OUR ERROR | And how we’re going to fix it

By RANDY SEAVER | Editor

An open letter to the Gazette’s readers, subscribers, team members and donors.

The following is the text of an email that I sent earlier today to Carolyn Fox, executive editor of the Portland Press Herald.

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Dear Ms. Fox,

By way of introduction, my name is Randy Seaver, and I am the editor of the Biddeford Gazette, a nonprofit digital news source that focuses on news and feature stories in the city of Biddeford.

I am writing to offer you and others at your organization my most sincere apology for a rather silly mistake I made late [yesterday] evening by sharing and promoting what now appears to be an act of plagiarism by another media outlet.

Yesterday (March 22), the Portland Press Herald published an op-ed column that was submitted to your paper by former Biddeford mayors Alan Casavant and Martin Grohman regarding the city of Biddeford and its handling of issues connected to the University of New England.

It was certainly an important and relevant piece, especially for those of us who live and work in the city of Biddeford.

I missed the Portland Press Herald coverage and stumbled upon the op-ed on another digital news site known as the Biddeford Buzz and published by Biddeford resident Joshua Wolfe.

The story — which remains (as of this writing) on the Biddeford Buzz site — DID NOT include any attribution or mention of your newspaper as the originating source. Instead, the Biddeford Buzz gave its readers the impression that it had some exclusive content to share.

I mistakenly shared that content with my own readers, describing it as being featured “only in the Biddeford Buzz.”

It now appears that the [Biddeford Buzz] simply “copied and pasted” the article from your site as their own content.

. . . what now appears to be an act of plagiarism
by another media outlet.

A confirmation of fact

After being notified by one of our readers that I had apparently missed the story in the Portland Press Herald, I was able to immediately confirm today with both Alan Casavant and Martin Grohman that they sent their op-ed for publication only to your newspaper, not to the Biddeford Buzz or any other publication.

I should have known better | Our readers deserve better

With more than 30 years of journalism experience under my belt, I should have known better. I should have waited and confirmed the authenticity of the piece.

In the end, I violated several fundamental principles of professional journalism by sharing the Biddeford Buzz story on the Gazette’s own social media platforms.

I am embarrassed and apologize for my impulsivity and lack of judgment in this matter.

The Biddeford Gazette is not a large organization such as the New York Times, the Boston Globe or the Portland Press Herald.

Make no mistake. We are under no illusions of grandeur.

We’re just a small, independent, digital publication that covers just one community. And that community – and its trust — is far more important to us than anything else we do.

In this matter, I simply dropped the ball.

To earn and maintain that public trust, the Gazette is rigorously committed to public accountability and transparency in all of our affairs.

[Biddeford] – and its trust — is far more important
to us than anything else we do.

What do we do to earn that public trust?

We adhere to strict disclosure and accountability protocols. Every story has a byline and contains contact information for the author.

We have established a volunteer Community Advisory Council representing diverse interests in our community. That advisory council is encouraged to provide us with critical feedback and guidance about our coverage and editorial policies;

We have a stated set of Editorial Policies and Guidelines available for public inspection on our website;

We have a rigorous Corrections Policy. Every error is fixed but also noted for public reference.

We are far less than perfect, but we recognize our obligation to the people of Biddeford. Our readers come first. Our pride comes in at a distant second.

Trust is more than just a word.
It is a commitment and something
that needs to be earned daily.

How are we going to fix this?

1.) We have removed our social media post that previously shared and promoted the Biddeford Buzz “story”

2.) We will issue a public correction (a process already outlined in our established and publicly available editorial standards and policies) by sharing this explanatory note with our readers;

3.) While we are very proud of our collaborative approach with other media outlets by sharing their content (clearly labeled), we will no longer share or promote any material from the Biddeford Buzz.

4.) Finally, we will share this explanatory note with our readers.

Public confidence in the news media is at a record low across America.

In my opinion, the only way we can regain public trust and confidence in our profession is to eat, breathe and sleep surrounded by our dogged commitment to public accountability and transparency.

Trust is more than just a word. It is a commitment and something that needs to be earned daily.

Again, I deeply regret the error, and I invite you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

As reference, here is the link I mentioned from the Biddeford Buzz

Randy Seaver

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