Letter: Columnist wrong about Poarch Creek gaming

Wednesday, March 18, 2009  

"Dear Mr. Flowers:

While we realize you are better known as a former Alabama legislator, we are of the belief that people practicing journalism should hold the profession in high esteem and work within some ethical guide­lines. Your recently pub­lished article, "Governor Riley has High Interest in Indian Gambling," Feb. 25, 2009, contains at least one error that if committed by a professional reporter, would be enough to garner a severe reprimand by his editor, if not a firing.

Instead of doing your own reporting (or fact checking), you "quoted" another journalist's work from the Mobile Press Reg­ister. Unfortunately, you did not "borrow" the quote correctly. You wrote that the Mobile Press Register reported that Alabama's Governor came to the open­ing of the Wind Creek Casi­no, In fact, he did not, and your story was wrong.

We were pleased that Governor Riley visited our reservation in Atmore in November (two months be­fore Wind Creek opened.) We are, after all, descen­dants of the some of the first citizens of Alabama, and we appreciate that the Governor visited our part of the State, just as he would visit constituents in other parts of Alabama. He never visited Wind Creek, as you stated. He did visit out Poarch Creek tribal of­fices, which are more than 3 miles from the resort."

Get the Story:
Sharon Delmer: Bad information in column (The Montgomery Advertiser 3/18)