The Plymouth Independent, the non-profit news outlet, will return an unknown number of donations from elected officials received prior to June 2023 contrary to the Independent’s written policy to “avoid” such donations, yet questions remain.

In “A fundraising note from the PI board”, the Independent wrote that “Prior to June, however, we received a flood of contributions from scores of Plymouth residents. That included donations from a handful of elected officials. We apologize for the oversight, and we are grateful to local blogger Jack Gately for calling this to our attention. The donations, which total $860, are being returned.”

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1620Today identified a pattern of donations from several well known elected officials received by the Independent despite the publication’s written ethics policy to “avoid” donations from elected officials and candidates which pose an appearance of conflict.

Of the eight questionable donations flagged by 1620Today from elected officials, candidates for office and/or the business they own, two donations were at the “sponsorship” level. A “Founding Sponsorship” and a “Changemaker Founding Sponsor”. The name of the Changemaker Founding Sponsor, a law firm, has since been deleted from the Independent’s sponsor page as have the names of several of the elected officials identified by 1620Today who donated. Presumably these donations have been returned.

The Founding Sponsor remains listed and is also acknowledged as a recurring monthly donor at $1500 per month for February 2024.

Arthur Desloges, an elected Town Meeting member and candidate for state representative is also still listed as a donor as of noon Tuesday.

The Independent did not provide detail as to which donations or how many they returned, only the aggregate dollar amount, they pledged establish “procedures to avoid any similar misstep in the future, ensuring our journalistic integrity remains uncompromised.”

What is a journalistic appearance of conflict? The New York Times explains in their guide on the topic: “The goal of The New York Times is to cover the news as impartially as possible — “without fear or favor,” in the words of Adolph Ochs, our patriarch — and to treat readers, news sources, advertisers and others fairly and openly, and to be seen to be doing so. The reputation of The Times rests upon such perceptions, and so do the professional reputations of its staff members. Thus The Times and members of its news and opinion staff share an interest in avoiding conflicts of interest or an appearance of a conflict.”

Plymouth Rock Publishing is the parent organization of the Plymouth Independent.

There is no evidence the Plymouth Independent altered news coverage as a result of the donations or that donors had an expectation of favorable treatment.

The famous Adolph Ochs “without fear or favor” quote is also employed in the Independent’s own mission statement.

1620Today does not solicit or accept donations, sponsorships or advertising of any kind.

Over the last decade plus the news industry has seen an upheaval akin to the fall of the US manufacturing in the 1970s. As Taylor Lorenz, the Washington Post media columnist, recently observed “local news has just been obliterated.”

Navigating these waters has been difficult and one solution has been the advent of donor supported publications like the newly launched Plymouth Independent.

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But how does a local news outlet insure donor transparency, so the public can understand who is paying for the news product?

One way is to publicly disclose all donors, which the Plymouth Independent does on its donor and sponsor pages. And another method is to “avoid accepting charitable donations from government entities, political parties, elected officials or candidates seeking public office,” which is the stated policy of the Independent.

But unfortunately the Independent did not adhere to its own ethical guideline when accepting a pattern of donations from multiple prominent Plymouth public officials contrary to the publication’s own ethics policy to “avoid” such donations.

The publication’s donation processing page does inquire if the donation is from a “corporate/organization” but does not remind potential donors of the Independent’s stated policy to avoid donations from government entities, political parties, elected officials or candidates seeking public office.

While there is no evidence the Plymouth Independent altered news coverage as a result of the donations or that donors had an expectation of favorable treatment, the appearance of conflict jeopardizes the outlet’s perceived neutrality and mission to build a “firewall between our news coverage decisions and our sources of funding to ensure that our journalism is free from fear or favor.”

Having a “two newspaper town” or in the modern era, a “multiple news outlet town” is a true blessing, regaining the faith and trust of the community should be the Plymouth Independent’s top priority. We offer a way forward here:

1. Return all donations from elected officials, appointed officials and candidates for office received contrary to the publication’s ethics policy to “avoid” such donations

2. Discontinue any recurring donations from elected officials, appointed officials and candidates for office

3. Take full responsibility for accepting the donations

4. Release from responsibility all elected officials, appointed officials and candidates for office from whom the Independent received donations

5. Insert an Editors Note at the top of any pre-existing story which references an elected official, appointed official and candidate for office who donated, even if that donation has now been returned

6. Develop a pre-emptive screening process to detect donations from elected officials, appointed officials and candidates for office prior to receiving the donation, including a statement on the donation page of the policy to “avoid” such donations.

7. Publish a complete and searchable donor list

8. Disclose in any story going forward the receipt of a donation if that story includes a direct or indirect reference to a donor

9. Develop a policy of disclosure for citizens who donated and then subsequently declare for public office

   1620Today does not solicit or accept donations, sponsorships or advertising of any kind.

The departure was reminiscent of Select Board Member Shelagh Joyce who also resigned mid meeting without explanation in May 2021.

Rogers and other members spoke eloquently in favor of the measure prior to the vote and Chairman Steven Nearman characterized the debate as “lively.” Members Daniel Green and Timothy Lawlor were among the most vocal opponents and were particularly concerned that there was no guarantee the housing units would be dedicated to homeless residents of Plymouth.

The measure would create “26 family shelter units and education center” in the Industrial Park.

After the vote, Nearman proceeded to move to the next agenda item but then recognized Rogers to speak. Rogers spoke briefly, resigned, packed a laptop and departed off camera.

The FinCom also issued a negative report on the $4M Cranberry Commons at Redbrook development which AD Makepeace recently agreed to move across Wareham Road.

Language of Article 16A:

ARTICLE 16A: To see if the Town will vote to appropriate from the Community Preservation Fund revenues or transfer from Community Preservation available funds or reserves, or borrow the sum of $3,000,000 to grant to Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless, Inc. for the purposes of constructing 26 family shelter units and education center with a deed restricted for affordable housing on the property located at 54 Industrial Park Road Plymouth Massachusetts, lot 12A-6, on assessors map 102 and further to authorize the Select Board to accept an affordable housing restriction pursuant to G.L. c. 44B, Section 12 and G.L. c. 184, Sections 31-33 at 54 Industrial Park Road, Plymouth Massachusetts or take any other action relative thereto. COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

The Plymouth Independent accepted donations from multiple prominent Plymouth public officials, including two incumbent state legislators and two school committee members, contrary to the publication’s own ethics policy raising integrity and conflict of interest questions for the fledgling non-profit news outlet.

According to the Plymouth Independent’s Ethics and Practices webpage: “As a news nonprofit, we avoid accepting charitable donations from government entities, political parties, elected officials or candidates seeking public office.”

“We subscribe to standards of editorial independence adopted by the Institute for Nonprofit News.”

The board and staff of the Plymouth Independent is populated with a deep roster of veteran journalists with stellar backgrounds including stints at the Boston Globe, the New York Times, the MIT Media lab, Harvard University Nieman Fellowship and WBUR.

Walter V. Robinson, an advisor to the board, was portrayed by Michael Keaton in the film “Spotlight.”

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There is no evidence the Plymouth Independent altered news coverage as a result of the donations or that donors had an expectation of favorable treatment, but the appearance of conflict jeopardizes the outlet’s perceived neutrality and mission to build a “firewall between our news coverage decisions and our sources of funding to ensure that our journalism is free from fear or favor.”

The donation and sponsor pages of the publication demonstrate a pattern of accepting donations from elected officials and candidates for office (or the businesses they own) in direct violation of the publication’s own ethical policies to avoid such donations.

The Independent routinely covers public officials who have donated to the non-profit but leaves readers to manually cross reference the donor and sponsor pages for potential conflicts or the appearance of conflict.

Patrick Flaherty, the former Plymouth Selectman, is the clerk and treasurer of the news non-profit. Flaherty, along with Plymouth Independent donor and State Representative Mathew Muratore, are founding partners in EF Senior Care, as disclosed by the Plymouth Independent on Wednesday.

However, the Independent failed to “avoid” a donation from Muratore, a well known and long serving elected official.

Donor and Planning Board Member Birgitta Kuehn was featured in an article regarding Kuehn’s involvement with Community Preservation Committee earlier this month. Kuehn is a high profile Plymouth official but the Independent also failed to “avoid” her donation.

Town Moderator and attorney Steven Triffletti, who represents Kuehn in the Community Preservation Committee matter and was mentioned in the Kuehn article, his law firm Triffletti & Costa also donated to the Independent. No mention of the law firm’s financial support is disclosed in the article, but Triffletti & Costa is listed as a “Changemaker Founding Sponsor” on the sponsor page.

Three candidates for the state representative seat being vacated by Muratore (or a business they own) donated to the Independent: Michelle Badger, Arthur Desloges and Brabo, owned by political newcomer Scott Hokanson.

Badger and Desloges were elected Town officials at the time of their donations in 2023, but the Independent once again failed to “avoid” the donations.

It is unclear if the Brabo donation preceded Hokanson’s recent announcement for elected office.

The parent organization of The Plymouth Independent is Plymouth Rock Publishing a 501c3 non-profit founded last year and according to documents filed at the state Attorney General's Office, the outlet will maintain its non-profit status by “producing explanatory and investigative journalism by using institutional expertise to research and educate the public.”

The Institute for Nonprofit News declares: “Newsrooms in the INN network uphold standards that represent a promise of editorial excellence, ethical behavior and transparency about their funding and practices, a promise to the communities they serve. These standards guide their journalism, business operations, hiring practices and community outreach.” The Institute for Nonprofit News does not publish a list of network members.

Donations received last year from public officials and/or businesses they own include:

Kathleen LaNatra - State Representative

Triffletti & Costa - the law firm of Town Moderator Steven Triffletti

Birgitta Kuehn - Plymouth Planning Board

Michelle Badger - Plymouth School Committee and declared state representative candidate

Vedna Lacombe-Heywood - Plymouth School Committee and League of Women Voters

Arthur Desloges - Plymouth Town Meeting member and declared candidate for state representative

Mathew Muratore - State Representative and declared candidate for state senate

Brabo - owned by declared state representative candidate Scott Hokanson

The Plymouth Independent claims “We are committed to transparency in every aspect of funding our organization. Accepting financial support does not mean we endorse donors or their products, services or opinions.”

Mr. Robinson, the board advisor, is a Plymouth resident and 34 year Boston Globe veteran “best known for leading the Globe Spotlight Team’s groundbreaking investigation of the Roman Catholic Church’s clergy abuse scandal.”

Robinson according his bio has an “unwavering commitment to investigative journalism and his dedication to uncovering the truth will help ensure that the Plymouth Independent remains a trusted source of news and information.”

The Plymouth Independent website boasts a prominent “donate” button and an occasional donate pop-up.

1620Today does not solicit or accept donations, sponsorships or advertising of any kind.

In an email obtained by 1620Today, AD Makepeace said “we feel that this plan addresses all the concerns we have heard related to location and use.”

Residents objected to the parking and scope of the project in the area adjacent to the Meeting House and the community garden. Questions remain however if Redbrook will still be able to access $4M in CPC funds for the project.

The new design includes one parking spot per unit for the 62+ housing complex with 52 total units.

“The proposed alternative plan shows a few on-street parallel parking spaces consistent with what exists today, removes the head-in along Wareham Road, and includes an interior parking lot inside the parcel…This alternative plan also alleviates any concerns regarding impacts to the Community Garden and increases the distance from existing homeowners,” according to the email sent to residents today.

The determination was made after Attorney Margaret Sheehan on behalf of Community Land & Water Coalition and Save the Pine Barrens filed five separate complaints with the Attorney General.

The AG’s Open Government Division wrote on August 4th: “we find that the Board and the ZBA violated the Open Meeting Law as alleged except with respect to the allegation that the Board should have posted notice as the board of water commissioners. We order the Board’s and the ZBA’s immediate and future compliance with the Open Meeting Law and warn that a finding of similar violations in the future may be considered evidence of an intent to the violate the Law.”

Claremont, the developer, was seeking ZBA approval for 348 apartments at the site.

The AG’s office declined however to nullify the Select Board’s waiver of “any water, sewer, and building fees for the proposed development project” because that vote was subject to a separate ZBA vote not subject to the complaints.

Sheehan released this statement: “We are pulling back the veil of secrecy in the way the Selectboard and ZBA operate. Making secret deals with private developers is an egregious abuse of the Open Meeting Law. The Selectboard, ZBA, Conservation Commission and Planning Board are showing a clear bias in favor of developers. Making backroom deals like this harms the public interest in clean water and a sustainable environment. Secret meetings, rubber stamp permits and secret deals will not be tolerated.”

The Town has been ordered to revise and release the minutes of the meeting with 30 days and have all members of the Select Board and the ZBA to attend an Open Meeting Law webinar training within 90 days.

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According to the Town, the following streets are scheduled for Chip Seal this season:

• Long Pond Road, from Halfway Pond Rd to Hedges Pond Rd. 

• Lunn’s Way, Sweeney Lane, Gabriel Lane, Nathan Lane, Kim Circle, Joyce Drive, Lynn Circle, Arthur Circle, Welton Drive, Thompson Circle, Jennifer Circle, and Moraski Lane.

• Long Pond Road, from Pisces Ln to Herring Pond Rd, and Carters Bridge Road.

• Carver Road, from Summer St to Samoset St.

• Jan Marie Drive, Jacqueline Lane, and Jaye Street

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Also note, no day time parking on the streets listed above until the project is complete: “Please note that there will be NO PARKING on the roadway between the hours of 6:30 AM to 5:00 PM starting the week of July 17^th until after the chip seal operations are completed on your street.”

Learn more about the Town’s Pavement Management Program here.

According to Senator Markey MassDEP denied Holtec’s attempt to modify the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and is now “prohibited from discharging its radioactive wastewater into Cape Cod Bay. MassDEP’s tentative determination will now undergo a public notice and comment process before a final determination is made.”

The Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel is scheduled to meet at Plymouth Town Hall this evening at 6:30PM, activists plan a rally at 5:30PM outside Town Hall.

Markey added “I applaud MassDEP for following the science, upholding the Massachusetts Ocean Sanctuaries Act, and heeding local concerns in its decision to rightfully deny Holtec’s request.”

The Board will hear public comment on the proposed ban at the Wednesday July 26th meeting. Provision K is part a wider second hand smoking regulation under consideration. Specifically within 30 feet of “outdoor areas of restaurants, bars, taverns, and any other outdoors place where food and beverage are sold to the public”