Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Al Diamon
Hidden Plum
The Portland Press Herald, Maine Sunday Telegram, Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel – publications owned by the Blethen Maine Newspapers – have finally begun including information on their apparent conflict of interest in all stories on the proposed Plum Creek Timber Co. development on Moosehead Lake (see ”A Little Late”). But they have yet to explain why this ethical dilemma wasn’t revealed to readers until Dec. 16, even though Blethen officials were apparently aware of it many months before.
To sum up the problem, Rick Holley, the president of Plum Creek is a member of the board of directors of Blethen’s parent company. While Holley has no direct influence over editorial content in the Maine papers, his presence on the board creates the appearance of a conflict. But for nearly two years, this situation went unmentioned in Blethen’s papers.
That wasn’t because the newspapers were unaware of the issue. The conflict was discussed internally, according to an e-mail from former Press Herald editorial writer Theo Stein to the Web site Pressing The Herald (www.pressingtheherald.blogspot.com). Stein said Chuck Cochrane, publisher of the Press Herald and Telegram and a member of the editorial board, “recused himself from all Plum Creek discussions” shortly after the controversial development plan was announced. Stein said that even though he criticized the plan in several editorials, he never received any pressure from Blethen executives. He called Cochrane’s action “ a textbook application of the principle of recusal to avoid a conflict of interest.”
Not quite.
In the textbook version, readers would have been told about Holley’s involvement in the company as soon as the Plum Creek project was announced. They’d have been informed of Cochrane’s action the day he took it. Then, the papers’ customers would have been able to judge for themselves whether stories and editorials were being slanted due to internal pressure.
By keeping this information secret, Blethen left itself vulnerable to charges of hidden bias. By continuing to avoid discussing why it delayed publicizing Holley’s involvement in the company, it only lends credibility to its critics.
It’s time somebody bought the Blethens an updated textbook. And while you’re at it, send a copy to Stein.
Al Diamon can be e-mailed at aldiamon@herniahill.net.
Posted on Wednesday, December 26, 2007 in Permalink
Views expressed in this blog belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect either Down East's editorial stance or the views of Down East Enterprise. We ask that comments be civil; anyone who refuses to self edit runs the risk of being banned from commenting on Down East.com content. Further, please limit material cited from other publications to fewer than 75 words and a link; anything more riles copyright attorneys.