September 1, 2005
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An
apology
by JUDY HODGSON
This is a long overdue apology
to our readers.
As you will learn in this week's
cover story, this newspaper and
every other newspaper in the county we have researched so far
have been victims of a letter-writing hoax. We printed a letter
in June from a reader who had written before, whose letters had
appeared in other newspapers, without calling to verify the letter's
authenticity.
It was a fake name, one he used
to influence public opinion in the best-read section of any paper
-- the letters to the editor. This deception, we learned this
past week, has been ongoing for months, much to our embarrassment,
and we sincerely apologize.
The letter writer isn't just
an ordinary reader. He is a political activist, and a volunteer
and sometimes paid consultant for many liberal causes. He worked
on the campaign to elect Jill Geist as county supervisor, Paul
Gallegos' initial run for district attorney and Chris Kerrigan's
bid for re-election to the Eureka City Council. He was a key
player in the successful fight against Gallegos' recall attempt.
And he has been an outspoken critic of Pacific Lumber Co. and
Debi August, a Fortuna City Council member indicted by the grand
jury for conflict of interest. (August's case was later dismissed.)
During our investigation, we
learned he wrote frequently under several names, including, occasionally,
his own -- Richard Salzman.
By perpetrating this hoax, Salzman
betrayed the public, especially the people who have supported
his causes. Citizens on the other side of these important issues
will long remember his deception. There were many thoughtful,
passionate, sincere letter writers during the same period of
time who will now have their very existence called into question
because of Salzman's deception.
Some readers may ask if our
headline, "Web of lies," is too harsh. I don't think
so. To write letters under an assumed name is a lie in itself.
Then, when we confronted him with the evidence of his deceit
last Friday, he initially denied it. It was only after a face-to-face
confrontation Monday in our office, and a few more hours of private
reflection, that he admitted his deception.
Salzman now claims he has some
right to use a "pen name." Maybe in writing fiction,
but not in the news business. Political careers and important
causes are advanced or maimed based on how the news unfolds,
and cynical attempts to twist the contents of newspapers to one's
own end should be roundly condemned, whether the twister is Salzman
or Karl Rove. Geist has long distanced herself from Salzman;
Gallegos and Kerrigan should do the same.
We spent staff time this past
week reviewing all letters published in the Journal in the last
two and a half years. In addition to those originated by Salzman,
we have published a few others whose authenticity we cannot yet
verify, meaning we cannot find the authors in any of our databases
nor can we contact them by phone or e-mail. Our promise to readers
is to do our best to screen letters in the future, and to investigate
any and all attempts to falsely and covertly manipulate public
opinion.
-- -- --
We also learned this past week
of what we hope will be the penultimate chapter in the pepper
spray saga. The judge in the case, which found that Humboldt
County and the city of Eureka police officers used excessive
force in dealing with anti-logging demonstrators in 1997, ruled
that the plaintiffs are entitled to recover legal fees. (The
ultimate chapter will be when the attorneys actually get paid.)
As we have editorialized many
times these past eight years, the county supervisors and the
Eureka City Council should have condemned the actions of their
officers -- under orders of then-Sheriff Dennis Lewis, who bears
ultimate responsibility -- and they should have offered to settle
with the victims. Fighting this case every step of the way has
been a failure to accept responsibility all along the chain of
command and has been extremely costly to taxpayers. The tab so
far is in the millions.
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