Another biasbust of Ray Clark

April 14 issue of The Gray News, headline, FinCom meeting illegal? Maybe not... then again...Ray Clark wrote:

Example #1: Questions have been raised about the legality of a meeting of the Gray Finance Committee held on April 6. [excerpted...] It was hastily rescheduled for April 6. According to Council Chair Gary Foster, the Portland Press Herald was notified, thus fulfilling the letter of the Open Meeting laws of Maine.

Biasbust #1a: In the headline and in the first paragraph Mr. Clark alludes to a potential illegality. But then he dispels it by stating the meeting met the letter of the law. Do not allege illegality if there is no basis behind the allegation.

Biasbust #1b: "Hastily" does not belong in a news article. Unless Mr. Clark was in Town Office and saw the clerks rushing around to reschedule it, using hastily is conjecture. Conjecture does not belong in a news article.

Example #2: But further questions were raised when it was learned that the Finance Committee now consists of three members of the Gray Town Council: Foster, Andrew Upham and Skip Crane.

Biasbust #2: “questions were raised” is bad writing. It’s passive tense, so it is really bad news writing. Second, who raised those questions? What questions were asked? Without attributing the ‘questions’ that were supposedly raised to an actual person, and stating what the questions were, it's using anonymous sources. Or it could be an outright fabrication. Ditto for 'it was learned.'

Example #3: Last Fall, the Council introduced a Charter amendment that would change the makeup of the Finance Committee to one Council member and an unspecified number of citizens at large. The amendment was passed. Recruiting has apparently failed to attract citizen members

Biasbust #3: The use of the word ‘apparently’ is inappropriate. Either the council attracted new members, or it didn’t.

Biasbust #3b: Mr. Clark’s supposition that no citizens attend is false. Janet Neal and Lynn Olson, are both citizen-at-large ad hoc attendees who regularly participate.

Biasbust #3c: Mr. Clark’s new interest in the Right To Know law is too little too late.
--Mr. Clark participated in an illegal meeting last June. He organized the meeting with three days’ notice and did not notify the public, and there were more than three elected officials present.
--Mr. Clark participated in an illegal executive session, for which then-Chair Pam Wilkinson later publicly apologized for the illegality.
--Mr. Clark participated in an illegal meeting of the Trustees recently which was dispersed by Councilor Duda due to lack of notification.
The first can be confirmed by Chair Gary Foster. The second two are on the record and can be proven.