Hidden video by conservative activist James O'Keefe renews NJEA, Gov. Christie dispute
Published: Tuesday, October 26, 2010, 10:01 PM Updated: Tuesday, October 26, 2010, 10:01 PM
TRENTON — Some see it as a videotaped intrusion, a trumped-up attack produced by a self-styled muckraker who manipulates interviewees and takes comments out of context to prove a biased point.
Others see it as hard proof that the New Jersey Education Association, the state’s largest teacher’s union, could care less about putting students first and see their jobs as lifetime sinecures, as its critics claim.
Either way, a series of undercover videos produced by "Gonzo journalist" and conservative James O’Keefe have reignited a statewide debate that again throws the embattled union into an unflattering spotlight.
The tapes, which purport to show union members cursing, discussing voter fraud and laughing about how hard it is to fire tenured teachers, were dismissed by the NJEA as a "complete fabrication." Much of the footage for "Teachers Unions Gone Wild" was shot at a bar at the East