Google This: dirty dining brookfield perkins

I've arrived at some conclusions about Courtny Gerrish's weekly "Dirty Dining" feature on NBC's Milwaukee affiliate, TMJ4. They aren't pretty.

It began with a segment on the Perkins in Brookfield. After it aired at 10:00 PM on December 11, 2008, a written report was posted on the TMJ4 website. Shortly after being posted, the story disappeared from the site.

Here's more background on the story and how it has unfolded:

Perkins and Dirty Dining

Perkins, Dirty Dining, and TMJ4, Part Deux

Perkins, Dirty Dining, and TMJ4, Part Trois

Dirty Dining in Milwaukee, the Brookfield Perkins, and TMJ

Dirty Dining, the Brookfield Perkins, and TMJ4 - Part Cinq

Reprise: TMJ4, Dirty Dining, Brookfield Perkins

Originally, I didn't think the disappearance of the Perkins story was a big deal. I thought it was strange, but that it was just an error. I certainly believed that to be the case when Brenda Serio of Programming responded to the e-mail I sent to tmj4feedback@todaystmj4.com.

from: Brenda Serio <bserio@journalbroadcastgroup.com>
to: Mary <freedomeden@gmail.com>
date: Mon, Jan 5, 2009 at 4:57 PM
subject: RE: Dirty Dining


The news assignment desk is working on putting it back on the dirty dining web site. They weren’t aware that is had been taken off. Thank you.

I thought Serio was being honest with me. I expected the Perkins story to be on the "Dirty Dining" web page again soon.

What I expected didn't happen.

The e-mail above was the only reply I received from the several I sent to Serio, Courtny Gerrish, "Dirty Dining" reporter, and Steve Wexler, General Manager of TMJ4, over the course of the last 5-plus weeks.

Naturally, I began to rethink the notion that the deletion of the Perkins story was just a mistake and it would be corrected.

I believe the fact that I have received no further replies to any of the messages I've e-mailed to TMJ4 and Journal Broadcast Group personnel on the matter, and, more importantly, the fact that the deleted Perkins story has not been returned to the TMJ4 website is not a simple case of profound incompetence.

Because the story has not been put back and because I have received no responses to my follow-up inquiries, I'm left to speculate about the reason the site was scrubbed of the Brookfield Perkins story.

After Serio's January 5, 2009, e-mail to me, the following three weeks of complete silence and inaction from TMJ4 and the Journal Broadcast Group points to some troubling conclusions.

On Monday, January 26, I wrote to Wexler and others that I'm led to believe that TMJ4 removed the story under pressure and has no intention of returning it.

On Tuesday, January 27, my blog received multiple hits from the Journal Broadcast Group, with repeated hits on the "Dirty Dining" posts, throughout the day, from early morning to midnight.

This is speculation, but I am convinced that the TMJ4 site was scrubbed. The removal of the Perkins story was intentional. This wasn't an error.

I no longer think that inexcusable incompetence on the part of the TMJ4 news assignment desk and those in positions of responsibility can be considered a reasonable explanation for the removal of the Perkins story from the "Dirty Dining" page and the failure to replace it.

I think it could be that the station removed the story because of pressure from the Perkins chain.

It could be that Brookfield officials used their influence to have the negative Perkins story removed.

It could be that someone connected to TMJ4, the Journal Broadcast Group, or Journal Communications has a financial interest in Perkins.

It could be that TMJ4 was paid off.

How dirty is "Dirty Dining"?

Who knows? Care to speculate?


What's certain is there's no question that someone doesn't want the Perkins story on the site and TMJ4 is cooperating.

It's also clearly wrong for TMJ4 and Journal Broadcast Group personnel to lie and simply ignore legitimate and respectful inquiries.

At this point, I believe that the "Dirty Dining" feature lacks integrity.

While Perkins was let off the hook, I feel sorry for all the other establishments that have been targeted by TMJ4 and Gerrish. Those restaurants apparently are not powerful enough to get TMJ4 to back off and make the damaging inspection reports vanish from the website, and be eliminated from Internet search engines.

TMJ4 is clearly covering up for Perkins. It's not fair. It's dishonest.

That's why I've stuck with this for so many weeks now, because it is so terribly unfair.

It's not fair to El Rey Food Mart and establishments like small Vietnamese or other ethnic restaurants. Why aren't these TJM4 targets spared the same bad publicity the station only briefly gave to Perkins?

It's wrong for a news outlet to be granting such favors or bowing to pressure.


Again, these are my opinions. I could be totally off base, but I doubt it.

If I'm wrong, I will gladly retract these statements. I'll apologize. I'll scrub my site of all references to the Brookfield Perkins and the "Dirty Dining" story.

TMJ4 can easily prove me wrong by simply putting the December 11, 2008, Perkins "Dirty Dining" segment back on its website, as promised by Brenda Serio way, way back on January 5, 2009.

In that case, I promise I'll start scrubbing -- promptly. My word is good.

Google this: dirty dining brookfield perkins

Google this: dirty dining tmj4

The December 11, 2008, TMJ4 Brookfield Perkins "Dirty Dining" story lives.
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This is Google's cache of http://www.todaystmj4.com/features/dirtydinning/36018029.html. It is a snapshot of the page as it appeared on Dec 12, 2008 05:55:49 GMT.

BROOKFIELD - A family restaurant not keeping food cold enough. Perkins on Barker Road and Bluemound.

An employee was cracking eggs and then touching customer's food, all without changing gloves. A cross contamination risk. When we stopped by the manager wasn't talking. "You don't want to comment?" "Not really."

Inspectors had issues with food temperature. Meatloaf and sausage were at 45 degrees. Rice was kept at 47 degrees. The safe cold temperature is 41. Also, inspectors found a cooler as warm as 47 degrees, and Hash browns were sitting out at room temperature.

Children's drink cups used as scoops, sitting in food. Perkins was ordered to use a scoop with a handle, so employees don't put their hands in the food. Also, there were open bags of flour stored on the floor. Dry goods must be sealed in a container and kept off the floor.

The manager did tell us Perkins was cleaning things up.

The Brookfield Perkins may have cleaned up its act by now. I hope so.

The question is: When will TMJ4 clean up its act?