ettore Mazzei, known for his connections to narcotics distribution. Despite calls for transparency, Hanks has not returned these contributions, further casting a shadow on her ethical standing. This issue, combined with her support for figures like Malcolm Penn and Mike Perry, deepens the community's distrust.
Despite the severity of these allegations, the Staten Island Advance has chosen not to report on them, further indicating a pattern of selective reporting and a “newsroom” devoid of any investigative prowess whatsoever.
This deliberate omission protects certain Democratic figures from public scrutiny and deprives the community of vital information. Why?
Henry "Bobby Digi" Olisa
Henry "Bobby Digi" Olisa has been a controversial figure on Staten Island, yet his public actions have largely escaped scrutiny by the Staten Island Advance. Olisa has been implicated as an FBI informant. He has connections to Ettore Mazzei, arrested in May as the head of a large-scale narcotics distribution network on Staten Island. Mazzei’s alleged involvement in the distribution of heroin, cocaine, and suboxone has been linked to multiple overdose deaths, raising serious concerns about his activities and their impact on the community.
Despite these significant issues, the local media has ignored Olisa's activities and potential connections. One reason for this could be his close relationship with NYC Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Laurie Cumbo. The two have a child together, and their relationship has drawn attention due to Olisa's troubled financial past and Cumbo’s influential position. This relationship was highlighted when Olisa proposed to Cumbo at the 2022 Met Gala, where tickets now cost $75,000 each, raising questions about their financial dealings and sources of income.
Olisa has also been involved in the misreporting of public funds. Significant amounts of public money have been allocated to his non-profit organization, Canvas Institute. The close ties between Olisa, Cumbo, and Councilmember Kamillah Hanks have raised suspicions of cronyism and the misuse of public funds.
Taxpayer funds support the Canvas Institute, Digi-Olisa’s new “hustle.” The not-for-profit organization recently received $105,000 in public funds allocated by NYC Council Member Kamillah Hanks.
“I was delighted to join Bobby Digi and the CANVAS Institute family at the opening of their new hub. I admire the impactful work they do with young people in our community. Equally exciting was announcing the allocation of $105,000 in funding from the NYC Council to support their efforts in providing career readiness and mentorship,” said Hanks in a recent mailing from her office.
Mazzei's involvement in narcotics distribution further complicates the web of illegal activities connected to Digi-Olisa. Critics have called for an audit to investigate these financial dealings to ensure that no public money was, wittingly or unwittingly, used in the narcotics trade. But these concerns have gone unreported by the Staten Island Advance, even though they covered the Mazzei arrest like media week at the Superbowl.
"The fact that significant public funds are being funneled into Olisa's non-profit while he has these connections and alleged activities should be a major story," Luthmann stated.
Despite the clear public interest, the Staten Island Advance has chosen not to report on these allegations. But they did report on “Bobby Digi’s 50th Birthday” as “Entertainment” news:
Dr. Gracelyn Santos, a part-time life and culture columnist for the Staten Island Advance and SILive.com, covered the “Entertainment” story wall to wall. Some say that is fitting.
“Laline hasn’t chased a story this century. The only chasing he does on Staten Island is his guamda around the bar at 135 Flagg Place,” said a Richmond County Country Club member under conditions of anonymity. “If he didn’t, he wouldn’t leave Mantoloking.”
The silence of the Staten Island Advance on Olisa’s public and newsworthy activities raises serious questions about the integrity of local journalism on Staten Island. The failure to cover these significant issues points to a pattern of selective reporting that corruptly protects politically connected individuals from scrutiny.
This lack of coverage deprives the community of crucial information and undermines trust in local media. And for Laline, this appears to be by design. The cases of Ronald Castorina, Kamillah Hanks, Kevin Barry Love, and Henry "Bobby Digi" Olisa exemplify how selective reporting can contribute to a news desert, where residents are left uninformed about critical local issues.
Skewed Coverage and Selective Enforcement
Brian Laline’s tenure at the Staten Island Advance has been marked by a clear pattern of biased reporting and selective coverage. By ignoring stories that could harm elite and Democratic Party interests and focusing on negative coverage of their enemies, Laline has created a news desert in Staten Island.
His actions have shielded powerful local figures from scrutiny and misled the public. The lack of coverage on significant local issues relevant to law enforcement, coupled with targeted attacks on figures like Donald Trump and Nicole Malliotakis, reveals a deeply entrenched bias that undermines the role of the press in holding power to account. However, some think it won’t continue.
”The fact that Letitia James and the rest of them are 'partying it up' when they are not selectively enforcing the law against ideological enemies tells you all you need to know. Brian Laline is a 'selective reporter' and has been for half a century. Come next month when I return to Staten Island, everything is going to change," Luthmann said.
When pressed for specifics, Luthmann was tight-lipped.
“The plan won’t be revealed until the time is right, but I get back my New York privileges in a few short weeks. I am now a reporter committed to exposing the truth without regard to the consequences. And that is what I intend to do,” Luthmann said.
However, he relayed, and this outlet confirmed several facts “you won’t read in the Staten Island Advance, because they are true”:
Kamillah Hanks is worried about a 2025 primary for her City Council Seat. She has already called present and former elected officials inquiring if they have heard anything about potential candidates, and asking what they would need to be “bought off” from running.
The SI Dems County Committee is inclined not carry petitions for Hanks next year, and is already interviewing potential primary challengers for the Hanks seat.
Law Enforcement Unions, specifically the NYPD PBA, DEA, and SBA, are actively searching for a candidate as payback for her anti-NYPD stances, particularly the How Many Stops Act. The groups are promising contributions from their rank and file, especially those who live in the district to automatically qualify their candidate for 8 to 1 matching funds.
Hanks has been referred to sarcastically as a “real heayvweight” by a long-time NYC political staffer with connections to a prominent Democratic Consultant.
Several prominent political consultants have reported initial conversations about candidate challenger engagements for Hanks’ district.
In less than four months, Staten Islanders will go to the polls. The question remains whether they will vote based on the incomplete and biased information provided by the Staten Island Advance and their Editor in Chief, Brian Laline, who doesn’t pretend to hide his role as “Press Secretary” for the local NYC Democrat elites.
There has to be a better way, where the citizenry can be properly informed and can seek out the truth for themselves. If journalism is healthy, it speaks truth to power.
Media men like Laline argue that a changing world means changing roles. But has Brian Laline’s role ever changed? Some say he has been performing “analingus” since day 1.
Laline’s current troubles are a microcosm for the ills in the rest of the Mainstream Media. As a nation we are waking up and seeing that we have been lied to by those in trusted institutions. As Abraham Lincoln said, “You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”
Brian, you’re not fooling anybody anymore.