In his Oct. 15 column, Bill Nemitz writes that he and I are “now communicating publicly,” regarding my complaint against him to the state Ethics Commission (“It’s silly season for complaints to the Maine Ethics Commission”).
Really? You have me at a disadvantage, Mr. Nemitz. Your thoughtful article was breaking news to me since I first learned about the Ethics Commission’s response to my letter through you, the same reporter who casually dismisses citizen complaints about express advocacy as “silly.” But the letter got your attention and the jury is still out.
The gist of Nemitz’s outing of the Ethics Commission’s response to my letter is summed up in “Maine revised statutes, title 21A, subsection 1012,” which Nemitz lawyerly cites.
This law effectively legitimates the possibility that a biased and hostile reporter can destroy the character and reputation of a candidate for public office behind the shield of freedom of the press.
This should serve as a warning to potential candidates for elective office and a teachable moment for those contemplating contacting the Ethics Commission concerning Express Advocacy – defined in the law as “working for the defeat or election of a candidate for public office.”
A former governor and recent presidential candidate has observed that when a reporter becomes part of a story, it is no longer news, it’s gossip.
Nemitz’s “columns” about LePage are replete with references to himself – turgid prose sonatas in the key of “me.”
The former governor added that when he reads a story about himself and he can’t tell whether the reporter likes him or not, that’s responsible journalism. Nemitz’s dislike for LePage is palpable.
The people of Maine deserve better than tabloid journalism from its standard-bearer newspaper.
Taking a page (no pun intended) from President Obama’s book when he met with that “stupid” Cambridge police officer and the Harvard professor, I’ll be pleased to accept Mr. Nemitz’s offer to meet him and have a beer – after he apologizes to Paul LePage.
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