Did Houston Chronicle Write a Hit Piece for Not Buying Ads?

Yes, the Houston Chronicle is Fake News.

Whatever your political affiliation, a reader shouldn't be concerned with a media organization lying to them. Unfortunately, it only has one major newspaper. Although admittedly, the Houston Chronicle has some great writers, this article provides overwhelming evidence that the political writers for Houston Chronicle serve as a fake news propaganda organization and don't follow their own ethics policy.

What is "Fake News"

Previously, I explained:

"Fake news" has come to mean different things to different people. At its heart, we describe "fake news" as false news stories: the story itself is fabricated without verifiable evidence, sources, or quotes. Sometimes these articles may be propaganda intended to confuse the reader or crafted as "clickbait" written for economic rewards (the writer benefits from the number of people who click on the story). In recent years, fake news stories have proliferated via social media, partly because online sharing is quick and straightforward.

The "true news" world is far broader than fake news reports. Some stories may have a truth nugget but lack contextualizing information. They can not include verifiable evidence or sources. Some words can contain simple, verifiable data, but written using intentionally provocative language, leaves out important details, or offers only one perspective. "Fake news" resides within a broader misinformation network.

Misinformation is false or inaccurate information produced or spread erroneously or inadvertently; the purpose is not to deceive. Disinformation is incorrect information intentionally created and disseminated to manipulate public opinion or hidden reality. How misinformation and disinformation are generated is directly related to who the author(s) is and why it is made.

When reading an article, please consider who the authors are? Maybe they're:

• Trying to make money, regardless of the article's content
• Satirists who want to make or amuse you, or both
• Inadequate or untrained journalists-the demands of the 24-hour news cycle and the proliferation of news pages may lead to shoddy writing that does not meet professional journalistic standards or ethics
• Partisans shaping political views and politicians

Copying, pasting, clicking, and posting content online has helped these types of articles proliferate. In some instances, articles are intended to elicit an emotional reaction and are posted on some pages ("seeded") to entice readers to share widely. In other instances, "bots" can create and disseminate "fake news" stories-computer algorithms programmed to behave as people exchanging information, but can do so quickly and automatically.

Journalistic Ethics

Many journalistic community members claim that enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the cornerstone of democracy. Ethical journalism aims to ensure reliable, equitable, and comprehensive knowledge exchange. An honest journalist works with integrity. As discussed below, there are four principles based on ethical journalism that all people should use in all media. Ethical journalism should be accurate. Journalists should collect, write, and interpret knowledge accurately and courageously.

These are four pillars of ethical journalism:

1. Seek Truth and Report It
2. Minimize Harm
3. Act Independently
4. Be Accountable and Transparent

Indeed, journalism should be accurate. Journalists should collect, write, and interpret knowledge accurately and courageously. They should consider sources, topics, colleagues, and public members as worthy people because their most tremendous and primary responsibility is to represent the public.

Journalists must:

• Be liable for their work's accuracy.
• Verify details before publication.
• Whenever practicable, use sources, and avoid inaccuracies.
• Find sources whose voices we seldom hear.
• Explore how their beliefs and perspectives can influence reporting and avoid stereotypes.
• Never purposely misrepresent details or meaning, including visual elements.
• Balance public knowledge needs against possible damage or discomfort.
• Show concern for those affected by news coverage.
• Deny preferred sponsors, contributors, or other special interests and defied internal and external pressure to influence content.
• Prevent interest conflicts, actual or perceived.
• Expose immoral behavior in journalism.

Houston Chronicle Ethics Policy

The Houston Chronicle has developed policies for employees of the Editorial Department to provide direction to its staff. The system also explains that no set of guidelines could cover any potential problem. They hope that situations not expressly covered by the rules will be resolved in the spirit of fostering public trust in the Chronicle's integrity. (More)

See: https://members.newsleaders.org/resources-ethics-houston

Jasper Scherer Creates Fake News

Although Jasper Scherer makes malicious allegations in the below Hit Piece, he did not even bother to contact:

• Eric Dick,
• Willie Davis, or
• Phillip Bryant.

Furthermore, although Scherer states, "Dick did not im­me­di­ately re­spond," that was because Scherer did not bother to contact Eric Dick. Moreover, Houston Chronicle's code of ethics explains that people who are going to be criticized or portrayed in a negative manner in an article must be given sufficient information, time, and space to respond." In giving Scherer all benefits of any doubt, it is clear that he doesn't follow the ethical policy because he didn't contact Dick, Davis, or Bryant. On the other hand, he reached many persons critical of Dick, Davis, and Bryant.

Jasper Scherer makes the following false allegations against Houston Black Democratic News:

1. It was required to have a political disclosure listed,
2. It was required to request permission to use pictures of public figures,

Jasper Scherer fails to acknowledge that:

1. Houston Chronicle does not list disclaimers on their newspaper when making endorsements;
2. Houston Chronicle commonly uses pictures of public figures without their consent;
3. Houston Chronicle has made at least 7.992 endorsements of politicians without once listing a political disclaimer (More);
4. Phillip Bryant is an African American Democratic precinct chair;
5. Harris County Black Democratic News is owned by other individuals besides Bryant which are both African American and Democratic precinct chairs.

History of Biased Behavior

Previously, I wrote about the Houston Chronicle pushing fake news.

There, a political and experienced media consultant said:

Republican and independent judicial candidates, I want to urge you, in no uncertain terms, to NOT participate in Houston Chronicle's candidate screenings. I just found out that the editorial board has chosen to enlist the help of a current public relations professional in their judicial screening process. To give you an idea of how unethical that is, it would be like me being part of Houston Chronicle's screening process for the Sheriff's race. Guess who I'm going to recommend for endorsement? My client. Having ANY current PR consultant take part in the screening process could lead to that person recommending their last client. Or the candidate that could potentially bring their company the most money. Or a candidate they want as a client. Or the candidate that can bring them more clients. The conflicts of interest being displayed by the Houston Chronicle editorial board are outrageous and an insult Houstonians. The Houston Chronicle is not a PAC, but it's editorial board conducts itself as if it is and it's destroying the brand. If you are a judicial candidate, Republican of influence, current judge, attorney or just someone who cares about taking a stand against the incredible bias demonstrated by the Houston Chronicle editorial board, please share with your Republican judicial candidate friends. I won't call this person out publicly. But I suggest you read thoroughly the email that Michael Lindenberger sent to you and Google the names he mentions. Once you enter public relations, your journalism career is over. No matter how wonderful it was. Believe me, leaving journalism after two decades was a hard decision, I'd worked for some of the most esteemed news sources in the world. But it is a conflict of interest for someone to have one foot in each discipline.

Retaliation for Not Buying Advertisement

(see emails here)

On November 7, 2019, at 11:16 AM Emma Thompson wrote to Eric Dick:

Hi Eric,

I see that the election is going to a runoff and you are down by 2%. We've helped candidates in the past win, I have some great ideas that can put you over the edge into the office.

When do you have some time today or tomorrow to discuss?

On November 11, 2019, at 4:42 PM Emma Thompson wrote to Eric Dick:

Hi Eric,

Please see the proposal attached on digital advertising. We will help you get in front of especially registered voters and put you aside of political content to get your message delivered amongst voters.

We'd love to visit you or even hop on our call to explain our digital capabilities and we can adjust based your campaign status.

Please feel free to let us know how your calendar looks like.

[Note Eric Dick did not respond or purchase an advertisement from Emma Thompson. The hit piece was written on December 2, 2019]

On December 5, 2019 at 2:24 PM Emma Thompson wrote to Eric Dick:

Hi Eric,

Just wanna check one more time if you need any help with your election.

Even a full page on Sunday newspaper would help greatly.

As always, looking forward to hearing from you.

Best,

On December 5, 2019 2:51 PM

Eric Dick wrote to Emma Thompson:

After what your reporters have put me through I can't financially support Houston Chronicle

On Thu, December 5, 2019 at 3:07 PM Thompson, Emma wrote to Eric Dick:

Hi Eric,

I'm sorry to hear you were unhappy with any coverage our editorial staff has released. Unfortunately, advertising and editorial work as completely separate entities. However, we do still provide businesses/ individuals access to our large audience by placing media buys that allow you to get your message out.

Let's not be enemies.

On December 5, 2019 3:40 PM

Eric Dick wrote to Emma Thompson:

Emma,

I don't care what you write but I'm not going to financially support any entity that lies about me.

It's not an issue of being enemies.

Life is too short.

The Hit Piece

Here is the text of the original article:

Dems out­raged by mailer say­ing they back GOP hopefuls

• December 2 2019
• By Jasper Scherer STAFF WRITER

A hand­ful of black Demo­cratic elected of­fi­cials are ex­press­ing ou­trage over a cam­paign mailer that ap­pears to have used photos of the politi­cians without con­sent to falsely sug­gest they en­dorsed a slate of City Coun­cil can­di­dates — in­clud­ing two backed by the Har­ris County Repub­li­can Party.

The mailer, cir­cu­lated by a group called the Har­ris County Black Demo­cratic News, fea­tures photos of former Pres­i­dent Barack Obama, U.S. Reps. Sheila Jack­son Lee and Al Green, and sev­eral state leg­is­la­tors and county of­fi­cials, along with Mayor Sylvester Turner.

On the other side of the mailer are photos of nine City Coun­cil can­di­dates, in­clud­ing Wil­lie Davis and Eric Dick — who are en­dorsed by the Har­ris County Repub­li­can Party — un­der the ban­ner text "En­dorse­ment An­nounce­ment." It also pur­ports to en­dorse Turner and two Har­ris County Depart­ment of Ed­u­ca­tion board can­di­dates.

"I have never been con­tacted by the Har­ris County Black Demo­cratic News, nor am I sure that they are a le­git­i­mate news or com­mu­nity or­ga­ni­za­tion," said state Rep. Sen­fro­nia Thomp­son, who is pic­tured on the mailer. "I did not con­sent to be­ing in­cluded in the Har­ris County Black Demo­cratic News and am ap­palled that a group would go to this ex­tent to mis­lead vot­ers."

The mailer does not dis­close which per­son or po­lit­i­cal com­mit­tee funded it, an ap­par­ent vi­o­la­tion of state law.

Dick, a Har­ris County Depart­ment of Ed­u­ca­tion trus­tee who is in a runoff for the At-Large, Po­si­tion 5 seat against former City Coun­cil staffer Sal­lie Al­corn, con­trib­uted $8,500 to the Har­ris County Demo­cratic News in Septem­ber and Oc­to­ber, ac­cord­ing to his cam­paign fi­nance records.

A re­turn ad­dress on the mailer did not yield any own­er­ship records on the Har­ris County Ap­praisal District's web­site. How­ever, it is listed as the mail­ing ad­dress for "Hous­ton's Church News," ac­cord­ing to the state comp­trol­ler's data­base of tax­able en­ti­ties.

The reg­is­tered agent for the ad­dress is Phillip Paul Bryant, an ac­tivist who un­suc­cess­fully sued the city of Hous­ton over its or­di­nance reg­u­lat­ing the char­i­ta­ble feed­ing of the city's home­less. Dick served as Bryant's at­tor­ney in the law­suit.

Bryant also wrote on Face­book Satur­day that he sup­ports Dick in the runoff. The post in­cluded a link to Bryant's re­cent ap­pear­ance on Dick's ra­dio show.

Bryant also wrote on Face­book Satur­day that he sup­ports Dick in the runoff. The post in­cluded a link to Bryant's re­cent ap­pear­ance on Dick's radio show.

Dick did not im­me­di­ately re­spond to an in­quiry about whether he played a role in craft­ing the mailer.

Soon af­ter the mailer sur­faced, Al­corn posted a list of en­dorse­ments from of­fi­cials, in­clud­ing Thomp­son, whose photos ap­peared on the mailer.

"I'm just dis­ap­pointed, be­cause it's mis­lead­ing vot­ers about en­dorse­ments," Al­corn said Sun­day. "Many fea­tured on the card have ac­tu­ally en­dorsed me."

State Sen. Bor­ris Miles was the first to is­sue a state­ment con­demn­ing the mailer, call­ing it "false and mis­lead­ing."

"I am out­raged that any­one would try to trick and mis­lead the cit­i­zens of Hous­ton," Miles said. "Let me be clear. I am not, nor have I ever en­dorsed Eric Dick or Wil­lie Davis. I have never been a part of Har­ris County Black Demo­cratic News and took no part to be in­cluded in their mail piece."

"I am out­raged that any­one would try to trick and mis­lead the cit­i­zens of Hous­ton," Miles said. "Let me be clear. I am not, nor have I ever en­dorsed Eric Dick or Wil­lie Davis. I have never been a part of Har­ris County Black Demo­cratic News and took no part to be in­cluded in their mail piece."

A spokesper­son for Turner said the mayor's ad­vice is to ig­nore the mailer.

"Nei­ther the mayor nor his cam­paign know any­thing about this piece, which ap­pears to be il­le­gal with no re­quired dis­claimer," said Sue Davis, com­mu­ni­ca­tions di­rec­tor for the Turner cam­paign.

A spokesperson for Turner said the mayor's advice is to ignore the mailer.

"Neither the mayor or his campaign know anything about this piece, which appears to be illegal with no required disclaimer," said Sue David, communications director for the Turner campaign.