Call for Georgia Public Broadcasting to “Stand with the Facts”
Readers are seeking a response as to why GPB has apparently abandoned its longstanding motto to “Stand with the Facts” in reference to a recent article and series of tweets by GPB’s Stephen Fowler in regards to the Fulton County Ballot Inspection (FCBI) case brought by VoterGA citizen petitioners. Here are some examples.
- In a May 15th tweet, Mr. Fowler falsely criticized Jenny Beth Martin, president of the TEA Party Patriots Foundation (TPPF), and stated: “… 0 judges found actionable evidence/proof with the dozens of lawsuits that challenged the election”. In reality, there are four sworn affidavits in the FCBI case from senior poll managers contending they handled fraudulent ballots, two corroborating affidavits from audit monitors, and video recordings of activities at State Farm Arena showing violations of state election law. All are actionable evidence in the FCBI case that persuaded the court to allow a mail-in ballot inspection.
- On May 25th, Fowler’s GPB article and tweet stated that VoterGA co-founder and lead Plaintiff Garland Favorito “… is now serving as the latest vessel for false claims of fraud with the 2020 election”. Yet Fowler never contacted Favorito for an interview nor made any attempt to investigate the merits of the case. Instead, he made himself judge and passed a premature judgement that misinforms his GPB audience.
- In the May 25th article and a May 27th tweet, Fowler stated: “A Friday meeting to discuss logistical plans for a conspiracy theorist + others to review copies of Fulton's 147,000 absentee ballots for evidence of fraud has been canceled…”. Fowler’s several unprofessional ad hominem attacks to ridicule Favorito rather than report on the fact that Favorito recently won a similar lawsuit forcing Gwinnett County to release ballot images makes a mockery of the GPB motto.
Simply stated, Fowler’s misrepresentation of the FCBI case and its citizen Petitioners conflicts with GPB’s longstanding history of quality reporting and represents what may be the most unprofessional journalism in GPB history. Fowler never interviewed the FCBI case petitioners or their attorneys, withheld all merits of the case from his readers, made false statements about the evidence, and ridiculed advocates of election transparency. A fair and reasonable person can only conclude that Fowler intended to grossly misinform GPB readership about the case and its petitioners and the editors allowed this unprofessional and malicious work to be published.
We are calling on GBP management to “stand with the facts” and sanction Fowler and others for this unprofessional conduct. By allowing another GBP reporter to provide a follow up report with balanced reporting of the FCBI case instead of biased opinions GPB can rebuild trust with its readers and donors.
Call for Georgia Public Broadcasting to “Stand with the Facts”
Readers are seeking a response as to why GPB has apparently abandoned its longstanding motto to “Stand with the Facts” in reference to a recent article and series of tweets by GPB’s Stephen Fowler in regards to the Fulton County Ballot Inspection (FCBI) case brought by VoterGA citizen petitioners. Here are some examples.
- In a May 15th tweet, Mr. Fowler falsely criticized Jenny Beth Martin, president of the TEA Party Patriots Foundation (TPPF), and stated: “… 0 judges found actionable evidence/proof with the dozens of lawsuits that challenged the election”. In reality, there are four sworn affidavits in the FCBI case from senior poll managers contending they handled fraudulent ballots, two corroborating affidavits from audit monitors, and video recordings of activities at State Farm Arena showing violations of state election law. All are actionable evidence in the FCBI case that persuaded the court to allow a mail-in ballot inspection.
- On May 25th, Fowler’s GPB article and tweet stated that VoterGA co-founder and lead Plaintiff Garland Favorito “… is now serving as the latest vessel for false claims of fraud with the 2020 election”. Yet Fowler never contacted Favorito for an interview nor made any attempt to investigate the merits of the case. Instead, he made himself judge and passed a premature judgement that misinforms his GPB audience.
- In the May 25th article and a May 27th tweet, Fowler stated: “A Friday meeting to discuss logistical plans for a conspiracy theorist + others to review copies of Fulton's 147,000 absentee ballots for evidence of fraud has been canceled…”. Fowler’s several unprofessional ad hominem attacks to ridicule Favorito rather than report on the fact that Favorito recently won a similar lawsuit forcing Gwinnett County to release ballot images makes a mockery of the GPB motto.
Simply stated, Fowler’s misrepresentation of the FCBI case and its citizen Petitioners conflicts with GPB’s longstanding history of quality reporting and represents what may be the most unprofessional journalism in GPB history. Fowler never interviewed the FCBI case petitioners or their attorneys, withheld all merits of the case from his readers, made false statements about the evidence, and ridiculed advocates of election transparency. A fair and reasonable person can only conclude that Fowler intended to grossly misinform GPB readership about the case and its petitioners and the editors allowed this unprofessional and malicious work to be published.
We are calling on GBP management to “stand with the facts” and sanction Fowler and others for this unprofessional conduct. By allowing another GBP reporter to provide a follow up report with balanced reporting of the FCBI case instead of biased opinions GPB can rebuild trust with its readers and donors.