The former executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, who’s now a fulltime media personality covering travel and outdoors issues in the state, got a lesson in disclosure last week after failing to mention a conflict of interest in a post touting windmill tourism on his blog at the Bangor Daily News.
The question is, will the lesson stick?
In addition to running the Sportsman’s Alliance, from which he retired in 2010, George Smith has been a weekly columnist for two other Maine newspapers, the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel, for 20 years, and it’s not the first time he’s been called out for a lack of transparency. This time, at least, he responded to criticism with a follow-up post apologizing for his oversight.
The latest episode began on February 28, when Smith added a post to George’s Outdoors News—the Bangor Daily News blog he launched in July—under the headline, “Wind Towers Maine’s New Tourist Attraction.”
He reported that:
First Wind, working with local snowmobile clubs and the Maine Snowmobile Association, has linked its wind towers in a 590-mile circuit through some beautiful Maine country.
First Wind, a renewable energy company based in Boston, also hosted an annual event called the Stetson Wind Snowmobile Ride-In on February 16 in which 200 people participated, Smith noted, including a quote from First Wind’s local director of development that was taken from a press release about the event:
We routinely hear from snowmobilers and ATV users that the first three questions heard from visitors to towns located near wind projects are Where is the Gas? Where is the Food? And How do I get to the wind farm?
The catch, as a local group concerned about the impact of wind-power development on Maine’s outdoor-recreation areas quickly pointed out, is that First Wind is listed as a “Premium Level Supporter” on the home page of Smith’s website, GeorgeSmithMaine.com.
The “Advertising & Sponsorship Opportunities” page on the website explains that “Premium Level” supporters contribute at least $5,000 per year, and are entitled to various forms of promotion on Smith’s website, on Wildfire (his TV talk show), and on his blogs. It’s unclear which blogs this refers to (he has a few), but Bangor Daily is included on his website’s menu bar.
I called Michael Dowd, Bangor Daily News’s Metro/Standards Editor*, to ask about the apparent conflict of interest, and he asked for some time to review the evidence. The next day, I got a call from Anthony Ronzio, the paper’s director of news and new media, who said that at the editors’ urging, Smith had addressed the issue in a follow-up post that morning.
“I made a mistake…” Smith wrote at his blog. “So let’s head this off by letting you know that I agree with the anti-wind folks and my editors at the BDN, that I should have disclosed that First Wind is a sponsor of my website, georgesmithmaine.com. I do not hide that fact. Their sponsorship is highlighted right on the home page of the website and repeated in my Outdoor News Blog there.”
In the post, and in a follow-up phone call that I made, Smith said he’d originally intended to publish the offending post on his personal website, where his connection to First Wind is clear. When he made a last-minute decision to put it on the Bangor Daily News blog, he forgot to add the disclosure.
The paper now hosts almost 100 unpaid bloggers on its site, and leaves it to them to remember such details, according to Ronzio. Bangor Daily News has been building up the community in earnest for two years, and continues to solicit new additions on a variety of topics. It vets bloggers before they join, but once onboard, the paper doesn’t edit or review their posts before they go live.
I spoke with 4 snowsledders who attended to Stetson run and none cared for the turbines. All wanted to ride the trail and get free food. The wind company leases the land from private landowners, so they are the ones allowing the trails to connect. The trails would still be used, probably more so if the turbines had not been built. George also claimed support from locals, but he was selective whom he interviewed. The Hot Spring Lakes campowners and paddlers would have given thumbs down but of course they were not interviewed. Georges' report was a thinly veiled PR piece as he tried vainly to put lipstick on the pig which is the wind industry
#1 Posted by Mike DiCenso, CJR on Wed 13 Mar 2013 at 11:04 PM
You did a good job of covering George Smith covering his a--, but he is not innocent of simple forgetfulness. He is too wily for that. Its too bad this article didn't include a few excerpts from the comments posted on his blog. The comment reveal a lot of background.
The sad truth is that all media in Maine have been totally biased in favor of pushing the wind industry's propaganda and stifle the growing citizen criticism of the destruction of Maine's magnificent natural resources and unique "Quality of Place". The wind industry targeted the editorial staffs of all the Maine media as well as the Baldacci administration. There has been no investigative piece on this contoversial, multi-faceted issue of proliferation of industrial wind turbines that are totally unreliable, produce less than 25% of capacity and are driving electricity prices up in a region that does not need the fickle trickle of power from them.
#2 Posted by Brad Blake, CJR on Wed 13 Mar 2013 at 11:23 PM
Previously "Enquiring Minds" had access to this level of fabrication only at supermarket check-out lines. These days it's available anywhere. Sadly, many folks accept this tripe as truth. Instead it is often the work of shills with agendas to fill, especially when money in the form of "sponsorship" is involved. This practice is similar to lobbyists gaining the support of politicians through campaign contributions. This variation, however, represents paid-for propaganda designed to sway the opinion of citizens.
The grid-scale wind industry is parasitic, relying on cronyism, favorable regulatory treatment, massive federal subsidies, and out-sized power rates. No wonder they resort to using this brand of deceit to get their way. They're in a hurry, too, because the truth is getting out. Ride-ins, free food, and bluster about job creation and free/clean power won't cut it much longer. The window of opportunity is starting to close on them, and folks like Mr. Smith might as well go to Washington where this sort of aroma is always blowing in the wind.
#3 Posted by Brian Ruth, CJR on Thu 14 Mar 2013 at 07:05 AM
George also failed to mention in his "piece" that he has agreed to testify on behalf of his benefactor, First Wind, at an upcoming hearing before the Maine DEP. At issue is whether First Wind should be given a permit to build the Bowers Wind project which would place 459' tall wind turbines on mountaintops and ridges overlooking the Downeast Lakes. This is a vast network of 24+ wilderness lakes, anchored by world renowned Grand Lake Stream. These are not your ordinary lakes. Incredibly, there are 14 lakes within 8 miles of the project that are officially recognized as "Scenic Resources of Statewide Significance".
I don't know George Smith personally. I wish he would familiarize himself with the damage this project will do to Maine before selling his name to support it.
disclosure: I am president of the Partnership for the Preservation of the Downeast Lakes Watershed, the volunteer group opposing this project. No one is paying me or our 200 members for what we do, say or write. Visit www.ppdlw.org for the facts on the Bowers Wind project.
#4 Posted by Gary Campbell, CJR on Thu 14 Mar 2013 at 09:18 AM
I find it very telling that even in his meaculpa follow-up story that was strongly suggested by the BDN editorial staff, he still can't come completely clean. He says:
"I do have a long record of supporting wind power, as does the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine for which I worked" He conveniently fails to mention that he not only worked for the SAM, he was the Exec. Director and called the shots. He was at the helm when First Wind and NextERA became large sponsors of SAM. When he retired from that job and started his own website and blogs, First Wind was the very first sponsor that I remember seeing on his website.
He's a shill for the wind industry plain and simple. His thoughts on wind power also run contrary to those of most serious sportsmen in Maine. Industrial wind turbine projects which run along ridge lines for miles, creates serious wildlife habitat fragmentation and these turbines are very efficient killers of raptors, birds, and bats. Other sportsmen's organization such as the Maine Sporting Camp Association, the Grand Lake Guides Association, the Forrest City Guides Association, and the Maine Professional Guides Association have issued position statements and testified at hearings against various industrial wind projects.
Mr. Smith claims to be the voice of Maine Sportsmen, but when push comes to shove he choses to line his pockets with "Big Wind' cash every time.
#5 Posted by Kevin Gurall, CJR on Thu 14 Mar 2013 at 11:22 AM
I personally know prominent property / business owners on Hot Brook Lake in Danforth that have lost $20,000 to $30,000 in profit EVERY year since the wind project has been in place! Their clients have stated clearly that they WILL FIND ANOTHER place to vacation where they don't have to look at or hear the wind turbines. They can no longer enjoy a peaceful respite, lakeside by a campfire, staring at the night stars..instead they hear the drumming of the turbines and see the flash of their red lights. The wind industry "polls" the few who they want and try to make people believe that is the consensus of everyone when they are clearly mistaken. Maine needs to preserve it's largest industry "tourism" and to lower electric rates to solicit new business in our state. The only way that will happen is to stop this industrial sprawl of wind projects on our mountains and create an equal field of play for ALL renewable sources of energy not give discriminatory treatment to wind companies.
#6 Posted by Hart Daley, CJR on Thu 14 Mar 2013 at 01:06 PM
George Smith's confirmation bias was surely showing, both in his failure to disclose his financial relationship with wind and his lame mea culpa. But what is really disturbing is his lack of journalistic integrity. His "support" for wind technology strongly suggests he has done no research into whether the technology does what people like him claim it can do. Pretending to know what he does not while touting that pretension to the world tells quite a tale.
The physicist Leon Brunschvicg once said, "The less one knows about the universe, the easier it is to explain." He could have been discussing George Smith....
#7 Posted by Jon Boone, CJR on Thu 14 Mar 2013 at 01:33 PM
It seems that George decision about the wind mill was Biased, I thing Executive director must express everything clearly to the team. I thing that there is so much communication gap between Government and local bodies. I run my Buffalo airport limo taxi services for Toronto I openly told everything to my clients and my staff. To get more informed visit http://www.buffaloairportlimotaxi.com
#8 Posted by AlexHanks, CJR on Wed 20 Mar 2013 at 02:43 AM