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I wish I could say that this was the week where the most vigorous discussion occurred around our reporting on the $16 billion in unfunded liabilities facing the state, explored in our On the Hook series. But for whatever reason, it seemed like Honolulu’s rail project and our approach to journalism raised the most discussion. I know you’re all busy, so to help you save time, here are some examples of the “must-read” comments from recent days that I hope give you an idea of the level of discussion on Civil Beat.

On Rail

In response to my article, “Rail Is So Ridiculous”, about Cliff Slater, a leading rail opponent:

An excerpt from David Briscoe

After witnessing the rise of rail in three very different cities, I must say it significantly improved all three.

Hawaii will clearly be a better place to live and visit with mass transit on its most populace island — just about any mass transit that will provide some order and regularity amid the mayhem.

We’ve already paved over paradise for a parking lot. We’ve already got the ugly — the buses, the cars, the jammed-up freeways, the potholes, the unending road construction and repair, the inefficient HOV lanes, the malfunctioning traffic lights, the inadequate signage. What we don’t have and so desperately need is an alternative to the chaos they all create.

Read the complete comment.

• This comment From Trisha Kehaulani Watson

I’m highly amused by the comments from people who aren’t from Hawaii and yet claiming to know what Hawai`i or Hawaiians want when it comes to rail.

I’m Native Hawaiian, and I want rail.

I want rail because I believe it to be better for our environment and I believe it to be an opportunity to improve the quality of life for countless families living in Central O`ahu and on the Leeward Coast. Not everyone can afford to live in town.

Most of us certainly don’t have to money to live in Nu`uanu like Mr. Slater. How easy it is to criticize when you have all the money in the world. Not everyone is so fortunate. Perhaps he needs to think of those people. I certainly do in my support of rail.

It’s not about us – it’s about the future generations who will benefit from this project.

Respectfully,
Dr. Trisha Kehaulani Watson

• An excerpt from Dennis Callan

Congrats to Civil Beat for the innovative way you presented Cliff’s anti-rail story, with text and video together – very cool, and gives the man a chance to present views unfiltered by the media. You are beginning to tap into the vast educational potential of the new technology. However the story was still too short – we need much more, please, to fully reveal “both sides” of this monster issue.

Read the complete comment. We’re going to try to do just, Dennis. Please check out my post about our plans for getting to the bottom of the points of contention about rail.

On Our Request to Governor Candidates

• The post by Land Reporter-Host Michael Levine began:

Candidates for public office say a lot of things.

While comparing what politicians say can be an interesting exercise in and of itself, comparing what they actually do can shed even more light. The choices they make in their own lives are indicative of what they really believe, rather than what they say they believe.

Earlier this week, Civil Beat reached out to the three main governor candidates and pitched a story about sustainability. We asked Neil Abercrombie, Mufi Hannemann and James “Duke” Aiona to share with us details of their personal lives to see how they stacked up against their own policy platforms. In short, do they practice what they preach?

The result: a lively discussion of journalism ethics.

• From veteran journalist Jan TenBruggencate:

Wow. With all due respect, because I know a reporter’s job is to push the line, this one went well over that line.

Trashing someone who answered your questions because he refused to let stranger(s) walk around inside the home where he lives with his family?

I agree with commenter Fred Fortin. This is both objectionable and uncivil behavior.

And there’s the additional slight to whichever candidate goes first: The other candidates now know how you’re treating this and have an opportunity to game your reporting. (Though I presume you’ll control this by limiting other candidates’ pieces to what they submitted or submitted to before this article ran.)

• An excerpt in response from Mike, our reporter:

I don’t believe the story was unfairly written, objectionable or uncivil. We stated the facts of the request, our reasons for the request, and the candidate’s response. I fail to see how that qualifies as “trashing” anybody. Also, I don’t believe the headline was misleading. There is a distinct difference between saying and showing. Candidate Abercrombie did provide a written statement, but declined to show us what we asked to see. Agree or disagree with his reasons, the simple fact is that “he won’t show.”

Read the complete comment.

• An excerpt from David Fisher:

Context, Context, Context. As a news headline in the middle of a tough campaign “He Won’t Show” implies that Neil Abercrombie is hiding something. Which is not the case. He the only candidate who has shared his plans and record regarding sustainability. Wanting to maintain the privacy of your home should not be equated with hiding something, even if you are running for public office. If you had waited for responses from the other candidates and presented them together it would have come off as less of an attack.

Read the complete comment.

By the way, David asked whether we’ll be sponsoring debates. The answer: Yes. We’ll do everything we can to get the candidates to be clear about where they stand.

• I’m going to give the last word for now to David Briscoe, former Associated Press Bureau Chief in Honolulu. Here’s an excerpt.

This is a good one, Michael. You’ve pushed the envelope and even irritated some of your readers and fellow journalists.

There’s nothing wrong with asking a candidate to check out his or her lifestyle. And there’s nothing inherently wrong in a candidate refusing to allow a reporter access into his or her private quarters.

Read the complete comment.

To conclude:

My favorite comment of the week came from Paul Fitzgerald:

“BTW, I’ve got to quit reading Civil Beat at lunch because I end up forgetting to eat. :)”

That means we must really be providing food for thought. :)