REGISTER FILE PHOTO
We’ve documented the Voice of OC’s story this morning about how the Orange County District Attorney’s office is asking the Santa Ana City Council to hold off on issuing a report on Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido’s property swap. But what’s even more extraordinary is the press release issued by the DA’s office last night regarding the Voice of OC. We’ve attached it, on letterhead, for your review here.
But here’s the text of the release sent after business hours last night:
WARNING: UNETHICAL AND INACCURATE REPORTING BY THE ‘VOICE OF OC’
“The Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) has endured years of unethical and inaccurate web “reporting” by various staff members of the Voice of OC.
The latest occurred this afternoon during my conversation with Adam Elmahrek, who is on staff with the Voice of OC.
Any reporter might make a mistake, but it’s unethical to not correct their mistake when it is obvious they made one and it creates mistaken fact.
Any publication that quotes any future stories from the Voice of OC should proceed with extreme caution and verify its accuracy. If anyone would like the details of the Voice of OC’s pattern of misconduct and unethical behavior, they should contact me directly. Meanwhile, the OCDA is contemplating all remedies available on future contacts with the Voice of OC.
Until this issue is resolved, all calls from the Voice of OC to OCDA staff should be directed to me.”
Susan Kang Schroeder
Chief of Staff
It’s a classic “attack the messenger” brief that executive management demands a retraction of something likely misspoken when the reality is they were probably quoted accurately and realized it. It’s bad form and a mistake to get into a pissing match with people who buy newsprint by the truckload and ink by the barrel (or in the case of VOC, lots of bits and bytes and bandwidth).
At the heart of the matter, this quote from OCDA chief of staff Susan Kang Schroeder: “We will be filing charges when the investigation is done, and I can’t say when that will be,” Schroeder said during an initial interview. “The investigation will be done when it is done.” What she probably meant to say was “We’ll consider filing charges if the investigation warrants it and when the investigation is done.” Reporter Adam Elmarek is an experienced and award-winning reporter with a body of work that’s won awards. Lots of them. And he doesn’t carry pre-conceived biases into his work like other OC “investigative reporters” and he (Adam) gives his sources time to get back to him before publishing. I personally love it when Adam reports he reached Mayor Pulido for a question on a story and Pulido hangs up on the reporter. Bottom line; Adam is an ethical reporter.
Now I’m delighted to hear the OCDA’s office, which I’ve had several positive interactions with in seeking information, is taking steps to remedy future contacts with VOC. I’d like to offer some suggestions.
1. Treat the Voice of OC like every other publication; being consistent with interactions with the press is something taxpayers and voters expect.
2. If you have a concern about Adam’s reporting, ask for a meeting with his editor. But don’t expect the editor to do anything but defend his reporter and press you harder.
3. When taking calls from Voice of OC, ask them to record the call and you record it too. You’d legally need each other’s permission to do so, but it makes it so much easier to “hear” the mis-quotes or reveal a reporter’s error. But remember, the recording cuts both ways.
4. There’s always the time honored, “we declined to comment on this case.” But that only works if every media outlet gets the same treatment.
5. Recognize when the mistake made is yours and not the reporter’s; own up to it.
The cynical part of me believes the investigation of Miguel Pulido’s property swap wouldn’t be completed until well-after election day. The DA’s release is another brick in the wall of conservative doctrine that the media have a liberal bias. While this is factually incorrect, it’s why so many right wingers actually believe Fox News is “Fair and Balanced” or the Orange County Register’s opinion pages are “diverse” when either Fox or the OCR’s Opinion Pages are anything but.
This will be fun to watch.
Susan has never shied away from combat with the media, as any number of reporters can attest. In that sense, she is treating Voice of OC “like every other publication.”