COMMENTARY

MARK SCHUMANN 

In a desperate move that is both a highly questionable attempt to interfere with business relationships, and at the same time an affront to free speech and freedom of the press, utility activist Charlie Wilson sent an email to Inside Vero’s advertisers today urging them to boycott the newspaper.  “Attention Business owners!  Cancel Your Ad In Inside Vero Immediately,” Wilson wrote.

Worse than misleading Inside Vero’s advertisers about the focus and mission of the newspaper, Wilson’s email urging an advertising boycott is a despicable affront to the very principles of freedom to which he claims to be committed. In our democratic society, freedom of expression and freedom of the press are as important as the right to bear arms and the freedom of religion.

What I found most bizarre about Wilson’s email to our advertisers was the charge that Inside Vero attacks Christians.  I am a graduate of Columbia Seminary and was ordained in the Presbyterian Church.  Just yesterday I served as the guest preacher for a local Presbyterian congregation.  Though I may not agree with the positions of the American Family Association, an organization the Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled a hate group, I am hardly anti-Christian.

Wilson went on to claim Inside Vero is conducting a campaign to prevent the sale of Vero Electric.  In truth, Inside Vero has never taken the position that the status quo is acceptable.  Never! We have, however, reported on the complexities in closing the deal, and have offered commentary on the likely consequences of surrendering the city’s most valuable asset for net proceeds that will likely amount to zero.  Perhaps most troubling to Wilson, we have reported that just a few years ago he, Glenn Heran and others were claiming the city would gain some $150 million from the sale.  Wilson’s prediction has proved to be at least $150 million off base.  The best the city can hope for at this point is to be able to hand Vero Electric over to FPL without having to use reserve funds to pay closing costs.

Wilson’s most frequent criticism of Inside Vero is his assertion that the newspaper is “ultra-liberal.”  He sought to substantiate this claim by presenting redacted quotes out of context. Perhaps it is helpful to remember that in today’s political landscape, even former Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan would be lambasted by the likes of Charlie Wilson, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Texas Republican/Tea Party Senator Ted Cruz for what have become centrist positions, though they were once considered conservative.

At the invitation of WTTB Morning Magazine host Bob Soos, Wilson appears on the station each week, spending at least some of his airtime attempting to disparage the reporting of Inside Vero. At least until yesterday, though, Wilson has always couched his criticism by claiming he is glad the community has another voice.

What Wilson characterizes as “vicious personal attacks” are reports calling him to account for what have become his weekly misstatements of fact.  Wilson, though seldom in doubt, is often wrong.  The civic activist who has become a frequent performer at City Council and County Commission meetings simply cannot stand to be corrected.

Our readers have come to expect that Inside Vero will offer a variety of perspectives and differing points of view from other local publications.  After all, the Press Journal has become Stuart-centric, while the barrier island weekly has nothing good to say about the city or its employees.  While we do not support extremism on either the conservative or the liberal side, we feel an obligation to present information not filtered by party affiliation or special interest.

Unlike some other publications, we label as “commentary” any articles where we express our opinion, and, unlike Wilson, we understand the difference between opinions and facts.

I have already heard today from one advertiser who is considering increasing the size of his ad in the print edition of Inside Vero.  So, despite Wilson’s highly questionable efforts to orchestrate an advertising boycott of Inside Vero, be assured we will continue to exercise our right to express our opinion on matters of concern to our readership.   Further, we will continue to fulfill our responsibility to report facts that are often overlooked by other media sources.