By Joel Thurtell
I appreciate the article by Andrew Donohue in the Voice of San Diego acknowledging my work in uncovering and reporting about the Capital Appreciation Bond scandal in California.
Donohue responded to my complaint that reporter Will Carless of the Voice was claiming to have broken the story about Poway Unified schools’ sale of $105 million in CABs with a principal and interest cost of nearly $1 billion.
Carless’s story ran on August 6. My first article about Poway’s awful deal ran on May 1. I wrote again about Poway on May 10 and May 12.
In a phone message to me, Carless denied claiming that he broke the story.
When I first read his story, I thought he had done an excellent job of explaining a complex topic. One thing bothered me: He didn’t mention my work, or my contribution to his work. But nonetheless, he wrote a fine story, and I said so.
I heard of Will Carless last month when he commented on my blog after reading my posts about CABs and Poway. We discussed CABs on the telephone and by e-mail.
Did Will Carless owe me a mention in his story? I went to work for the Detroit Free Press in 1984, during the “newspaper war” between the Free Press and Detroit News. Neither paper liked to admit its rival had beaten it on a story. That has changed, I think. Most newspapers now give credit even to rivals who beat them. But it’s a gray area.
I decided to complain after watching Will Carless’s performance on CNBC. He corrected CNBC when they mispronounced his name, but stayed silent when they gave him credit for breaking the Poway story.
I received this e-mail comment on my complaint from Andrew Donohue:
“After reading this again, I also don’t think it’s fair to say that Will has been claiming that he broke the story. I don’t think he’s proactively going around telling people that. Fair enough on the CNBC point but I hope you don’t construe that has any pattern of taking credit.”
Well, actually, I do. He didn’t credit me in his story. I let it go, even praised his story. But when I saw him accepting credit from CNBC for breaking my story, it was too much. At one point, he omits mention of my role in the CAB story, and then later he accepts credit for something he didn’t do.
Why do reporters get so bent out of shape over this credit thing?
A wise man once told me, “Joel, there are only two reasons to write: money and credit.”
Well, money is not a motive here at joelontheroad. This blog is a financial drain.
That leaves ego, plus an element the sage forgot: service.
Reporters like to think their work has impact. They want to make a difference. Generally, reporters are not paid well. Part of the compensation comes from knowing your work has helped. We want to make the world better.
The service reporters provide is information. By omitting my name and omitting a link to my blog, the Voice shut me out of the growing discussion about CABs in California.
I happen to believe that my blogging this year and the work that was published 19 years ago in the Detroit Free Press contains information and insights readers won’t get anywhere else. My Free Press stories prompted the Michigan Legislature to ban CABs. That could happen and should happen in California. My blog as it stands now could help legislators understand how CABs work not only financially, but politically.
At this point, I appreciate that the Voice editor has set the record straight.
Thank you very much, Andrew Donohue.
But there was one significant omission.
I’m in Michigan. The first California reporter to write about California’s Cab scam was Kevin Dayton, on May 11 and May 14.
Joel, the Financial Times has credited you in their coverage of the Poway CAB deal. Nice to know journalism in the UK is willing to credit its sources.
If you don’t follow Roddy Boyd, formerly a journalist for the NY Post, you may want to consider it. He has written great pieces on municipal finance scandals.
Link to FT on Poway CAB: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/cfa60704-e236-11e1-8e9d-00144feab49a.html#axzz237HEtZvx