The Washington Post overstates source's significance

The headline of the Jan. 5 Washington Post article "Environmentalist Group Backs Md. Connector" referred to the African-American Environmental Association (AAEA), an organization that supported the proposed Intercounty Connector (ICC) at a public meeting. However, the AAEA is a "small home-based organization," according to its founder and President Norris McDonald, who appears to be the organization's only member. In addition, McDonald seems to be more of an advocate for black economic interests than for the environment.

I do not mean to question the AAEA's legitimacy. McDonald is certainly entitled to his opinions and should be commended for his public activism. His personal drive and dedication to his beliefs should be commended, and citizens with his passionate activism help to strengthen our democracy. Instead, this Silver Chips Online article is meant to draw attention to the inappropriate citation of McDonald by The Washington Post.

The most startling claim made by the AAEA is that it calls itself an environmental organization. Simply put, its positions on environmental issues run counter to the mainstream environmental movement. Other than being the only local environmental organization that supports the ICC, the group also has blanket support for the environmental policies of President Bush, the worst environmental president in history. One section of the AAEA web site reads, "President Bush won. He should be allowed to implement his environmental proposals. If they do not work, then we can try alternatives. If they do work, we should support and applaud his accomplishments."

The phrase "Replenish the Earth and Subdue it" is scattered around the web site, which seems to be most concerned with the economic and social issues facing the black community. There are pages dedicated to "black-on-black murder," the "No Fear Act," "Energy Policy for Blacks" and "Religion."

The web site is also much less professional than what would be expected from an established organization. It is poorly labeled and aesthetically unpleasing. Most of the web site is an MSN group, instead of having its own, more professional (and expensive) domain name.

The web site is also updated infrequently. The "Announcements" page of the site was only updated twice during 2004. The "History of Collaborations" page, which reads like a personal resume, shows no initiatives in the past two years. Both of these pages were cited by McDonald in a response to Silver Chips Online's previous story on the group.

The biggest issue regarding the AAEA's significance, however, is that it appears to be a one-man operation. The web site has no data on a membership base and McDonald himself describes the group as a small organization. No wonder Sierra Club MD Chapter Chair Betsy Johnson never heard of the group until McDonald spoke at the ICC meeting.

On Jan. 8, The Washington Post issued a correction that read: "The headline on a Jan. 5 Metro article, 'Environmental Group Backs Md. Connector,' did not reflect that opponents of the proposed intercountry connector were equally vocal at a public hearing. Most environmental groups oppose the connector." However, this correction failed to address the legitimacy of the AAEA as a source.

During a phone conversation on Jan. 10, Steven Ginsberg, the author of the article, said that he feels the correction was sufficient. He also said that the headline was written by Jo-Ann Armao, Assistant Managing Editor for Metro News, who would contact Silver Chips Online. After numerous attempts, the Silver Chips Online staff has been unable to contact Armao.

It seems extremely unlikely that The Washington Post would deliberately use a source inappropriately to slant a news story, despite the fact that the newspaper has strongly endorsed the ICC. Most likely the reporter and editors failed to follow up on the AAEA's credibility. Still, the organization's obscurity and support for the ICC should have raised suspicions. Regardless of their reasons, The Washington Post was wrong to use the AAEA as a source and has yet to issue a satisfactory explanation.