The Review knows who took out the anonymous attack ad in its October 20 edition, and managing editor Clay Lambert has said when his investigation is complete he will publish a story not only revealing that person’s identity, but “all the players”.
I talked to Clay this morning after reading his apology for the ad in today’s Review to find out if he knew the mystery shopper’s identity and why it wasn’t revealed before the election. He says that there was no time before the election to get the complete story and apparently that story is still under investigation.
“We have been duped,” began Clay’s editorial in today’s Review, which ends with “And I’m sorry for that [the anti-democratic impact of the ad]”. The apology is thorough and sincere, and Lambert goes on to mention some things the Review is doing to alleviate the problem, including following up with the Fair Political Practices Commission to see if the law was broken, rethinking the Review’s policy of allowing campaigns to reserve prime advertising space, and reconsidering accepting ads from committees without valid ID numbers.
My interpretation of all this is that the Review feels used. Regardless of their political alignment, nothing pisses off a newspaper publisher like being taken advantage of by a paying customer. It’s supposed to work the other way around.
Jonathan Lundell lost by fewer than 500 votes, so it’s entirely possible that this nasty, anonymous ad affected the outcome of the election. That can’t be undone, but the Review is taking the right steps in the wake of this mess.
While I accept as sincere the apology and sentiments of Review Managing Editor Clay Lambert, I do not expect improvement without strong and continuous public pressure.
The Publisher of the Review, Debra Godshall, has befriended people with very aggressive agendas for growth - far in excess of the current City and County Plans, and in violation of various rules and agreements in all too many cases - and has personally commited the Review in editorial after editorial to throwing out most of the current HMB City Council in 2005 to diminish the enforcement of current laws and policy.
I hope that Mr. Lambert's education is not too painful, and that he is able to openly and honestly reveal the lack of neutrality that exists in the office of his boss, and demand that editorial integrity be restored. His predecessors do not appear to have been able to accomplish this, and Ms. Godshall has made herself a force to be reckoned with in the process.
I fully expect Ms. Godshall to do everything she can with the resources of the Review which she commands to continue to denigrate HMB Mayor Mike Ferreira and his fellow Council members, and to assist folks like Chris Mickelson and Pat Fitzgerald in furthering their business interests at the expense of the public.
The Review has been taking sides against the public interest for many years now, both by editorializing, and by selective reporting. I am glad that the Coastsider is covering this issue, and hope to see frequent reporting on this topic.
Thanks, Barry!
-hal bogner